JJ Redick

[HopJokey]

Good stuff. He talks about LeBron, Orlando, and how he had to transform his game from college to pro. Check it out:

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/player?rd=1#/podcenter/?id=5184557&callsign=ESPNRADIO&autoplay=1

[CEF1959]

I don't listen to Gottlieb. Ever. No matter what. I refuse to enable that numb skull.

[moonpie23]

gotlieb has all the charm and wit of a small soap dish...

[wilko]

gotlieb has all the charm and wit of a small soap dish...

are you saying hes "alarmingly unhygenic"?

[moonpie23]

in my business......we call those people "critics".....

just yapping and yapping about what other people are doing and can do....


"talking about athletes is the same as dancing about architecture"

[weezie]

I wish JJ had a few seconds to respond to the measly "congrats" on the Duke NC.
I wonder if Dougie just rushed through that to avoid sounding like a real human instead of the louse nit that he is.

[Jderf]

"talking about athletes is the same as dancing about architecture"

That's genius, actually. Is that from something?

[ElSid]

That's genius, actually. Is that from something?

yes. the original quote is "writing about music is like dancing about architecture".

origins not completely certain. variously attributed to martin mull, jimmy webb, gertrude stein, elvis costello, frank zappa, etc. etc.

[gumbomoop]

yes. the original quote is "writing about music is like dancing about architecture".

origins not completely certain. variously attributed to martin mull, jimmy webb, gertrude stein, elvis costello, frank zappa, etc. etc.

Etc = Thomas Jefferson, Frank Lloyd Wright, Antoni Gaudi?

[wilko]

Etc = Thomas Jefferson, Frank Lloyd Wright, Antoni Gaudi?

Seems to be a dealers choice...link (http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boardid=41&threadid=4185)

Zappa was the 1st one I thought of that could have said it... I'll choose him.

[CameronBlue]

Jules Feiffer was my first thought. Seems to match his commentary on society, politics on those occasions when he satirizes the artificial poet who piles on layers of interpretation obscuring a simpler meaning.

[njpduke]

Good stuff. He talks about LeBron, Orlando, and how he had to transform his game from college to pro. Check it out:

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/player?rd=1#/podcenter/?id=5184557&callsign=ESPNRADIO&autoplay=1

Allow me to deviate from the Gottlieb-bashing and thank you for posting this link. The interview was pretty enjoyable -- and it's always good to hear from J.J.

[Poincaré]

JJ has helped the Magic come back from 20 down to 5 down.

He's been playing so intelligently. Quite possibly the only Magic player who has done so... Sticking like glue to Ray Allen. 1 minute left.

[dukepsy1963]

I heard it was Elvis Costello talking about "music" not sports; but it fits sports as well IMHO. Quote was in 1988. At least that is what I read.

[MB in MD]

That's genius, actually. Is that from something?

Somebody with way too much time on his hands seems to think we will never know

http://www.paclink.com/~ascott/they/tamildaa.htm

[HopJokey]

JJ has helped the Magic come back from 20 down to 5 down.

He's been playing so intelligently. Quite possibly the only Magic player who has done so... Sticking like glue to Ray Allen. 1 minute left.

Yep Boston is a good match for JJ. He can stick with Ray Ray.

[HopJokey]

Allow me to deviate from the Gottlieb-bashing and thank you for posting this link. The interview was pretty enjoyable -- and it's always good to hear from J.J.

Haha yep, I knew you guys would bash Gottlieb, but the interview was good. I actually found it from Bill Simmons's tweet that he thought JJ was a good interview and might bring him on his podcast:



JJ Redick on Gottlieb's radio show = excellent. I smell a BS Report in his future. Need a @jareddudley619 replacement, JMZ is too big now. 2:40 PM May 12th via UberTwitter

[Cameron]

Somebody with way too much time on his hands seems to think we will never know

http://www.paclink.com/~ascott/they/tamildaa.htm

Haha. I found this incredibly funny for some reason.

"The origins of this quote have long been shrouded in mystery and controversy. When I first did a thorough Web search for an answer, wa-a-ay back on December 30, 1996, most instances didn't have any attribution at all - and those that did credited one (or more!) of a dozen different people."

Huh, I don't believe I've ever heard this quote, and, if I have, I forgot.

[David]

Yep Boston is a good match for JJ. He can stick with Ray Ray.

Agreed - JJ played well against Ray in last season's Bos-Orl playoff series. Hopefully, Van Gundy took from yesterday's game that the Celtics have trouble with smaller Magic lineup (JJ + VC).

[theAlaskanBear]

Agreed - JJ played well against Ray in last season's Bos-Orl playoff series. Hopefully, Van Gundy took from yesterday's game that the Celtics have trouble with smaller Magic lineup (JJ + VC).

JJ definitely needs more playing time. But I question the ability of any Vince Carter led team to beat the C's. He can still score, yes, but when he is looking to score he reallllly stagnates the rest of the offense. Ball movement in particular sucks, because SO much of vinces game is still 1v1 break-you-down.

One instance, late in the game, I think with 46ish left, Orlando pushes the ball quickly up the court, looking to get a quick score so they have time on clock left to finish out the game and as soon as VC touches it, he lets the air out of the ball, dribbling in the same spot at the 3-pt line, completely killing the forward movement and letting the D set. If i remember correctly, that was the possession Lewis had it stripped and then Ray Allen dribbled of the knee of nelson for the jump ball?

[David]

This is cool - JJ was a guest on Bill Simmons' podcast:

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/player?rd=1#/podcenter/?callsign=ESPNRADIO&id=5195538&autoplay=1

First Gottlieb, now Simmons. JJ must be a glutton for punishment... :)

[Farn]

Pretty good little interview with mentions of Coach K and this year's Duke team.

[David]

Pretty good little interview with mentions of Coach K and this year's Duke team.

Agreed - it was fun to hear JJ talk about Coach K and Duke. Also, really liked JJ's description of Carolina blue...

[ElSid]

He sounds real good.
Hopefully a long time from now, he'll be a quality broadcaster / analyst. Or whatever he wants to do.
Hope he gets some more run and plays a long time.
Love that he says he's "embarrassed" by some of his shenanigans.

[HopJokey]

Great interview. I especially was intrigued by JJ's "non-PC" answer on why people hate Duke and he cited race as his second reason. Very honest and refreshing regardless of whether you agree or not.

[Big Pappa]

Great interview. I especially was intrigued by JJ's "non-PC" answer on why people hate Duke and he cited race as his second reason. Very honest and refreshing regardless of whether you agree or not.

I think that is one of the reasons I have always loved JJ. He's just always honest. I especially loved the first quote, "You played well last night JJ." "Well yeah I did, we didn't really play very well."

He is also incredibly knowledgeable about the game and it comes through in every interview he has.

[HopJokey]

I think that is one of the reasons I have always loved JJ. He's just always honest. I especially loved the first quote, "You played well last night JJ." "Well yeah I did, we didn't really play very well."

He is also incredibly knowledgeable about the game and it comes through in every interview he has.

I agree he is really knowledgeable about the game and I can definitely see him being a successful coach he if chooses that route some day. This is the first time I heard him interviewed and talk at length. He broke down players and situations with great insight.

[David]

Great interview. I especially was intrigued by JJ's "non-PC" answer on why people hate Duke and he cited race as his second reason. Very honest and refreshing regardless of whether you agree or not.

I also liked JJ's response to this question. He cited three reasons for all the 'Duke Hate': 1) success; 2) race; and 3) certain players such as himself. Simmons added 4) Coach K. I very much believe the first two factors best explain all the Duke hate (along with an interaction of success and race). In my opinion, the latter two explanations--Duke's 'obnoxious' players and the negative perception of Coach K--are largely a result of the first two factors. Certain high-profile players and Coach K will always bear the brunt of Duke Hate, but the causal path runs from Duke Hate to them rather than them causing the Duke Hate.

[cspan37421]

Is JJ finally a free agent after this year? IIRC, he signed a 3 year deal and a 4th year team option, which Orlando did pick up last year. While I'm glad that he's improved his game, his defense, etc., I still feel Orlando has underutilized him historically - and continues to do so. Game 1 vs. the Celtics certainly reinforced that view.

[ElSid]

JJ is a free agent and could end up in a lot of good places. Spurs maybe. He's gonna get more money and more time next year.

As for Duke hate...one ingredient of hate, a byproduct of success, that wasn't explored was the vicious cycle of accumulating bad / fair weather fans...lacking knowledge of the game and lacking any real connection to the school. After our NC this year, I went to a bar with friends and encountered such a loathsome creature. I felt icky celebrating with him. He was embarrassing. Loud, obnoxious, didn't really know anything about basketball, and looked and talked like one of the white drug dealers from The Wire.

I got into a brief argument with a Yankees fan last night. She is awful by most measures. She knows nothing about baseball but kept challenging me about why I don't like the Yankees (I never succumbed to using the term "hate" but I said I don't want to root for the organization). I said that one big reason was because of the largely over-zealous yet ignorant fan base. She could only keep repeating "it's easy to hate a winner". I pulled into my turtle shell and didn't say anything the rest of the night. She is also a good friend of Coach Cal and we get into similar fights whenever that comes up. Makes is all the more difficult to tolerate because she knows that I'm a Duke fan. She equates my liking Duke to her liking the Yankees...Why do I hang out with this girl? She's friends of my friends and she's hot and blond...so people make the mistake of listening to her and tolerating her baseless opinions. Such is life.

So, there are a lot of people out there that think they're great because their teams win. It's similar to the fallacy that you're smart if you're rich. A lot of rich people are either lucky or ruthless, but not necessarily smart.

[pokeresq]

Pretty good JJ interview on admitted Duke hater Simmons' podcast. There is a reference to this in the Gottleib thread, but if you share my dislike for someone who would steal from a teammate and then get offended when it is brought up as a character defect, you might not read that thread. The podcast can be found at
http://espn.go.com/espnradio/player?rd=1#/podcenter/?id=5195538&autoplay=1&callsign=ESPNRADIO

[UrinalCake]

Great interview. JJ was very open and well-spoken and Simmons was respectful, asking him about a lot of different issues. They talked a lot about the Magic-Celtics series and then got to talking about Duke.

Simmons asked him point-blank why people hate Duke, and JJ's answers were pretty forthcoming. He said first that they've been the most successful program since around 1986. Second, that they're a private school and are one of the few programs that have more white players than black. And third, that they've had some "a-holes" as players, himself included. He says he looks back at some of his behavior on the court and is now embarrased for it.

Really surprising for him to directly state what a lot of people dance around. I wonder if Simmons' attitude towards him and/or Duke will change.

[BattierBattalion]

Agreed. A very interesting, insightful interview. I loved how JJ wasn't afraid to call out certain things (Atlanta Hawks not playing hard, Brendan Haywood's coldness toward Duke players, his previous antics).

[weezie]

Knew it! JJ studied Rip Hamilton's motion...
Great interview, extremely articulate. JJ's showing some
serious maturity and intelligence in his observations, guess all that bench time was instructive. I sure hope he gets on the floor more, too. Maybe coaching material, too, when he gets ready to hang it up?
Always surprising how BS has such a teenager's voice. Still
can's stand that boob, though.

[greybeard]

yes. the original quote is "writing about music is like dancing about architecture".

I don't get it. The architecture students I saw at Cornell would dance around a garbage can to celebrate the lid. They were always dancing around stuff to celebrate their creations or more to the point the dance around the zone of stability within which their creations functioned.

So, I understand that writing about music somehow reduces the latter into a lesser form of communication. But why can't a dance due justice to a piece of architecture? :confused:

[ElSid]

I don't get it. The architecture students I saw at Cornell would dance around a garbage can to celebrate the lid. They were always dancing around stuff to celebrate their creations or more to the point the dance around the zone of stability within which their creations functioned.

So, I understand that writing about music somehow reduces the latter into a lesser form of communication. But why can't a dance due justice to a piece of architecture? :confused:

i think writing, in the sense that it evokes inflections and sounds in your mind, can somewhat approximate music, as well. so maybe it's not that the comparison is between two endeavors that completely fail at what they're attempting to describe. but that they're similarly, severely limited.

[Channing]

I thought JJ played real well down the stretch last night (except for the last play). He was routinely in the right place, and got called for two bogus fouls (one offensive and one defensive), both of which the announcers flat out said were wrong calls.

I really thought the Magic's best shot at the end was for JJ to inbound to Nelson and for Nelson to get it right back to JJ streaking down the court to the wing for three, but Nelson put up some fade away half court shot instead.

Oh well, at least JJ is playing very well.

[moonpie23]

it's hard to see the celts NOT Getting the title if they continue to play like this....

[Rudy]

Somebody with way too much time on his hands seems to think we will never know

http://www.paclink.com/~ascott/they/tamildaa.htm

Yale Book of Quotations gives it to Elvis Costello in October, 1983, one of the possibilities mentioned in the linked article.

[greybeard]

I thought JJ played real well down the stretch last night (except for the last play). He was routinely in the right place, and got called for two bogus fouls (one offensive and one defensive), both of which the announcers flat out said were wrong calls.

I really thought the Magic's best shot at the end was for JJ to inbound to Nelson and for Nelson to get it right back to JJ streaking down the court to the wing for three, but Nelson put up some fade away half court shot instead.

Oh well, at least JJ is playing very well.

That was not the only chance Orlando missed down the stretch to use JJ's killer jump shot and experience with taking big shots. In the last two minutes, closer to one, Howard got a board, there was a swarm around him, and JJ was standing at the 3-line near the top of the circle with nobody near. I think that Orlando was down 3.

I think that JJ needs to leave that team. While the coach is finally trying to make JJ part of the team, he spent so much time bashing and sitting him that I don't think the other players will play to his strengths with ease, that there will be too many missed pass opportunities altogether, or perhaps, worse still, the deadly hesitation that gives JJ the ball a tad out of the rhythm that the game called for and usually with the defense in a much better position to defend.

Stan blew it and now when he thinks the "asset" they drafted is ready, bye.

JJ could have won Orlando that game and they were just not ready as a team to let him do it. He, on the other hand, was absolutely ready.

[gumbomoop]

... worse still, the deadly hesitation that gives JJ the ball a tad out of the rhythm that the game called for and usually with the defense in a much better position to defend.

I've no strong opinion on whether JJ should leave Magic. He works very well with Howard, if the Magic would let him do so more often.

Tag quote - You got it; this little "tad" dis-rhythm is a big, big thing. For counter-examples by the dozens - literally - run back the tape of 3-S in '09-'10.

[chrisheery]

Lets be fair, JJ missed an open three with about 30 seconds to go that would have tied the game as well. He's really transformed to a very good player, but I don't think you can blame everything on him not getting enough time. I think Stan Van Gundy has done what he thinks is best for the team each game. That included playing JJ a lot last night when he thought the matchup was good. There are times when the best lineup against the other team for the Magic does not include JJ. Like you said, he shoud leave Orlando. He could be a starter for many teams and he has proven that this year. He is playing excellent defense both on and off the ball. He helps well and makes good decisions. He is a deadly shooter who has improved his passing and ballhandling tremendously.

I think on that last play when he got the rebound, he took off thinking he might get an open shot. Then, he saw a trap coming and knew there wouldn't be time to get around it and get a good shot, so he called time out. The announcers said he should have kept going if he was going to go, but at least he didn't compound the error. One more dribble would have gotten him to half court. Orlando didn't deserve to win this game, though. They should win by 10 at home against the Celtics in a must-win game if they want to win the series.

[Channing]

Lets be fair, JJ missed an open three with about 30 seconds to go that would have tied the game as well.

I think that was actually Jameer Nelson. The only shots I saw JJ take down the stretch were the drive when he went to the line and made both free throws and the charge drawn by Glen Davis (which, as the announcers pointed out, was a clear block).

[chrisheery]

Man, I must be crazy. I could have sworn he missed a shot donw the stretch, but I just looked at the play by play and it says he didn't take one. My bad.

[Big Pappa]

Man, I must be crazy. I could have sworn he missed a shot donw the stretch, but I just looked at the play by play and it says he didn't take one. My bad.

No but he should have had a wide open three to tie with 1 second left if Nelson had passed of the inbound. I still don't understand why you have your best shooter throwing the ball in with virtually no chance to get it back when you need a 3 to tie.

[gumbomoop]

Paul Pierce, trying to help SVG: "They'll probably get J.J. Redick going; he's shown they've had some success when he's in the game." [from today's lead article on ESPN.com]

[Greg_Newton]

Man, I must be crazy. I could have sworn he missed a shot donw the stretch, but I just looked at the play by play and it says he didn't take one. My bad.

Me too, because I definitely remember that. I even remember how it happened - someone kicked out to him on the right wing from the inside, and released it very quickly because the defender was closing fast. 30-40 seconds left I believe. Maybe it was game 1 or something?

[cspan37421]

IMO, JJ should leave unless they replace the Master of Panic.

[RelativeWays]

This series has doomed SVG, he'll not be coach next year. The magic need an overhall. I think Howard, Carter, Nelson, Redick and Gortat are the only players the magic should look to keep. Lewis is horrible, Barnes is useless, Pietrus was great last year, scrubby this year. I'd cut any of those guys and try do get another consistent scoring threat from the 4.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

As painful as this series has been to watch, it's really nice to hear the commentators make such positive observations about JJ's game. He really is one of the smarter players on the floor. If only someone else on the team would penetrate and dish (or kick it back out, ahem, Howard) maybe they would get some easier looks. Plenty of opportunity to do so but the Magic seemed happy for the most part to take one tough shot and then jog back to play red sea defense. I hope JJ gets out of there.

[NM Duke Fan]

This series has doomed SVG, he'll not be coach next year. The magic need an overhall. I think Howard, Carter, Nelson, Redick and Gortat are the only players the magic should look to keep. Lewis is horrible, Barnes is useless, Pietrus was great last year, scrubby this year. I'd cut any of those guys and try do get another consistent scoring threat from the 4.

Agreed! Though I think Carter is overall a downgrade from what Hedo had to offer. I think the Magic should start the five players you named above for their next game. Gortat brings passion, toughness, rebounding, and hustle that Lewis siimply isn't showing, and JJ is playing far better than Barnes.

[sagegrouse]

This series has doomed SVG, he'll not be coach next year. The magic need an overhall. I think Howard, Carter, Nelson, Redick and Gortat are the only players the magic should look to keep. Lewis is horrible, Barnes is useless, Pietrus was great last year, scrubby this year. I'd cut any of those guys and try do get another consistent scoring threat from the 4.

Are you concerned your remarks are a bit rash? Orlando has had a nice run the past two years -- first to the finals, including a win over Boston in the playoffs, and then to the second best record in the league (out of 30 teams).

Why would Orlando ownership think that it could find an improvement over Van Gundy? And who would that be?

I would get rid of Vince Carter. One-third of the time he is a liability on offense; all of the time he is a liability on defense. Moreover, I don't think he won anything with Toronto or NJ and probably won't with Orlando.

sagegrouse

[hq2]

I think they'll think about what to do with SVG. I don't know if a coaching change would really fix the Magic anyway. Remember, he beat Cleveland handily last year and took the Magic to the finals. Their basic problem is they don't have enough quality big men. The C's have just overwhelmed them on the front line. They need another banger on the inside to help Howard, instead of wasting $118 million on Rashard Lewis. That isn't SVG's fault.

As for J.J., he's shown what he can do. He's clearly a quality NBA player now (has anyone noticed the kind of muscle definition he has now? Is he ripped or what!). However, I'm not sure if a trade would help him all that much. Remember, Orlando is a 3 point shooting team. If you sent him to another team that doesn't have their offense designed the same way, he may get more minutes but wouldn't necessarily be more effective. I think he should stay and try to make things work at Orlando. That way, at least he'll play for a (semi) winner.

[SupaDave]

I think Lewis is toast for the record. He's shown some serious holes in his game during this playoffs. There was a time when he didn't seem to mind contact - those days are gone.

JJ is well suited for the Magic but there are PLENTY of other teams that could use him off the bench. A team like the Spurs just might covet JJ.

This off-season shall be interesting. A lot of transition in the league.

[hedevil]

As far as SVG goes, I don't know what to think of him. He did lead his team to the finals last year, however, keep in mind that this same Celtics team was minus Garnett last year. Who knows what would have happened otherwise. Unless there is a quality/affordable replacement out there, I don't see him going anywhere.

JJ is playing great ball in my opinion. It may be my Duke bias, but I feel like they (Magic) play better when he's on the court. I honestly don't think that they (Magic) utilize JJ enough offensively. Of course I'm biased, but I would run a few more set plays for Reddick coming off of screens like he did at Duke. It seems to me like they are relying way too heavily on Howard and Carter, and it just isn't working. WAKE UP!!!

In addition, I just want to point out that I am pleased to see coach K's coaching and leadership carrying over to the NBA. I know this isn't breaking news, but I love the way these past dukie's continue to play defense with a passion at the next level. Defense seems to be such a lost art in the NBA (not every team, but many) that it can be maddening at times. One thing that you know you're going to get from a dukie is a strong defensive effort, game in and game out, whether it be Battier, Reddick, Hill, Deng, Boozer, Jones, etc... etc... The list goes on. GO DUKE!!

[FireOgilvie]

JJ is having another very good game.

In other news, Vince Carter is really bad. They need to get rid of him. He's a black hole of awfulness.

[moonpie23]

he's been that way since he committed to unc...


jameer nelson plays like sybil.......

personally, i don't think SVG uses JJ effectively......that's just mho

[Poincaré]

Isn't it amazing how many ill-advised shots Nelson puts up early in the shot clock? Since they took out JJ in OT, Ray Allen's made two WIDE open three-point shots.

[gumbomoop]

Seems to me a mistake to take JJ out on D. He's still the Magic's best defender v. RA.

[Poincaré]

One thing about Ray Allen: With JJ guarding him well, he hasn't thrown up any ill-advised shots. He's been content with the role of opening the floor for his teammates by taking away a potential help defender and picking his spots. This is a guy who has had a better career then anyone on the Magic team. JJ doesn't have the kind of teammates who will exercise such "strategic non-shooting". I've got to hand it to Allen for not letting great defense on him drag down his team's efficiency. The same cannot be said for Carter and Nelson.

Edit: I wanted to add that the "non-strategic shooting" by the Magic is part of what has made the Celtics' help defense so effective. They can collapse knowing that Carter and Nelson will hold on to the ball until they are completely surrounded.

[ElSid]

Seems to me a mistake to take JJ out on D. He's still the Magic's best defender v. RA.

as soon as SVG did that, Barnes and Lewis botched the assignment.

How did Lewis get a contract for $127M? How?

[gumbomoop]

This is first year I've watched much NBA playoffs in quite a while, so I don't have much of a feel for momentum-vibes. It is true, I assume, that there is a slight momentum shift toward the Magic. Is it more than slight?

[phaedrus]

Didn't see the game, but the stat line is revealing:

JJ: 12 points on 6 shots, 33 minutes, +14
Vince: 3 points on 9 shots, 31 minutes, +1

[JayZee]

One thing about Ray Allen: With JJ guarding him well, he hasn't thrown up any ill-advised shots. He's been content with the role of opening the floor for his teammates by taking away a potential help defender and picking his spots. This is a guy who has had a better career then anyone on the Magic team. JJ doesn't have the kind of teammates who will exercise such "strategic non-shooting". I've got to hand it to Allen for not letting great defense on him drag down his team's efficiency. The same cannot be said for Carter and Nelson.

Edit: I wanted to add that the "non-strategic shooting" by the Magic is part of what has made the Celtics' help defense so effective. They can collapse knowing that Carter and Nelson will hold on to the ball until they are completely surrounded.

Ray does come off as a smart, no nonsense type player. Which leads me to an internal conflict I am having. I really dislike, and hold in disdain, Calhoun and UConn. And while UConn has had their share of numnut players, I like and respect a number of their ex-players like Ray Ray, Emeka and even Rip. On the other hand, I really dislike but, in general, respect UNC. And yet, I have a difficult time respecting most of their players in the league. Carter and Rasheed? Two of the more embarrassing pros out there. Talented, for sure, but not the best of teammates. Even Jamison, who I always respected, is not so interested in defense. Jordan? Obviously a great player, but definitely less than an awesome human being.

Anyone feel similarly?

[gumbomoop]

Ray does come off as a smart, no nonsense type player. Which leads me to an internal conflict I am having. I really dislike, and hold in disdain, Calhoun and UConn. And while UConn has had their share of numnut players, I like and respect a number of their ex-players like Ray Ray, Emeka and even Rip. On the other hand, I really dislike but, in general, respect UNC. And yet, I have a difficult time respecting most of their players in the league. Carter and Rasheed? Two of the more embarrassing pros out there. Talented, for sure, but not the best of teammates. Even Jamison, who I always respected, is not so interested in defense. Jordan? Obviously a great player, but definitely less than an awesome human being.

Anyone feel similarly?

Interesting point re UConn. I do like RA a lot, both player and person, while disliking Calhoun, who seems to cut some corners.

As for UNC, I've adopted Will Blythe's [book title], "To Hate Like This Is To Be Happy Forever." It's a great university, great bball program, great [if whiny] Dean Smith, maybe-maybe not great Roy.

Hard to say much good about Rasheed the person, though that's based on the complainer I see on the court. I admit to a weakness re Vince, given his difficult-brother situation [drugs, public story], and his financing of a drug-rehab center in Fla.

Vince the player? Wow, going downhill. Compared to - thread-relevance alert - JJ. Expect to see JJ 25+ minutes Wed eve. Magic momentum?

[NovaScotian]

Didn't see the game, but the stat line is revealing:

JJ: 12 points on 6 shots, 33 minutes, +14
Vince: 3 points on 9 shots, 31 minutes, +1

for those that did watch the game, these stats pass the eye test as well. this +/- says more about how awful carter was than how good jj was. jj hit some huge shots in the fourth quarter (scored ten straight magic points iirc), but carter was invisible the entire game.

[cspan37421]

It would be interesting to see the aggregate +/- for the series thus far. I would not be surprised if JJ leads all Magic players in that category. It just seems to me that SVG feels compelled to play the guys with the big contracts (though last night, I believe that JJ got more minutes than one or two starters).

[CrazieDUMB]

Ray does come off as a smart, no nonsense type player. Which leads me to an internal conflict I am having. I really dislike, and hold in disdain, Calhoun and UConn. And while UConn has had their share of numnut players, I like and respect a number of their ex-players like Ray Ray, Emeka and even Rip. On the other hand, I really dislike but, in general, respect UNC. And yet, I have a difficult time respecting most of their players in the league. Carter and Rasheed? Two of the more embarrassing pros out there. Talented, for sure, but not the best of teammates. Even Jamison, who I always respected, is not so interested in defense. Jordan? Obviously a great player, but definitely less than an awesome human being.

Anyone feel similarly?

Almost all of my rooting interests in the NBA concern where players went to college. I think it's pretty common when so much of a team's makeup is reflective of the players on the floor. The association is driven by players and personas, not teams/organizations. Furthermore, a lot of personas are forged by where those players went (or didn't go) to college.

I don't have animosity towards UConn the way I do against UNC; i think of the Huskies more as worthy foes. I blanket UNC grads as immensely talented if unfocused, which is why I dislike them. Generalizations are a real time saver :p

[blu62]

He got a lot of minutes last night helping the Magic win. Good to seem him play again!

[Dev11]

(though last night, I believe that JJ got more minutes than one or two starters)

I think it was also telling that JJ was on the floor at the start of the overtime, so even if he wasn't a starter, SVG at least figured out by the end of regulation that JJ was one of his best 5.

Did anybody else see the post-game where Magic Johnson was talking about JJ and how effective he was at both ends of the court? I can't find video for it, but if somebody saw it and knows where to get it, please post. I love hearing one of the all-time greats talk about how good our guy was in the game.

[SupaDave]

I think it was also telling that JJ was on the floor at the start of the overtime, so even if he wasn't a starter, SVG at least figured out by the end of regulation that JJ was one of his best 5.

Did anybody else see the post-game where Magic Johnson was talking about JJ and how effective he was at both ends of the court? I can't find video for it, but if somebody saw it and knows where to get it, please post. I love hearing one of the all-time greats talk about how good our guy was in the game.

He was also in the game at the end of regulation - which I thought was a pretty big deal. Potential playoff elimination and SVG trusted him...

At the same time, my regard for Barnes, Lewis, and Carter has totally diminshed. The Magic need a bruiser like Zoubs who can come in and let Dwight play the four.

[sivartrenrag]

I thought it was pretty great how in the fourth quarter, after Jameer hit those two 3s, that SVG took JJ out for an offense/defense sub and on the next Celtic's possession Ray Allen nailed a wide-open 3. Great sub, there, SVG :rolleyes:

JJ has been really impressive recently, even though his teammates don't give him the ball when he's open 90% of the time.

[dukeballboy88]

vince is washed up and jj needs to shoot more. he looks almost tentative and he needs 10 to 15 shots a game. he plays good d and makes good decisions with the ball but it seems if he turns the ball over is when he is trying to create for other people. I wished he would drive and pull up from about 15 more.

[Biscuit King]

Vince Carter is the player the Magic need to win the title. Vince Carter of 10 years ago, that is. The Vince Carter currently on display is a shell of his former self, and most nights Redick is a better player.

[superdave]

In a word: No.

The Magic played really well with Howard and Nelson showing up big, and the rest doing enough to put the misery of games 1,2,3 behind them.

But the Celtics almost stole this one and without Rondo bringing his usual game.

The Celtics, with a lucky bounce or two, would have swept this series last night. The Magic have absolutely no margin for error even when playing a really good game. Celtics take game 5.

[rsvman]

supadave is probably right, but it's interesting to remember how game 2 ended. Game 3 was just so God-awful that people forget the first two games were competitive.

IMO, if two critical bad calls didn't go against JJ near the end of game 2, the Magic win that game. Then we'd be looking at a 2-2 series right now, and heading back to Orlando. (Of course, it didn't help that Carter bricked two crucial free throws in game 2, also.)

[theAlaskanBear]

In a word: No.

The Magic played really well with Howard and Nelson showing up big, and the rest doing enough to put the misery of games 1,2,3 behind them.

But the Celtics almost stole this one and without Rondo bringing his usual game.

The Celtics, with a lucky bounce or two, would have swept this series last night. The Magic have absolutely no margin for error even when playing a really good game. Celtics take game 5.

I agree with you. However, I think there is a glimmer of hope for the Magic to take the next game. They just staved off a sweep, so they can go into Orlando looser, with home court advantage. I have to think the Magic will shoot better at home tomorrow. Oh, and they FINALLY figured out how to get Dwight Howard offense!!!

[roywhite]

I agree with you. However, I think there is a glimmer of hope for the Magic to take the next game. They just staved off a sweep, so they can go into Orlando looser, with home court advantage. I have to think the Magic will shoot better at home tomorrow. Oh, and they FINALLY figured out how to get Dwight Howard offense!!!


Well, one more Magic win, and you know the media will go to the story of coming back from an 0-3 deficit. There have been only a handful of times that it's happened in all of sports, and two of the times were the Boston Red Sox vs Yanks in 2004, and the Philadelphia Flyers vs the Boston Bruins just recently.

Still a really uphill fight for the Magic, but they showed some character in their performance last night.

[gumbomoop]

Still hoping for some mo for Magic, at least enough to get them through Game 5, to make Game 6 back in Boston real interesting. Though I guess at this stage, every game in both series is real interesting.

Other thoughts on JJ: (1) It is so good to hear Magic J and others praising JJ for defense, key baskets, smarts. [Presumably Stuart Scott is unable to second Magic J's analysis on this point. Nor even to say to another panelist, "Yeah, what about how well JJ is playing?"] (2) Clearly we [but not SS] take some pleasure in seeing JJ outshine a way-down VC. Don't know what team JJ will play for next few seasons........ but, imo, (3) what would elevate his game a notch or even 2 higher would be an improved handle. Seems to me that's a key, and a skill he has only marginally improved on from college, given how much more physical is NBA D. Maybe I'm wrong, and it's just he's not encouraged by SVG or Magic O to handle the ball a lot, but a smoother handle would make him much more effective. He knows what to do - i.e, how to play basketball - but his handle is holding him back some. Yes?

[theAlaskanBear]

Still hoping for some mo for Magic, at least enough to get them through Game 5, to make Game 6 back in Boston real interesting. Though I guess at this stage, every game in both series is real interesting.

Other thoughts on JJ: (1) It is so good to hear Magic J and others praising JJ for defense, key baskets, smarts. [Presumably Stuart Scott is unable to second Magic J's analysis on this point. Nor even to say to another panelist, "Yeah, what about how well JJ is playing?"] (2) Clearly we [but not SS] take some pleasure in seeing JJ outshine a way-down VC. Don't know what team JJ will play for next few seasons........ but, imo, (3) what would elevate his game a notch or even 2 higher would be an improved handle. Seems to me that's a key, and a skill he has only marginally improved on from college, given how much more physical is NBA D. Maybe I'm wrong, and it's just he's not encouraged by SVG or Magic O to handle the ball a lot, but a smoother handle would make him much more effective. He knows what to do - i.e, how to play basketball - but his handle is holding him back some. Yes?

I have to disagree, but I guess it's contingent on what your definition of handle is. If you mean dribbling, Redick is pretty solid. The problem is that he doesn't have the explosive quickness that allows him to dribble-penetrate. He wont blow guards off the dribble. That said, his handle TO ME, seems like the most improved part of his game. JJ has been driving into the lane all series. And in one of the games (game two maybe?) was determined to get to the rim.

I tend to think its more an issue of involvement in the larger offense. JJ is just emerging as a good NBA player, so the offense doesnt yet incorporate him effectively. Good example last night, the magic used JJ to penetrate and pass a couple of times, when it should be Jameer penetrating to pass to a spotted up Redick. Of course, from what I have been seeing is that JJ does as good a job passing into Howard as anyone on the team, including Nelson.

[gumbomoop]

I have to disagree, but I guess it's contingent on what your definition of handle is. If you mean dribbling, Redick is pretty solid. The problem is that he doesn't have the explosive quickness that allows him to dribble-penetrate. He wont blow guards off the dribble. That said, his handle TO ME, seems like the most improved part of his game. JJ has been driving into the lane all series. And in one of the games (game two maybe?) was determined to get to the rim.

I tend to think its more an issue of involvement in the larger offense. JJ is just emerging as a good NBA player, so the offense doesnt yet incorporate him effectively. Good example last night, the magic used JJ to penetrate and pass a couple of times, when it should be Jameer penetrating to pass to a spotted up Redick. Of course, from what I have been seeing is that JJ does as good a job passing into Howard as anyone on the team, including Nelson.

Agree re passing into Howard, and I've said this myself 2-3 times. I guess I noticed it because it's so, well, noticeable - part of my dismay that so many players have difficulty making simple 45-degree entry pass.

Handle - OK, I am surprised at your assertion that it's his most improved area, so we need to get others involved in this analysis [and if we're lucky we'll all be ticked off at each other for awhile]. I thought that by his SR year, JJ had in fact become more than "just a shooter," in that he played all-around smart, drove more, some nifty passing, etc. But then in NBA, well, first, not much PT, but now he seems sometimes, not always, hesitant. I certainly do agree with you that he lacks explosiveness, so maybe it's that more than handle. Nor can I deny that JJ does want to and try to get to rim, or into pull-up jumper. But I admit I still need some convincing, as he doesn't seem quite so adept at confident-dribble as many other NBA SGs. I may be talking nonsense here, as I really haven't watched lots of NBA recently. I look forward to additional discussants.

[theAlaskanBear]

Agree re passing into Howard, and I've said this myself 2-3 times. I guess I noticed it because it's so, well, noticeable - part of my dismay that so many players have difficulty making simple 45-degree entry pass.

Handle - OK, I am surprised at your assertion that it's his most improved area, so we need to get others involved in this analysis [and if we're lucky we'll all be ticked off at each other for awhile]. I thought that by his SR year, JJ had in fact become more than "just a shooter," in that he played all-around smart, drove more, some nifty passing, etc. But then in NBA, well, first, not much PT, but now he seems sometimes, not always, hesitant. I certainly do agree with you that he lacks explosiveness, so maybe it's that more than handle. Nor can I deny that JJ does want to and try to get to rim, or into pull-up jumper. But I admit I still need some convincing, as he doesn't seem quite so adept at confident-dribble as many other NBA SGs. I may be talking nonsense here, as I really haven't watched lots of NBA recently. I look forward to additional discussants.

I agree we should get some analysis from other posters. What any individual sees can be pretty subjective, but with a bunch of opinions, we can probably arrive pretty close to the truth.

On a separate note: JJ has been a perfect 15-15 from the line against the Celtics. The other Magic are a combined 68% from the field.

[ElSid]

I agree we should get some analysis from other posters. What any individual sees can be pretty subjective, but with a bunch of opinions, we can probably arrive pretty close to the truth.

On a separate note: JJ has been a perfect 15-15 from the line against the Celtics. The other Magic are a combined 68% from the field.

From the line you mean. But it's a good point. JJ has been solid there.

[ElSid]

Someone mentioned it earlier, but it seems like the Magic could be in this series more if SVG had been open minded about Vince Carter. He's been simply terrible. But, like his brother Jeff says about a million times during the telecast, he would "give the ball to Carter and ask him to make an offensive play because that's what you paid him all the money to do". The Van Gundy's need a class to learn about sunk costs. Vince hasn't been performing. You're not going to get value out of a bad investment just by sticking with it. I think it's one of the main reasons the Magic are in such a hole in this series. He looks slow, his body language and facial expression are terrible.

I also agree that JJ isn't getting the ball when he is open. There were a few instances last game where he was in position for a shot and Nelson or Lewis, I think, passed up a wide open look to him to try to create their own shots.

I like the Magic, mostly because of JJ and Howard, but I just don't think they have the team mentality to get out of this ditch. I think they win one more game, at most.

[Rudy]

I thought it was pretty great how in the fourth quarter, after Jameer hit those two 3s, that SVG took JJ out for an offense/defense sub and on the next Celtic's possession Ray Allen nailed a wide-open 3. Great sub, there, SVG :rolleyes:
I just started watching the game from the start of overtime. I was happy to see JJ was in. The first shot I saw RA take was one off a dribble, a jump shot from 10-15 contested by JJ, and it hit the front of the rim and was rebounded by the Magic. Then Jameer gets an open look and banks in a 3, shrugging after the shot. No time out so JJ stays in the game and again no score by Celtics. Jameer, apparently thinking he has a hot hand puts up a tough 3 over Rondo and it goes in, so Magic up by six. Then I notice JJ is out for defense and in two possessions RA gets open and drains 3's. JJ doesn't touch the ball on offense, though appears open a couple of times. Why is Carter a better defensive option than JJ I'm wondering? Despite some Magic fumbling at the end, Celtics fumble too and time runs out.

Evidence shows JJ isn't valued there by the coach or his teammates. From the interview he gave (posted here), he's not complaining and it's good to see he's getting time. I hope he finds a place he's appreciated.

[cameroncrazy3104]

I just started watching the game from the start of overtime. I was happy to see JJ was in. The first shot I saw RA take was one off a dribble, a jump shot from 10-15 contested by JJ, and it hit the front of the rim and was rebounded by the Magic. Then Jameer gets an open look and banks in a 3, shrugging after the shot. No time out so JJ stays in the game and again no score by Celtics. Jameer, apparently thinking he has a hot hand puts up a tough 3 over Rondo and it goes in, so Magic up by six. Then I notice JJ is out for defense and in two possessions RA gets open and drains 3's. JJ doesn't touch the ball on offense, though appears open a couple of times. Why is Carter a better defensive option than JJ I'm wondering? Despite some Magic fumbling at the end, Celtics fumble too and time runs out.

Evidence shows JJ isn't valued there by the coach or his teammates. From the interview he gave (posted here), he's not complaining and it's good to see he's getting time. I hope he finds a place he's appreciated.

Your right that is open a lot and doesn't get the ball, but earlier in the game JJ was clearly in there because he was pretty much the only magic player that was putting the ball in the hoop for a good stretch of time. I remember at one point he had scored 10 strait points for the Magic. I do not think that SVG considers Carter a better defensive option, i might be wrong, but by listening to the comments by Jeff Van Gundy, Carter was in there because he has big play potential and that is why he gets paid. Its not because at the time he was a better option that JJ, because he wasn't, it is because he gets paid $16,123,250 to be in that situation and JJ only gets paid $2,839,408.

[G man]

I hate watching JJ getting the look off from his teammates. He has played to well all year to get treated this way. I know that I am biased and that detracts from my ability to be unbiased but Rashard consistently refuses to pass him the ball. It seems to me for the most part the only guy who gives him the ball is dwight and that is rare because he almost always goes up with it. Nelson will give it up occasionally, but it has been frustrating to watch.

[basket1544]

Most of the Magic players do not look to pass to anyone. Jameer isn't a pure point guard (looking to pass instead of shoot), Dwight isn't going to pass the ball back outside when he could try a jump hook, Pietrus (sorry about the spelling) doesn't pass up an open shot ever, Lewis will try to create one on one but doesn't pass out of a double team, and then of course there's Carter. Carter hasn't ever seen a shot he didn't like.
JJ isn't the only Magic player open without getting the ball. I can only imagine how many points Dwight would average if someone would get him the ball. It's one of their biggest weaknesses.

[ChicagoCrazy84]

Does anyone know when JJ's contract is up in Orlando? I think they would get some interest from teams looking to trade, but just curious.

[strawbs]

Does anyone know when JJ's contract is up in Orlando? I think they would get some interest from teams looking to trade, but just curious.

he's in the final year of his contract

[theAlaskanBear]

he's in the final year of his contract

but he's a restricted free agent, which means orlando can match any offer.

[SilkyJ]

Does anyone know when JJ's contract is up in Orlando? I think they would get some interest from teams looking to trade, but just curious.


but he's a restricted free agent, which means orlando can match any offer.

I have posted extensively on this and in fact directly to you Ursus Alaskan!

JJ is not yet a restricted Free Agent and there's no guarantee he will be come July 1, but its a pretty good bet Orlando will make him a qualifying offer in order to turn him into a restricted free agent.

See this post for the deets:

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showpost.php?p=409651&postcount=664

[HopJokey]

JJ has been playing really well throughout the series. JVG and Mark Jackson always talk about how well the Magic offense flows when Reddick is in the game. It's the little things that he does on offense (entry passes, good cuts, spacing the floor) that seems to work well.

Honestly however, with as well as JJ has been playing, he has his limits and the Magic cannot win the title with Rashard Lewis and Vince Carter playing so badly. They need everyone to be playing well to beat the C's (3 more times in a row) and the Suns/Lakers.

[theAlaskanBear]

I have posted extensively on this and in fact directly to you Ursus Alaskan!

JJ is not yet a restricted Free Agent and there's no guarantee he will be come July 1, but its a pretty good bet Orlando will make him a qualifying offer in order to turn him into a restricted free agent.

See this post for the deets:

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showpost.php?p=409651&postcount=664

Mmmm, yeah I definitely misunderstood our conversation then. I've never really payed attention to contracts and cap space and the payroll structure of the NBA until this year.....so I have much to learn, Salary Sifu! Let me bathe in your wellspring of knowledge...mmm, maybe that didnt come out right :o

[SilkyJ]

Honestly however, with as well as JJ has been playing, he has his limits and the Magic cannot win the title with Rashard Lewis and Vince Carter playing so badly. They need everyone to be playing well to beat the C's (3 more times in a row) and the Suns/Lakers.

Totally agreed. JJ is not the type of guy to carry you for a series. He might help win a game or two, heck he might even carry you for a game or two, but Shard averaging 5ppg and Vince going 6-36 since game 1 is PATHETIC. Those guys are both in the top 15 or 20 for highest salaries this year.


Mmmm, yeah I definitely misunderstood our conversation then. I've never really payed attention to contracts and cap space and the payroll structure of the NBA until this year.....so I have much to learn, Salary Sifu! Let me bathe in your wellspring of knowledge...mmm, maybe that didnt come out right :o

Hey I didn't wake up one day and just know those things and I am no expert on the NBA salary cap, structure, or free agency. I just did the research, which took about 5-10 minutes (and included the links!)...something more people should do around here!

[mike88]

Great start for JJ and the magic in Game 5. They are playing aggressively and with energy, and knocking down open 3's. Celtics are hanging tough, though.

You can definitely see how JJ being in the game helps with spacing and ball movement. I think he is in a great place in Orlando and I hope re-signs this summer- playing with Dwight is great for him.

[BattierD12]

Magic Johnson just called JJ Redick his man.

Is there magic brewing in Orlando?

[BattierD12]

Also, Stuart Scott jus gave some Duke love surprisingly.

While showing a quick JJ Redick 3 highlight:
"Who won the championship this year? The Duke Blue Devils. What color are they? Blue. Where did JJ Redick go? Duke."

[muzikfrk75]

Also, Stuart Scott jus gave some Duke love surprisingly.

While showing a quick JJ Redick 3 highlight:
"Who won the championship this year? The Duke Blue Devils. What color are they? Blue. Where did JJ Redick go? Duke."


Did you hear the cheer that JJ received from the crowd when he went back in?

[Cockabeau]

Nelson is terrible PG.
neither nelson or Rashard ever pass to JJ....never.

[Rudy]

JJ's +/- midway in the third quarter is +9 tied with Howard for best on the Magic. Lewis is +8 but Carter is -1 (the only negative on the Magic while they're 10 points up). As a coach do you ride you poor performing high paid player out of the playoffs into the offseason?

[muzikfrk75]

Nelson is terrible PG.
neither nelson or Rashard ever pass to JJ....never.

Nelson doesn't pass to anyone...

[Nrrrrvous]

JJ's +/- midway in the third quarter is +9 tied with Howard for best on the Magic. Lewis is +8 but Carter is -1 (the only negative on the Magic while they're 10 points up). As a coach do you ride you poor performing high paid player out of the playoffs into the offseason?

How 'bout +18 for the game! Best on the team by 4.

[terrih]

Love JJ. Great to see him doing so well.

(Guess i can't edit my title, ESPN obviously!)

[whirlieduke4]

Love JJ. Great to see him doing so well.

(Guess i can't edit my title, ESPN obviously!)

Look at that muscle definition!

[Bluedevil114]

Oh no........Doc Rivers just mentioned that Big Baby is going to need to pass a test to play in the next game.

Do you think he will call Calipari to take the test for Big Baby??

[gumbomoop]

Mo switched to Magic on Monday in Boston, is rolling now, so Friday night in Boston should be fierce. Boston has to think either the refs or the Celts allowed the Magic to get away with stuff, while Celts got bad-called all night.

Will Celts be healthy enough - concussions, tired legs - to be fierce Friday? Maybe Shelden will rescue them...... Maybe some chippiness, with Shelden and JJ punching each other out....... Or Vince v. Rasheed....... Anyhow, I do not expect to see many smiles on the court. Ditto in LA tomorrow eve; it's all pretty serious now.

[SilkyJ]

Mo switched to Magic on Monday in Boston, is rolling now, so Friday night in Boston should be fierce. Boston has to think either the refs or the Celts allowed the Magic to get away with stuff, while Celts got bad-called all night.


I think the refs just stunk it up all game, both sides. Saw Gortat get called for 2 fouls in 2 minutes while trying to play the rick and roll on defense and he called for fouling the screener....didn't understand either one of those. Thought rashard lewis got hammered posting up all 4th quarter, but only one of those got called...i just watched and thought the refs stunk all game.

[Mcluhan]

One of the oddest games I've ever seen.

[Faison1]

Of all the NBA players Duke has in the league, JJ is the only one I really follow closely. He is a shining example of perserverance.....very proud of him. Nice blurb about JJ in game recap about hitting shots and crisp passing.

Hopefully he lands in a good situation after this season.......

[Bob Green]

Hopefully he lands in a good situation after this season.......

I'd like to see JJ stay in Orlando. The Magic should dump Vince Carter and sign JJ to a nice multiple year contract.

[theAlaskanBear]

Of all the NBA players Duke has in the league, JJ is the only one I really follow closely. He is a shining example of perserverance.....very proud of him. Nice blurb about JJ in game recap about hitting shots and crisp passing.

Hopefully he lands in a good situation after this season.......

If Redick can get a bigger role on THIS team next season...hard to imagine a better place for him. He knows the coach, the players, the system...they are playoff team.

For all the heat that SVG takes, he has a great record. In six seasons, he has been in an NBA final, two Conference Finals, and has never lost in the first round. He might even have a championship by now if Pat Riley wasn't the biggest ego-trip on the planet. (that said, things worked out, cause the Heat have fallen off and the Magic seem like they can contend for many years). 282-149 .654 playoffs 44-30 .595

[CrazieDUMB]

So, with Glen Davis possibly out with a concussion and Kendrick Perkins possibly facing a suspension for having 7 technicals in the playoffs (his two from last night are under automatic league review), the C's may have to go with... Shelden Williams!
Match that up with JJ, who has been playing some of the best ball on the Magic, we may have two Duke starters in game 6 of the ECF. Pretty cool.

As for JJ, I don't think much else can be said about the guy.

His averages against boston this series:


G MIN FGM-A FG% 3PM-A 3P% FTM-A FT% STL BLK TO OFF DEF TOT AST PTS
vs. BOS 5 26.8 3.0-6.6 .455 1.8-3.2 .563 4.2-4.4 .955 1.00 0.00 2.4 0.6 1.8 2.4 1.6 12.0

[flyingdutchdevil]

So, with Glen Davis possibly out with a concussion and Kendrick Perkins possibly facing a suspension for having 7 technicals in the playoffs (his two from last night are under automatic league review), the C's may have to go with... Shelden Williams!
Match that up with JJ, who has been playing some of the best ball on the Magic, we may have two Duke starters in game 6 of the ECF. Pretty cool.

As for JJ, I don't think much else can be said about the guy.

His averages against boston this series:


G MIN FGM-A FG% 3PM-A 3P% FTM-A FT% STL BLK TO OFF DEF TOT AST PTS
vs. BOS 5 26.8 3.0-6.6 .455 1.8-3.2 .563 4.2-4.4 .955 1.00 0.00 2.4 0.6 1.8 2.4 1.6 12.0

You forgot Wallace. If Perkins is out and Big Baby is gone, Wallace definitely starts. Plus, Wallace is "decent" at guarding Howard.

[gumbomoop]

I'd like to see JJ stay in Orlando. The Magic should dump Vince Carter and sign JJ to a nice multiple year contract.

Interesting decision for JJ. I have no idea what it would take to dump VC, but unless he helps demonstrably to get the Magic into the Finals, and then plays well there, I'd guess the Magic would like to dump $16M/yr VC. I think he has 3-4 years left on his contract (!), so JJ is surely interested in what the Magic have in mind for VC's future.

It's possible that JJ would be ok sharing time with VC for another year or two, now that it's clear that JJ's future with Magic would include more PT, and VC's less. If JJ was pretty sure he could get 25 mpg next year, and a bump up year following, it might be pretty hard to leave DH. Who knows what JJ thinks of SVG.

[_Gary]

If the league office doesn't rescind at least one of the two technicals on Perkins I'll know the fix is in. Those were some of the worst calls I've ever seen as far as playoff T's go. The stakes are way too high for officials to be calling those type of technicals. Both were ticky-tack and certainly hurt the Celtics, especially in light of the later concussion to Davis. Yes, there were bad calls all the way around, but those 2 technicals were much more egregious.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Interesting decision for JJ. I have no idea what it would take to dump VC, but unless he helps demonstrably to get the Magic into the Finals, and then plays well there, I'd guess the Magic would like to dump $16M/yr VC. I think he has 3-4 years left on his contract (!), so JJ is surely interested in what the Magic have in mind for VC's future.

It's possible that JJ would be ok sharing time with VC for another year or two, now that it's clear that JJ's future with Magic would include more PT, and VC's less. If JJ was pretty sure he could get 25 mpg next year, and a bump up year following, it might be pretty hard to leave DH. Who knows what JJ thinks of SVG.

Problem is that the Magic are insanely over the cap and it isn't going to change any time soon. Best option would be to package VC, Gortat, and possible that big guy from LSU for expiring contracts. That's the only way to afford JJ at more than $3m a year, which he will definitely be offered from other teams.

[theAlaskanBear]

So, with Glen Davis possibly out with a concussion and Kendrick Perkins possibly facing a suspension for having 7 technicals in the playoffs (his two from last night are under automatic league review), the C's may have to go with... Shelden Williams!
Match that up with JJ, who has been playing some of the best ball on the Magic, we may have two Duke starters in game 6 of the ECF. Pretty cool.




Sorry, but I don't think we will be seeing much of Shelden unless Wallace's back is serious. Mark my words: Kendrick Perkins WILL BE PLAYING the next game. The NBA is going to rescind at least one of those technicals, maybe even both! The refs were a little jumpy last night.

[gumbomoop]

Problem is that the Magic are insanely over the cap and it isn't going to change any time soon. Best option would be to package VC, Gortat, and possible that big guy from LSU for expiring contracts. That's the only way to afford JJ at more than $3m a year, which he will definitely be offered from other teams.

Thanks for info. I infer from this that it's unlikely Magic can afford JJ, unless they want him a whole lot and are willing to go through some fancy contract gyrations. I'd sure think you're right that JJ is going to want, and maybe get, a multi-yr deal for $5-7M/yr. Or is that figure only a figment of JJ's agent's imagination? Or mine?

[Duke of Nashville]

If Redick can get a bigger role on THIS team next season...hard to imagine a better place for him. He knows the coach, the players, the system...they are playoff team.

I agree I see JJ back in Orlando, but you know where I would love to see JJ go....The Phoenix Suns. I am not sure exactly who on the Suns has an expiring contract, or who he could even take the place of on the team. All I know is that JJ would be an awesome compliment to Nash, Amare, and Hill.

Everyone on the Suns team plays together and seem to understand synergy as it pertains to passing the ball. JJ's defense and his ability to create his own shot is what has him getting playing time right now in the ECF. The run and gun offense out west would definetly suit JJ well and the Suns defense is mediocre at best (whenever Amare wants to play it is what I mean) and could use a proven defender like JJ.

[theAlaskanBear]

Thanks for info. I infer from this that it's unlikely Magic can afford JJ, unless they want him a whole lot and are willing to go through some fancy contract gyrations. I'd sure think you're right that JJ is going to want, and maybe get, a multi-yr deal for $5-7M/yr. Or is that figure only a figment of JJ's agent's imagination? Or mine?

Gortat is probably the easiest contract to get rid of. And at this stage in his career, Vince will difficult to remove without having to really sweeten the pot. Pretty much the only huge misstep by GM Otis Smith in the last few years.

[Memphis Devil]

Magic Johnson just called JJ Redick his man.

Is there magic brewing in Orlando?

"My man, JJ Redick, is doing his thing!" Magic Johnson during the half time studio show.

Pretty nice stuff for JJ.

[Memphis Devil]

Gortat is probably the easiest contract to get rid of. And at this stage in his career, Vince will difficult to remove without having to really sweeten the pot. Pretty much the only huge misstep by GM Otis Smith in the last few years.

The Magic would be foolish to let Gortat go especially if they did it just to keep JJ. In my opinion, it is easier to find guys that can do what JJ does that to find guys that can do what Gortat does.

Don't get me wrong, though. I love JJ and want to see him flourish in the league. I also think that Orlando is the best place for him to continue his career. However, there are a few other places that I could see him doing well. The Suns are one and were already mentioned. I could aslo see him thriving in NY playing the wing alongside, say, Lebron. :rolleyes:

[theAlaskanBear]

The Magic would be foolish to let Gortat go especially if they did it just to keep JJ. In my opinion, it is easier to find guys that can do what JJ does that to find guys that can do what Gortat does.

Don't get me wrong, though. I love JJ and want to see him flourish in the league. I also think that Orlando is the best place for him to continue his career. However, there are a few other places that I could see him doing well. The Suns are one and were already mentioned. I could aslo see him thriving in NY playing the wing alongside, say, Lebron. :rolleyes:

I didn't say they should get rid of him...I said he would be the easiest to move (because of his value). ;)

[DevilHorns]

"My man, JJ Redick, is doing his thing!" Magic Johnson during the half time studio show.

Pretty nice stuff for JJ.

I wish some of the ESPN heads on Sportscenter would give him his due.... problem is you have Stu Scott and a bench of anti-Duke guys running the show...eh.

Have you guys noticed that they still haven't added Duke to their yearly championship reel? You see Bama, the Saints, the Yanks, Lakers, but yup...no Duke.

Waiting patiently.

[Duke of Nashville]

I wish some of the ESPN heads on Sportscenter would give him his due.... problem is you have Stu Scott and a bench of anti-Duke guys running the show...eh.

Have you guys noticed that they still haven't added Duke to their yearly championship reel? You see Bama, the Saints, the Yanks, Lakers, but yup...no Duke.

Waiting patiently.

Stu actually gave pretty big props to JJ and Duke University during halftime.

Somewhere along the lines of...Who won the College Basketball Championship this year? Duke..and where did JJ play his college ball? Duke...I'm just sayin'(and then Magic said) and you went to where Stu? UNC....it was actually a pretty cool move by Stu.

[roywhite]

Still a tough climb, but I'm beginning to believe the Magic can win the series. And the Suns, too.

[KShip21]

Don't get me wrong, though. I love JJ and want to see him flourish in the league. I also think that Orlando is the best place for him to continue his career. However, there are a few other places that I could see him doing well. The Suns are one and were already mentioned. I could aslo see him thriving in NY playing the wing alongside, say, Lebron. :rolleyes:

A couple more teams that would be a good fit for JJ are the Lakers and the Celtics. He would be great in the triangle offense (see Steve Kerr and just about any obscure Bull guard from the 90s.). And Boston, if Ray Allen leaves, JJ would be able to play almost an identical role to what Allen does in Boston. Move without the ball, get open off of screens, knock down shots, and get to the line.

[Duke of Nashville]

A couple more teams that would be a good fit for JJ are the Lakers and the Celtics. He would be great in the triangle offense (see Steve Kerr and just about any obscure Bull guard from the 90s.). And Boston, if Ray Allen leaves, JJ would be able to play almost an identical role to what Allen does in Boston. Move without the ball, get open off of screens, knock down shots, and get to the line.

Not to mention he has been trying out for this position for the past couple of series that they have played Boston.

[RPS]

"My man, JJ Redick, is doing his thing!" Magic Johnson during the half time studio show.

Pretty nice stuff for JJ.Indeed.

But how far has Shelden fallen that, even with Boston big men falling like flies, he couldn't get any meaningful minutes?

[Duke of Nashville]

Indeed.

But how far has Shelden fallen that, even with Boston big men falling like flies, he couldn't get any meaningful minutes?

Atleast he is on the 12 man dressing roster. Cough Scalabrine Cough

[-bdbd]

So, with Glen Davis possibly out with a concussion and Kendrick Perkins possibly facing a suspension for having 7 technicals in the playoffs (his two from last night are under automatic league review), the C's may have to go with... Shelden Williams!
Match that up with JJ, who has been playing some of the best ball on the Magic, we may have two Duke starters in game 6 of the ECF. Pretty cool.

As for JJ, I don't think much else can be said about the guy.

His averages against boston this series:


G MIN FGM-A FG% 3PM-A 3P% FTM-A FT% STL BLK TO OFF DEF TOT AST PTS
vs. BOS 5 26.8 3.0-6.6 .455 1.8-3.2 .563 4.2-4.4 .955 1.00 0.00 2.4 0.6 1.8 2.4 1.6 12.0

This is really funny, b/c you NEVER WOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT JJ's SUPERB GAME LAST NIGHT FROM WATCHING ESPN'S (Stew Scott's) GAME RECAP/HIGHLIGHTS SOON AFTER THE GAME. I only tuned in toward the game's end, but I kid you not, in what was about a 4 minute recap of the game, showing probably 25+ highlights/plays, he/they didn't show JJ even once. But of course old 'heel standard-bearer Rasheed Wallace - he of the NBA-record Technicals seasons - got maybe a half-dozen highlight clips. It wasn't until the OTHER announcers got involved did Carter's horrible performance(s) get discussed. Even with the recap focusing on Orlsando's "incredibly hot outside shooting" they show most of the team's 3 point buckets in rapid fire fashion...seemed like every one of the...except JJ's.

This guy is just a total hack. Call it Kerlina-lense journalism, but Scott just can't say anything nice about Duke players, certainly not where any discretion is involved. I was hoping he'd gotten over this unprofessional behavior in the wake of his abominal LAX scandal "hang them, then try them" reporting and series of stories promoting the "Duke gets all the calls" theme. But obviously not.

Not having seen the game, you honestly wouldn't even know JJ had played - even their little mini-box score they flash up at the end of the highlights showing the stats for the top 4-5 players for each team excluded JJ (who had the third most points on the ORL squad) and top +/- ....

Sigh....

[DevilHorns]

Stu actually gave pretty big props to JJ and Duke University during halftime.

Somewhere along the lines of...Who won the College Basketball Championship this year? Duke..and where did JJ play his college ball? Duke...I'm just sayin'(and then Magic said) and you went to where Stu? UNC....it was actually a pretty cool move by Stu.

I did not catch that. Props to Stu for stepping up and acknowledging greatness :D.

[DukieInBrasil]

I did not catch that. Props to Stu for stepping up and acknowledging greatness :D.

But anti-props for not recognizing that JJ is totally outplaying Vince. VC is a drag on his team right now. Despite earning a huge salary for "being a playmaker", SVG should bench Vince more often and give that time to JJ, who is actually making plays, by which I mean putting the ball through the rim.

[UrinalCake]

Best option would be to package VC, Gortat, and possible that big guy from LSU for expiring contracts.

I don't quite understand how this works... how can you trade for an "expiring contract" at this point in the season? Wouldn't a guy with an expiring contract essentially be a free agent, since the season will be over? Unless you mean a guy with a contract that expires in 2011, which doesn't help in terms of signing Redick.

I think playing behind Carter is actually not a bad situation. I don't see Redick being a starter realistically, and since Carter's minutes are only going to be decreasing, playing behind him means there are minutes to be had. If he were in LA playing behind Kobe he'd hardly ever see the floor.

[ElSid]

Redick is getting plenty of minutes the last couple games (victories, not coincidentally). And he's getting the most meaningful minutes, coming in at the 4-6 minute mark of the 3rd quarter and playing most of the 4th quarter. Playing most of the 2nd quarter.

He played a long stretch in the first half and appeared to get pretty tired. So, I think he's being appreciated more and more and getting more and more minutes. It's hard to argue that Vince shouldn't get any minutes. He made a few buckets in the first half to build momentum, but continued to play defense like a somnambulist.

As for ESPN. I've commented on the fact that the UConn women's team is in the pre-SportsCenter highlight reel, but not Duke, several times. I honestly think ESPN is run by a UNC alum. I think Bill Simmons even said this on his Podcast when JJ was on it. I can't find anything that confirms this. I'm not sure how much Stuart Scott has on the clips they choose. But either way. He's a hack. I didn't like him even before I knew he was a UNC guy.

[toooskies]

Media bias for UNC only makes sense, given that they have a respectable journalism school and Duke doesn't. I wouldn't expect any fairer judgment from UNC alums than people here review Scott's abilities as a broadcaster. There's really no point in pointing out how much he's a "hack" given the rest of, well, the media as a whole. People like listening to hacks that agree with them, for the most part.

As for JJ-- there's one single reason that he's not the starter, and it completely has to do with the money. Not because they feel the money needs to play-- it's because that if he quits on them like he has previous teams, they're suddenly losing 50 million dollars. Either Van Gundy needs to convince VC to be a role player, or VC will get as much playing time as it takes to prove his contract is a sunk investment. Honestly, they're doing the best they can-- the only solution to the problem is to not sign a quitter to a big contract in the first place.

In free agency, JJ will almost certainly sign with a contender, but he'll also want PT. I don't see Phoenix as a destination because Richardson has the spot nailed down. In that sense, like a lot of free agents, it'll be hard to see exactly where he fits until the dust settles.

[DevilHorns]

Media bias for UNC only makes sense, given that they have a respectable journalism school and Duke doesn't. I wouldn't expect any fairer judgment from UNC alums than people here review Scott's abilities as a broadcaster. There's really no point in pointing out how much he's a "hack" given the rest of, well, the media as a whole. People like listening to hacks that agree with them, for the most part.

As for JJ-- there's one single reason that he's not the starter, and it completely has to do with the money. Not because they feel the money needs to play-- it's because that if he quits on them like he has previous teams, they're suddenly losing 50 million dollars. Either Van Gundy needs to convince VC to be a role player, or VC will get as much playing time as it takes to prove his contract is a sunk investment. Honestly, they're doing the best they can-- the only solution to the problem is to not sign a quitter to a big contract in the first place.

In free agency, JJ will almost certainly sign with a contender, but he'll also want PT. I don't see Phoenix as a destination because Richardson has the spot nailed down. In that sense, like a lot of free agents, it'll be hard to see exactly where he fits until the dust settles.

Few things:

There is a general pro-UNC bias in the sports media. I don't think that is due to your claim that UNC puts out respectable broadcasters and Duke doesn't. There aren't that many broadcasters in general and at least half of them are ex-pro players for the sport they comment on. I believe the bias is due to the fact that UNC is a state school, UNC had Jordan, and UNC has an incredible following (though I wouldn't say faithful following looking at the emptiness of the Dean Dome last year, haha). Still can't believe we aren't on the championship reel yet, sigh.

Second thing, I'm almost certain you meant to refer to VC as "he." That makes sense, since he is better at quiting than at basketball.

[David]

JJ has (by far) the best +/- of any Magic player for the series against the Celtics. No wonder he got such a nice ovation from the home crowd last night when he entered the game. I hope he and the Magic can keep this up. I would love to see them take this series.

[SilkyJ]

JJ has (by far) the best +/- of any Magic player for the series against the Celtics.

Did you read this somewhere? See a stat sheet or something?

I believe you (and its hard not to the way JJ has played) we just love stats round these parts and too often people state something on here like they are sure of it and turn out to be wrong. Links are a beautiful thing!

[Greg_Newton]

JJ has (by far) the best +/- of any Magic player for the series against the Celtics. No wonder he got such a nice ovation from the home crowd last night when he entered the game. I hope he and the Magic can keep this up. I would love to see them take this series.

This is the only thing I wish ESPN would talk about, because it's a staggering number by now - something like +50 for the series, maybe more. (<-- check that... he's +38)

But JJ has been getting enormous props from all of the in-game commentators and Magic Johnson, along with good comments from Jon Barry and yes, even Stuart Scott. I remember one moment in particular last night when they were showing a slow-mo replay of JJ triumphantly running back downcourt after nailing a three, fist held high, as Jackson voiced over "That's playing with pure passion... pure energy." or something to that effect.

Heck, he's become as much of a media darling in this series as anyone... let's not forget, he IS only scoring 12 ppg (and many off FTs), so you're not going to see him in too many highlights.

(ETA: I just added JJ's +/-'s for the series from the ESPN box scores, and he came out to +38, which looked to be by far the best for the Magic. Pretty astounding, considering Orlando is at -5 as team for the series.)

[Duke of Nashville]

Did you read this somewhere? See a stat sheet or something?

I believe you (and its hard not to the way JJ has played) we just love stats round these parts and too often people state something on here like they are sure of it and turn out to be wrong. Links are a beautiful thing!

Scroll to the bottom +18 (http://www.nba.com/statistics/plusminus/plusminus.jsp)

[Bob Green]

JJ has (by far) the best +/- of any Magic player for the series against the Celtics. No wonder he got such a nice ovation from the home crowd last night when he entered the game. I hope he and the Magic can keep this up. I would love to see them take this series.


Did you read this somewhere? See a stat sheet or something?

Perusing the Box Scores at ESPN, I see JJ led the Magic in +/- in three out of five games and was second in the fourth and tied for second in the fifth:

Game 1: +5
Game 2: +5 (led team)
Game 3: -4
Game 4: +14 (led team)
Game 5: +18 (led team)

JJ is +38 over the five games and appears to have the best +/- on the team.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=orl

[Rudy]

Did you read this somewhere? See a stat sheet or something?

I believe you (and its hard not to the way JJ has played) we just love stats round these parts and too often people state something on here like they are sure of it and turn out to be wrong. Links are a beautiful thing!

Espn has +/- in the box scores for each game. Net cumulative totals follow for: JJ +38 , Lewis -2, and Carter -15. The link below is to game 2; you have to pull up each game and do the math.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/scoreboard?date=20100518

[beat me to it, Bob]

[David]

Bob and Rudy already provided the data, but here is a great quote from ESPN Stats and Information PRIOR to game 5 (taken from http://www.magicbasketball.net/):


In his 33 minutes off the bench in Game 4, J.J. Redick was a game-high +14 in the plus/minus. Redick’s plus/minus of +20 for the series is by far the highest for any [Orlando] Magic player – no one else has even a positive rating.

Orlando is outscoring opponents by 8.6 points per 48 minutes with Redick on the floor this series (+20 in 112 minutes), compared to getting outscored by a staggering 26.0 points per 48 minutes (-46 in 85 minutes) with him off the court.

As noted by Bob, JJ led the team in +/- for game 5 as well.

[-bdbd]

Media bias for UNC only makes sense, given that they have a respectable journalism school and Duke doesn't. I wouldn't expect any fairer judgment from UNC alums than people here review Scott's abilities as a broadcaster. There's really no point in pointing out how much he's a "hack" given the rest of, well, the media as a whole. People like listening to hacks that agree with them, for the most part.

As for JJ-- there's one single reason that he's not the starter, and it completely has to do with the money. Not because they feel the money needs to play-- it's because that if he quits on them like he has previous teams, they're suddenly losing 50 million dollars. Either Van Gundy needs to convince VC to be a role player, or VC will get as much playing time as it takes to prove his contract is a sunk investment. Honestly, they're doing the best they can-- the only solution to the problem is to not sign a quitter to a big contract in the first place.


Gotta disagree a little. I come from the old-school journalism model, where reporters accurately report the facts and then people form opinions, etc. based on that accurate, trusted reporting. I am ok with opinion-writers (think Doyle) and some commentators (think Gottleib) spewing their anti-Duke/anti-K drivvle - that is their right (call it "truth in advertising as the audience knows what they are getting with those guys) - but Stu, who portrays himself as a REPORTER doesn't get that leeway. Whether politics or sports or other, I expect the facts to be reported to me accurately, w/o an agenda driving how they get reported, so that I can form my own opinion. That someone went to a particualr Journalism school is no excuse - other reporters are able to suppress/hide their personal views, or at least they try. But that clearly isn't the case here. In this case it isn't fair to JJ.

Per my earlier post, I view it as simply unprofessional.

As to the other point, no doubt this is true -- JJ's non-starter status is driven by money as much as anything. He at least has the right mindset to come off the bench and contribute all-out. It is a shame VC isn't the same -- he truly had so much potential. Kinda funny that that the two 'heels in this series are both of poor mindsets - VC and 'sheed. Maybe Stu will report on that.... :D

[mike88]

I think the Magic are better off keeping both JJ and Vince. While no one can argue that Vince has played well this series, he was pretty good in the second half of the regular season, and I think he is learning (slowly) about what he needs to do to be a complementary player on a great team (as opposed to the top player on a bad team). His contract situation is not actually that bad (and is part of the reason Otis traded for him rather than re-signing a declining Turkoglu for 5 years)- he is due $17M next year, then the Magic have a team option for 2011-12 where they can have him walk for $4M or pay him $18M.

In some ways, JJ is ideally suited to play with Vince. They have different strengths and weaknesses, so they make a good tandem. Vince is going to play fewer minutes, letting JJ play more. They even play pretty well together when the Magic go small. Matt Barnes is a free agent, so we may see Vince, JJ, and Pietrus sharing the 2/3 next year.

[AZLA]

Gotta disagree a little. I come from the old-school journalism model, where reporters accurately report the facts and then people form opinions, etc. based on that accurate, trusted reporting. I am ok with opinion-writers (think Doyle) and some commentators (think Gottleib) spewing their anti-Duke/anti-K drivvle - that is their right (call it "truth in advertising as the audience knows what they are getting with those guys) - but Stu, who portrays himself as a REPORTER doesn't get that leeway.



I am ok with opinion-writers (think Doyle) and some commentators (think Gottleib) spewing their anti-Duke/anti-K drivvle - that is their right (call it "truth in advertising as the audience knows what they are getting with those guys) - but Stu, who portrays himself as a REPORTER doesn't get that leeway. Whether politics or sports or other, I expect the facts to be reported to me accurately, w/o an agenda driving how they get reported, so that I can form my own opinion.

What's interesting is to compare Stu to Bilas, whom I think represents your point of view regarding "old school" approach to journalism. Bilas does his homework and fully embraces the meaning of professionalism, sometimes to the point that there's been some Duke fans who believe he's over compensating. Now, I realize this may be comparing apples to oranges since Bilas and Stu have different roles; however, Bilas demonstrates some serious research and a strong work ethic to balance his reports, game calling or opinion segments. And I hardly hear him mentioning his time at Duke unless Vital or Digger brings it up, or if he's trying to impart his knowledge about his player experience being on the court or Coach K's leadership. Whereas, Stu brings probably the same strong work ethic, but perhaps more in trying to coin pithy catchphrases. I miss the days of Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann anchoring SC. They set the tone for what SportCenter is today, mixing sports reporting with entertaining commentary, but I don't recall them wearing their school emblems on their sleeves. Maybe it's because the tried not to take things too seriously or had more professional maturity than to constantly remind everyone what schools they went to.

Back to JJ.

I think he needs to bring a bullhorn into the game and yell, "I'm open, pass me the rock -- I swear I'll make the shot!"

Standing wide open, looking directly into the eyes of the heavily guarded ball handler and clapping his hands seems to be ineffective to induce a pass to him.

It's apparent to any average Magic fan he needs more touches simply because he is bringing much needed energy, a winner's attitude into the game and an outstanding +/- ratio.

Perhaps that's why the keep applauding him so much in the game.

[NM Duke Fan]

Doyle has written a JJ article:

"Do you have any idea how much this means to me? More than you know. More than I thought I knew. Watching him in the Eastern Conference finals for Orlando -- watching him be the Magic's most consistent performer; not their best player, but their most consistent one -- has put me in a great mood. Look at me. I'm gushing right now."

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/13448672/magic-sparkplug-redick-provides-relief-hes-better-than-bad?tag=headlines;other

[moonpie23]

I come from the old-school journalism model, where reporters accurately report the facts and then people form opinions, etc. based on that accurate, trusted reporting.

i'm afraid that ship has sailed my friend....the internet age of blogs and instant publishing has made "true journalism" an ancient art...


how would you reconcile the the National Inquirer being in the conversation for a pulitzer?


wikipedia? please....

[njpduke]

But JJ has been getting enormous props from all of the in-game commentators and Magic Johnson...

I think Magic's always had a soft spot for JJ. When I was a freshman, Magic came to a game in Cameron against Maryland and was rooting for JJ the whole time. There's actually a vid of this game on YouTube. Check out JJ's shot at 2:25 and Magic's reaction at 2:45... :cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM4KRLeRjTc

Edit: Also a great interview at 3:40.

[LSanders]

That was a nice clip ... Thanks!!

JJ was such a pleasure to watch. Since he's finally being appreciated, I hope his confidence will arise to the level he experienced at Duke. I would love to see the return of THAT JJ in the League.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Only been a fan since 2003, so I never got to see Battier, JWill, GHill, Laettner, etc., but JJ is my favorite player. The way he carried himself, coupled with his development from freshman to senior, is incredible. I know that Scheyer and others really improved from years 1-4, but JJ took it to a whole new level. His conditioning, his 110% (cliched, I know. But it's true!) - unparalleled.

JJ single-handedly turned me from a 'I like Duke basketball' fan to a 'I love it so much that I spend part of the off-season on DBR' fan.

God I love that guy. I am so happy that he's playing well in the NBA now. He'll never be a superstar, but he is a great role player and a great teammate.

Go JJ!

[duke4life32182]

I think JJ could be a star, if giving a chance. I think he could put up 15-20 ppg and 5-7 apg. His energy is well beyond what anyone else can handle. He just doesn't get the chances that others get. By far my favorite Duke player, and I was hurt when he didn't win the national championship he so much deserved to win. He has gotten better each of the last two years and I look foward to next season b/c I think his numbers will go up even more than this years. If I'm right he is a FA after the year. Will be interesting as to where he signs. GO JJ, GO DUKE!

[DevilHorns]

Pretty cool link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeecfbJIQFw

[JasonEvans]

Yahoo's NBA blogger at Ball Don't Lie has jumped on the bandwaggon, writing his own endorsement (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Endorsing-J-J-Redick;_ylt=AsY27Vc9htPW_0UIYaxT65i8vLYF?urn=nba,2 44179) of the greatness that is JJ. He seems to have watched a pretty fair amount of JJ's play in the NBA.


I can't recall another NBA player who just misses out as much as Redick. Nearly misses assists (the teammate misses the shot), and nearly misses buckets (good form, good stroke, good look ... in and out).

He's not some per-minute wonder, built up on offensive rebounds and tip-dunks over bench types while averaging 6.7 fouls per 36 minutes. He's a legitimate contributor that plays more efficiently the more he's allowed to run the floor and lose the fear of falling short. Because Stan Van Gundy is in this guy's head, and J.J.'s the only player on this team that works this into a bad thing. SVG helps, for everyone but Redick.


--Jason "I think JJ is gonna make pretty big bucks this summer -- someplace other than Orlando" Evans

[moonpie23]

JJ is gonna get paid this year.....

[moonpie23]

Pretty cool link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeecfbJIQFw



ha...."the world record is something, like, DO-ABLE"..


jj

[DevilHorns]

ha...."the world record is something, like, DO-ABLE"..


jj

"nah lil mama imma give to ya fo free!!!" - JJ quoting Rashard Lewis

[HCheek37]

Just a note for the series...

JJ Redick - 60 pts in 133 minutes = .45 pts / min
Ray Allen - 74 pts in 203 minutes = .36 pts / min

pretty impressive stuff...hopefully the magic can get it done tonight

[rsvman]

Just a note for the series...

JJ Redick - 60 pts in 133 minutes = .45 pts / min
Ray Allen - 74 pts in 203 minutes = .36 pts / min

pretty impressive stuff...hopefully the magic can get it done tonight

Could be wrong, but I don't think they play until tomorrow.

[moonpie23]

i've got an intern that has been talking SOOOOO much boston smack it's comical..

i told him that if boston lost this series that he should wear a saddle to work the next day...



cause i'm gonna ride him like a rented donkey...

[SilkyJ]

i've got an intern that has been talking SOOOOO much boston smack it's comical..

i told him that if boston lost this series that he should wear a saddle to work the next day...



cause i'm gonna ride him like a rented donkey...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

You're approaching this the wrong way though. You don't tell interns what they SHOULD do. You tell them what they're GOING to do. I smell a friendly wager...

[SilkyJ]

I think Magic's always had a soft spot for JJ. When I was a freshman, Magic came to a game in Cameron against Maryland and was rooting for JJ the whole time. There's actually a vid of this game on YouTube. Check out JJ's shot at 2:25 and Magic's reaction at 2:45... :cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM4KRLeRjTc

Edit: Also a great interview at 3:40.

Much more importantly, check out our very own MulletMan during the interview at 3:53!

[Acymetric]

Could be wrong, but I don't think they play until tomorrow.

Nope, its today...go Magic!

[BattierD12]

The ESPN Daily Dime live blog is currently featuring a columnist with the Orlando Magic. He's been talking to Otis Smith and others in the Magic organization about JJ as a restricted free agent this summer. He asked how high it was to resign him, which was responded with "very high".

With VC getting old and with only one more year left on his contract, I think this is a good sign JJ will soon become a starter for the Magic, if not next year, then definitely the year after.

[SilkyJ]

The ESPN Daily Dime live blog is currently featuring a columnist with the Orlando Magic. He's been talking to Otis Smith and others in the Magic organization about JJ as a restricted free agent this summer. He asked how high it was to resign him, which was responded with "very high".


We'll see if it happens. Its looking more and more like its really going to cost them to do so.

[moonpie23]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

You're approaching this the wrong way though. You don't tell interns what they SHOULD do. You tell them what they're GOING to do. I smell a friendly wager...

i just said the saddle was optional.....makes no difference to me....

[Bluedevil114]

If JJ is the better defender, scores more points and dishes more assists then why does he not start over Vince Carter? Oh he does not make as much money as Vince..........I guess that is how you decide who starts????

Play your best five.

[Acymetric]

If JJ is the better defender, scores more points and dishes more assists then why does he not start over Vince Carter? Oh he does not make as much money as Vince..........I guess that is how you decide who starts????

Play your best five.

The NBA is a business...its not all about winning no matter what anybody says.

[BattierD12]

Well, sadly JJ and the Magic's road to the championship is officially over. JJ had a tough outing for most of the game, and VC finally played a decent game, but to no avail.

Off topic, but a friend and I were talkin about what the Magic need to do this summer. All of a sudden the name Dirk Nowitzki popped out. The latest I heard was that he was considering leaving Dallas to go to a proven championship contender. Anyone savvy with NBA contract/economics to know if this can be possible? Dirk is one of the best stretch 4s in the league, and SVG loves that in his forwards. This would move Rashard to his more natural 3 position, giving magic a really good SF (Barnes and Pietrus are good, but not great). A starting lineup with those three (wow at the size), Jameer, and VC (for one more year), with JJ as the sixth man would be quite the dominating team.

[HopJokey]

Well, sadly JJ and the Magic's road to the championship is officially over. JJ had a tough outing for most of the game, and VC finally played a decent game, but to no avail.

Off topic, but a friend and I were talkin about what the Magic need to do this summer. All of a sudden the name Dirk Nowitzki popped out. The latest I heard was that he was considering leaving Dallas to go to a proven championship contender. Anyone savvy with NBA contract/economics to know if this can be possible? Dirk is one of the best stretch 4s in the league, and SVG loves that in his forwards. This would move Rashard to his more natural 3 position, giving magic a really good SF (Barnes and Pietrus are good, but not great). A starting lineup with those three (wow at the size), Jameer, and VC (for one more year), with JJ as the sixth man would be quite the dominating team.

If they could somehow dump Rashard Lewis' massive contract. Or if they didn't match Gortat's offer last year. It's not possible otherwise.

[Big Pappa]

If JJ is the better defender, scores more points and dishes more assists then why does he not start over Vince Carter? Oh he does not make as much money as Vince..........I guess that is how you decide who starts????

Play your best five.

I agree JJ should be playing more, but he is obviously not better than VC. JJ can't isolate and score like VC. He may play better defense (because he moves his feet) and shoot just as well, but he just isn't better.

[gumbomoop]

I agree JJ should be playing more, but he is obviously not better than VC. JJ can't isolate and score like VC. He may play better defense (because he moves his feet) and shoot just as well, but he just isn't better.

Ok, now let me challenge this, in a friendly [enough] way.

You agree that JJ should be playing more. If he plays more than he played in the Celtics series, he's either going to be on the court with VC for a bit, or his minutes will exceed VC's. It's surely reasonable to assume that if JJ stays with Magic, his minutes will increase.

True, that alone doesn't make him better than VC. But you do acknowledge that he's better than VC on D. It seems clear that JJ's D is now seen as surprisingly competent, at times competent +.

I think I'll dissent, too, from your comment that JJ shoots "just as well" as VC. If "shoots" means out on the floor, I'd sure prefer JJ's shooting from most spots.

VC can, yes, still occasionally take over a game for a quarter. So does "better" reduce to athleticism, which would include isolation, driving ability, dunkability, flashability? For if JJ is better defender, better shooter, and deserves more minutes [some, at least, at VC's expense], what does better mean?

I've no idea whether we'll have an opportunity to assess the relative merits of JJ's and VC's games next season on the Magic, for JJ's intermediate-term future is at this date not certain. But if Magic re-sign him, I'd bet JJ's minutes go up, VC's down a little.

So, as to who's the "better" player, I'm inclined to think, overall skills-wise, it's VC, but only barely, these days. Barely. But as to overall effectiveness, JJ has edge: energy, game-flow, shooting, post-passing, game-smarts, defending. I tend to side with effectiveness rather than skills. JJ's on upswing effectiveness-wise, and VC's on downswing, skills-wise.

What constitutes "better"?

[nmduke2001]

Well, sadly JJ and the Magic's road to the championship is officially over. JJ had a tough outing for most of the game, and VC finally played a decent game, but to no avail.

Off topic, but a friend and I were talkin about what the Magic need to do this summer. All of a sudden the name Dirk Nowitzki popped out. The latest I heard was that he was considering leaving Dallas to go to a proven championship contender. Anyone savvy with NBA contract/economics to know if this can be possible? Dirk is one of the best stretch 4s in the league, and SVG loves that in his forwards. This would move Rashard to his more natural 3 position, giving magic a really good SF (Barnes and Pietrus are good, but not great). A starting lineup with those three (wow at the size), Jameer, and VC (for one more year), with JJ as the sixth man would be quite the dominating team.

I would be really surprised if the Magic were able to re-sign JJ. The Magic don’t have much cap space and need to sign a backup point guard for next season. It’s doubtful that they will be able to match an offer from another team.

http://www.shamsports.com/content/pages/data/salaries/magic.jsp

Personally, I’d love to see Phoenix let Stoudemire walk and use their cap space to sign Nowitzki and Redick.

[Big Pappa]

Nice interview with Otis Smith (the owner of the Magic) from the Orlando Sentinel about the team and potential off season moves:

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_magic/2010/06/offseason-qa-with-magic-general-manager-otis-smith.html

Quite a few things about JJ, but here is one really good quote about JJ from Smith after being asked what he foresaw with JJ this summer, "I don’t know. He’s a restricted free agent, we’ll let the market play and see where we go from there. Do I like everything [he’s done]? Yes, and then some. Would we like to retain him? Yes, we would."

[Greg_Newton]

Wow, JJ getting a lot of love on PTI's rundown. Korny talking about how good he has become and that he should leave for another team that wants him, and Wilbon concurs with a "If I'm one of these big superstars, I want to play with a shooter!"

How cool would that be if a team brought Redick in along with one/two of the big guns because they want to play with him? I don't really see Orlando letting him go, but it's a fun thought.

[David]

Bill Simmons, ESPN's Sports Guy, is predicting the Celtics will make a run at JJ with their full midlevel exception (5 yrs, $33 million) as a possible replacement for Ray Allen. See:

http://twitter.com/SportsGuy33

This could reunite JJ and Shelden - good times!

[Billy Dat]

Bill Simmons, ESPN's Sports Guy, is predicting the Celtics will make a run at JJ with their full midlevel exception (5 yrs, $33 million) as a possible replacement for Ray Allen. See:

http://twitter.com/SportsGuy33

This could reunite JJ and Shelden - good times!

Maybe they'll actually talk to each other this time around:
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2010/05/29/duke_the_only_bond_for_celtics_williams_magics_red ick/

[mgtr]

Wow, that is quite a change from the view of many on this board several years ago that JJ would never be much more than a bench-warmer in the NBA. Shows how hard he has worked and how much he has improved himself. When you watch him play, it is clear how much basketball smarts he has as well.

[oldnavy]

Wow, that is quite a change from the view of many on this board several years ago that JJ would never be much more than a bench-warmer in the NBA. Shows how hard he has worked and how much he has improved himself. When you watch him play, it is clear how much basketball smarts he has as well.

JJ is like the only Duke player that I have even remotely followed in the NBA, and that basically means I watched parts of a couple of games and most of one game. Anyway, just with that little observation I could see that he is tremendously improved as a player. He may not be a game changer everytime out, but he can make an impact in just about every game. That and his hustle on defense was really impressive.

[Orange&BlackSheep]

If JJ could end up playing with people that decided they wanted to help him get shots ... look out.

[mapei]

Maybe they'll actually talk to each other this time around:
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2010/05/29/duke_the_only_bond_for_celtics_williams_magics_red ick/

Wow, that sounds a bit frosty, no? I had no idea.

And BTW, JJ is one of my favorite Duke players ever, but replacing Ray Allen? In the sense that Cherokee Parks replaced Christian Laettner, maybe.

[gep]

Maybe they'll actually talk to each other this time around:
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2010/05/29/duke_the_only_bond_for_celtics_williams_magics_red ick/

This is interesting to me... I thought that most Duke players continue to contact each other after they leave... and while at Duke, I don't recall hearing about such "not really talking to each other" stuff. And, I thought I've seen pictures of JJ and Shel back at Duke at the same time at camps, etc. I just assumed they got along more than the article says.

Then, with all the talk about this year's Duke NC team chemistry, closeness, etc... I wonder if any of that stuff with JJ and Shel had any effect while they played together :rolleyes:

[Bluedog]

By the way, supposedly JJ got married today (Saturday). Congrats!

At least, I think it was today...

[Richard Berg]

...and the fairer half of the Blue Devil nation breathes a collective sigh.

[PumpkinFunk]

Wow, that sounds a bit frosty, no? I had no idea.

And BTW, JJ is one of my favorite Duke players ever, but replacing Ray Allen? In the sense that Cherokee Parks replaced Christian Laettner, maybe.

I think the idea is that their games these days are similar, not that historically, they are. He'll never be a top 100 player of all time, even, but JJ's game these days is so similar to Ray Ray's that he'd be a good shooting guard for that Celtics team and their system.

[Big Pappa]

Wow, that sounds a bit frosty, no? I had no idea.

And BTW, JJ is one of my favorite Duke players ever, but replacing Ray Allen? In the sense that Cherokee Parks replaced Christian Laettner, maybe.

Replacing Ray Allen of the Bucks and Sonics, not likely. Ray Allen of the Celts, a good possibility. Here are Ray's final numbers from this past year with the Celts:

MPG - 35.2, FG% - .477, 3Pt% - .363 (3rd lowest of career), RPG - 3.2 (lowest of career), APG - 2.6 (lowest of career), SPG - .8 (lowest of career), PPG - 16.3 (second lowest of career, lowest came in his rookie year).

With that many minutes, JJ can put up better numbers than that and can play better defense that Ray ever played.

[hq2]

I could see J.J. in Boston. He would definitely fit in Ray's spot in the offense. I don't think there would be that much difference between the two at this point, given Ray's (inevitable) decline curve. The C's have some money to get him, given that a large number of their players are free agents. Don't know how big Danny Ainge is on him, though. We'll see.

[NSDukeFan]

Replacing Ray Allen of the Bucks and Sonics, not likely. Ray Allen of the Celts, a good possibility. Here are Ray's final numbers from this past year with the Celts:

MPG - 35.2, FG% - .477, 3Pt% - .363 (3rd lowest of career), RPG - 3.2 (lowest of career), APG - 2.6 (lowest of career), SPG - .8 (lowest of career), PPG - 16.3 (second lowest of career, lowest came in his rookie year).

With that many minutes, JJ can put up better numbers than that and can play better defense that Ray ever played.

I agree that current JJ may be a reasonable replacement for current Ray Allen, but in Ray's defense (pun not intended, but now I am embracing it), I thought he did a very solid job on Kobe in the Finals.

[DevilWearsPrada]

JJ got married this past Saturday, as I read it online. Chris Collins was in the wedding, according to the article. Congratulations to JJ and Chelsea. Hopefully, he will stay in Orlando, as he wants to!!!

[DevilWearsPrada]

Chelsea Kilgore | Facebook



Go to Chelsea's facebook and see wedding picture!!

[-bdbd]

CNN/SI lists JJ as the 20th best Free Agent available this summer. I hope he finds the right mix. Seems to be more likely to be away from ORL...

Boozer looks to be hitting the jackpot soon as part of the second tier of FA, "...would be a good fallback for one of those teams that misses on the top players" (Bosch, James, etc). They rank him about 7th among the FA's and seem to doubt Utah will spend enough to keep him. They seem to think Chicago is a possibility.

Ray Felton seems likely to leave Charlotte, and they rank him around 16th or so.

[AZLA]

If JJ can land a real team that runs plays for him and gives him the green light, he will be a significant offensive force. It's the NBA -- they don't play defense until playoffs -- and c'mon, he was NPOY with some serious talent. If he gets a chance to light it up, he will spread the floor and open up the post offense. He had to overcome a lot of negative challenges from his own coach and team. E.g., he can't play D. He's one dimensional. Whatever, everyone of his detractors had something personal towards him. Meanwhile he's kept a level head. Worked his butt off -- and proven in the playoffs he's a quality offensive player and a solid defender when needed against smaller shooting guards. I'm so tired of watching his potential waste away on the bench in previous years (not this year) and I hope for his sake he gets out of mediocre-ville Orlando.