Around the League: Week 14 1/26-2/1

[ShelC]

I was wondering how much longer they were going to give Vaughn. He's got a ton of young, athletic talent and Vucevic is a legit big. They should be outrunning everyone. I think the problem is that the Magic don't have an assistant they can promote. MikeD or Gentry would be a good fit there.

There have been rumors of Karl and Sacramento which I'd like to see.

[Sunsfan4life]

I actually like how the Magic have drafted and I kinda understand what they tried to do in FA, except they overpaid Channing Frye and gave a ridiculous deal to Ben Gordon when I doubt he would of gotten close to that money anywhere else. I get bringing in vets, but overpaying for them when your team is still a year or 2 away from being ready to compete for a playoff spot is a bad look.

Like the Payton and Gordon picks though.

[Shabazz]

At worst he's the second best player, though 'bazz will probably argue Anthony Davis has surpassed him.

Not yet. I think SF4L's list is pretty on point.

[Superbone]

The All-Star game is mostly just a popularity contest anyway, so we shouldn't put a lot of stock into who gets in. Durant getting in (and guys like Lillard / DeMarcus Cousins not getting in) is kind of BS, but it's just a dumb exhibition game anyway.

It would have been nice if Dragic made the all-star team last year but it's much more impressive that he made all-NBA.

[Superbone]

Here's a bit more by Woj about Jacque Vaughn's uncertain job status in Orlando.

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/source--m ... 40124.html

I think he's a truly awful coach, but whenever I hear rumors about a coach firing in Jan/Feb, I always think the same two things: (1) Why now? Why did you even enter into this season with such a crappy coach, and then decide to fire him in January? (2) Who are you going to get to replace him?

I keep thinking back to Sacramento and how well they were playing with Mike Malone as their coach. Now look at them.

[ShelC]

The FO and ownership really set themselves back firing Malone. For no other reason than they didn't like his style of play. Malone's a legit coach.

[Superbone]

How much longer does Brian Shaw have in Denver?

[Mori Chu]

The Magic's big flaws IMO were:

- not getting enough players who can SHOOT (so many teams make this mistake)
- hiring a completely inept coach in Vaughn

Orlando drafts all these "athletes" like Aaron Gordon, Oladipo, Payton, none of whom can shoot. Now their spacing is jacked up. I like Tobias Harris; I like Vucevic a lot. Oladipo seems salvageable. But they really really need a bunch of 3-and-D guys and a sensible coach to groom the young talent. Playing Oladipo at PG was a stupid idea. Now they have Willie Green playing a bunch of minutes. Signing Ben Gordon was absolutely ridiculous, too.

[carey]

Cousins to replace injured Kobe in the ASG.

[carey]

The Magic's big flaws IMO were:

- not getting enough players who can SHOOT (so many teams make this mistake)
- hiring a completely inept coach in Vaughn

Orlando drafts all these "athletes" like Aaron Gordon, Oladipo, Payton, none of whom can shoot. Now their spacing is jacked up. I like Tobias Harris; I like Vucevic a lot. Oladipo seems salvageable. But they really really need a bunch of 3-and-D guys and a sensible coach to groom the young talent. Playing Oladipo at PG was a stupid idea. Now they have Willie Green playing a bunch of minutes. Signing Ben Gordon was absolutely ridiculous, too.

Yeah, I mean they had the ultimate 3-D guy in Afflalo and traded him away. I think they will figure it out sooner than later. Another good pick this year, a trade or two and it'll probably work out. They do get to play in the East also.

[ShelC]

Agree that the Magic can't shoot. That's why they added Frye but if you don't have dribble penetration or a guy who can play down low, defenders know to stay out on Frye. Oladipo can play. But he's not a #1. He's a really good #3, in the Lance Stephenson tier. But he's not a takeover the game type of player. Gordon and Payton may never be able to shoot. And they still have 3 young guys who just never broke through in O'Quinn, Nicholson and Harkless.

[Cap]

I think it's kind of BS that Durant makes it in as an All-Star after playing in only 21 / 45 games this year. But to be fair, the league has no official minimum of games played to be eligible as far as I know. If we are upset about it, the right thing to do would be to say that you have to play in 1/2 or 2/3 of your team's games. But the league will never do that.

The All-Star game is mostly just a popularity contest anyway, so we shouldn't put a lot of stock into who gets in. Durant getting in (and guys like Lillard / DeMarcus Cousins not getting in) is kind of BS, but it's just a dumb exhibition game anyway.

Hasn't there been instances of guys being voted on that hadn't played a game all year?

At least one: Magic Johnson after he announced his retirement. He played in the ASG and it was kind of a feel-good moment for the league.

[carey]

At least one: Magic Johnson after he announced his retirement. He played in the ASG and it was kind of a feel-good moment for the league.

Pretty sure Yao was voted in after playing only 5 games in 2011.

[Cap]

You are correct. He was injured and did not play. Kevin Love was his replacement on the team, Tim Duncan in the starting lineup. Since he didn't end up taking another player's spot, I don't see a problem with it.

[In2ition]

This Hassan Whiteside story is fascinating. I really liked him when he was at Marshall and I wanted the Suns to get him, but apparently he was a bust in workouts and quit during them. Good to see that my eye for talented big men is still pretty good, even though it took him long enough to get his sh!+ together.

[Shabazz]

Hassan Whiteside with 13 rebounds in the first 6.5 minutes tonight.

[carey]

#AllTheRebounds

[INFORMER]

Lebron is sucha D-Bag, but I'd still have him as the best player. Durant 2...Davis 3...Curry 4.

Curry ahead of Harden?

[INFORMER]

Oladipo can play. But he's not a #1. He's a really good #3, in the Lance Stephenson tier.

I think he's a step above Stephenson.

And they still have 3 young guys who just never broke through in O'Quinn, Nicholson and Harkless.

Nah, O'Quinn doesn't belong in that group. Vaughn has started him on several occasions. He's earned Vaughn's trust more than Nicholson and Harkless and has been a semi-regular part of the rotation.

[INFORMER]

https://twitter.com/Chris_Broussard/status/561265033607647232