The coach for the Magic said that JJ most likely will not play on Saturday. He only played against Philly because no one else was playing well in a game the Magic lost badly.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orl-mnotes2908feb29,0,627709.story
Duke beat Georgia Tech 71-58 regaining tie for 1st in the ACC with UNC. Duke played great defense and that is what helped them win the game against Georgia Tech.
JJ finally got some playing time that was garbage time he scored 10 points in 16 minutes of play. The odd thing is that JJ missed the only 2 free throws he had in the game. We can only hope that this was not a fluke and that JJ will continue to get some decent playing time.
Magic did lose to this game to the 76ers.
After two losses Duke got back on the winning track by beating St. Johns. Lets all hope that this is what Duke needs to keep winning.
Posted on Feb 22, 2008 11:19:38 AM
Barring a summer trade shocker, the Magic will have four of their five starters back next season: Center Dwight Howard, power forward Rashard Lewis, small forward Hedo Turkoglu and point guard Jameer Nelson.
(Hmmmm, would GM Otis Smith be in the market for a point guard even though he signed Nelson to a five-year deal before the season? Or do they offer their entire mid-level of $36 million to Toronto’s Jose Calderon? He’s a restricted free agent, almost impossible to pry loose. But the Raps also have T.J. Ford on the books for an expensive longterm deal.)
With those four Magic starters back, that leaves the question of what to do at shooting guard.
It doesn’t appear that even as a starter Maurice Evans is assured of returning. He’s a free agent. Keith Bogans, who lost the job to Evans just after Evans was acquired from the Lakers, has a player opt and isn’t likely to exercise it. He’d have to be traded if the team wanted to move him.
And then there’s J.J. Redick, the Duke all-American.
I call him the Duke all-American because that’s the only meaningful thing attached to him since he’s been on Orlando’s roster. We have no idea what kind of pro he can — or can’t — become.
I can’t imagine a frustrated Redick returning under the same conditions …..because the Magic likely will go shopping this summer for shooting guards, armed with their mid-level exception. That’s roughly a five-year deal at about $30 million to $36 million (they can also break it in half).
Redick was right when he told me he thinks the team probably will bring somebody else in — another guard.
I have to believe the guy is gone. If he can’t beat out Evans or Bogans — and those players aren’t guaranteed spots next season — how is Redcik miraculously going to jump to the role of starter or backup?
Unless he’s been that good in practice.
Evans and Bogans are backups on contenders. Each gives you something different — Evans the driving, finishing ability; Bogans is the better shooter from 3-point land.
Who’s out there this summer that’s really better?
Eduardo Najera? Matt Barnes? Carlos Delfino?
I like Najera. He’s a tough guy, but a backup also.
The Magic might have to re-sign Evans, who is making just $1.5 million this season. That shouldn’t be a problem.
J.J.’s future is an entirely different matter.
Well, it seems as if someone cracked our software code and has inserted a virus. I guess once someone discovers that Paulus cannot play defense they take advantage of it. Whats really embarrassing is the fact that Coach K leaves him in to get torched by the points guards for two games in a row now.
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Here a few observations from tonight.
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1. Why did Paulus jack the three pointer up fading to his left late in the game. It amazes me that Duke doesn’t give up the ball to a the hot player in the game…in this case Scheyer. They ran plays for JJ back in the days. Damn, at least if someone is hot give him the ball. This is the one thing that sucks about college basketball. They usually don’t let the hot player keep shooting. Maybe its just Duke.
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2. The comment of the night came from dumbass Billy Packer - “Jon Scheyer is not a good shooter”. Scheyer finished with a career high and drained three’s all night. Are you an idiot Billy Packer? Don’t answer that, I already know.
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3. Singler didn’t step up. He played like the freshman he is.
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4. I’m not looking forward to the rest of the season as our defensive rest on Paulus to stop the point guard.
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5. Paging Gerald Henderson…..paging Gerald Henderson. Is this guy still playing for Duke? I thought he might leave Duke after three years. He showed me tonight he’s not even close to the level I thought he was at.
J.J. Redick Not Expecting a Trade
By: Matt Watson Last Updated: 2/20/08 8:17 AM ET
J.J. Redick is in a curious situation. In his second year after being drafted 11th overall, he still can’t find the floor with the Orlando Magic.
Last year it looked like the problem was head coach Brian Hill, whose inability to develop the team’s young players was one of the reasons why he was ultimately fired in the summer. But this year under new hire Stan Van Gundy things have actually been worse: Redick is averaging just 8.2 minutes while playing less than every other game, down from 14.8 minutes in 42 games as a rookie.
Understandably not happy with his situation, Redick asked the Magic to trade him, but general manager Otis Smith told him it wasn’t going to happen. Is Redick flattered that Smith has such faith in him?
“I’m not really sure how to describe the situation,” said Redick following Tuesday’s game in Detroit. “Flattering is not the word I’d use to describe it. There’s a possibility they see me as an asset in the future and that’s why they’re not willing to include me in a trade.”
Redick does have his faults – there have been questions about his defense, as well as his ability to create his own shot. But for the most part, he’s yet to be given a chance to answer those questions. Most lottery picks are given the playing time to sink or swim on their own merit, but he can’t even crack the rotation to show what he can – or can’t – do.
Of course, there’s a chance that Smith is merely posturing for the rest of the league, giving the impression that Redick is unavailable so as to increase his trade value to a team desperate for his long-range shooting. But if that’s the case, he’s done a good job convincing Redick. When asked if he’s thought about where he might be after this week’s trade deadline, Redick quickly replied, “I’m going to be in Orlando, I know that.”
He’ll be in Orlando, alright, most likely at the end of the bench – where’s he’s been his entire career.
And Smith said on Monday with conviction that seldom-used guard J.J. Redick would not be dealt before Thursday’s deadline. Smith has held firm on not getting rid of Redick even in the face of his numerous trade requests.Vowed Smith: “That’s a definite. I’m not trading J.J.’’
This was reported today by John Denton of Florida Today.
Can be contributed to the refs as well as their lack of a defensive stopper on Wake’s point guard. I find it a little out of the ordinary that the entire starting lineup for Duke fouled out. Yeah, thats not too odd……
More than a year and a half into his NBA career, J.J. Redick looks like another wasted first-round draft pick.
Magic general manager Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy insist otherwise.
“I don’t think it’s a matter of him not being able to play,” Smith said. “I know Stan has said it, and I’ve said it ,and I’m sure J.J. is saying the same thing, that he’s capable of playing in this league, and capable of playing on this team. We just have to create spot for him.”
Van Gundy is almost profuse in his praise of Redick’s ability and practice habits, but the kid hasn’t even gotten off the bench in 12 of the last 14 games.
Redick has let the Magic know that he hears the clock ticking and wants to play somewhere. He would rather be traded than sit through another season like this. Until Wednesday’s trading deadline passes, the possibility cannot be dismissed that Smith and Van Gundy are posturing. Redick is only 23 and everybody knows he can shoot and score in bunches. Surely he has some value around the NBA.
But there are three good reasons why the Magic don’t want to give up on Redick yet - Maurice Evans, Keyon Dooling and Carlos Arroyo. All of their contracts are expiring. Theoretically, Redick and Jameer Nelson could be the only guards left on the Magic roster come July 1.
Redick is an insurance policy.
“It’s fair and it’s unfair,” Smith said. ” A lot of people come into this league and sit for the first one, two, three, seven or eight years and then all of a sudden they play and it’s like: ‘Where have they been?’
“He has to wait his turn. I sat on Doug Moe’s bench for a little while. It didn’t hurt me. I was like J.J. I just kept working my butt off, and I honestly believed an opportunity would present itself, and that’s exactly what happened. Somebody went down, I ended up playing.”
If the Magic get knocked out by an offer for Redick in the next few days, they will probably take it. But that isn’t likely to happen, and Smith seems disinclined to make a trade anyway. His team stands third in the East and is positioned to win a playoff series for the first time in 12 years.
“I like our team. I like where we are and I like the direction we’re going, in spite of the fact that we’ve lost a few games here lately,” Smith said. “We’re in the top five or six in every offensive category; offense is not the problem.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that J.J.’s going to be a player in this league, and fairly soon. With that said, all of us have to be patient, including J.J.”
[Dick Scanlon can be reached at dick.scanlon@theledger.com or at 863-802-7554. ]