Post by aaronjh on Jun 19, 2007 11:16:32 GMT -5
Strenghts-
We don't have a star, so it's all about balance in Orlando. Lamar Odom, Zach Randolph, Vitaly Potapenko and Michael Redd are all capable of going for 20 on any given night, so if we figure out the right lineup, we should look to our balance to win games. We pass the ball well and are looking to keep turnovers down this year. We have pretty elite inside scoring, with the front line of Potapenko/Randolph/Odom. And, with Williams and Redd in the backcourt, we can hit threes. Our strengths offensively boil down to balance and ball control. Defensively, we have great size to compensate for the fact that we're generally mediocre on the defensive end. We get in passing lanes and should force 10 turnovers a night off steals.
Weaknesses-
We lack star power. We haven't figured out what kind of lineup to run and who to make our first option yet because we don't have that standout star. Potapenko has always scored, but it's tough to have a guy with D+ outside and handles as your first option. Zach Randolph is well on his way to being one of the best inside scorers in BBS, but he needs to lower his turnovers. Lamar Odom's outside shot is down and he's off to a slow start. Mike Redd can shoot, but isn't great at much else, though his inside game should be boosted by his improved handles.
We also don't play great position defense. Our starting defensive line is B+/B-/A-/C+/B+. The ratings don't show that we force turnovers and have height advantages on almost all opponents, but we still need to compensate for a lack of defensive ability. Still, we've done a good job keeping the ball out of the basket.
Franchise Player-Zach Randolph
I have to give him the edge over Lamar Odom at this point. Lamar is the ultimate complimentary player, and that's what we want him to be. Zach Randolph started over 40 games for us last year and was pretty unstoppable in the post. He's also one of the best rebounders in BBS. He's working his way into being our first-option scorer, and he should be a 20/13 guy for a long time. Odom, meanwhile, is a do-it-all who may even score more than Zach. But we think he's the best distributor in our starting lineup and Lamar's game is going to be devoted to getting shots for our other scorers. He does have a lot of defense on Zach, though.
Trade Block-
We've always been open to dealing Michael Redd, and we're exploring what we can get for Vitaly Potapenko. But if you look at what both have done this season, there's no reason to trade them. With our starting lineup, we look to be playoff bound, so unless we struggle, nothing is being actively shopped.
Outlook-
For the second year in a row, we're off to a hot start. Last year, Vitaly went down for almost 40 games, and Lamar missed a big chunk of time as well. Unless such unforeseen injuries plague us, we're looking at a second straight playoff appearance. We have talent everywhere in our lineup, and we were impressively successful with Zach injured, so we look to build on that for a season above .500.
We don't have a star, so it's all about balance in Orlando. Lamar Odom, Zach Randolph, Vitaly Potapenko and Michael Redd are all capable of going for 20 on any given night, so if we figure out the right lineup, we should look to our balance to win games. We pass the ball well and are looking to keep turnovers down this year. We have pretty elite inside scoring, with the front line of Potapenko/Randolph/Odom. And, with Williams and Redd in the backcourt, we can hit threes. Our strengths offensively boil down to balance and ball control. Defensively, we have great size to compensate for the fact that we're generally mediocre on the defensive end. We get in passing lanes and should force 10 turnovers a night off steals.
Weaknesses-
We lack star power. We haven't figured out what kind of lineup to run and who to make our first option yet because we don't have that standout star. Potapenko has always scored, but it's tough to have a guy with D+ outside and handles as your first option. Zach Randolph is well on his way to being one of the best inside scorers in BBS, but he needs to lower his turnovers. Lamar Odom's outside shot is down and he's off to a slow start. Mike Redd can shoot, but isn't great at much else, though his inside game should be boosted by his improved handles.
We also don't play great position defense. Our starting defensive line is B+/B-/A-/C+/B+. The ratings don't show that we force turnovers and have height advantages on almost all opponents, but we still need to compensate for a lack of defensive ability. Still, we've done a good job keeping the ball out of the basket.
Franchise Player-Zach Randolph
I have to give him the edge over Lamar Odom at this point. Lamar is the ultimate complimentary player, and that's what we want him to be. Zach Randolph started over 40 games for us last year and was pretty unstoppable in the post. He's also one of the best rebounders in BBS. He's working his way into being our first-option scorer, and he should be a 20/13 guy for a long time. Odom, meanwhile, is a do-it-all who may even score more than Zach. But we think he's the best distributor in our starting lineup and Lamar's game is going to be devoted to getting shots for our other scorers. He does have a lot of defense on Zach, though.
Trade Block-
We've always been open to dealing Michael Redd, and we're exploring what we can get for Vitaly Potapenko. But if you look at what both have done this season, there's no reason to trade them. With our starting lineup, we look to be playoff bound, so unless we struggle, nothing is being actively shopped.
Outlook-
For the second year in a row, we're off to a hot start. Last year, Vitaly went down for almost 40 games, and Lamar missed a big chunk of time as well. Unless such unforeseen injuries plague us, we're looking at a second straight playoff appearance. We have talent everywhere in our lineup, and we were impressively successful with Zach injured, so we look to build on that for a season above .500.