Today's the day - NBA agency officially kicks off at midnight Eastern tonight, and no name has been discussed more in the run-up to free agency than that Orlando Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu. Magic center Dwight Howard put in his two cents on ESPN Radio in Orlando today.
"I really would love for Hedo to stay, I really do. I believe that we can believe a championship. We came so close and we're right here. I really want Hedo to stay. He's been a big part in my development as a player and I hope he stays around. I think that lineup would be great…Hopefully he stays around. He's been here since I've been here so it's a little bit of a sad day because you're losing so many people that you basically grew up with, that's how I look at it. Since I've played, I've grown up since I was 18 until now and seeing some of those guys leave, it hurts."
It's no secret that Dwight was more than a little upset at the news that his team had traded Courtney Lee to the New Jersey Nets in a package that brought back Vince Carter. First and foremost, C-Lee was Dwight's best friend on the team, and had quickly become one of the better rookies in the playoffs. His future is a bright one, and Dwight was looking forward to spending a lot of years sharing life on and off the basketball court with Courtney.
Then the trade went down. Lee gone to New Jersey. Dwight was crestfallen.
Aside from the loss of his best friend, Dwight also had an immediate knee-jerk reaction that was all about himself. Most pundits recognized that the acquisition of Carter meant the Magic had added an All-Star at the two who can create his own shot, knock down the three, and get to the line - a skill set that would have served the Magic well against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Dwight, however, was concerned that Carter's arrival might further limit his own touches.
That's probably not going to be the case, especially if Dwight commits his summer to working on his offensive game. A nice jump-hook (not that sweeping, ugly thing he does now), a drop-step, even a spin move would be nice. If Dwight will spend his summer watching old DVD's of Hakeem Olajuwon and then working on those moves with his training staff, his offensive game will be a much more potent weapon next season, meaning his touches will go up.
"The thing is with me, it's all about confidence and my ability and what I can do," says Howard. "I know everybody hears he doesn't have a post game, he needs to work on his post game and have a 'go-to' move. The coaching staff, we talked and it's tough to go to a move when you're getting triple-teamed and double-teamed. What I would tell the fans is keep supporting me. I'm going to keep working on my game like I've told my teammates. It's going to be nonstop. Making my moves a little bit stronger, faster, being able to shoot the ball, which I have the ability to do. Just shoot the ball with confidence, just expand my game. Hopefully next season, after working extremely hard this summer which I plan on doing, I'm looking forward to it."
Vinsanity is not the ball hog he once was. Last season, when the New Jersey Nets acquired Devin Harris, Carter quickly let Harris know that the ball was Devin's to do with as he pleased. Vince recognized Harris' talent, and understood that his team would be better with Devin's scoring ability on display. Vince will similarly recognize what the situation is in Orlando. The Magic got the Finals without him. It's not his job to come in and take over. It's his job to complement Dwight, Jameer Nelson, and Rashard Lewis as best he can.
"He's been always telling me, 'Hey Dwight I want to come play in Orlando, I want to play with you.' Now we have that opportunity and I'm very excited. I think we're going to see the old Vince and I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully it'll go good."
Rest assured, if the best play is to put the ball in Dwight hands, Vince will make sure it gets there. And by the end of the 2009-10 season Dwight might find he has a new best friend . . .and a new piece of bling for his collection. Dwight does seem to be warming to that possibility.
"People are going to always have their, whatever they're going to say about players. I think Vince has learned a lot since he's been in the NBA and I think he's all about winning a championship. I think he's excited, he's ready to go. We're going to push him and make him the best he can be while he's here in Orlando and hopefully this can lead to a championship. I believe Vince is one of the most talented 3-mans in the NBA. He has the ability to score, pass shoot – he can do it all so I think we put his skills together and we continue to play as hard as we've been playing, the sky is the limit for our team."
Listen to the entire interview with Dwight Howard here!
As Free Agency Nears . . .
HOOPSWORLD will, of course, be bringing you the absolute latest on the free agency frenzy throughout the night tonight, with a ton of moves expected to go down fairly quickly. For now, here's a look at some of the buzz that's floating around.
Jason Kidd and the New York Knicks is a strange situation. Why would Kidd go to New York? It's been suggested that he would consider such a move to be closer to his kids, but the reality is that Kidd's about to sign his last NBA contract. He wants a championship and he wants to get paid. The Knicks can't offer either of those things. They're a lottery team and they can only offer the MLE. Not happening, especially when Dallas can offer much more money than anyone else and Portland and Cleveland have realistic title dreams. Kidd's meeting with the Knicks tomorrow, but don't expect much to come of it.
Marcin Gortat is also of great interest to teams across the NBA. The Knicks are rumored to be interested, while the Houston Rockets have a great deal of interest, as well. Houston was interested in Gortat before they learned Yao Ming would be out for the foreseeable future. Now their interest is ten fold. They might even sacrifice their chase of Ron Artest to sign Gortat.
Boston Celtics guard Eddie House has exercised his player option and will stay with the Celtics rather than test his value on the open market.
Michael Finley was contemplating retirement, but he let the San Antonio Spurs know today that he will come back for one more season.
Brandon Bass was a huge part of the Dallas Mavericks' success last season and they have made re-signing him one of their top priorities this offseason. The Orlando Magic will also come calling, and today Bass, a Louisiana native, said he would welcome a return to the New Orleans Hornets.
UPDATE: The Charlotte Bobcats are reportedly interested in adding Allen Iverson, or at least having that conversation, according to an AP report.
UPDATE II: Mehmet Okur has joined Carlos Boozer in saying he will not opt out of his contract with the Utah Jazz.
UPDATE III: Bobby Brown has exercised his option for the 2009-2010 season with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
UPDATE IV: Anderson Varajao is now a free agent . . .it seems the Cavs will chase Charlie Villanueva, as has been widely speculated . . .and as CV has been saying on his Twitter for weeks.
Stay tuned to HOOPSWORLD. . .we'll all be busy tonight!
Chinese Question Yao Ming's Injury?
In what has to be the most bizarre story of the day, it seems some Chinese sports officials aren't convinced that Yao Ming's injury - which the Houston Rockets have been told will cause him to miss the 2009-2010 season at a minimum - is real. CBA vice head Hu Jiashi, citing a report from Yao's camp last week, says he doesn't believe the injury is as severe as is being reported.
"They did not say that he would miss the coming NBA season, nor did they say he would miss the (2010) World Championships," Hu was quoted as saying. "I believe his injury has not progressed to such a stage."
The Chinese news site Sina.com took that tidbit and ran with it, suggesting that the injury is simply propaganda from the Rockets in an effort to reduce Yao's value in a contract extension.
"The Rockets don't want Yao to leave, so they hope to sign him early, this is the way to bring his price down," a Sina.com posting said. "As soon as Yao Ming signs, his doctor will immediately say he can play again, 182 games will be no problem."
To be clear, this is a completely ridiculous idea. Don't think for a second that we are lending it credence. The fact is, Yao Ming is the best center in the NBA and is due the largest contract extension that is allowed. There would be no bickering over price . . .he would be the top paid player in the NBA for as long as the Rockets could lock him in. If he can play, he's a maximum contract player. If he can't, there's no discussion to be had. Either way, the very idea that the Rockets organization would falsify medical records is absolutely insane.
It's far more likely that the good people of China are simply in denial . . .much like the good people of Houston.
Gotta Have Twitter?
The 2009 NBA Draft is in the books, but free agency is right around the corner, followed closely by HOOPSWORLD's unmatched coverage of NBA Summer League. You can follow HOOPSWORLD by going here: twitter.com/hoopsworld, and now you can follow me by going here: twitter.com/TheRocketGuy. Enjoy!
NBA Chat Tomorrow!
Coach Mike Moreau will be holding his weekly chat tomorrow at Noon Eastern, and you won't want to miss out. Coach has had some of the top draft picks in the 2009 NBA Draft in his gym, and is an expert at the X's and O's of basketball. Coach Mike's chat fill up quickly,so drop your questions in now!
