Agent Zero Show (17-8) / Week 7

[newc]

Settings

Platform: PC

Game: NBA Live 08

Team: Orlando Magic

Roster: TUP 10 v 3.2 (updated by me)

Draftees: Generated

Skill level: Superstar

Quarter length: 8min (Simulated Games: 12min)


Staff

Head Coach


Janis Kalnins

Assistant Coaches


Brendan Malone / Patrick Ewing / Steve Clifford / Bob Beyer / Ahmad Ajami

Roster

Starting Five



C - Dwight Howard
PF - John William
SF - Hedo Turkoglu
SG - Jason Richardson
PG - Gilbert Arenas

Bench



6th - Jameer Nelson
7th - Sam Young
8th - J. J. Redick
9th - Ryan Anderson
10th - Kurt Thomas
11th - Stanley Robinson
12th - Jeremy Lin

IR



IR1 - Ruben Holmes

Archive

10-11 Season Review
Howard testing FA, Van Gundy fired
New Head Coach
Draft Order
Mock Draft
2011 NBA Draft
Free Agents 2011
Trade with Memphis
Retirees 2011
Roster 11-12
2011-12 Opening Night Line-ups
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Young's injury
Magic dealing J-Rich?
Week 4
Week 5

[Jhiane]

goodluck!

[newc]

10-11 Season Review

Orlando Magic


Orlando Magic players after loosing to Detroit Pistons in the First round of Play-offs

Record: 47-35
Conference: 3rd
Division: 2nd
Play-offs: Lost in the First Round (to Detroit Pistons)

Team Leaders

PPG: Hedo Turkoglu 23,9 (Dwight Howard 20,1)
RPG: Dwight Howard 12,0 (Brandon Bass 8,7)
APG: Jason Richardson 6,1 (Jameer Nelson 4,1)
BPG: Dwight Howard 1,9 (Brandon Bass 1,5)
SPG: Hedo Turkoglu 1,8 (Jason Richardson 1,8)
FG%: Dwight Howard 49,9% (Hedo Turkoglu 45,5%)
3P%: Jameer Nelson 39,1% (Ryan Anderson 34,6%)
FT%: J.J. Reddick 86,5% (Gilbert Arenas 82,9%)
EFF: Dwight Howard 24,2 (Jason Richardson 20,8)

For complete Orlando Magic 10-11 season stats click here

League

Notable Transactions

11/3/2011 The Kings sign T. Ford
11/6/2011 The Clippers sign S. Telfair
11/24/2011 The Clippers trade R. Gomes to the Hawks for Z. Pachulia
12/28/2011 The Blazers trade R. Fernandez to the Clippers for D. Jordan
12/30/2011 The Pistons trade J. Jerebko to the Knicks for S. Williams
1/11/2011 The Bulls trade K. Thomas to the Grizzlies for X. Henry
2/12/2011 The Thunder trade E. Maynor to the Bulls for T. Gibson
2/12/2011 The Rockets trade J. Jeffries to the Warriors for V. Radmanovic
2/13/2011 The Bulls trade C. Watson to the Clippers for C. Smith
2/13/2011 The Clippers trade W. Warren to the Warriors for L. Amundson

Players of the Month



Rookies of the Month




League Leaders



Final Standings



Awards

MVP: Kobe Bryant
MIP: Kevin Love
DPotY: LeBron James
6th Man: Jason Terry
ROY: John Wall
CotY: Erik Spoelstra

Play-offs



Finals MVP: Dirk Nowitzki

[newc]

goodluck!

Thanks

[newc]

Howard says he'll test free agency next year

Dwight Howard made an announcement today that he won't resign a 2 year contract extension with Orland Magic and will test the free agency next summer.

"This doesn't mean that I'm gone, I just want to test (the free agency) and see what possibilities I can get."

Howard also made it clear that he is not happy with the collective personality of Orlando's roster and that changes need to be made. The same message, he said, was delivered to owner Rich DeVos and CEO Bob Vander Weide in a meeting last week that included Howard sharing thoughts on everything from personnel to fan involvement and arena atmosphere at home games.

"I want to win a championship," the All-Star center said. "I think the owners have to really know that. That's been my goal and my mission since I've been in the NBA -- to win a championship. I don't have side goals or agendas. My main goal is to win a championship. I want to have 14 other guys who feel the same way."

Asked if the Magic have that now, he said, "It's off and on. Sometimes guys are there whole-heartedly and then sometimes I've had teammates allow people getting in their ears and things like that effect the way that they play and approach the game."

Agent 0 is back...

...well, at least he got his number back. Gilbert Arenas representative announced that he has changed his jersey number from 1 back to his former number 0, which made him popular and was the reason why he gained his nickname Agent Zero.

"I think it (number 0) suits me much better (than number 1)," said Arenas asked about the jersey number change, "I had a terrible season last year, mainly because of my mental and psychological status. That's why I think changing to (number) 0 could change my game to a better side too"

Arenas is currently working hard to get into shape for the next season. He's already lost 15 pounds from the last year and at least by appearance looks like his old self. Magic fans are hoping that he will look more like his old self also on the court.

Stan van Gundy fired

Orlando Magic are officially in a seek for a new head coach, after previous coach Stan van Gundy was released from his duties earlier today. The rumors about van Gundy's departure were swirling around the league since the Magic lost to the Pistons in the first round of last season's play-offs and now it's actually happened.

"Stan van Gundy is a great head coach and leader and we are thankful to him for the job he has done for us, but, unfortunately, today I have to say that we are seeking for a new head coach," Orland Magic General Manager Otis Smith, whose job security is also unstable, announced today.

He didn't mention any possible candidates for the coaching vacancy, but did say, that: "We are looking for coach, that has previous experience in this league. Someone, who is a great leader and tactician. Someone, who could manage this team to success"

Stan van Gundy didn't comment his release from the coaching job. He also couldn't answer if he will be coaching in the NBA next season.

[µTorrent]

Very simple, yet very attractive presentation!

[kibaxx7]

Good luck man, always liked the Magic and Gilbert even more. Will follow!

[newc]

Thanks guys Really appreciate the support.

[Houndy]

Very realistic Finals

[redhotz]

So glad, that Kobe got MVP.

[rise]

But even better to see them beaten by the Suns, then seeing a Dallas/Phoenix WCF, and then Dallas winning the championship!

Also, how on earth are Splitter, Hibbert, and Andersen in the top 5 in rebounding? Same with LeBron, Iggy, and Ariza in blocks?

[newc]

Very realistic Finals

I guess you liked that a lot

So glad, that Kobe got MVP.

Yep, he had a nice season, although I think he would prefer the other MVP trophy

But even better to see them beaten by the Suns, then seeing a Dallas/Phoenix WCF, and then Dallas winning the championship!

Also, how on earth are Splitter, Hibbert, and Andersen in the top 5 in rebounding? Same with LeBron, Iggy, and Ariza in blocks?

Yeah Suns had a nice run in the play-offs

Splitter and Andersen were starting for their teams and Hibbert is a good rebounder in Live. About blocks: I guess Live 08 really likes shot blocking SFs

[newc]

New Head Coach in Orlando


Who is the new head coach of Orlando Magic?

Orlando Magic announced today that they have signed a 2 year contract with their new head coach Janis Kalnins. This name doesn't say anything to most of NBA fans, but it was enough for the Magic's GM Otis Smith to sign this man for his team's head coach position.

So, who is he? Janis Kalnins is a 34 year old Latvian, who has spent his last four years living in Arizona, working with the Arizona State Sun Devils as an assistant coach. Kalnins, who is born in Riga, Latvia, started his professional basketball career at the age of 18, when he joined a local Latvian Basketball League (LBL) team. His playing career ended abruptly at the age of 21, when he suffered a severe back injury from which he couldn't recover thus ending his player career.

Next 2 years he spent as an assistant coach in LBL club BK Ventspils, where he won two LBL silver medals. After that he received an offer to become one of European greats Ettore Messina's assistant coaches in Italian club Virtus Bologna, which he accepted. He spent 3 years and won the Euroleague trophy there, until Messina went to Treviso. Kalnins then became the assistant coach of another great head coach Zeljko Obradovic in Greece's team Panathinaikos Athens, where he won 3 straight Greek championships.

After eight years of being an assistant coach, Janis Kalnins finally accepted a head coach vacancy as he became the head coach of Spain's ACB team Joventut Badalona. He finished fourth for two straight seasons in the Spanish league and left to USA to work in Arizona State University for the next four years as an assistant coach.

"Janis Kalnins has the leadership skills and basketball knowledge we were looking for the head coach position of our team" says Otis Smith "I am truly happy we reached an agreement and hope that our new coach will get us to our goal - the NBA championship."

But what about Kalnins' experience or to be more precise lack of experience in the highest level? Otis Smith says there is no problem: "He's learned from great head coaches, like Ettore Messina and has spent the last 4 years in the States so he knows the system and as I said we really like his basketball knowledge and we think that it fits our team well and will help reach our targets."

"I am very pleased that the organization of Orlando Magic have given me the chance to work on the highest level there is in basketball," the new head coach of Magic staid, "and I'm eager to help the team to succeed on the way to it's goals." Janis Kalnins will start his work tomorrow and as Otis Smith revealed, he will work with the same staff and assistant coaches that Stan van Gundy worked with.

[newc]

2011 Draft Order

#1 Atlanta

#2 Houston

#3 Charlotte

#4 Minnesota

#5 Sacramento

#6 New York

#7 Cleveland

#8 Utah

#9 New Jersey

#10 Washington

#11 Memphis

#12 Milwaukee

#13 LA Clippers

#14 Portland

For a complete First Round Draft order click here

[µTorrent]

Lucky Atlanta, never expected Atlanta to in the Top 15.

[newc]

Mock Draft: Lottery

#1 Atlanta Hawks

Jonah Jackman
6’7’’ 236lbs
Position: SF
School: Duke

The Hawks are looking for an upgrade at the Small Forward position in this draft and Jonah Jackman could be the right man for them. Jackman, who is a freshman from Duke, averaged 15 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists last year for the Blue Devils in the NCAA championship. Jackman’s biggest strengths are his physical abilities – he is really strong, fast and quick for his position. He also has a nice dribble and a great shot blocking ability. The biggest weakness in Jackman’s game is his outside shooting.


#2 Houston Rockets

Khaldun Graham
6’6’’ 230lbs
Position: SF
School: Bowling Green

Houston Rockets are also short at the Small Forward position, so they are projected to pick the second best SF in this draft – Khaldun Graham. Khaldun was a sophomore playing for Bowling Green Falcons last season, averaging 22 points per game. Graham is a quick player with a good dunking ability and also pretty decent shot. He is also a good defender and could be an elite ball stealer in the NBA, because of his quickness. The downside of him is that he isn’t a great team player and his passing ability is rather disappointing.


#3 Charlotte Bobcats

Ngarta Chiangeh
6’8’’ 263lbs
Position: C
From: Senegal

Ngarta Chiangeh is one of few decent centers in this draft, so the Bobcats, who are in a need for a starting center, could draft him. Chiangeh, who is a Senegalese native, played in Spain’s ACB last season, where he averaged 10 points, 8 boards and 1,3 blocks per game. His biggest strengths are his physical ability, his decent defense and pretty good speed for a center. Although there are doubts that he has any offensive game that could make an impact in the NBA.


#4 Minnesota Timberwolves

Wyatt Moller
6’8’’ 270lbs
Position: PF
School: Detroit

Probably the most NBA ready prospect in this year’s draft is Wyatt Moller. He has a great physical ability and his inside scoring is also very good. He will also be a pretty good rebounder in the NBA level. However, his defensive ability was strongly questioned in the NCAA, so he won’t be good or even average at defense in the NBA too.


#5 Sacramento Kings

Nadeem Pardo
6’ 8’’ 256lbs
Position: PF
From: Philippines

Nadeem Pardo, a prospect from Philippines, is one of the best sharp-shooting players in this draft. He is also a pretty good rebounder and a good defender. His biggest weakness is his lack of inside moves, which results into him being not very good inside threat on offense.


#6 New York Knicks

John William
6’10’’ 237lbs
Position: PF
School: Texas

Another Power Forward in this years draft comes from Texas. John William is a great inside scorer and pretty good defender and shot blocker. Although many scouts are questioning his rebounding ability, which could be the reason why he is not picked in the top 5.


#7 Cleveland Cavaliers

Steve Rivera
6’6’’ 238lbs
Position: SF
School: Ohio State

The Cavaliers are looking for a new star after the departure of LeBron James and maybe they’ll find it in Steve Rivera. Steve is a flashy Small Forward, who has a great dunking ability and also a pretty decent mid-range and long range shot. His weaknesses are his defensive and his ability to play the whole game on an evenly high level.


#8 Utah Jazz

Nuno Carmona
6’1’’ 210lbs
Position: SG
School: Illinois

Utah Jazz are looking to fill their gap in the SG position and sharpshooter Nuno Carmona from Panama could be the right man for them. Nuno’s biggest strength, of course, is his long range shot, but he also has a pretty good speed and passing ability. His biggest weakness, unsurprisingly, is his defense, which is pretty average or even below average.


#9 New Jersey Nets

Damon Fitzgerald
6’9’’ 227lbs
Position: PF
School: Stanford

Damon Fitzgerald could be an elite rebounder in the big League. Plus, he also has a pretty decent offensive game. However, he is pretty weak on the defensive end and his physical strength has been questioned by many scouts.


#10 Washington Wizards

Alexandre Medina
6’7’’ 213lbs
Position: SF
School: LSU

Venezuelan small forward Alexandre Medina is a hardworking player, whose biggest strength is defense and a pretty good all-around game. His weakness is that he doesn’t excel in any other aspect than of the game between fellow prospects.


#11 Memphis Grizzlies

Zach Coutts
5’10’’ 199lbs
Position: PG
School: Georgetown

One of the smallest players in this draft, Zach Coutts, is also one of the best point guard prospects in this draft. He is small, fast, with great court vision, can score himself or give away a nice pass and he is also pretty clutch. But on defense this guy got abused a lot in NCAA and will get abused even more in the big league.


#12 Milwaukee Bucks

Leo Izquierdo
6’6’’ 193lbs
Position: SF
School: Bowling Green

The less talented teammate of Khaldun Grehem, Leo Izquierdo, is actually a pretty decent Small Forward, who can make some highlight plays in this league. But he lacks an outside shot and his play on defensive end is pretty weak.


#13 Los Angeles Clippers

Marek Olah
6’6’’ 261lbs
Position: SF
From: Poland

European prospect Marek Olah was an undersized Power Forward in Europe, but now he’s trying to translate to the Small Forward position. This means that he is pretty weak on defense against faster opponents, though he can stop some of them with his strength. On offense: he has a nice mid-range jumpshot, but his greatest scoring ability still comes from inside.


#14 Portland Trail Blazers

Dean Griffin
7’1’’ 261lbs
Position: PF
School: Kansas

Dean Griffin isn’t related to Blake Griffin, but they both have the same ability to dunk the ball hard. Griffin can finish either inside or by taking a mid-range jump hook. Scouts are worried about his rebounding ability and defense, which isn’t terribly bad, but could be better given his height.

[Bucket]

Good old Live 08... I was really surprised, Hawks with 1st pick :O
Sun Devils? So you coached Harden and Kuksiks? You should draft me in future And we will make Latvian connection in NBA.

[Jhiane]

finally! a filipino player in the NBA!

[µTorrent]

Filipino player ranked to be 5th in the draft? Not bad

[rise]

...because the Bobcats want another Senegalese center with absolutely no offensive game whatsoever.

[newc]

Lucky Atlanta, never expected Atlanta to in the Top 15.

Good old Live 08... I was really surprised, Hawks with 1st pick :O

Well, the Hawks had a terrible season and now they have the chance to add some extra talent and maybe become a contender

Sun Devils? So you coached Harden and Kuksiks? You should draft me in future And we will make Latvian connection in NBA.

maybe I should. And then trade for Biedrins, sign Kuksiks, draft Bertans and make an all-Latvian NBA team

finally! a filipino player in the NBA!

Filipino player ranked to be 5th in the draft? Not bad

I knew some of you guys would be happy about this. I can also tell you that he got drafted in the top 5

...because the Bobcats want another Senegalese center with absolutely no offensive game whatsoever.

I can reassure you and tell that they got something better out of this draft


Stay tuned, the 2011 NBA draft coming soon..

[µTorrent]

newc, Im hoping that he won't be a bust

[newc]

Draft 2011

Philippines Nadeem Pardo selected as no. 1 pick of 2011 NBA draft

A new star has risen in Philippines basketball and it’s Nadeem Pardo, who was selected by Atlanta Hawks as the number one pick of the 2011 NBA draft.

“I’m glad the organization of Atlanta Hawks has given me this opportunity and I won’t let them down” says Nadeem Pardo.

Pardo will, most probably, start games from the bench next season for Atlanta, unless the Hawks trade Josh Smith somewhere else, and is expected to give energy and some scoring from the bench.

Drafting Pardo was also good for Hawks marketing, which know has a big market in Philippines to work with.

“Of course the market played a role into drafting Pardo, but the main reason why we drafted him is his game,” says one of the Hawks executives, “We think, he could be the missing part for our team”

Magic and Bobcats agree on a draft night deal

Orlando magic and Charlotte Bobcats has agreed to swap their first round draft picks, which means that the third pick of this year’s draft John William goes to Orlando and the 21st pick Bryon Moller the other way to Charlotte. This deal will also send Brandon Bass and Quentin Richardson to Charlotte.

“John William is a great talent and we see him as a starter on our team, alongside Dwight Howard,” said Orlando Magic GM Otis Smith after the trade was revealed to media and fans. “We thank Quentin and Brandon for work they put in so that the Magic would be competitive and wish them good luck on their new teams”

“William is young, hard working guy, who can do both – play good defense and also be very valuable on offense,” Janis Kalnins comments on his newest player, “He isn’t a good outside shooter, but he can finish very well around the rim, so know opponent teams have not only Dwight to worry about, when they defend their basket”

The projected starting line-up for magic now looks like this: Howard, William, Turkoglu, Richardson, Nelson. Although, they still need to resign Jason Richardson and it also has been rumored that Gilbert Arenas could take the starting point guard position from Nelson next season.

Kings draft Jackman, Moller goes to Cleveland

Sacramento Kings had the 5th pick of this year’s draft and they were extremely happy that Jonah Jackman was still available at that point and without much discussion picked him.

“Jonah is one of the biggest talents in this draft, he has a great upside,” says the Sacramento Kings head coach Paul Westphal, “He has the ability to guard the Lebron James’ of this league and he can also be very valuable on the offensive end. I’m very excited about our pick”
Another great talent of this year’s draft, Wyatt Moller, went to Cleveland Cavaliers, who picked him with their 7th pick. The Cavaliers fans hope that Moller will help them forget about LeBron James and become the biggest star of their team.

“Cleveland drafted me for one reason – to become their new star and I am ready to take on that challenge” says Moller, “They won’t remember, who LeBron is after they see me playing,” young Cavalier is full of confidence.

For a complete 2011 NBA draft click here

[µTorrent]

OH MY GOSH!
I'm speechless. Anyway, i'm still stunned after reading your post. Goodness!
Regarding the trade, 21st for 3rd? You've got the upper hand brother!

[MarioCh]

Pure Pilipino Rocks!