I should've seen those 2 embarrassments coming, and given the upcoming schedule, this team could be finished by the all-star break. Also, if Scott Boras can still get Oliver Perez a lucrative deal if Ollie keeps this season up, then he is officially the greatest agent of all time.
But enough of that, time to cover what will be dominating the sports media for the next 3 days. It appears the Bulls have all but handed Derrick Rose his jersey and rumor has it that the Heat may pass on Michael Beasley for O.J. Mayo. Really? O.J. Mayo in Miami? That doesn't spell off-court disaster at all.
Anyway, time for me to give my two cents on who the Magic should take with their only pick of this year's draft at #22. The backcourt seems to be pretty much set with Jameer Nelson, Keyon Dooling and Carlos Arroyo at point and Maurice Evans, Keith Bogans and a possible return of Hedo Turkoglu to the 2 spot depending on what happens with the frontline. Although, the Magic have expressed interest in Western Kentucky sharpshooter Courtney Lee, and while he could evetually develop into a solid starter, he would be a great fit off the bench in the SVG offense that is based on outside shooting. The frontcourt is set for the foreseeable future with Rashard Lewis and The Daily Double holding down the fort.
The only question mark in the starting lineup is at center, a hole that thanks to a pre-season injury to Tony Battie, kept Hedo, Lewis and Howard out of their natural positions for the etnire season. With not much on the free agent market and the majority of the Magic's focus this offseason being to re-sign Hedo, it is imperative the Magic get a big in the draft.
Some of the names that have been floating for the Magic's pick include Marreese Speights of Florida and Stanford's Robin Lopez. The thought of either one sutitng up in the blue and white makes me about as comfortable as Brian Lawrence making a start in September. Living in the heart of Fatty Nation, I have seen many a Gator game with Speights the last 2 seasons. He barely made a mark during the title season of 2007 and only lifted his stats for an underachieving team in 2008 that missed the NCAA Tournament altogether and Billy Donovan seems all too thrilled to coach next season. There was nothing about his game that made me think that he could translate to the pro level. Robin Lopez is best served being picked by the Raptors so they can become the top contender to the Detroit Pistons' title as the Most Annoying Team in the NBA. Lopez is nothing more than a poor man's Joke Noah. An energy player who is effective in the open court, but has less defense than Noah.
In my opinion, they would be best served taking Memphis' Joey Dorsey. I would consider Dorsey to be a less polished version of Ben Wallace, he may not give you too much on offense save for a few cleanups, but he certainly makes his presence felt on the defensive end, averaging almost 10 rebounds and 2 blocks per game this past season for the national runner-up. Putting Dorsey at center allows Howard to move back to power forward, and give him some extra help on the glass on both ends of the floor. He also gives them another legit shot-blocker which has to count for something.
With all that said, Otis Smith has yet to have a successful draft during his tenure as Magic GM, which is now in its 5th sason. I'd put the odds of him bungling this pick at 85% and the topic of Smith being a brain-dead dummy will be a fixture here.
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