Author: John Paulsen (Page 882 of 937)

The Orlando Magic will not make the playoffs this year. After a 20-40 start, it was almost impossible for them to play in the postseason. But look at what the Magic have done since then:

1. They are 16-4 over their last 20. This includes a blowout win over the Cavs, a nine-point wins over Dallas and Miami, a 12-point win over San Antonio, and a victory against Detroit.

2. Dwight Howard, despite having maybe the goofiest player picture in the league, has averaged 17 points and 14 boards in the last 10 games. He is a stud and will soon be the league’s best power forward.

3. Over the same span, Jameer Nelson has averaged 18 points and five assists on .508 shooting from the field.

4. Hedo Turkoglu, a former Sacramento castoff, has averaged 19 points (on .550 shooting), five rebounds and three assists in the last ten games.

5. Darko Milicic, who came over in a trade with Detroit, has shown signs of life, averaging nine points, four boards and two blocks over the same period.

Watch out for the Magic…next year.

LSU freshman Tyrus Thomas and UConn sophomore Rudy Gay will declare for the NBA draft. ESPN has Thomas as the #2 overall pick (behind Joakim Noah) in their latest mock draft, while Gay, who was once considered a candidate to be the top overall pick, has slipped to #8. Gay’s performance in the tournament was unremarkable, and questions linger about his heart and his ability to take over games.

Thomas, on the other hand, showed a lot in LSU’s Elite Eight game against Texas. Matching up with LaMarcus Aldridge, he scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while holding Aldridge to just four points on 2 of 14 shooting. Otherwise, his tournament was unremarkable, as he averaged only 7.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in the other tournament games. In his defense, he only put up 4.3 shots in those four games.

Meanwhile, Joakim Noah appears to be the favorite to be the #1 overall pick. Only he’s staying in school. Overall, I like his game. He is a fierce competitor, a great shotblocker and is effective in the post. However, his jumper currently looks like that of a middle school girl and I’m not too sure how quickly this will improve. He really looks lost on the perimeter. Since he’ll probably play power forward early in his career, he’s going to need a face up jumper. Another year in school will help, but his stock isn’t going to be any higher than it is right now.

For a long time, the West has been a stronger conference than the East. Shaq’s defection and a couple of great draft picks – LeBron James and Dwayne Wade – have closed the gap considerably, especially amongst the top four teams in each division. Detroit, Miami, New Jersey and Cleveland match up pretty well with San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix and Denver. But the West still holds a big edge in talent and it’s due to the strength of its remaining playoff teams. The Wizards, Bucks, Pacers and Bulls just aren’t as good as the Clippers, Grizzlies, Lakers or Kings. And I guarantee that last team has a few Western conference coaches more than a little worried.

Sacramento has been playing really good ball of late, going 15-7 over their last 22 games. Since the Ron Artest trade on January 25th, they have won 23 of 35 and at press time, they are tied with the Lakers for the 7th spot in the Western conference playoffs. Over the last five games, the Kings beat the Spurs at San Antonio, while also beating the Clippers at home and in Los Angeles. Much of this recent success can be credited to Artest, whose toughminded play has revitalized the Kings defensively.

Sacramento will likely play San Antonio, Phoenix or Dallas in the first round of the playoffs. Despite the presence of Kobe Bryant, I think all three of these teams would rather play the Lakers than have to deal with Artest and the Kings in the first round. Sacramento has a lot of talent with Mike Bibby running the point and Brad Miller manning the middle. Throw in Kevin Martin and Bonzi Wells on the perimeter, along with Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Kenny Thomas inside, and you’ve got a deep, talented team that can match up with just about anybody. Don’t be surprised to see Sacramento still alive in the second round.