JJ Unleashed!!!!!!



J.J. Redick Unleashed
By: Jarrod Rudolph   Last Updated: 4/17/08 9:32 AM ET |

You won’t find many players in the Orlando Magic’s locker room that are more popular than J.J. Redick. His female fans love his good looks, and many times they can be found arguing over them: is he more Tom Cruise or Luke Perry? His male fans love watching him shoot that dead-eye jumper that made him a legend at Duke. They stand to their feet in anticipation every time he gets the ball; it’s almost like watching Dwight Howard dunk in the open court. Unfortunately this year has been frustrating for both Redick and his fans, as he only appeared in 33 games, but over the Magic’s last two games he gave everyone a glimpse at what’s to come. He’s not there yet but when he gets there you better watch out, this guy can play.

Many people will dismiss Redick’s career-high 18-point performance as a non-factor because it came in a meaningless win. They would argue that he got hot towards the end of the game and made some shots against the Wizards’ bench warmers. That’s a shame because they’re missing a potential stud stroke a sweet jumper, something he does better than 90% of the league.

He doesn’t make shots because he’s hot; he makes them because he’s open.

He makes it rain, not in a “Pacman Jones” fashion, so you won’t see dollar bills falling from the sky. Redick’s rain storms come in the form of elbow jumpers and three-point shots - the type of rain that causes coaches to call timeout, slam down their clipboards, and stay away from the zone.

Something that many of his detractors neglect to mention when they talking about the young guard is how well he plays when he’s given the chance.

This season he’s averaging 12.7 points per game, (52% from the field, and 50% from three-point land) in games where he plays over 15 minutes. But he’s only seen those types of minutes four times this season; the opportunities to shine just haven’t been there. That’s the biggest hurdle for him to clear and everyone that knows him knows that’s going to start on the defensive end of the floor. He will get more time once he can defend on the same level as Keith Bogans, Maurice Evans, and Keyon Dooling.

Redick is a great shooter, but at this point of his career his shooting hasn’t translated into a great ability to score the ball. So if he can’t get defensive stops his shooting won’t help the Magic much – you can’t score 20-points and give up 23-points on the other end.

For that reason it would be surprising to see him get any play time during the playoffs; he hasn’t been in the rotation the entire season. But make no mistake about it; he could help the Magic’s playoff push.
Like Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu, he’ll create space on the floor and the team will need that. The Raptors are going to run all types of double-teams and traps at Howard. Redick’s shooting would serve as an incredible weapon for the team if the Raptors are having success with their defensive schemes. You have to respect his ability from the outside, so guys won’t be able to hover around Howard.

Seeing him in the immediate plans remains to be seen, so we’ll have to continue to wonder how good he could be if he played consistent minutes.

But Redick’s time is coming and it looks like he’ll be ready. He has been written off by many people before having the chance to prove himself. Judging what he’s done when he’s had the chance it’s safe to say the Magic made a good choice in grabbing the sharp-shooter.

About the Author: JARROD RUDOLPH
Jarrod Rudolph has covered the NBA for HOOPSWORLD for two years, powering HOOPSWORLD.COM and HOOPSWORLD Magazine.
1 Comment | April 17, 2008 - 12:47 pm | Cameron Crazie II

FREE JJ



Each year the NBA draft produces a handful of surprise picks and some wheeling-and-dealing that GMs apparently get suckered into (see Thomas, Isiah).  And sometimes those circumstances lend to fitting square pegs into round holes.

This seems to be the case for JJ Redick, the rarely-used shooting guard for the Orlando Magic. 

For Redick, one of the best nights of his life quickly turned into a situation unlike any he has faced in his basketball career.    

He couldn’t get on the court.    

In fact, for two years, Redick has been sitting on the bench in Orlando. 

And for two years, Redick has been asking for everyone to politely let him leave.

In Redick’s first year, the Magic’s head coach was Brian Hill, who was brought back in to bring strong defensive principles, discipline, and “stability.”  Unfortunately for Hill, nobody told him the plans had changed after they hired him.    

Needless to say, Redick didn’t fit into Hill’s style of play—and other than a few games of mop up minutes, Redick rarely played in his rookie season.    

So when Hill was run out of town (for the second time), and Billy Donovan was named the new head coach, Redick was beaming with optimism. 

Just as Donovan watched Redick tear up record books at Duke for four years, Redick watched Donovan convert a lightly recruited six-foot shooting guard (Lee Humphrey) into one of the most lethal weapons in the nation—both as a shooter and on-the-ball defender. 

It was the match Redick longed for, and playing time was right around the corner.   

But the marriage didn’t last long, as Donovan had a change of heart and decided to head back to the college game.   

Making matters worse for Redick was that the Magic’s Plan B was Stan Van Gundy, who does not exactly share the same playbook as Donovan. 

And so the Redick saga continued. 

Coming from the old-school Pat Riley lineage, Van Gundy—like Hill—preaches defense, defense, defense.  And while the Magic have made significant improvements, Redick continues to sit on the pine game after game. 

Listening to GM Otis Smith talk about Redick, it is clear (at least from a publicity standpoint) that the Magic are not interested in trading Redick.  Smith and Van Gundy both say Redick has the qualities needed for NBA success:  potential, work ethic, and—most importantly—that trademark textbook jumpshot. 

But if the Magic haven’t committed to playing Redick yet, what exactly is going to change next year, or the year after that, to make them trust Redick? 

I certainly can’t question Van Gundy’s approach.  The guy clearly knows what he is doing and is a proven NBA head coach.  But sometimes the idea of surrounding one of the most dominant centers in Dwight Howard with Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, and Redick seems like a pretty good plan.    

Magic fans seem to want the same thing, chanting Redick’s name in home games.  Clearly, Orlando fans want to see if Redick can compete in the NBA. 

If Redick stays on the Magic, however, that may never happen. 

Playing in front of him are NBA-known commodities (aka Van Gundy favorites) and hustle guys or defensive specialists:  Maurice Evans, Keith Bogans, and Keyon Dooling, who plays the point and shooting guard.  

When the Magic beat the Cavs on April 5th, their playoff spot was locked in at number three.  Since then, they have not been able to move up or down. 

Yet Redick still sits.     

In the three games since clinching their playoff spot, Redick has played a total of three minutes.  Against the lowly Knicks and Timberwolves, Redick did not see the floor.  In a blowout of the Bulls last night, Van Gundy gave Redick a whole three minutes of glory.  

In 80 games this season, Redick has racked up 48 DNP-CDs.  

Like the rest of the nation, I am not a Duke fan.  But I want to see Redick get on the court.  I want to see if he can succeed on the NBA level.     

Play him or trade him, but in any case:  Free JJ.  

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/17630-Memo-to-Orlando-Magic-Free-JJ-Redick

Add comment | April 14, 2008 - 1:53 pm | Cameron Crazie II

There’s no reason now J.J. Redick should sit



Article from the Orlando paper about JJ and getting some playing time before the playoffs.

There’s no excuse now.

J.J. Redick — you remember him — should play in these meaningless games down the stretch.

He should have some games here for the Magic when he plays 20-25 minutes.

If the Magic believe that player development has real meaning and is not an oxymoron, J.J. should play.

Because as embarrassing as it is for Redick to sit on the bench at home late in a lopsided game and hear the Rudy-like chants, it’s even more embarrassing for a franchise to see him collect mothballs.

What does that accomplish?

For the life of me, I don’t get it.

Redick should have played most, if not all, the game Sunday in New York against the lowly Knicks. Stan Van Gundy should have rested his starters and guys like Redick and Marcin Gortat should have been given so many minutes that they fell over in exhaustion.

The Magic have had a playoff spot clinched since March 15 and they solidified the No. 3 position Saturday with a win in Cleveland. They can’t move up or down. They can only make their record prettier in these last five games.

They want to win 50, and that’s a nice number. But they also shelled out a first-round pick for Redick in 2006, and he has had no extended run of playing time since he arrived. It’s not as if the Magic have had this terrific draft resume, either; they need to show fans something.

The clubnever has given an indication to me that they don’t they think he can play in this league.

Even if the Magic believe that Redick will have to be moved — J.J. asked to be dealt early this season — you still need to try to showcase him, don’t you? He is a shooter and they never lose their vaIue.

Practice is not enough. Everybody knows that.

Get Redick on the floor.

Now is the time.

Add comment | April 9, 2008 - 9:50 am | Cameron Crazie II

Let the Haterade Flow!



Wow! As great as the game was last night…nothing is as important to the Carolina fan base as seeing ‘ol Roy in the crowd. I have to be honest, I never saw the controversy at first. I didn’t even notice “the sticker” that has everyone riled up. On the way to work it was absolutely hilarious listening to all of the Tarhole callers complaining about Roy’s sticker. You know what, they’re all right! Who the hell wears a Jayhawk sticker after getting their asses handed to them less than 48 hours ago? Theres nothing more I love as a Dukie than listening to all the whiners come out of the wood work. Maybe there’s a job in Kansas thats coming up soon that we don’t know about. Maybe he knows something we don’t.
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After Kansas’ 81-78 loss to Syracuse in the national championship game in 03, Williams was asked about the North Carolina job.

“I don’t give a shit about North Carolina,”

he told CBS’ Bonnie Bernstein

1 Comment | April 8, 2008 - 7:23 am | CameronCrazie- Admin

Someone Forgot to Give the Memo to Tyler



Classic!!
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Add comment | April 8, 2008 - 7:15 am | CameronCrazie- Admin

Come Out Come Out Wherever You Are….



As the lunch hour on the Monday after the slaughtering, there are many fans missing from the ACC “talk” today. If you’re sitting at your desk, just turn on the Mac Attack and you’ll hear silence (www.wfnz.com). That silence amounts to the fact the Heels were run out of town on Saturday.
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As much as I hate the Heels (and Hansbrough) there was an inkling of sorrow and hope during the game. Sorrow that it was turning into a mass murder the first half, then a little hope that I could be watching one of the greatest comebacks in history…..but it didn’t happen. Just as I mentioned in my previous post about why Hansbrough won’t be the NBA player everyone wants him to be, Aldrich the freshman put him in his place. Just as we see multiple images of Hansbrough “handing Sheldon” his ass at Duke (as the poster states), I’m sure I will find an Aldrich poster before the end of the month. If not, I’ll make one up! Hansbrough went up against a taller, more versatile player than he faced all season and its a preview of his NBA career.
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What happened to Ty Lawson? He decided not to show up to the game either. This is your leader. The one that holds the team together. The one that makes “it” happen.
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What happened to the use of Timeouts? Roy? Are you there today?
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Add comment | April 7, 2008 - 12:10 pm | CameronCrazie- Admin

Lets All Hate on Hansbrough



It wasn’t going to be a “Bash Hansbrough Week” but when an opportunity arises, once must pounce. You see, after all of the ribbing Duke fans receive from Redick writing poems, what comes around goes around. I heard this great bit of information on the Mac Attack during lunch.
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Hansbrough loves cup cakes……and funnel cakes, and cookies. Who doesn’t? But wait it gets better I promise. Psycho T is one up on everyone….He bakes! Thats right. You’re favorite big man at UNC is a baker!!
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How could I have missed this one? Oh well, lets needle him while we can. God knows Redick took enough BS from the Tarheel fan base. http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20080313/NEWS/803130339
This is all I could muster up without spending an eternity on editing a photo :)
hansbrough cupcakes

Add comment | April 1, 2008 - 12:18 pm | CameronCrazie- Admin

King Leaving Duke



Good Luck
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ok, seriously, thats not all I have to say. King was/is a great shooter, unfortunately IMO, he never cautioned on the side of error. He was/is quick to pull the trigger even if he’s in no rhythm what-so-ever. There was no place behind the numerous shooting gaurds Duke has. uuummm, did we mention that we’re looking for someone inside yet??

Add comment | April 1, 2008 - 8:35 am | CameronCrazie- Admin

Hansbrough - The Next JJ



Its true, as much as I like JJ, he won’t be the outstanding player he was in college. Everyone knows it, everyone talks about it. Its even worse when your coach never gives you chance to prove your worth to another NBA team. JJ will eventually play somewhere that will keep 10 points a night out of him consistently. It won’t be at Orlando. We all know it and so does JJ.

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hans
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Sorry you UNC freaks, but neither will Hansbrough. He’s a great college player, there I said it. But I still hate him. I hate the fact everyone loves him. I hate the fact every announcer kisses his ass as if theres no tommorow. Newsflash!!!!!! There won’t be a tomorrow for Hansbrough. Just like JJ, theres no place in the NBA for Hansbrough. He’s too small to play with the big boys in the real world. He hustles……wait, did I say that, probably don’t have to because everyone thats on the tv lets us know. Guess what hustle equates to in the NBA? Nothing. Those days are gone. As much as the world wants to see a white boy hustle like Larry Bird hustled, Tyler won’t do it. Why? Because he won’t have the playing time to hustle. Just like JJ, he’ll be the punching bag in practice.
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There you go UNC freaks. Bookmark my site, come back in a year. I’d love to hear your comments.

7 comments | March 29, 2008 - 10:59 pm | CameronCrazie- Admin

Its About Time



..that somebody finally spoke up about Duke’s season. Its been a miserable two years and it won’t get much better until we add some size. The Duke Basketball Report shut its forums down b/c of the ‘pissed’ off Duke fans yelling about their early exit.

Enjoy:
http://www.dukechronicle.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&ustory_id=73f89697-8f59-4b3f-a246-538e8e9ea355

Add comment | March 27, 2008 - 12:42 pm | CameronCrazie- Admin