After the Orlando Magic were defeated by the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the playoffs, it was clear that Dwight Howard needed help on the frontline. So what did the Magic do in the offseason to address the problem? They drafted a shooting guard (Lee) and signed a point guard and small forward in free agency (Johnson/Pietrus). So once again it appears as though Howard will have to shoulder the bulk of the inside work for the Magic this coming season.

He did that and more this year with averages of 20.7 points, 14.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. Starting forwards Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu, despite both being 6-10, were unable to contribute much in the rebounding department with averages of 5.4 and 5.7 rebounds respectively. Both are more likely to be found at the 3-point line, as opposed to mixing it up in the paint.

Teaming Howard up with a pair of offense-minded shot-happy small forwards places huge responsibility on the young man’s shoulders. If they’re not careful, the extra workload could lead to injury or, at the very least, frustration. Not the best way to treat your young superstar and franchise player.

Currently, the Magic have Tony Battie, Adonal Foyle, James Augustine and Marcin Gortat as the only other big men on the roster. Together with Rashard Lewis masquerading as the starting power forward, and this will simply not get it done against quality playoff teams.

One of the main offseason priorities for Magic GM Otis Smith should have been to acquire a suitable power forward to play alongside Howard. That player would be someone who is willing to do the dirty work, rebound, defend and protect Howard’s back. Although he re-signed with San Antonio, Kurt Thomas would have fit the bill perfectly.

But the Magic’s best (and cheapest) opportunity to address this need came on draft day in the form of Memphis strongman Joey Dorsey. Whilst their first round selection of Courtney Lee was a good one, they had ample opportunities to trade back into the draft to select Dorsey. Between their pick at 22 and pick 33 when Dorsey was selected, there were 5 trades, meaning teams were more than willing to part with their draft pick. Had they been prepared to dangle the little-used J.J. Redick, or future draft picks, there is no doubt that Dorsey could be wearing an Orlando uniform today.

Fact is, they didn’t and they blew it. Dorsey would have been the perfect compliment to Howard. He’s a rebounding machine, a tough defender and can finish around the rim, sort of a young Ben Wallace. Bringing the rebound-focused Dorsey off the bench to play the power forward position, would have allowed Howard to concentrate on other areas of his game, such as individual defense and shot blocking.

If Dorsey wasn’t available, players such as D.J. White (29), Nathan Jawai (41), Richard Hendrix (49) and Darnell Jackson (52), could have filled a similar role and should have been given strong consideration.

If the Magic wish to compete against Eastern Conference powers Boston and Detroit, they must provide Howard with help on the boards. Teams such as Toronto (O’Neal) and Philly (Brand), who the Magic will be in direct competition with, have added muscle to their frontline in the offseason. If the Magic don’t address this problem during the season, expect to see another early playoff exit.

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Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward the game has ever seen. He is a perennial Allstar and MVP candidate. He has won four championship rings and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. But will Tim Duncan be worth $21.3 million in 2012? The short answer - no.

During last season Duncan signed an extension that will see him don the Spur’s silver and black until 2012. At the time the general consensus was he did the Spurs a favour, by electing not to sign for the maximum allowable amount. However, the fact remains that he will be owed $62 million from 2010 to 2012, with a whopping $21.3m owed in the final year.

If Duncan really was genuine in his desire to assist with rebuilding he should have negotiated an extension that would pay him max money over the next year or two, then gradually decrease, so by 2012 his salary would be $12-13 million. This would have allowed the Spurs to re-tool around their aging, but relatively inexpensive big man.

As great as he still is, there is no doubt that by 2012 the Spurs will regret the extension that allows a 36 year old Duncan to eat up a third of their entire salary. Case in point, Shaquille O’Neal. When Shaq was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004, a year later at the age of 33 he signed a massive five year extension totalling $100 million. Seemed like the smart thing to do at the time, but two years and one championship later, they tried desperately to rid themselves of his rapidly diminishing skills and cap-killing contract. Fortunately for them, Phoenix took the bait and is now stuck with him for two more years at $40 million. Whilst it is unlikely that Duncan will meet the same fate as Shaquille O’Neal, due to the respect afforded to him by the city of San Antonio (and rightfully so), the San Antonio Spurs will ultimately suffer as a result.

One would have to assume that Duncan’s play will gradually fall off over the coming years, and by 2012 there is little doubt he will be nearing the end. But such a decline is natural, especially when you consider the amount of basketball his body has endured over the last decade.

So why did the Spurs feel it was necessary to pay him top dollar over the next five years, when his game is sure to decline? My guess, it was more of a ‘thanks for the memories’ gift, rather than good basketball business.

Over the last decade the Spurs have prided themselves on making smart basketball decisions both on and off the floor, which has directly led to their success. However, through the trading of Luis Scola, the passing up of legitimate talent in the 2008 Draft (Arthur, Greene, Chalmers, Chris Douglas-Roberts), and the overly generous extension to Duncan’s contract, it seems as though complacency has finally crept in to the San Antonio front office. These decisions will haunt the Spurs over the coming years and will ultimately lead to their gradual decline.

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by Michael Spadaccino

Okay, so we watched Team USA hang on for a thrilling win the other night over Spain to bring the gold back to the US. I think it is safe to say, once again, that America has the best basketball players in the world. I think it is also safe to say that the gap between American basketball and the rest of the world will remain close for the foreseeable future. If we remember back to 1992 it wasnt always that way. If anyone is old enough to actually remember those contests between USA vs Angola or USA vs Brazil we realize just how far international basketball has come. BUT what if the 1992 version of Team USA came to Bejing for these summer games? A gold medal matchup between The Dream Team vs. The Redeem team would breakdown something like this:

Guards: Magic, Michael, Drexler & Stockon vs. Kobe, J Kidd, D Wade & C Paul. You would have to think that Kobe & Michael would offset each other on both ends of the court…that would be a hell of a battle to watch. Magic would back down any of the point guards for the redeem team, but he would also have a tough time staying in front of them. D Wade (who btw is the most underated superstar in the NBA) & C Paul come off the bench and almost mirror Dream Team benchmates C Drexler (the most underated superstar of his era) & J Stockton. If there was ever a category that was dead even it would be this one. Edge: EVEN

Forwards: C Barkley, L Bird, K Malone. & S Pippen vs L James, C Anthony & C Boozer. All do respect to 08 cast of forwards but here is where the separation of teams starts to expose itself. When you consider that you have arguably the two starting forwards for an all time all NBA team in Bird & Malone they should not be ashamed. I do realize that Bird was on the downside of his career but he is still Larry Bird. Even without Bird ,with the possible exception of C Boozer, there would be nobody would could bang with Malone. Also, Pippen would shadow L James and make it tough for him to penetrate. Barkley would have a tough time with Melo but, at is the theme, he would have trouble banging with Barkley. Edge: Dream Team

Centers: D. Robinson & P Ewing vs C Bosh & D Howard. D. Howard is widely considered one of the two most athletic & best big men in basketball (A. Stoudamire the other). You could make the case that neither him or Bosh would make the Dream Team roster. I know Howard is a young player and will most likely be a 10 year All Star before his career is finished. But both Ewing & D Robinson are top 10 all time centers who were voted in the top 50 greatest players in NBA history. As we have stated with all the positions the overall size and strength of The Dream Team would eventually wear down not only Bosh, Howard, Boozer & C Anthony but the entire roster.

Coaching: I respect Coach K for staying at Duke and not making the jump to the NBA. But I have seen too many years where he has had the best team at Duke and not won the whole thing (1999 vs Uconn). That being said I would give a huge edge to Chuck Daly in the coaching matchup. I am certainly not saying he had to do a lot of coaching back in 1992. In fact, he didnt call a timeout the whole Olympics…and they did win by 43.8 ppgs. But in on gold medal game give me Chuck Daly. Edge: Chuck Daly

Prediction: After watching these games I am convinced that the three best players in the league right now are Kobe, Lebron & D Wade. I know I am not going out on a limb on that one. Their heart and ability will make this close….for a half. The overall size,strength & bench of The Dream Team would eventually wear The Redeem down. Pippen & Jordan would lock down Kobe & Lebron in crunch time and D Robinson & Barkley would control the paint. The Dream Team 108 The Redeem Team 95.

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The free agency sweepstakes isn’t completely over quite yet, but it’s pretty clear how some of the league’s most active teams have done so far.

Winners:

Philadelphia 76ers: The Sixers are the biggest winners of this offseason, re-signing Andre Iguodala to a market value contract, and getting the biggest coup of the year by stealing Elton Brand. Brand fills a huge low post scoring weakness, and his defense and rebounding will make life easier for everyone else. He makes the Sixers a likely successor to the Boston Celtics Eastern conference crown, whenever injury or age cuts down the Big Three. The Sixers also filled a major need by grabbing Kareem Rush (three-point shooting was a major weakness for them last year), and got more guard depth in Royal Ivey.

Golden State Warriors: Yes, the Warriors lost their best player in Baron Davis, but Davis’ play slowed considerably down the stretch of last year. Also, at 29, don’t expect him to give the Clippers more than 2 great years. Signing young studs Andris Biedrins and Monta Ellis was the priority, and they were retained long-term at a solid price. To replace Baron’s scoring, Corey Maggette was signed at an expensive rate, but the Warriors needed to make a splash to replaced Baron. They also pried Ronny Turiaf away from the luxury-taxed Los Angeles Lakers and he should fill a need on the bench. The trade for Marcus Williams was a low cost gamble and losing Matt Barnes and Michael Pietrus should free up time for promising rookie Anthony Randolph.

Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavs pulled off a deal that is sure to please Lebron as he competes in the Olympics. They dealt away Joe Smith and Damon Jones in a three-team deal that netted them Mo Williams. Williams averaged 17 points and 6 assists last year, and is the best point guard the Cavs have had for awhile. He immediately takes some of the scoring load from Lebron and can pass well enough. Jones did not contribute anything to the team except a constantly running mouth, and while Smith was a solid role player, he is not a huge impact player. The Cavs also retained their dead-eye shooter, Daniel Gibson, at a reasonable rate.

Losers:

Washington Wizards: This might be a surprising pick to some, but the Wizards are treading water at best with their offseason. They gave the injury-prone Gilbert Arenas a 6 year 111-million dollar deal, and re-upped Antawn Jamison as well. Their cap space is tied up for the foreseeable future for a core that has not taken them anywhere. They should have gone another direction in free agency and shake up a team that will be a perennial playoff team, but not a championship threat.

Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks entered this offseason on a high note. They had taken the Champions of the NBA to 7 games in the playoff, and they had a great group of young players. However, the Hawks management (as is their custom) bungled the offseason. They messed around in the negotiations with Josh Smith, angering him and provoking him to sign an offer sheet with the Memphis Grizzlies. The Hawks easily matched of course, but are now faced with a potential chemistry killer situation. In addition, Smith was reported to be at odds with Coach Mike Woodson. The brass in Atlanta also butchered the negotiations with sixth man Josh Childress. Childress was one of the better six men in the league, and at a young age was only going to get better. Childress left for Europe and the Hawks signing of Maurice Evans, Randolph Morris and Flip Murray will not exactly set the world on fire.

The results may be a little premature, with the regular season still two months away. However, for the Atlanta Hawks, it’s pretty safe to call them offseason losers, as they’re the first team to lose a quality player and get nothing in return.

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Team USA’s dissection of the Spanish team kind of puts this out of proportion, but consider it official: Thirty is going to be the new 50 for USA Basketball.

Long gone are the days where the original Dream Team demolished teams by 50 point. The game was over after the first quarter. The opposing teams barely scored what the Dream Team scored in the first half, humiliated from start to end.

But over the past four years, Team USA has lost multiple games, settled for a Bronze medal in Athens, and is winning games by only a dozen points. Even the Los Angeles Clippers beat another pro team by 26 points once last season. Why can’t the best-of-the-best NBA All-Stars beat Angola by more than 21 points? Has something gone wrong?

The Dream Team days are over, until the next revolution in American basketball. Team USA may always be the favorites, but they aren’t gargantuan favorites any more. International play has drastically improved over the past few years. The national teams spend far more time practicing and competing together, instead of taking a two-week vacation and photo shoot in Las Vegas.

Though Kobe Bryant was joking around with teammate Pau Gasol, I believe that the American team is going through the tournament treating themselves like the underdogs in every game. It’s a cliche, but they have to take it one game at a time, especially as preliminaries are coming to a close.

Of course, this whole argument is awfully nitpicky, but the Redeem Team needs to keep an eye out behind them. They’ve played overall solid basketball, although Dwyane Wade has mostly been the only exceptional one so far. Their two best x-factors are speed and depth. Spain held the lead for a decent part of the first quarter, but ended the game as the Redeem Team’s biggest victim so far.

Don’t be surprised to see USA Basketball to pull out some nailbiter wins, this year and throughout the future of international play. Foreign countries are finally seeing their dedication pay off. Thirty points is still an impressive blowout, considering the extent of practice time and roster turnover.

Team USA is playing hard, no doubt about it. Their lack of experience playing with each other makes the American’s domination even more impressive, but the easy medals are a thing of the past, and forever will be.

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