Tuesday, July 21st, 2009 at 9:00 am  |  100 responses

Matt Barnes Joins the Magic

Orlando’s summer shopping spree continues, and they have their big man to thank for their latest acquisition: “The Orlando Magic made another bold acquisition on Monday, agreeing in principle on a two-year deal with free-agent forward Matt Barnes. Aaron Goodwin, the agent who represents both Barnes and All-Star Magic center Dwight Howard, confirmed the deal early Tuesday morning in a text message to the Orlando Sentinel. ‘He has agreed to a two-year deal, and I believe that Dwight’s recruitment of him truly sealed the deal,’ Goodwin wrote.”

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  • D12FSU

    exactly…theres no reason why rashard can start at the 3 most of the season…then when we play cleveland..start him at 4…theres so many lineups we can throw out there…if we end up with CJ watson we’ll have 10 guys all deserving of minutes…everyone on the team can play and contribute

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    Am I the only one that saw Shard’s dribble drives in the playoffs? It was not a pretty sight. He’ll shoot at the 3 and he’ll shoot at the 4. He doesn’t drive and he doesn’t post up. He’s more useful as a 4 because other 4s don’t want to get out on the perimeter and he’s actually a very decent post defender. He’ll still get his avg at the 3 but he won’t pose the same problems for the other teams. Like I said, the Cavs would gladly have Bron defend Lewis and Andy defend Bass. That doesn’t take em out of their comfort zone at all. The Cavs actually win both matchups. However Shard can have a field day when he’s guarded by Andy.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    That’s another reason why the Parker and Moon signings work. Cleveland can play Bron at the 4 and still have size and athleticism on the wings. Parker + Moon works so much better than Wally + Sasha.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    A 66-win team just vastly improved on 3 rotation guys. I know that they totally imploded against Orlando but they still won 66 games with that line up and those flaws. They’ve adressed the problems Dwight was causing, they’ve adressed length on the perimeter. Hopefully, Mike Brown will be smart enough to realize that Bron is his best bet at d-ing up Shard. Andy V is a role player and if he needs to play less for the team to be succesful against specific teams, so be it. He can play when Bass is at the 4.

  • danny

    Z, am i the only one who saw lebrons d in the playoffs?? I find it hilarious that you say Bron defends lewis, when he defended alston pretty much the whole series, A POINT GUARD. Andy V also does not win any matchup you stated. In fact, it sounds like you just made up some random matchups and the outcome like you never watched an nba game in your life. HIlarious, just hilarious.

  • http://www.blogs.myspace.com/originadro Witness

    Are we seriously having this conversation? So no one besides me thinks Varejao is goin to put 18 ppg and 13 rpg standin beside Shaq?

  • danny

    P.S. whoever lebron is guarding, will still get theirs. He’s not a good defender. He can try to guard jameer (and even did at times, wut a pussy), which is a better advantage for orlando as well. Sorry to say, but cleveland is done.

  • http://www.blogs.myspace.com/originadro Witness

    The Cavs lose Big Ben, Sasha and Wally Sczerbiak and replace them with the Big Witnes, Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker. They got tons better. They won 65 games last year. Remember that?!!

  • Knock Knock

    The biggest problem with a 66 win team is that they LOST TO ALL THE ELITE TEAMS, OVER AND OVER AGAIN. In fact, their record was almost perfect at home, yet for some reason their road record was far from it.(HOME COOKING) Getting moon, shaq, and parker won’t make them win against any elite team. SOrry, witness.-

  • https://slamonline.com Allenp

    Cavs are nice.
    But I think Orlando matches up well with every team in the League on paper.
    In my opinion, Jameer Nelson is a point guard in the mold of Tony Parker. He’s not as talented as Parker, but he’s still a scorer who can pass and run a team.
    Unfortunately, before these recent moves, Jameer and Hedo were fighting for shots and teh playmaking duties. No longer. Now, we have a clear hierarchy among the starting five. It goes:
    Dwight, Vince, Jameer, Shard, Bass.
    All of these players have clearly defined roles, and some of them are upgrades over who the Magic had in the finals last year.

  • http://www.blogs.myspace.com/originadro Witness

    @ Knock Knock: Are you serious? So gettin better at both ends of the floor doesnt help? What Shaq brings on the court and in the locker room doesnt help at all?

  • D12FSU

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHA….WITNEES SAID 18PPG FOR VAREJAO……HAHAHAHAHAHAH

  • D12FSU

    not only is oralndo’s staring 5 better than cleveland….(are you all really excited about Moon??? he cant do anything but dunk)….but now orlando’s bench is better than clevelands, something it wasnt last year. The only matchup problem cleveland has is Lebron and his superstar calls…Dwight right now is better than shaq…bass is better than V..VC better than west/parker/moon…and jameer is better than mo…and lewis doesnt even need to start at the 3!…………….o, 1 more thing…i keep reading everyone bashing orlando for getting rid of alston..all of those people have probably not watched all the magic games such as myself…they probably only saw the playoffs and a injured nelson in the finals…..Jameer nelson was having his best year ever, this team is better with nelson than alston…and the only true thing we lost is an inconsistent 6’10 playmaker who’s on the decline…i love Hedo, but id much rather have VC for 2 years than Hedo for 5

  • http://www.slamonline.com wayno

    Wow…I thought I heard it all, but Andy V goin for 18 and 13 takes the cake…that was the biggest homer comment I’ve heard in awhile. He’s a career role player at the VERY best.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    1- ‘I find it hilarious that you say Bron defends lewis, when he defended alston pretty much the whole series, A POINT GUARD.’ What does that have to do with LeBron’s defense. That was a managerial decision that didn’t work at all. Do I really need to convince you that Bron can guard Lewis? 2- If Shard is going to play the 3, then Bass is going to play the 4. Pretty simple, no? Bass is not better than Andy V. 3- Allen, I don’t think that Nelson and Turk were fighting for playmaking duties. They had a system very similar to the Cavs where the 3 was the playmaker. Nelson was jacking up all the shots he wanted to, I’ve never felt he was contrived by Turk’s presence.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    18-13 is crazy talk. calling turk, after what he did for orlando in the playoffs, an inconsistent 6′10 playmaker who’s on the decline is ludicrous. i don’t think he works in toronto because the system was perfect for him in orlando. again, he was a big part of their identity. cleveland prolly goes west, moon and big z off the bench. that’s better than gortat, bass and barnes. the reason why i like cleveland vs orlando now is that 1- dwight doesn’t destroy shaq. ever. most of the time, they play to a wash. 2- cleveland can go with bron at the 4 now and still be long and athletic on the wings. the matchup makes sense now. there wont be any 6’2 dwest trying to guard turk or andy v chasing shard and giving up dagger 3s because he can’t guard guys that far away from the paint.

  • D12FSU

    there’s still absolutely no reason why when we play the Cavs..we slide Sweet Lew to the 4 and start Barnes….or maybe even keep Lewis at 3 and star Anderson…a 6’10 3pt shooter…TADA! match up problems all over again…im not SVG, but he’s a better coach the Mike “Get out of Lebron’s way” Brown….i trust in him

  • http://www.blogs.myspace.com/originadro Witness

    @ D12FSU: Orlando does have a better team heading into next season then they did exiting last ones. But that doesnt take away from Cleveland. They only lost due to match up problems and Mike Brown’s coaching.

  • http://www.slamonline.com wayno

    I guess I’m just not that sold on Shaq being a big help in Cleveland…I’m not sure how well he and LeBron’s games will mesh together. We’ll see I guess.

  • D12FSU

    Im not saying cleveland got worse..yea they did upgrade…and yes..hedo was a a factor in the series….BUT…VC can be just as much and more of a factor than Hedo…Dwight will be another year better..(shaq another year older) NELSON WILL BE BACK AND HEALTHY…I CAN NOT STRESS THAT ENOUGH. its just crazy that everyone is writing orlando off after they just won the east…this really will be the best team orlando has ever had

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    ryan anderson won’t see the floor. the frontcourt is too crowded. cleveland can counter a barnes – lewis combo with a moon – bron combo. they have options now that they didn’t have. i expect bron to spend a lot of time at the 4 next season against perimeter oriented teams, he is their so-called stretch 4. (that would be the smart thing to do so i don’t know if mike brown will actually do it) i don’t trust jj to play huge minutes. lamar destroyed him with like 10 rebounds in one quarter during the season. they still have their BAE money left so they could sign someone like gooden who needs a team but i’d like them to sign an unassuming, low-maintenance guy instead. you don’t want your 9th or 10th guy to b!tch about playing time.

  • http://ballislife.com Moose

    I love this pickup. What if…the Magic signed Ramon Sessions. They’d be…when healthy….possibly/probably top three in the league.

  • D12FSU

    JJ wont see the floor next season…(pending on injuries)

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com BETCATS

    Moose what the hell are you talking about? They have Jameer Nelson and Anthony Johnson, no need for Ramon

  • http://www.shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com/ TADOne

    Mike Brown’s coaching went to Detroit.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    TAD, I’ve said it numerous times and I’ll say it again: if that was the guy responsible for the Cavs O, then good riddance! ISO and high screen n rool were the only thing in his repertoire. For some reason, he refused to do the screen n roll from the wing. Hi pick n roll is all you’re gonna get in the D next year.

  • http://hibachi20.blogspot.com Blinguo

    Udonis Haslem, the perfect 4 to compliment Shaq – better than even Ho Grant, never put up 18 and 13, and he can actually make jumpers. Andy Sideshow V has no offense. Hell, Amare didn’t even do 18 and 13 w/Shaqtus did he?

  • RunningBrave

    I HATE Orlando now!! Thei beat my C’s who were short handed by the way!

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com Hursty

    LOl @ BET. Sorry Moose, but, that was pretty farfetched haha.

  • Rusty

    @Allenp – Vince doesn’t dominate the ball?

  • http://sjsu.edu davidR

    the orlando warriors have taken the warrior title from the washington (arenas, jamison, hughes) warriors. pietrus, foyle, barnes. who’s next?

  • http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/.a/6a00d83451c3cb69e201156fbef83c970c-pi ENDS

    Man Had a Ruff June (first the Finals, Then MJ Lee and Skip are gone) nut Otis Smith is giving me reasons to Live again. I like Barnes

  • NBA kid

    Cavs will not be better than Orlando. Not even close. Shaq will only clog the lane and force Bron to the midrange and perimeter where he’s just average. With Vince, the Magic can push the fastbreak with Nelson VC and Lewis. And, to give the Cavs match-up problems, they need to put Ryan Anderson at the 4 and Lewis at the 3. That’s 2 6’10 dead-eye shooters. And who does Cleveland have to stop a Vince/Dwight pick and roll?

  • D12FSU

    davidR: they might end up with cj watson also, haha

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    NBA kid is a prime example of someone just regurgitating things he heard here and there. Kobe and Wade drove the lane alright to 4 championships when it was clogged, no? The ‘clogging the lane’ argument never made any sense to begin with. 5s are down low, that’s where they stay. Does Dwight ‘clog the lane’ for Orlando? Ryan Anderson won’t give any match up problems because he’s not that good and simply won’t play. He’s their 5th big at best now that Gortat and Bass are there. Have you ever heard of a 5th big that plays a lot? He’ll barely get dressed. Since when is a Dwight VC pick n roll the deadliest weapon in the NBA?!

  • http://slamonline Blaze

    Magic just keep getting better and better. Another great piece added. Every team needs the James Posey, Rick Fox, Jerome “jyd” Williams type of guy. I still have Orlando 3rd in the east, but could upset the other two come playoff time. (Bos,Cle)

  • http://www.triplejunearthed.com/dacre Dacre

    This was a great pickup for Orlando and my sentiments side with Blaze, a team player very much a good fit in an Eastern conference playoff bound team – He’s basically the Eastern Ariza.

  • niQ

    Um. Are they over the Salary cap yet?

  • http://dwighthowardmagic.blogspot.com/ jayvince

    Barnes averaged over 10ppg so I would say that he is a good complimentary player off the bench. What I like is that he fits in with Orlando’s offense as he is a shooter of the 3 ball.

  • D12FSU

    OK? Well At least Slam Mixed up two huge Magic Fans. This is the ENDSwizzle by the way, but have to admit always loved FSU growing up, Still Do! Go Noles

  • D12FSU

    GO NOLES…imitation is the highest form of flattery, haha

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Moose, Ramon is a starter. He can be an All-Star. Now why would/should he play second/third string to Jameer? After how the Magic j3rked around Rafer Alston?

  • http://www.triplejunearthed.com/dacre Dacre

    D12FSU Posted: Jul.22 at 12:34 am
    GO NOLES…imitation is the highest form of flattery, haha
    ___
    Thats what they said about me and NASHTY.

  • madis

    What you’re forgetting is the Cavs’ chemistry. The Big Witness Protection, Moon and AP are quality locker room guys. They’re core is much the same since a year ago except Shaq. Now, Orlando don’t have 3 of their last years’ starters. On paper they may seem contenders, but there’s a lot to be done to get them playing together. And with Stan Van Panic?

    Last year, the Cavs lost games to elite teams because of matchups. They had huge problems with Orlando (Shard), Lakers (Odom) and Washington(Jamison!!!), because of strech 4-s. In the playoffs, they had problems with D12 commanding the double team. Now, they have Shaq to defend dominating big guys, tall wing defenders for defensive rotations on tall shooters AND superior team chemistry. I can’t wait for those pre game routines with Shaq and Bron.

  • http://www.realcavsfans.com Anton

    @ D12FSU: The Cavs have plans to allow JJ to see the floor next season, and not just in garbage time. Why? Same reason Daniel Gibson sees the floor – in an attempt to raise their trade value to have some assets come the trade deadline.
    There’s no way the kid makes any impact though, since his body goes into a trance every time a shot is put up and forgets to box out. I’m hoping Danny Green gets some legit playing time, perhaps he can be a Shannon Brown-type on a championship team.
    Oh, and the Orlando Magic – rebuilding from 2012-2025.

  • flippity

    Witness, I agree you. Andy V will get 18 and 13, but Nelson will also get 25, 10 ast, and 5 blocks. Don’t forget, Matt Barnes with is 30 15, and 4.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    Anton, there’s West, Z and Moon on the bench. Then it’s JJ and Boobie. Then Kinsey and DJ. Danny Greene might not get dressed!

  • http://www.realcavsfans.com Anton

    I say bench Kinsey’s ass and suit up the Green machine.

  • D12FSU

    Here’s another thing i see a lot of people saying…how a bass-lewis-howard froncourt matches up better….the combination of those 3 is better than a lebron-shaq-V combo…and is right there with a pierce-KG/Wallace-Perkins combo…so ok yea u “match up better” but our players will still be better

  • D12FSU

    i cant wait for the first magic cavs game in the regular season..and the magic will win, and all the “experts” will say, oh that doesnt mean anything come playoff time…then in the playoffs we win in 6 again…

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