Atlanta Hawks at Nets: Magic make moves; Hawks wait and see

Newark–The Magic come to Philips Arena tomorrow with a whole new look. Hard to tell what it will mean for Atlanta’s division rival until we see how Orlando’s new pieces come together.

“They add guys that can shoot the ball,” L.D. said. “But they got rid of guys that can shoot it, as well. I was very surprised that they pulled the trigger on it. I had heard about but it just surprised me that they pulled the trigger.”

My initial reaction is that the Magic probably got better on the perimeter but without Gortat will have issues in the frontcourt when Dwight gets into foul trouble. The former just means the Hawks will have the same challenges as always in defending the Magic; the latter means the Magic (as presently constructed) will have to go small when Dwight is on the bench and that helps the Hawks.

J-Rich is a more versatile scorer than VC. Arenas comes with a bad knee and baggage but he says he’s ready to come off the bench and so will immediately fill a need for Orlando. Turkoglu had fallen off since leaving Orlando but perhaps a return to his playmaking role will rejuvenate him.

“Turkoglu has always been a tough guard because he has size and he can handle the ball,” L.D. said. “But I think it remains to be seen with the other guys. Both Carter and Rashard Lewis are guys that have always played well against us as far as making shots. Them getting Turokglu and Richardson and Arenas they add three guys who are just as potent from the outside. I think it just becomes a matter of whether the chemistry works out, and that just remains to be seen as they play with one another and get a feel for one another.”

Even after their recent struggles, the Magic are in a virtual tie in the standings with the Hawks. They had a good team before the moves.

“It definitely surprised me,” Marvin said. “They moved their whole team. I guess they have a vision how they want things and they thought it wasn’t working. They had to change it up, I guess. They could have gotten better. They bring Richardson in who averages 20. Hedo had a monster season when he was there the year they got to the Finals. You never know how it will work out.”

The consensus seems to be that the Magic made the move to appease Dwight and also in reaction to the Celtics and Heat streaking.

From Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel:

We don’t know if these trades will work or not, but what we do know is this: The Magic were not going to win anything by standing pat. This team is 16-10, has lost six of its last seven and is 3-6 against opponents with .500 records or better. It was becoming increasingly evident the Magic could not compete for a championship with a slumping Rashard Lewis and an aging Vince Carter in the lineup.

Replace “slumping Rashard Lewis” with “inconsistent Marvin Williams,” and “aging Vince Carter” with “aging Mike Bibby” and couldn’t he be talking about the Hawks?

Jamal out, Joe a go

Jamal will sit out his third consecutive game with a sore back. L.D. said J.J. was good the day after his return.

“He didn’t complain about anything,” Drew said. “He said it felt fine. No soreness. He said it felt good.”

Drew said he didn’t anticipate that it would take long for Joe to get back in the flow.

“It’s just a matter of him getting his timing back, getting his rhythm back,” he said. “Anytime you miss a few games it is always a little difficult at the beginning of regaining that rhythm and that timing. I am certain that he will get it back.”

MC