Do You Believe In Magic?: An Old Warrior In Orlando (DDS:PB 3)

[Izulde]

Where is the horse gone? Where the rider?
Where the giver of treasure?
Where are the seats at the feast?
Where are the revels in the hall?
Alas for the bright cup!
Alas for the mailed warrior!
Alas for the splendour of the prince!
How that time has passed away,
dark under the cover of night,
as if it had never been!
-The Wanderer

Legends and myths, the tales and songs of antiquity, stir something in us. Whether it is an embedded, genetically encoded continuation of ancestral memory or simply humanity's ongoing quest for truth and understanding, a journey that sees repetition after repetition, the emergence of old ideas into new forms, is inconsequential. It is merely enough to know that they do strike the chord, do resonate deeply within some indescribable region of ourselves.

Even more recent sagas, whether romantic or sporting, as in the imagined books titled The Beautiful Girl and the History Class and Restoring the Glory: A Modern-Day New York Knicks Dynasty, continue to speak to some of our most primal desires, such as love and victory, two of the sweetest accomplishments available to our kind.

And yet, the heady delights of such attainments can not last. The slapped congratulations, the celebratory dances, the feeling of Yes, Yes, Yes! must invariably fade, erased by time and the accumulation of other cares, other worries. Eventually, that which imprinted itself so strongly in our memory will disappear, and all we will be left with is what preserved records survive. And even then, even then it is all too likely that, like The Wander, we shall wander the deserted, decayed halls, singing our mournful ubi sunts, with nary an answer.

But let us move away from such weighty, maudlin concerns, and travel to a moderately sized room in the desert city of Las Vegas. Stacks of boxes sit here, along with three bright turquoise suitcases, three Eastpak backpacks (also bright turquoise, red, and silver/white respectively), and a very familiar figure sitting at a computer screen. Windows are open to what appears to be the beginning of lecture notes and a syllabus for a course in issues in college sports. Another set of tabs call up the admissions pages for various graduate sports management programs. Yet another program displays what appears to be a novel in progress.

So much to be done and so little time.

And then the cellphone sitting next to the laptop rings. The number's glanced at with a frown of nonrecognition.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Jestor?"

"Yeah?"

"This is Richard DeVos. We not only need your help with the D12 situation, we need you. Come join us."

"...On my way."

*****

The thesis, the course, the gazillion more graduate school apps, those could all be dealt with later. For now, it was time to climb back in the saddle and ride again, like that old Tiger, Huang Zhong.

Fittingly enough, my destination was the Magic Kingdom.

Say hello again to Jestorball, NBA. Only this time, I hope I last more than a year at my first stop.

[Izulde]

Even someone as NBA-inattentive as I am has heard of the whole Dwight Howard brouhaha, and it's quite clear the situation has to be resolved one way or the other. Unfortunately for D12, his complete ambivalence towards staying or going, and my own well-established trading tendencies, don't bode well for his staying here.

But I realize, even as I settle into my office to start looking over the team situation, this game is a lot different than from when I wrote the story of so long ago. Things and strategies that worked then may not do so well here. In short, I may be in over my head.

Still, some things are still apparent. Like the fact that the obnoxious owner wants us in the playoffs and only a little over the salary cap. Yeah, good luck with that one, chief. I tried telling him it'd be a rebuilding year and that I was going to need more flexibility if he wanted me to make the playoffs, but he says, "You have a good reputation. You'll figure it out somehow."

Nothing like the burden of expectations.

Also clear: Stan Van Gu..... wait. The coaching staff is empty.

...The coaching staff.is.empty.

That's AWESOME! Now I don't have to fire everyone and incur massive financial penalties. Hooray!

...Only I can't hire anyone immediately. Damn.

Quick Roster Overview While I Wait
Point Guard
Chris Duhon (29) - Good handler, disciplined and smart, with average defense. Could do a lot worse than this for a backup. Slightly overpaid at $3.68 and $3.9 mil the next two seasons, but he'll do if we have to.

Jameer Nelson (30) - I remember when I used to love watching this guy play. Seems like he's been around the league forever. Fatty $7.8 million expiring. Strikes me as more of a combo guard than a true floor general at this point in his career. In fact, I'd consider starting Duhon and making Nelson the 6th man, if, you know, I was the coach and all.

Shooting Guard
J.J. Reddick (27) - I really love all these smart, disciplined players we have. Looks to be a pretty good shooter, but 6'4, 190, is a little small for a 2 guard. $6 million expiring. I'm sensing a common theme here.

Jason Richardson (31) - Has the size at 6'6, 225 lbs, but he's our first really dumb player and grossly overpaid for what he brings - $5.7, $6.2, $6.6 (PO). Still, a three year contract (Let's assume he'll be smart enough to pick up that last year) isn't crippling, and I can just stuff J-Rich deep on the bench where he never need play again unless there's injuries. ...Again, if I was the coach.

Von Wafer (26) - Scrub with forgettable team option, which will be declined.

Small Forward
Quentin Richardson (32) - Wasn't he good once? Anyway, now he's just a scrub at $2.6 mil with a PO next year. It's pretty clear we need to beef up our perimeter game so far.

Hedo Turkoglu (33) - His name says it all - glue guy from the looks of it. Ugly short-term contract at $11.4 million and doubtlessly picked up $12.2 PO next season.

Earl Clark (24) - Cheap PO. Has upside as a defender, sort of. Wouldn't cry to see him walk, however. And this team is somehow supposed to make the playoffs? Not seeing it without D12.

Power Forward
Glen Davis (26) - Wouldn't you know it? Big Baby is actually a serviceable young big man with decent size (6'9, 289 lbs). Not a worldbeater by any means, but I can say from first blush, I like him well enough to keep him. Particularly love his ability to draw fouls with a decent for big man free throw shooting if my scouts are right.

Center
Dwight Howard (26) - He needs no explanation or introduction.

So that's 10 players under contract. 19th and 49th picks in the upcoming draft. No mock out yet.

Just for the fun of it, let's look at Andrew Bynum in the most oft-rumored trade going round.

...Okay so by the scouting, the Magic would be idiots to do this deal in real life. D12 is clearly the better player, especially in terms of defense and consistency.

But, you know, we do need a star who we actually want here... so let's go shopping!

First call: Oklahoma City. The transcript goes like this:

Me: Hey I just met you and this is crazy, but here's my D12. Give me Durant, maybe.

OKC: ...We're listening, but we need more.

Me: #49?

OKC: Okay.



HELL.YEAH!



Uniform switcharoo in effect!!!

So, upon this trade, Kevin Durant, His Awesomeness, dons #41, while D12 becomes D52 Bomber. I sure hope he bombs with the Thunder, hee hee!

We uh, need a big man now. And a coaching staff.

Let's worry about that later.

Like when it's hiring time!

I decide to go super, super cheap on the staff to get the owner off my ass about money. Say hello to your new coaches, Magic fans!

Head Coach: Sam Mitchell
1st Asst: Reggie Theus
2nd Asst: Patrick Ewing
3rd Asst: Jeff Ruland

Yeah. I just hired two former quality big men in Ewing and Ruland after trading away Howard. But Theus and Mitchell can be balla swingman coaches for Durant.

So what does Mr. Mitchell propose for a current lineup?

PG Jameer Nelson
SG Jason Richardson
SF Kevin Durant
PF Hedo Turkoglu
CE Glen Davis

...Ugh on J-Rich. But at least he's smart enough to have Durant play 2-4.

Mock draft is here and we're slated to pick the awesomely named Festus Ezeli, the big man from Vanderbilt. We'll see about that.

We invite every single center prospect and I mean every.single.one. along with a couple swingmen because I'm a dork like that and because I <3 Harrison Barnes. UNLV loyalty and all that (hence Theus as a coach), but I just loved watching Barnes in college.

The Draft
1. Anthony Davis - Connecticut - New Orleans Hornets

Big shock, right?

But the big shock is my phone immediately blowing up with offers:

Offer #1
-Stephen Jackson, #59 for Hedo Turkoglu (Spurs)

Let's see. One old ass player and a scrubby second for another old ass player. S-Jax is a huge $10.6 mil. expiring and has some defensive chops, whereas Turkoglu, glue guy that he is, is probably a two year commitment.

Accepted

Clears up the financial issue and hopefully kicks J-Rich out of the lineup.

Portland and Utah both make offers for Jameer Nelson.

Portland: Shawne Williams, #40

Mediocre 2nd and $3+ million cap space? Yeah, no thanks.

Utah: Raja Bell, #48

Point guards are more valuable than old defensive off guards with obscene handling ability and I mean obscene as in totes awesome. No.

2. Marcus Kidd-Gilchrist - Charlotte Bobcats

Another offer for Nelson, this time from the Bobcats:

C DaSanga Diop, #31

No interested in scrub.

Jazz keep trying to shove #48 at me, this time with Earl Watson for J.J. Redick. No problem saying no again.

3. Thomas Robinson - Washington Wizards
4. Bradley Beal - Cleveland Cavaliers
5. John Henson - Sacramento Kings

Scrub + 2nd offer for Nelson from Cleveland. Yawn.

6. Andre Drummond - Portland Trailblazers

...I really should be checking my scouting on these guys, but technical glitches (read: I forgot to name logos correctly) kept me from getting interest at first and by now it's too late.

Or is it? Hmm hmm.

Still loads of quality players left, so let's keep going. I'll add positions now, too.

7. SG Dion Waiters - Golden State Warriors
8. SF Harrison Barnes - Toronto Raptors



Time to call the Raptors. They willingly take #19 and #59 for Barnes, yay! Probably because they have some cap space right now and this isn't a good draft to have a latter half Top 10 pick in, so they save money, can probably still get a decent rotation player at #19, and a cheap scrub at #59.

9. PG Damian Lillard - Detroit Pistons

I actually really want to follow this kid's career because I know someone who went to Weber State for their undergrad.

10. SF Perry Jones III - New Orleans Hornets
11. PF Jared Sullinger - Portland Trailblazers
12. SF Terrence Jones - Houston Rockets
13. SG Austin Rivers - Phoenix Suns

Nets receive Marshon Brooks
Bucks receive Tobias Harris, 2nd

No thoughts on this yet.

14. C Tyler Zeller - Milwaukee Bucks
15. PF Arnette Moultrie - Philadelphia 76ers
16. SF Moe Harkless - Houston Rockets
17. C Meyers Leonard - Dallas Mavericks
18. SG Terrence Ross - Houston Rockets

So by this point, if we still had this pick, our top target would be... As much of a dumbass as he is, probably Fab Melo. The picks immediately before ours really drained the big man stocks.

19. PG Kendall Marshall - Toronto Raptors

Hah, so they get a Tarheel anyway. At this point in the draft, he's an out and out steal, so it worked out great for Toronto.

20. PG Tony Wroten - Denver Nuggets
21. C Fab Melo - Boston Celtics

And there he goes, to the regional team (if you're not counting Knicks, of course).

22. SF Royce White - Boston Celtics
23. PG Marquis Teague - Atlanta Hawks
24. SF Quincy Miller - Cleveland Cavaliers
25. PF Andrew Nicholson - Memphis Grizzlies
26. SG Jeremy Lamb - Indiana Pacers
27. PF JaMychal Green - Miami Heat
28. SF Draymond Green - Oklahoma City Thunder
29. PF Furkan Aldemir - Chicago Bulls

...Who?

30. PF Drew Gordon - Golden State Warriors

A bunch of second round trades happen, including rookie rights.

Man oh man I *love* the look of Harrison Barnes. Insanely smart, disciplined player, with phenomenal offensive upside and already terrific ballhandling. Unfortunately, he's currently slated 7th in the depth chart, stuck behind J-Rich, Durant and Stephen Jackson.

Happily, the Sacramento Kings willingly take on Quentin Richardson straight up for Travis Outlaw, who is owed $3 million a year for the next 3 seasons.

...And that's when I realize I traded the wrong damned Richardson.

Of course, nobody's willing to take on J-Rich's contract, so we're stuck with his sorry ass. Harrison Barnes does immediately get his third and fourth year options picked up, however.

[Izulde]

Because I can't sleep, it's onward we go to contract decisions!

But wait, what about draft trades review?!

Oh, right.

First, our various trades in proper format, including pre-draft blockbuster.

Orlando Magic receive
SF Kevin Durant

Oklahoma City Thunder receive
C Dwight Howard
#49

What this means for the Magic
It's Jestor at the helm and he scores a major coup, turning one of the great drama-llama laden offseason sagas into one of the league's most personable, marketable stars to be the Magic's new franchise face. Not since Shaquille O'Neal has there been a megawatt star like this prowling the Magic Kingdom. Durant instantly becomes the #1 option and a force in the East.

What this means for the Thunder
Why in the world do they even make this deal? Because as great a discovery as Serge Ibaka has been, the simple truth of the matter is, Oklahoma City didn't have an authentic post scoring threat. Now they do. Of course, there's always the worry that Russell Westbrook will become a wild chucker now, but the post defense duo of Ibaka and D52 will be absolutely filthy and the Thunder can have more offensive tricks up their sleeve than before.

Winner: Orlando
From a sheer marketing standpoint, the Thunder lost big on this one, and only winning an NBA title will stop the PR bleeding that just occurred. They also put themselves in a tough decison making mode - Harden, Ibaka, and Howard are all expiring this season, so they're going to have to choose how they're going to handle the money, especially with Westbrook commanding so much coin.

Orlando Magic receive
Stephen Jackson
#59

San Antonio Spurs receive
Hedo Turkoglu

What this means for the Magic
More pressure than ever to find someone capable of playing the post, but from a financial standpoint, they just shaved off a year and got a proven veteran defender and ballthief, something they lacked on the perimeter. Hard to call that anything but a win-win, even if a one year rental.

What this means for the Spurs
As great a player as Kawhi Leonard is defensively, his passing and handling leave a lot to be desired. Time is running out for San Antonio, even if they bring Tim Duncan back in free agency. Turkoglu immediately becomes one of the Spurs' best ballhandlers and will fit in seamlessly alongside Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli, adding his 6'10 length at the SF spot. It's a move designed to give Timmy D and Co. one last shot at another title.

Winner: Draw
Jackson wasn't adding anything defensively that Leonard didn't already provide, and the Spurs desperately needed more quality ballhandlers, as Tony Parker is turnover-prone. Even if Turkoglu does pick up his option, it's only for another year, and that doesn't matter to the time-pressured Spurs.

Orlando Magic receive
SF Harrison Barnes (Rights)

Toronto Raptors receive
#19
#59

What this means for the Magic
Puzzling trade for Orlando, who already has the just acquired Durant at SF. There's some question over how good a pro Barnes will be and many expected him to go in the middle of the first round, not Top 10. But Jestor apparently has a mancrush on Barnes and will find a way to get new head coach Sam Mitchell to get him some playing time.

What this means for the Raptors
Toronto didn't really want the #8 pick or Barnes. They already have their young scoring trio in Demar Derozan, Andrea Bargnani, and the raw, but very promising Jonas Valancinius. So with this deal, they get to move back into a much cheaper slot and... well.. yeah, hard to justify at the moment. That is, until the Raptors had Kendall Marshall fall into their laps at #19. Jose Calderon isn't getting any younger at 30 and Marshall has legitimate starting PG writ large. In fact, he could have just as easily been the Tarheel taken #8 and not Barnes, and it still would have been perfect.

Winner: Toronto
Sometimes, luck just happens.

New Jersey Nets receive
SF Tobias Harris
Milwaukee Bucks 2nd round pick

Milwaukee Bucks receive
SG Marshon Brooks

Synopsis
The Nets give away a promising young player in Brooks for a one note defensive specialist and a 2nd round pick that turned into the complete waste of space Bernard James. No question who wins this one - Milwaukee, and in a big way.

New York Knicks receive
PF Jeff Pendergraph

Indiana Pacers receive
C Jerome Jordan

Synopsis
Pendergraph is a terrific shooter, but lacks the intelligence and the scoring instinct to do anything with his talents. Not enough upside is there to make the time in him worthwhile, either. Jerome Jordan contributes nothing at all, and is one of the dumbest players in the league. Call this one for the Knicks - at least shooting accuracy is still worth something.

Indiana Pacers receive
C Timofey Mozgov
2nd round pick

Denver Nuggets receive
PF Tyler Hansbrough

Synopsis
Let's not mistake Mozgov for Roy Hibbert. But what he is, is a serviceable insurance policy in case Hibbert for some reason bolts. 7'1, 250 lbs is a very nice size indeed. Hansbrough is essentially a wash in terms of talent, and yet another young PF. Hard to say why Denver made this deal, but the Pacers made out well and win.

I'm skipping the Jazz/Dallas trade because Utah only gave up #48 for a scrub with a really long name.

Miami Heat receive
PF Mike Scott

Cleveland Cavaliers receive
PF JaMychal Green

Synopsis
First round pick for second round pick is all about Miami saving cash. They're both awful players, so why Cleveland made this deal I have no idea. Good little win for the Heat.

San Antonio Spurs receive
SG Cory Brewer
2nd round pick

Denver Nuggets receive
PF Tiago Splitter

Synopsis
Brewer, 26, gives the Spurs another shutdown perimeter defender for their bench, making the trade of S-Jax for Turkoglu all the smarter-looking. Splitter, 27, is raw, but has a ton of upside. Yet, with his age, will he ever reach it? It's not like Denver is going anywhere anytime soon, so they have the opportunity to give the Brazilian minutes to become all he can be. A winning trade for both sides.

Atlanta Hawks receive
SG Royce White
2nd round pick

Boston Celtics receive
PG Marquis Teague

Synopsis
Teague is just 19 and the Kentucky Wildcat should have a long career as a quality backup/fifth starter type. Perfect backup to Rajon Rondo. But why didn't the Cs just take him at #22 then, rather than flip spots with the Hawks and have to give up a second rounder? White looks like ordinary bench fodder and Boston paid a second round pick to atone for their error in taking him at #22 rather than Teague, who got taken te spot after. Bad trade for Atlanta, great one for Boston.

Brooklyn Nets receive
PG Tyshawn Taylor

New Orleans Hornets receive
SG Darius Johnson-Odom

Synopsis
Two draft rights scrubs. Whatever.

Orlando Magic receive
SF Travis Outlaw

Sacramento Kings receive
SG Quentin Richardson

What this means for the Magic
They were trying to free up minutes for Harrison Barnes but traded the wrong Richardson. So they just added two years of an old defensive specialist for nothing.

What this means for the Kings
Slicing off two years of commitment to Outlaw and saving a bit of money.

Winner: Sacramento
Orlando GM Jestor goofed on this one.

So yeah, that's that. In future seasons, I may just only highlight the interesting trades of the draft, because a lot of them tend to be pretty snoretastic.

On to contract decisions for real now.

Evidently we have a young power forward by the name of Ryan Anderson who is pretty good. I know nothing about him, although it looks like he's a decent post threat who can crash the offensive glass like no one's business. Still not sure whether to offer him the QO, though.

A bunch of bench fodder I've never heard of outside of Daniel Orton who also sucks are it for our FAs beyond that.

QO on Anderson turns out cheap enough, just over $1 million, so he gets it. I have no intention of matching any offers for him, though.

Interesting Contract Decisions Around The League
Boston Celtics renounce rights to Kevin Garnett

And well, that's about it for as long as I cared to look. Wonder if we can convince KG to come here on an MLE.

Summer League
It's all about Harrison Barnes as the only player under contract who's eligible. I let Sam Mitchell invite whoever he wants to fill out the rest of the roster because I don't care.

Game 1: @ Utah 97-76 L
-Barnes: 9/20, 1/6 from 3 point, 24 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks

Game 2: vs Golden State 102-79 L
-Barnes: 6/17, 2/4 from 3 point, 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 turnovers

Game 3: vs. New Orleans 91-87 W
-Barnes: 7/12, 2/5 from 3 point, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists - PotG
Although Perry Jones III blew him up for 26 points...

Game 4: @ Milwaukee 101-71 L
-Barnes: 5/9, 13 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 22 minutes as this one was over early

Game 5: vs. 76ers 76-73 W
-Barnes: 6/13, 3/4 from 3 point, 15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 turnovers - POTG, shut down Damion James defensively

Overall, this is me being very pleased with my boy Harrison Barnes' summer league showing. Sure, the team stunk because it was a bunch of scrubby castoffs, but he was definitely the star on a bad group.

Somehow we got down to 9 players under contract heading into FA. Oh wait, that's right. Team Option not picked up on what'shisface.

We're $8.5 million over the cap, so our owner will have a hissy fit I'm sure. Even with minsals, we'd be over the $10 million point.

Free Agency
Basically we're looking for a pass-first PG and a starting center. Love to get Steve Nash or even Andre Miller if I could for the point, and center would be awesome to have Kevin Durant of semi-reasonable maybe MLE targets.

Lot of sitting around and waiting. The rumors are mostly about guys likely to re-sign with their old teams.

First signing is Tim Duncan getting over $13 million on a one year deal to go back to San Antonio. No surprise there.

Derek Fisher signs a min-sal with the Bulls and Minnesota signs Landry Fields to a 2 year, $10 million offer sheet, but the first big money team-changing splash is the Indiana Pacers handing Jamal Crawford a 4 year, $32.4 million deal with a team option.

The Nets ink Omer Asik to a 2 year, $9.6 million offer sheet. Andre Miller goes back to the Nuggets for $6.2 million and one year while we're waiting on Steve Nash.

All that bluster about Kevin Garnett turns to naught when he goes back to Boston on a one year $12.4 million deal, the same day Deron Williams gets a massive 5 year, $77 million and change contract to stay in Brooklyn.

Roy Hibbert gets a 4 year, almost $47 million offer sheet from Portland.

Landry Fields does indeed sign with Minnesota on the day that a bunch of other players get offer sheets, which I won't list here because it gets tedious.

Ersan Ilyasova, after being rumored to Milwaukee for days on end, ends up in Cleveland on a cool 4 year, $46.5 million contract.

:O Jeremy Lin goes to New Orleans for 4 years, $36.1 million. Talk about Linsanity! The Hornets also offer Ryan Anderson a 4 year, $37.2 million sheet. Whatever.

The Bulls don't match Omer Asik so he becomes a Net. But Brooklyn has to stare down the Hornets giving Brook Lopez a 4 year, $40.3 million offer sheet.

...Wow. The Pacers don't match Roy Hibbert's deal from Portland, so he becomes a Blazer. Nice way to recover from Greg Oden's issues!

Things get real interesting the next day:

Ray Allen - San Antonio Spurs (1 year, $3 million)
O.J. Mayo - Toronto Raptors (3 years, $22.2 million)
Eric Gordon - Boston Celtics (4 years, $44.2 million)
Steve Nash - Orlando Magic - 1 year $5 million
Nicolas Batum - Cleveland Cavaliers (4 years, $48.1 million)
JaVale McGee - Brooklyn Nets (4 years, $43.9 million)

Excuse me while I laugh hysterically at the Nets. JaVale McGee? Really? REALLY?! And uh, they haven't matched Brook Lopez yet.

But hey, we landed Nash, thus giving a monster boost to our playoff hopes.

...And Brooklyn lets Brook Lopez go to New Orleans because they spent all their damn money on JaVale McGee.

Let's recap the Hornets now, shall we?

Oh, real, quick: The Pacers recover on losing Hibbert by grabbing Chris Kaman for 4 years, $24.3 million, or half the price of Hibbert. Nice rebound.

Hornets Look
PG Jeremy Lin
SG Jarrett Jack
SF Perry Jones III
PF Anthony Davis
CE Brook Lopez
6th Ryan Anderson

Now that is a pretty god damned good looking young lineup.

Kris Humphries gets a 4 year, $33.4 million deal from the Suns.

A day later it's Andrei Kirilenko going to the Warriors for 4 years, $20 million and the Miami Heat steal Marcus Camby from us on a one year, $3 million.

The cupboard is then so bare, I offer Greg Oden a two year LLE offer, because he hasn't retired yet. He accepts and I'm hoping he can still salvage something out of his career.

We fill out the rest of our roster by signing power forward Reggie Evans and the ancient Michael Redd on min-sals, rather stupidly offering Redd a two year contract, because, you know, there aren't enough old ass guys cockblocking Harrison Barnes.

Training Camp
Harrison Barnes showed some improvement in camp and appears to have even great scoring potential than we thought. But will he get a starting spot?

Projected Opening Night Orlando Magic Roster
PG Steve Nash
SG Stephen Jackson
SF Kevin Durant
PF Glen Davis
CE Reggie Evans
6th Jason Richardson
7th Jameer Nelson
8th Harrison Barnes
9th J.J. Redick
10th Michael Redd
11th Chris Duhon
12th Travis Outlaw
Inactive
Greg Oden

...Ouch. Although for some completely unfathomable reason, Sam Mitchell is going to give Barnes a lot of minutes as the backup PF. I do not understand this at all, but it's what he insists on.

We're projected to finish ahead of Charlotte, Brooklyn, and Detroit in the East. That's it. Miami, Boston, and Chicago are the three favorites in our conference.

Out West it's the Thunder, the newly revamped Hornets, and the Lakers. With the offseason New Orleans has had, that's not a shock in the least.

But time to see how this goes. I should sleep, but the start of a fresh, new season, always invigorates me.

[Izulde]

...Really? Even before our first game, Michael Redd is bitching about Sam Mitchell. Good way to get your ass cut, son. Well, you're older than me, but still. I'm the boss, so shut up already and just be happy you have money coming.

35 beautiful, beautiful points from Kevin Durant in his Magic debut, along with 5 rebounds. But a ghastly 6 turnovers doesn't help in a crushing 112-107 opening road loss to the 76ers. Steve Nash is phenomenal with 11 points, 12 assists and just 1 turnover, and Jameer Nelson gets 10 bench points, but Greg Oden, who gets the start at center after all, lasts just 16 minutes against Spencer Hawes, who destroys us for 22 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals.

Glen Davis and Steve Nash got into it during the game, and Jason Richardson bitches about PT. I tell J-Rich where he can go and ignore Big Baby and Nash quarreling. J-Rich is butthurt. I care not.

Our first home game is a 100-94 victory over the Kings fueled by Kevin Durant's 43 points, 8 rebounds, block, and 2 steals, while Steve Nash gets a near triple double of 11 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds and Jason Richardson uses his pissed off mood to net 14 bench points. Shocking stat of the night? Greg Oden battling for 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 blocks, hitting 4/5 shots and holding DeMarcus Cousins to a 5/22 night.

Off to Washington on the back end of a double header and it's a thrilling 125-113 OT win for us. Kevin Durant continues to be ridiculous with 49 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assist, a block and a steal. Steve Nash erupts himself with 21 points, 14 assists, and 5 rebounds, but the real whoa factor is Glen "Big Baby" Davis pounding for 23 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals.

You'll never guess who won Player of the Week. I'm sure you're stunned to hear that it's Kevin Durant of the Orlando Magic with his 42.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and steal per game.

Sadly, all that great feeling deflates in a disgusting 105-92 home loss to the dumbass Nets. 34 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks but also 5 turnovers for Kevin Durant (noticing a theme here between our losses and Durant's TOs?). and 22 points, 8 assists from Steve Nash, but not even Harrison Barnes going for 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals off the bench can cheer me up. Blame this one on Jason Richardson chucking his way to 1 of 10 shooting.

Kevin Durant scores a season low 29 points with 4 turnovers on the road against Dallas, but he also gets 3 steals and 2 blocks and we come out 102-88 winners. Glen Davis bangs in 13 points and 12 rebounds, Steve Nash again approaches triple-double territory with 15 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds, and good Jason Richardson shows up for his 17 bench points.

Texas is kind to us as the very next night we go to Houston and emerge 101-91 winners. Kevin Durant rips off 44 points and 8 rebounds to make me forgive his 6 turnovers and Jason Richardson pours in 14 with the second team. Glen Davis and Steve Nash each score 9, just missing the double-double to go with respective 10 rebounds and 12 assists.

Ugly defensive battle with Boston, but home court gives us the 87-80 victory. That and Kevin Durant's monster 27 points, 10 rebounds, 6 steals and 2 blocks while holding Paul Pierce to 4 of 24 shooting. Oh yeah, Harrison Barnes got the start at PF while Glen Davis nurses a knee injury. Not too shabby for Barnes in his starting debut - 6/14, 2/4 from long range for 15 points and 4 rebounds.

And here's another home win, 109-91 over the Jazz. Kevin Durant does his thing with 30 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks, with Steve Nash adding 21 points and 9 assists and Jason Richardson getting 15 bench points. For this one, it was Harrison Barnes at PF again, Glen Davis at CE. It worked, surprisingly.

One thing I've always loved having is a scoring hero, whether it's Mateen Yeaton in my fictional account, or in this case, Kevin Durant shredding the Atlanta Hawks for 47 points along with 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals in our 110-91 home triumph. Steve Nash continues to be a weird 22 point, 9 assist second option, and Jason Richardson's anger gives him another 14 bench points.

Here's another Player of the Week award for Kevin Durant. Just too bad his 44 points went to waste in an embarrassing 133-116 MSG loss to the Knicks to snap our win streak. 21 points, 12 assists from Steve Nash, 11 bench points from Jason Richardson and a surprising 11 bench boards from Reggie Evans. But we played no defense at all, and the interior duo of Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler decimated our weak, weak big man situation.

Michael Redd's whining again. He does it one more time, I cut his ass.

94-76 road win against Atlanta. Kevin Durant pops off 29 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks vs 5 turnovers, Steve Nash nets 14 assists, and Harrison Barnes absolutely owns the boards, grabbing 11 rebounds off the bench. Make that the defensie boards, as he cleaned 10 on the defensive glass.

We turn right around and come home the next night to avenge ourselves 113-82 on the Knicks. Kevin Durant blisters New York for 30 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals and our bench comes up big: 13 points from Jason Richardson and Harrison Barnes' arguably best night as a pro - 17 points, 7 rebounds.

If you'd told me before the season started that we'd bag 10 wins before November was out, I'd have said you were high, but that's where we find ourselves after a 48 point, 12 rebound, 3 steal, 2 block (6 turnovers though) outing from Kevin Durant parlays into a 113-107 win over the Pistons. 24 points, 7 assists from Steve Nash and 10 bench points courtesy of Harrison Barnes.

Oh and KD won Player of the Week again. Just so you know.

The Grizzlies challenge us, but we win again at home, 104-96. I about have a stroke when Kevin Durant turns the ball over 8 times, but his 36 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals do make up for that coughing. Even Steve Nash had 6 turnovers. I'll be honest, I have no clue why we won this game. We shouldn't have.

Kevin Durant finally breaks the 50 point barrier with 51 points, 5 assists and 2 blocks in our 118-104 road win over the Jazz. 20 points, 13 assists from Steve Nash and 13 points from Jason Richardson to lead the reserves didn't give anyone else much to do, although Glen Davis's 13 points and 9 rebounds just missed the double-double.

Crazy part? Nicolas Batum also scored 50 points for the Cavaliers that same night. Oh, and Greg Oden sprained his toe pretty badly.

Player of the Month
Kevin Durant - Orlando Magic

Rookie of the Month
Anthony Davis - New Orleans Hornets

We're 12-3.. and we're still 2.5 games behind the perfect, 14-0 Miami Heat in the Southeast. Graaaah! Compare this to 8-6 Boston with a half-game lead in the Atlantic and ...what's this? Cleveland is 9-6 and leading the Central? Didn't expect that. But everyone else in the division sucks. Bucks are 7-7 and then third place is the Pacers at 7-10.

Clippers lead the West at 13-3, but 10-5 New Orleans (I told you they were no joke after their offseason), and 10-6 Denver?!?! are keeping it interesting in the early going.

Still, 12-3 after a month is something I will most certainly take, considering how bad our frontcourt is. That's the power of the Kevin Durant/Steve Nash combination.

[Izulde]

As ungodly as Kevin Durant and Steve Nash have been, do they add up to a 12-3 record? What about, you know, everyone else?

The Starting Lineup
PG Steve Nash - 16.1 PPG 10.0 APG 4.1 RPG 5 A/TO ratio 64.2% drive stop 63% shooting, 48.7% 3P shooting
Nash ranks 4th in assists and a mind-blowing 2nd in FG shooting in the league (John Henson is first at 65.7%). He's whatever defensively, but his floor generalship has been as good as advertised and his shooting accuracy has been legen-wait for it....-dary. Legendary!

SG Stephen Jackson - 7.5 PPG 4.8 RPG 1.6 SPG 36% shooting 30.4% from 3 point 54.3% drive stop rate
I'm stunned to see S-Jax doing this poorly in terms of drive stopping and shooting accuracy, but his ability to steal the ball and hit the 3 pointer (average 3.1 attempts a game) has helped redeem his value. He'll certainly be let go at the end of the year.

SF Kevin Durant - 38.4 PPG 7.7 RPG 1.9 SPG 1.4 BPG 52.2% shooting 42% from 3 point range (9.2 longball attempts/game) 85.7% drive stop rate 0.7 PA/SF
So like, we knew KD was freaking amazing offensively, but his defensive numbers have been holy crap way better than expected as well. I've never seen a statline as awesome as this one in all my days. Sure, I'd like the turnovers (4.1 a game) to be a little less, but his efficiency is 33.9, tops in the league. In fact, the only other players at 30+ efficiency are Kevin Love (31.9) - T-Wolves are 9-7 in a crowded West - and Chris Paul (30.9) for the West-leading Clippers. Steve Nash, by the way, is our only other player in double-digit efficiency at 24.6. Then it's a long, steep drop to Jason Richardson's 9.3

PF Glen Davis - 8.9 PPG 5.7 RPG 41.9% shooting 0.8 PA/SF
Ugly shooting, as Big Baby relies way too much on the jump shot, but he's been very quality defensively, even with the lack of playmaking. If I was the coach, I'd make him work on his shooting form, but since I'm not, he'll have to go without instructions because I'm too lazy to get at Sam Mitchell about fixing Davis's form.

CE Greg Oden - 5.1 PPG 3.6 RPG 1.0 BPG 59.6% shooting 0.9 PA/SF
As it turns out, Oden has been worth the price of the min-sal admission. Terrific shooting accuracy and solid defense, especially on the blocking end, have made him terrific there.

Bench Notes
Despite Jason Richardson's 10.7 points and 1.1 steals and Harrison Barnes' 7.3 points and 4.2 rebounds, this reserve unit is largely held together with scotch tape and Jameer Nelson's terrific 5.6 points, 3.8 assists, 2.3 A/TO ratio and 89.2% drive stop rate. Lot of mediocre shooters on this squad, including J-Rich and Barnes.

Basically, we really *are* where we are because of Durant and Nash. Either one of them goes, our season goes.

Team stats?



We're living by our explosive offense and our willingness to share the ball. Points allowed is pretty good, too, but this is very much a smoke and mirrors situation.

Only trade is a second round pick for Mike Dunleavy, so minor it's not worth looking at.

We decide to go see who's on the block around the league to shore up our big man situation with Greg Oden dinged up.

And that's when we find ourselves making a bigger splash than we anticipated.

Orlando Magic receive
C Kwame Brown
Milwaukee Bucks 2013 1st round pick
Charlotte Bobcats 2013 2nd round pick

Milwaukee Bucks receive
PF Glen Davis
Orlando Magic 2013 1st round pick

What this means for the Magic
Brown got a 2 year, $10.4 million contract from the Bucks in free agency, but found himself on the outside looking in, appearing in just 3 games and averaging 4.3 minutes when he did check in. Great at drawing fouls (but then again, so is Davis) and a good rebounder who knows when to take his shot inside (55.6% in limited minutes this season).

This also opens up a starting spot for rookie Harrison Barnes as an undersized 4, and Orlando not only gets a new starting center that fits the Jestor mold better and more PT for the prized rookie, but they get a probable high second round pick and likely move up in the first.

What this means for the Bucks
Milwaukee, at 7-7, wasn't going to do any better than maybe a low playoff seed and Brown was becoming a locker room problem because of his lack of playing time. Samuel Dalembert and Drew Gooden are both 30 or older, so the 26 year old Big Baby gives them a good reserve now and a future starter later, but that's an awful lot of pick real estate to give up for a non-starter.

Winner: Orlando
The Magic will get a little weaker defensively, but their shooting accuracy will improve and they lop off of a year by not having to pay Davis a third season. Their rebounding will also go up with Brown in the fold.

118-94 road loss to the mighty Clippers (how weird that sounds) to open December. Blake Griffin forces Harrison Barnes to 5 fouls in just 5 minutes, wrecking Kevin Durant's 43 point night, Kwame Brown's 15 point, 10 rebound debut, and Jameer Nelson's 10 bench points. Griffin blew us up for 36 points and 17 rebounds. Oops.

We stay at the Staples Center another night and lose 97-79 to the Lakers. I'm starting to think I did a very, very bad thing. Ron Artest (because MWP is a stupid name) crushes Kevin Durant defensively, holding him to 21 points on 9 of 24 shooting and not even Jason Richardson's 14 bench points help.

Finally, the bleeding stops a bit with a 113-102 road win over the Suns. Kevin Durant with 33 points and Harrison Barnes at long last with a good game as the starting PF - 25 points and 6 rebounds on 9/15 shooting, 4/5 from 3 point. Quite a cry from a couple nights ago when he was 2 of 11 and Pau Gasol owned his shorts for 21 points and 9 rebounds. Other keys to the Phoenix victory - Steve Nash with 13 points, 11 assists, and Kwame Brown picking up 11 points, 10 rebounds while forcing Marcin Gortat to a 5 of 17 brickfest.

...HAHAHAHA!

Dwight Howard complained about playing time this week, but GM Sam Presti refused to take the bait and said only that they would discuss it privately.

Comedy.gold. The Thunder, by the way, are a mediocre 10-9. The bastard Heat are still perfect at 16-0. Milwaukee has gone from 7-7 to 9-8, so the trade is working out decently for them so far.

Exciting 108-104 win over Denver to continue our road trip. Kevin Durant hits 31 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks, while Harrison Barnes again flourishes with 22 points and 4 steals. Steve Nash has 11 points and 13 assists with 0 turnovers and Jameer Nelson paces the reserves with 10 points. Oh, 13 bench boards for Reggie Evans.

First time home in a long time and it's a 119-114 scorefest win over Kevin Love's Timberwolves. My friend and yours Kevin Durant leads the charge with 38 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks, while Steve Nash hands out 10 points and 17 assists. All five starters scored 10+ points, but the breaking news is Greg Oden lowering the bench boom - 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Another home game, another win, 104-92 over the Wizards. 35 points Kevin Durant, 22 points and 10 assists Steve Nash, but what pleases me most is Kwame Brown going 8/8 for 16 points and 9 rebounds.

The Miami Heat finally lose a game and are 20-1 when they come to town to set up an epic Florida Wars matchup.

That deserves its own buildup, so we'll stop here and pick up next time with that highly anticipated battle.