Thoughts on the new guys so far?

[AtTheDriveIn]

It's been 13 games, which means we can roughly evalute the contributions of the new players the Magic added over the summer. Here's what I think of the new guys. Feel free to add your own comments, too:

 

Jason Williams

 

I'll be the first to admit that I didn't think he would even play. I even wrote it in one of my articles. I didn't feel he was good enough anymore to be a major contributor but he's proven me wrong. He still protects the ball reall well and is more substance than flash now with his passing skill. He distributes the ball really well and although his shot isn't falling, his shooting isn't as ugly as I thought it would be either. With Anthony Johnson not being able to step up the way I thought he would after being relegated to the doghouse, I am in a way glad that we picked up Williams, even if there were other point guards available.

 

Matt Barnes

 

Atroscious shooting, but after that 2006 season in Golden State, his shooting has been less than average. He's shooting 18% from the three point line. Not something I expected from a guy who was brought in to be an extra shooter. On the defensive side of the game though, I'm impressed. He hustles, he's a pest, he rebounds and he hustles some more. It's exactly what I expected to see from him. Now if only his shots start falling, I'd be really happy with his signing.

 

Ryan Anderson

 

It's not surprise that when Lewis came back his minutes went from ~25+ minutes a game down to as low as 15 today versus the Celtics. Although I'm impressed with the shooting (he reminds me of Matt Bonner in the way he presents himself on the court), his penetration and the awkwardness of watching him penetrate is just ugly. He dribbled high, doesn't account for the ball and just looks clumsy. But he's a hell of a shooter. All the other things, I hope, will come with time. For now, I think his best bet is to sit and learn of Rashard and focus a little on some of his fundamental skill like handling the ball, fluidity in movement etc.

 

Brandon Bass

 

Less than inspiring. I though we were going to get an energy guy here. What we got was a guy who plays within the offense and makes himself hardly noticeable within the flow of the game. I mean, if Carl Landry can get his name out there for being an all-effort type player, I would've though Bass would have exceeded expecatations. But it's not all negative; he's been efficient in his scoring if nothing more.

 

Vince Carter

 

Okay, I'm very happy to see him scoring 18 points a game and not being a turnover machine, but I cringe every time I watch him throw up one of those one-dribble, one-step fadeaway shots from the left wing. It almost never works, and he's become so predictable with it that it is always so well covered by the defender. And the three he misses is because he takes them from thirty feet out. His three point percentage would be through the roof if he stopped shooting for the sake of just throwing the ball up. He still gets to the rim nicely, but you can see he's lost a step. Either way, I'm glad we got something to compensate for Turkoglu's departure.

[Riot]

Jason Williams: Solid signing. Don't think there will be any reason to get another PG in Jameer's absence. I think we'll be just fine under Jason actually.

 

Matt Barnes: I'm surprised at his shooting percentage too. Definitely like what I've seen from him though, pretty nice passer. His percentages can't really go anywhere but up at this point, which I'm sure they will.

 

Ryan Anderson: What can I say about him. He's been great for us. Too bad his minutes will drop now. I would even like to see him start at PF with Rashard at SF at some point during the season if Stan ever sees fit.

 

Brandon Bass: I was expecting more from him as I'm sure all Magic fans were. I was expecting him to start and be better than 'ok'. Anderson outshined him though and stole the starting spot while Shard was gone. Still very early in the season though, I think he'll get better as the season goes on.

 

Vince Carter: Agree with you on the fade-away threes, lol. He really shoots em far out. Reminds me of Turk sometimes when he does that. Overall am pleased with him so far though. He was pretty clutch tonight in Boston.

[Real Deal]

I haven't seen that much of the Magic just yet to be able to really comment on all of them, but I think the J-Will signing was a good choice (even though I too thought he'd never play again), and I would've been the first to tell you that Barnes was brought in for defensive purposes (replacing what Lee gave you), and nothing more. Barnes was a product of the Suns/Nash system. They turned him into a dangerous open shooter...but as good as he can be, Nelson is no Nash as far as running an offense goes, so you can't expect Barnes to be that effective from beyond the arc.

 

I don't know what to think about Vince yet. I know he's scoring points, but I still don't see him playing much defense out there, and I can't say I like the fact that the ball isn't going into Dwight as much as it should. That has a LOT to do with Carter. The Magic were being built, ground up, around Howard. They were in the Finals last season because of it. I really can't say they took a step forward by signing Vince, but I really don't know if I can say they took one back, either...just not sure at this point.