Two point guards in particular took a lot of heat from their home fans this summer, as sentiments grew that their respective teams had gotten as far as they could get with the floor leaders they had in place. One of those players was the Charlotte Bobcats' Raymond Felton. The other? Surprisingly, it was Orlando Magic floor general Jameer Nelson.
Perhaps the fan base discontent was a product of the collective disappointment that the Magic didn't get any further than they did. A second round elimination is nothing to be ashamed of, but fans in Orlando recognize the special talent their team has. Perhaps their feelings about Nelson were largely the product of the team's failure to achieve perceived potential. Whatever the case, the Magic, as a team, don't share the view that they need a new point guard leading the charge.
"I think you have to look at last year's playoffs and see what Jameer's capable of," says head coach Stan Van Gundy. "He was outstanding against very good point guards in the playoffs last year in two series and was arguably our best player in the postseason. That's what he's capable of. Really from the All-Star Break on last year he was outstanding. He's off to a little bit of a slow start this year and we need him to consistently play at the same level he did during that stretch last year."
Indeed, Jameer's offensive numbers dropped a little bit during 2007-08 as he looked for his teammates more and became more efficient as a result. Once the playoffs started, however, Jameer became more of a scoring leader. After averaging just 10.9 points per game during the season, he upped his average to 16.2 during the playoffs, while shooting 50% from the field and 49% from three-point range.
"He carried us last year to 53 wins last season," says Rashard Lewis. "He's the point guard and is a leader of this team. He is the one that gets us going out there on the floor. Without our point guard, how are we going to operate our offense? I tell a lot of people that he didn't go undefeated in college for no reason, it's a Division I college and to go undefeated in college is very tough, to not lose one game. They lost in the tournament but it's still a very tough thing to do, so you have to give him some type of credit. To me, he's a hard-nosed point guard and he'll walk the walk. He'll do whatever it takes to go out there and get the job done. He's not the most talented point guard, but he is going to go out there and try to be and I like that in him."
Part of working to be the best is improving your game every season, and Nelson is already showing improvement this season. He scored 21 points against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night, eight of which came early in the second half as the Magic erased a 15-point deficit en route to a 102-100 win. It was also Nelson who came up with a huge steal with only seconds left in the game that enable Orlando to ice the come-from-behind win.
"You know, Mighty Mouse is what we call him, and he's going to do a good job for us from here on out," says Dwight Howard. "He can shoot the ball, he can pass the ball, but I think the biggest area for improvement for Jameer is on the defensive end and pressuring the ball more. It starts with him on both ends. If he's being aggressive on defense he kind of gets everybody else in line. On offense, pushing the ball and making us run is a good thing."
It certainly is; in fact, the Orlando Magic are now 6-3 on the young season and tied for fourth in the incredibly tough Eastern Conference. It's been Nelson, who has upped his scoring average to 12.7 this season, pushing the team to keep them winning. Not only does he keep his teammates focused and motivated, he also keeps his own confidence high despite outside criticism.
"I don't worry about what other people say or what their opinions are," says Nelson. "My thing is, I'm here, I'm in a good situation on this good team. I'm on a team that believes in me, so it doesn't really make a difference to me what the analysts say or reporters on TV or in newspapers say about me. It's all about this team and we all believe in each other."
That's absolutely the truth, as anyone who has spent any amount of time around this team can tell you. The Magic are one big happy family, and Jameer Nelson is a huge part of that chemistry. Whether you're talking to Coach Van Gundy or All-Star center Dwight Howard, the unanimous feeling is that this team has the right man running the show.
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posted By d12rocks, 16 November 2008 1:54:42 PM
i used to think in order to be a good team you needed an all-star point guard averaging 20 and 10 until i realized that in every team who has won a championship since the beginning of the shaq have been led by point guards who would play defense had the ability to score were mentally tough and distibuted the ball to the right people: tony parker(3 rings), derek fisher(4 rings), chauncey billups(1 ring), rajon rondo(1 ring,and i know he was not the greatest shooter) and hopefully next in line jameer.
posted By Jon, 16 November 2008 2:27:21 PM
Jameer is a very good PG, but I think he fits better on a team who's primary playmaker is a wing. I do see him as a championship calibur PG in the mold of Derek Fisher, more of a role player. But he had Kobe beside him to make most of the things happen. Derek doesn't make many mistakes and can hit the shot when the ball comes back to him, just like Jameer. I think he would be a great fit in Cleveland. If they moved Mo Williams and got a scoring big man, a guy like Jameer would be perfect. He'd be great on the lakers or Celtics too. However, with the kind of talent the Magic have I don't think he's the right kind of PG. The Magic are a playmaking PG's dream come true, but I see Jameer as a top notch role playing PG. With arguably the most dominant big man down low and two great shooters(Lewis and Turk) it would be heaven for a certain kind of PG. I think Ray Felton would have a field day on the Magic. He's more of a creating PG, but doesn't really have any finishers to work with, aside from J-Rich. No options at all in the post. Nelson's style may actually be a better fit for the Bobcats as well considering Wallace, J-Rich and Morrison are all creative scorers and Nelson is a better shooter than Felton, not to mention he's exactly the kind of PG Brown likes. Let's make a swap, I think it would improve both teams.
posted By Bill Ingram, 16 November 2008 4:43:05 PM
Interesting idea, though I would HATE to mess with the chemistry in that Orlando locker room. It's really something special that you don't see in the NBA. I like Ray a lot, and I hate to see him on a team that has little or no direction. Swapping might just kill both . . .though you could argue the Bobcats are already dead.
posted By Jon, 16 November 2008 7:20:39 PM
I'm watching the Bobcats postgame conference right now and as I suspected, LB loves Jameer Nelson. He was a load to deal with tonight. He makes great decisions and doesn't force much at all. Felton may lead the league in "assists via foul", which obviously isn't a real stat. But so many times per game he puts guys in positions where all the D can do is foul hard. That should count for something. Not only do you get points but the other team is getting in foul trouble. I don't know if he would improve the Magic, I think it's possible, but it would definitely improve Felton's stats at least. I think you're right though, no reason to mess with the chemistry. I think all they're really lacking is a big spark off the bench. The cats can't be dead, because they were never alive to begin with...
posted By derek, 16 November 2008 10:58:59 PM
Intriguing idea, but I wouldnt trade Nelson for Felton. Nelson played too good in playoffs last year, and so far has brought it over. I think I can see him stepping it up more consistently this year instead of just the playoffs. He doesnt distribute for direct assists because the Magic like to score through ball movement instead of half court setup plays I think. He is also more of a scorer, while still being a good floor general. I really think he should step up his production, because despite the 8-3 Magic record, they've been pretty marred by poor shooting %'s, and even if they're not, he can instill another threat to the perimeter to space it out for Dwight and others. Im hoping for 1-2+ assists and 4+ points this year from him. He is a good shooter and finds holes for layups and pentration a lot. This guy can lead the Magic to the ECF or better if he plays well, and Dwight&Co. do their parts.
posted By Jordan, 14 December 2008 1:40:50 AM
I think Nelson is really starting to come into his own by balancing his scoring talents while finding his teammates. He's still averaging the 5+ assists a game from last year and has stepped up his scoring to 15 points a game. And Howard is right to note his defense; he's averaging just over a steal a game this year. While that's not quite Gary Payton-esque, it shows what you were talking about Bill: his continuing improvement every season. Look for Jameer to get more respect than he did last year come playoffs time.
posted By eric, 30 December 2008 12:15:19 PM
if it were possible i think a swap between jameer nelson and steve nash would work wonders for both teams...
posted By Chadavid, 3 January 2009 11:19:59 PM
Jameer Nelson only took heat from the Media since he got here. The fans in Orlando, always knew what he was capable since he replaced Darrell Armstrong as the starting PG.
I don't know about Felton but we always liked Nelson. The Media sucks and now is jumping on our bangwagon. They say "He's a shooting first PG", soooo what about Derrick Rose?, Tony Parker?, Baron Davis?, Devin Harris? etc. But, its all good.
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