Magical Rebuild | Joshrmlb's Video Dynasty

[joshrmlb]

Quote: Originally Posted by Liam_93

This could be very good. I'm intrested. Looking forward to see how this develops

Thanks Liam, this should be a pretty fun dynasty. Hopefully these youtube videos turn out well. This should be a interesting rebuild project. Thanks for following and thanks for the comment!

[joshrmlb]

News Around The NBA Preseason

How Derrick Rose's Injury With Effect The Bulls

Derrick Ross shown here, might not be playing in any NBA games this year

Derrick Rose’s injury was the worst thing that could have happened to the Chicago Bulls. Without Rose, the Bulls will have to play a different brand of basketball. They'll become more of a half-court team, and judging from their success last season season, it was a bad move to make.

The offense is just one decision that has panned out for the Bulls. There are a few additional choices that have aided to their vigor. The Bulls this offseason have made tons of roster moves. They first traded Kyle Korver and Ronnie, then they let Omar Asik, C.J. Watson, John Lucas III go. All these guys bring at least one trait to the table, and are really good role players. Korver and Asik are expected to be starters this year, while Brewer, Lucas, and Watson will be sitting the bench for their respected teams. This will be Asik's first season starting, as he signed a 3Y/25.5M deal with the Rockets. Asik is known for his great defense, but will need to develop a offensive game if he wants to stay starting in Houston. For Korver, he will be the starting, like he did earlier in his career for Philadelphia. Korver is widely known as one of the best three point shooters in the league, so he should bring Atlanta offensive success.They aren't starters on most teams, but most teams would love to have them on the bench. Without Rose, the offense is going to have a hard time struggling, as they gulted a lot of their offensive options off their team.

However, the Bulls did get a few players this offseason. They drafted Marcus Teague, who is expected to be starting this year for Rose. Teague, who is the younger brother of Hawk's guard Jeff Teague, was the 29th overall pick out of Kentucky. Teague's NBA comparison is most commonly Phoenix Sun's point guard Aaron Brooks if he develops right. Also, the Bulls acquired Kirk Hinrick, Marco Belinelli, and, Nate Robinson. Most people expect Chicago's new bench to be lead by Hinrick, Belinelli, Robinson. Hinrick and Belinelli are both shooters, who have been on a decline in the past few years. I wouldn't expect anything special for both of them. Robinson has won three dunk contests, and is a really good athlete. He'll bring athleticism that Rose always brings to the team, but he struggles at shooting and at times playing defense. He should be a good bench piece however.

Overall, I would expect the Bulls to drop down from a first seed to about a sixth or seventh seed. They still have Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer who have shown they can get solid NBA players, however they aren't NBA stars like Rose. This should be a down year for the Bulls, but I'm sure Coach Tom Thibodeau will have the team playing good defense and good team basketball. This should be a interesting year in the windy city.

Will Howard And Nash Bring The Lakers Back To Fame? 3 Things That Can Hold The Lakers Back

Steve Nash will be looking to bring the Lakers another title. He will be teaming up with Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant

If you think of it, the Lakers have a better team than this year's Miami Heat on paper. Of course, Lebron James is probably the best player on Earth right now, but the rest of the Laker's lineup is better than the Heat's. However, there some concerns that the Laker's must address.

1. Mike Brown

Mike Brown has coached Lebron, but he hasn't won anything yet

Yes, Mike Brown is the biggest concern. This guy struggles to coach key games in the playoff. He's never won a clutch series with the Cavs and has taken over the team. He did a sub part job last year with the Lakers, but this year he has to get Howard and Nash back into the system.

Nash makes every player on the team better, as he's on of the best passing point guards in the game still. However, how will he coach will Mr. "Superman"? He's never coached a team with 2 or more stars on his team. Also, former players have noted that he makes "absurd decisions" and "has some of the worst plays in basketball history". That player wouldn't identify his name, but that doesn't sound like a good think for the Lakers.

2. Backcourt Defense

Nash shown here will have to improve on his defense

When you add Dwight Howard your defense is expected to be one of the best in the business. Sure, Howard was a 3-time defensive player of the year, and makes scoring in the paint impossible. But, when you add Nash you're defense core also takes a hit.

Kobe has always been an overrated defender. He's a great scorer, and can score at will on anything, but his defense has never been top-tier. With Nash and Bryant in the backcourt, and their bench being weak at defense, this could be a huge concern. Now that the league is geared towards a point guard league, Nash better improve his defense. If Bryant and Nash struggle at the defensive end, there could be a lot of high scoring games in LA.

3. Lebron and Durant

Lebron, who won the MVP last year, is shown here playing against Durant

Who is going to defend these guys? Kobe? Metta? Howard? Mike Brown? Well I doubt any of these guys can play good enough defense on Lebron or Durant.

These guys are both once in a decade type guys. Lebron is already a two time MVP and Durant is a two time scoring champ. The Lakers don't have anyone close to defending these guys. Lebron even has more confidence after winning the NBA Finals. That will be a scary thing to watch. Also if you think Ron Artest aka Metta World Peace can defend these guys then you're probably crazy. Yes, World Peace is a good defender, but he can't defend Lebron or Durant. He's just out matched against those guys. However, he would probably win in a fight... but I wouldn't bet on it.

[joshrmlb]

I edited all the beginning with my new banner. Also, my audio cable is on it's way and it should be at my house soon .

[joshrmlb]

Orlando Magic Season Preview

Jameer Nelson will have to be the Magic's leader this year with Howard gone to Los Angeles

It's always hard to take on a complete rebuild project, but the Magic are getting used to star centers leaving. Even ask Shaq, who Magic fans are still not happy about.

Nikola Vucevic and Gustavo Ayon aren't exactly household names, but they will play center for post-Dwight era. If there is reason for excitement at all in Orlando, it could very well come from a somewhat surprising and totally unsuspecting duo that didn't exactly plan on becoming the two-part answer to a trivia question. "I'm not here to replace Dwight," Vucevic told the Orlando Sentinel. "Dwight's specific in his way. I'm totally different. I'm more of a skilled player with a high basketball IQ. I can shoot the ball and pass the ball. I think I do a lot of things fans won't see." Vucevic is right on at least one count. He is a totally different player than the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. While Vucevic, 21 and a native of Montenegro, was busy honing his skills at Southern California, Howard was leading the Magic to The Finals and establishing himself as the most dominant low-post force in basketball. The 16th pick in the 2011 Draft, the 6-foot-11 Vucevic has the unenviable task of doing exactly what he claims he's not in Orlando to do, and that's replace Howard. Still, at least he doesn't have to deal with the unending charade that followed Howard's request to be traded last season. With Vucevic assuming the role of starter and the rugged and more physical Ayon, 6-foot-10, serving as a reliever in the middle, new Magic coach Jacque Vaughn will be forced to make a little Magic of his own in trying to replace the production Orlando saw from its center position. That's fine by Vucevic, whose confidence is refreshing for a player who will be under intense scrutiny for the first time in his brief NBA career. "I didn't expect to be traded, not at all," Vucevic told the Sentinel. "But I'm happy I'm here."

The other glaring question about this Magic team is what Vaughn will bring as a first-year coach. He came to Orlando with the San Antonio Spurs' seal of approval, seemingly a prerequisite for aspiring general managers and coaches these days. Vaughn is dealing with a roster that was pieced together on the fly by general manager Rob Hennigan. The roster restart includes Howard-era holdovers Jameer Nelson, Hedo Turkoglu, Glen Davis and J.J. Redick in addition to newcomers like Harrington, Vucevic, Ayon, Nicholson and O'Quinn as well as Arron Afflalo, Christian Eyenga and Maurice Harkless. They'll hit the floor this season without the weight of expectations and Vaughn will have the freedom to craft a team in his image or at least the image he sees fit. Of all the guys on the roster, none has a better idea of how this dynamic works than Afflalo, who went from a role player to a leader in Denver after Carmelo Anthony departed the premises for the New York Knicks. "After 'Melo got traded [out of Denver] there was an opportunity there for a lot of guys to create an identity for themselves and we did a great job of it by basing everything on team play and staying unselfish," Afflalo told reporters during training camp. "We've got a good starting point toward doing something like that here in Orlando and I'm looking forward to this season. It's going to be fun."

Fun is not a word normally associated with a rebuilding effort the size and scope of what the Magic have ahead of them. Then again, if they're able to defy the odds and craft a playoff contender out of this motley crew of journeymen, role players and youngsters, there will be plenty of partying in Orlando.

Three points

1. There is a blueprint for life after a superstar. The Magic need to send off to Cleveland for a copy. It includes quality draft picks and the assembling of a core group that can be molded around the future of the franchise. That, and a ton of patience. It's unclear just how much Hennigan has in place right now. But he has time and the resources to start it off right. Nelson, Redick, Turkoglu and Davis could all be trade bait if this season goes off the rails early.

2. There was a leadership void on this team last year when the chasm between Howard and Stan Van Gundy widened to the point that it could not be repaired. Most of those same players who stood by and watched the mess unfold are still in place, making it hard to figure out exactly whose team this is. By virtue of his length of service, Nelson should have first shot at the job with Turkoglu right behind him. It's an issue that needs to be cleaned up immediately or else ...

3. This latest twist could turn out to be a star turn for Afflalo, who has made significant improvements to his game in each of his first five seasons in the league. The Nuggets moved him when they got a chance to get an All-Star in Andre Iguodala, but the Magic might have actually made out with the player with more upside. Afflalo is solid on both ends of the floor and could very well be the catalyst for this team.

Orlando Magic Depth Chart -
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Jameer Nelson	Ish Smith
SG	Arron Afflalo	J.J. Reddick	E'Twaun Moore
SF	Hedo Turkoglu	Moe Harkless	DeQuan Jones	Quentin Richardson
PF	Glen Davis	Josh McRoberts	Andrew Nicholson	Al Harrington
C	Nikola Vucevic	Gustavo Ayon

From 2011-12

Under Contract: F/C Glen Davis, G J.J. Redick, F Quentin Richardson, F Hedo Turkoglu, G Jameer Nelson (re-signed), G Ish Smith (re-signed)

Free Agents:
Players Added

NBA Draft: F Andrew Nicholson, C Kyle O'Quinn
Free Agents: G Jameer Nelson (re-signed), G Ish Smith (re-signed)
Trades: G Arron Afflalo, F/C Gustavo Ayon, F Christian Eyenga, F Maurice Harkless, F Al Harrington, F Josh McRoberts, F Nikola Vucevic
Players Lost

Free Agents:
Trades: F Ryan Anderson, F Earl Clark, G Chris Duhon, C Dwight Howard, G Jason Richardson
Waived: F Von Wafer

[joshrmlb]

Korver Dealt To Orlando

Korver will earn more playing time than he did with Chicago

Magic GM Rob Hennigan isn't done making moves in his full offseason with the Magic. Hennigan was active in talking a deal all day with the Atlanta Hawks for Kyle Korver. Today, he dealt DeQuan Jones and a future second round pick for Kyle Korver.

Korver was dealt this offseason to the Hawks, but the Hawks obviously liked what they got back in this deal. Korver is widely known as one of the best three-point-shooters in the league, so that's always a update to any team. However, Korver has always struggled at the defensive end, and that's probably the reason a lot of teams where hesitant to take Korver when the Bulls where selling him cheap. Korver spent two seasons in Chicago after signing as a free agent from the Utah Jazz on July 13, 2010. The nine-year NBA veteran played in 147 games for the Bulls, averaging 8.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists. "It's a bit of a bummer for sure," Korver told ESPN 1250's "Atlanta's GameNight" on Friday. "I would've loved to play for the Hawks. I really loved seeing the city in my time spent there. We learned this is a business and teams are going to make business decisions. I'm gonna go to Orlando and try and go out there and play well. I'm going to give the Magic everything I got."

On the Hawks end of the trade, they got a little more value on Korver than they first traded for him. The second round pick should be a pretty high pick in the round, but DeQuan Jones isn't a upgrade over Korver. Jones is a rookie, who went undrafted in the 2013 NBA draft. He attended Miami, and got a invite to the Magic summer league, in which he average 16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game there. Jones was widely known as one of the better athletic shooting guard at the summer league. However, some sources say Jones went undrafted because of his work-ethic. Jones declined to comment on the trade. However, when we asked Atlanta Hawks GM Danny Ferry, he told us that "Jones has potential to be a key player for us in the future. He's a interesting prospect if he puts in the work. I'll make sure our coaches push him hard along the way". It should be interesting to see if Atlanta plays Jones a lot during the course of the season.

[joshrmlb]

I have everything I need to record right now, but I've been pretty busy with school lately. I'm going to start this up on the weekend, and after that I shouldn't be too busy. Thanks for understanding guys!

[joshrmlb]

Here's a little intro video I made. Hope you guys enjoy. Tell me what you think.

[joshrmlb]

I mainly posted this video to try out things. Tell me how it looks. There will be audio on future videos.