Regardless of how poor the play has seemed at times, it is still entertaining. To be honest, bad basketball is better than what we had in November. While there are so many stories to this season so far, I’m only going to focus on one of them right now. The Orlando Magic. The Magic are currently fighting a battle that can not be won. It can only be dragged out and there will be more casualties the longer this goes on. They are currently 12-9 but have lost their last four. It has been ugly. In two of those games they did not surpass the 70 point mark and in another one of those games they gave up a 26 point second half lead to a Rondoless Boston Celtics team. Again, it has been ugly.
During
this stretch Dwight has been good at times but the real story is his teammates. They will not say it but the team is playing like they have given up on their star. Just like he gave up on the team and secretly demanded a trade. The inevitable is that Dwight will be wearing another team’s jersey next year, the question is how soon? Only Orlando Magic general manager Otis Thorpe knows the answer to that question. Thorpe knows the All-Star game will be held in Orlando later this month and he absolutely must have his star in a Magic uniform. That’s fair and understandable but as soon as the final whistle blows in that game, the clock will be ticking. I’m a fair believer that a team will never get back equal value when trading a superstar. The idea is to set your self up for the future. The Nuggets managed to trade their superstar, collect valuable young pieces in the process and have actually become a better team. I doubt that will happen for the magic but they can still come away with a good deal. Take a look at the deals that have been circulating the media. It is hard to tell which deals have actually been offered:
Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu for Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum
Dwight Howard for Andrew Bynum, Matt Barnes, Andrew Goudelock and future picks
Dwight Howard for Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks, Jordan Farmar, Anthony Morrow, Damion James, and 3 first round draft picks
Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu for Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and CJ Watson
Here is the block buster trade that no one is thinking of that not only positions Dwight to win multiple championships but also leaves the Magic with a young core and the ability to make the playoffs every year:
Dwight Howard and DeAndre Liggins for James Harden, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins and Eric Maynor
I know that is probably a lot to digest but can you imagine a starting lineup of Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, Kevin Durant, Nick Collison and Dwight Howard. Leaving Daequan Cook, Reggie Jackson and Nazr Mohammed coming off the bench…Incredible. You would instantly have the most dominant big man since Shaq, the best pure scorer and the closest thing to Derrick Rose not named Derrick Rose all on one team!
Do not worry, the Magic would not leave empty handed. They would then bolster a starting lineup of Jameer Nelson, James Harden, Ryan Anderson, Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins with a solid bench featuring Eric Maynor, J.J Redick, Hedo Turkoglu, and Big Baby Davis. Harden is clearly an up and coming star and with the chance to be the featured player in an offense he could turn into an all star caliber player. Ibaka is a premier shot blocker in the league and a decent low post defender. His offense can only get better. Perkins proves leadership and attitude. Two years down the line, they will be able to shed all the dead weight on their roster and surround their core with better talent.
It is unclear if this trade will ever be offered and released to the media but just in case it is, remember where you heard it first.
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