Why Lewis is Right, and Wrong, for Orlando
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by user EricByrnesTriesHard
So Rashard Lewis has reportedly agreed to a five year deal worth $75 million. Good for him, $15 million a year to score 23 points a game in the Eastern Conference alongside Dwight Howard sounds fun.
Why Lewis is right for Orlando
Lewis is a 6-10 small forward with huge scoring potential, and hes only 28 years old. The deal gives the Magic a second superstar and a player to take the pressure off future HOFer Dwight Howard. In the Eastern Conference, that gives the Magic at least a fighting chance to be dangerous and possibly make a playoff run. Lewis has at least a few more years left in his prime which gives Howard more time to develop and the Magic a shot at building a championship caliber team around the two stars. Lewis is clearly the number one free agent on the market this year and Magic fans will certainly be happy to see the team making moves that say "we want to win." Howard is going to sign a huge extension soon, so this is likely the Magic's last chance to add that big free agent. And according to the Orlando Sentinel, Howard was pushing for Lewis' signing.
Why Lewis is wrong for Orlando
Well, the big contract Lewis is getting means that its very likely the team is going to have to let Darko Milicic become an unrestricted free agent. This could leave the Magic without much depth down low to go with Howard. Tony Battie is the only other reasonable option in the post. Howard is young enough that he can handle a lot of minutes, but it could cost him 12 years down the line. Also, Lewis will be taking the starting position over last years SF Hedo Turkoglu, a poor man's Lewis, making Turkoglu and his three year contract a non-factor. $75 million is also a lot for a player who makes the team a lot worse on defense. Winning The Turnover Battle points out, courtesy of John Hollinger:
"As bad as the Sonics were defensively, they were worse with Lewis on the floor. A LOT worse. Seattle gave up 6.6 points per 100 possessions more when Lewis played -- and keep in mind, his replacement most times was Vladimir Radmanovic, who won't be appearing on an All-Defense team any time soon. Additionally, Lewis' man was doing most of the damage -- he surrendered an 18.6 opponent PER from the small forward spot, and a staggering 23.5 at power forward."
Thats rough, and if Lewis' shot isn't on on any given night, his defense makes him just an expensive liability.
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PG Jameer Nelson
SG Keyon Dooling
SF Hedo Turkoglu
PF Tony Battie
C Dwight Howard
Where is the scoring coming from besides Howard? Nelson is decent, and the rest are subpar. They needed help from another position and they got the best scorer available in free agency.