Grading the Magic, Part Three - Better Luck Next Year

We Magic fans are in a period of limbo: the Magic have been eliminated from the playoffs, yet the draft and free agency are still a month away. As such, I thought I'd now would be as good a time as ever to submit individual grades for each Magic player. I've decided to split the players into three different groups: Top of the Class, or the players who had above-average seasons; Middle of the Road, or the players who did about as well as expected; and Better Luck Next Year, or players who either underperformed or did not play frequently enough to be evaluated fairly .

Today's post concerns Better Luck Next Year. I welcome your comments and criticisms.

James Augustine, Forward				#40
	Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	Field Goal %	GRADE
	1.0	1.5	.333	I
	"No-Name James", as I have nicknamed him, played in just 7 minutes this season. As such, I cannot give him an actual grade because to do so would be unfair. Second-round draft choices don't last long here, so I fear Augustine's career may end sooner rather than later. It's a shame too; how many 6'10" guys do you know who average a triple-double per 48 minutes?

Keith Bogans, Guard				#10
	Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	Field Goal %	GRADE
	5.1	1.6	.404	C-
	Keith is in his second tour of duty with the Magic. His calling cards are supposedly defense and three-point shooting, but Keith failed to deliver on either of those fronts this season. He got off to a hot start, making 47.7% of his three-pointers from November to January. He then forgot how to shoot, as he made only 30.6% of his shots from downtown the rest of the season. I almost feel bad for him; he went from coming off the bench early to warming it perpetually over the course of the season. Maybe he'll break through next season, but I'd rather doubt it.

Travis Diener, Guard				#34
	Points Per Game	Assists Per Game	3-pt Field Goal %	GRADE
	3.8	1.3	.360	I
	I believe in Travis Diener. I think he's smart enough to run a half-court offense efficiently, and I think his teammates are good enough defensively to make up for his lack of size and speed. The coaching staff does not share this view, and as such, only played him in 26 games this season. Barring a quick change of heart, the Magic won't re-sign him this offseason. It's a shame because he did show signs of life this season, pouring in 16 points on five-of-six shooting against Charlotte in December.

Pat Garrity, Forward				#8
	Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	3-pt Field Goal %	GRADE
	2.2	1.3	.344	D
	Pat Garrity has never been a good defender or rebounder. He's made a living in this league by making three-pointers and drawing opposing power forwards away from the basket. That worked well a few years ago, but not so much this season. When called upon this season, Garrity rarely delivered, making just 34% of his three-pointers. Like Bo Outlaw, he's no longer an NBA-level talent. Unlike Bo Outlaw, there isn't anything he does well anymore, and I feel bad for him.

Jameer Nelson, Guard				#14
	Points Per Game	Assists Per Game	Field Goal %	GRADE
	13.0	4.3	.430	C-
	Jameer Nelson was playing for a contract extension this season, but you'd never know it by looking at his performance. He shot a career-low from the field, let his three-point shooting drop nearly 10 percentage points, and tallied fewer assists per game despite increased playing time. Simply put, Nelson was indefensibly bad, and his poor showing this season raises questions as to his role with the team. I would not be surprised if he were traded for a draft pick.

Hedo Turkoglu, Forward				#15
	Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	Field Goal %	GRADE
	13.3	4.0	.419	C-
	I wanted to give Hedo a break for this evaluation; after all, he did play through a mysterious flu-like virus that had bothered him since training camp. However, his Jameer-like dropoff in production is really inexcusable, even with the illness taken into account. Further, his streaky play makes him hard to count on. That doesn't bode well for a team in need of consistency. If he doesn't show improvement in training camp, Trevor Ariza should easily take his starting job. I'll take defense and wicked drives to the basket over sloth-like speed and streaky shooting any day.

Grading the Magic, Part Two - Middle of the Road

We Magic fans are in a period of limbo: the Magic have been eliminated from the playoffs, yet the draft and free agency are still a month away. As such, I thought I'd now would be as good a time as ever to submit individual grades for each Magic player. I've decided to split the players into three different groups: Top of the Class, or the players who had above-average seasons; Middle of the Road, or the players who did about as well as expected; and Better Luck Next Year, or players who either underperformed or did not play frequently enough to be evaluated fairly .

Today's post concerns the Middle of the Road. I welcome your comments and criticisms.

Tony Battie, Forward				#4
	Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	Field Goal %	GRADE
	6.1	5.2	.489	C
	I like Tony a lot, but has more to do with his steadiness than anything else. He's what some people might refer to as a "lunchpail guy" because he's always in the game, playing hard, and doing the dirty work. I can't count the number of times various broadcasters have said something like, "Tony's a guy who you does things that won't show up in the box score," which is a polite way of saying, "he isn't that good." And as great as consistency is, I'd like to see more than a steady 6 points and 5 boards a night from a veteran player making $22 M over the next four years. Talk about out-of-control spending.

Bo Outlaw, Forward				#45
	Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	Field Goal %	GRADE
	2.0	2.6	.667	C
	Like Tony Battie, Bo Outlaw provide veteran leadership on a young team. He's rarely used, and with good reason; his skills have eroded to the point at which it becomes apparent that he is no longer an NBA-level talent. Why does he get a C from me, as opposed to a lower grade? Well, no one expected much of him anyway. And say what you will about his skills, but his preparation is impeccable; he comes into games ready to play and with tremendous energy. He's also a big hit with the community. If only he weren't relegated to waving towels and pumping fists from the bench each night.

J.J. Redick, Guard				#7
	Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	3-pt Field Goal %	GRADE
	6.0	1.2	.388	C+
	I didn't really expect J.J. to make a big splash in his rookie season. Brian Hill is notorious for playing veterans over rookies, and it showed this season, as J.J. appeared in only 42 contests. He got off to a slow start because he missed training camp due to injury, yet he showed flashes of brilliance. In the miracle 106-104 win over San Antonio this season, the game won on Dwight Howard's alley-oop slam, J.J. posted 16 points on 6-of-11 from the field. I doubt he'll ever be an All-Star, but he should carve out a nice role as a 12-to-15 point scorer eventually. And his defense isn't as bad as advertised, as he allowed opposing shooting guards a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 16.2, just 1.2 points above the league average.

Next in the series: Better Luck Next Year.

Grading the Magic, Part One - Top of the Class

We Magic fans are in a period of limbo: the Magic have been eliminated from the playoffs, yet the draft and free agency are still a month away. As such, I thought I'd now would be as good a time as ever to submit individual grades for each Magic player. I've decided to split the players into three different groups: Top of the Class, or the players who had above-average seasons; Middle of the Road, or the players who did about as well as expected; and Better Luck Next Year, or players who either underperformed or did not play frequently enough to be evaluated fairly .

Today's post concerns the Top of the Class. I welcome your comments and criticisms.

Trevor Ariza, Forward				#1
	Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	Field Goal %	GRADE
	8.9	4.4	.539	B
	Last season's move to acquire Trevor from the Knicks in exchange for Steve Francis is paying off. His numbers aren't astounding, but Trevor is almost as important to this team as Dwight is. Case in point: The Magic went 5-15 after Ariza injured his knee against Golden State in January, derailing the team's season. I want to give him higher marks, but his pitiful postseason play (2.8 ppg, .313 FG%) won't allow me to.

Carlos Arroyo, Guard				#30
	Points Per Game	Assists Per Game	Field Goal %	GRADE
	7.7	2.8	.425	B -
	Despite what Brian Hill thinks, Carlos Arroyo is a quality point guard. He was dropped out of the rotation in mid-April after a string of games in which he shot just .388 from the field. Poor shooting aside, Carlos is a purer point guard than starter Jameer Nelson is, as he averages 7.4 assists per 48 minutes -- 0.6 more than Nelson -- and commits fewer turnovers. The Magic committed more turnovers than any other team this season, and Arroyo's efficiency could correct that. I'd like to see him compete for the starting job next season.

Keyon Dooling, Guard				#5
	Points Per Game	Assists Per Game	Field Goal %	GRADE
	7.9	1.7	.410	B
	Make no mistake -- Keyon Dooling needs work on the offensive end. In a loss at Dallas on March 3rd, Dooling turned in the worst offensive performance of any Magic player this season, making none of his seven shots. Why did he get high marks from me? Well, you can't spell 'Dooling' without 'D'. Data from 82games.com show that Keyon held opposing point guards to a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of just 11.5, which is 3.5 below the league average. He gets added commendation for his versatility, as he can play either guard position. If he improves his shot, he should challenge Carlos Arroyo and Jameer Nelson for the staring point guard job.

Grant Hill, Guard				#33
	Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	Field Goal %	GRADE
	14.4	3.6	.518	B +
	It's been a rough seven years for Grant Hill. He's had numerous surgeries on his troublesome left ankle and, consequently, has played in just 200 of a possible 592 games since he's been with the Magic. This year was his best with the team, as he managed to play into April for the first time. He also keyed the Magic's playoff run, averaging 15.9 points per game on .596 shooting from the field in that month. I wonder how well this team would have played if Hill had not missed 17 games with various injuries. His contract expires this off-season. It'd be a shame to see him go, because veteran leadership is hard to come by.

Dwight Howard, Center				#12
	Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	Field Goal %	GRADE
	17.6	12.3	.603	A
	Making the All-Star team at midseason and the All-NBA third team at season’s end were great milestones for Howard, who asserted himself as a star in just his third pro season. Proof that Dwight’s future is blindingly bright: the month of February, in which he shot 70.7% from the field and averaged 22.8 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. Proof that Dwight is still a work-in-progress: dreadful free throw shooting (.586%) and ballhandling (3.87 turnovers per game).

Darko Milicic, Forward				#31
	Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	Blocks Per Game	GRADE
	8.0	5.5	1.8	B
	It was nice to see Darko's hook shot improve from "line-drive thrown into the rim hapazardly" to "softly released ball arcing beautifully into the hoop." It was also disconcerting to see the big fella get down on himself early in games, then play halfheartedly through the rest of them, as though missing his first few shots caused the death of a cat somewhere. However, a down-in-the-dumps Darko Milicic is still better than any Tony Battie, and there's no reason why Darko shouldn't start next year... unless he signs with another team in the offseason.

Next in the series: Middle of the Road.