Magic Time
Coming off a season in which they snapped a six-year playoff drought, the Magic have stumbled out of the gate to start the season by losing seven of their first 10 games, and a lack of offense appears to be a big reason why.
Orlando is one of just two teams currently averaging less than 100 points per game, a fact being taken advantage of those who know about New Hampshire online casino sites, Nikola Vucevic, Terrence Ross and Al-Farouq Aminu, who the team heavily invested in during free agency, have all struggled offensively. Ross and Aminu, in particular, have been especially bad shooting the basketball with field-goal percentages in the 30s through the first 10 games.
That said, one solution to Orlando’s offensive woes would be to make a trade, and it appears the Magic have their sights set on San Antonio’s DeMar DeRozan. According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, the Magic are “scouring the trade market for scoring help,” and they’ve apparently expressed interest in trading for DeRozan. As O’Connor points out, the Spurs might be inclined to trade the veteran forward since he can become a free agent in 2020.
DeRozan is currently averaging 19.4 points on 49.3 percent shooting. He has consistently averaged at least 20 points per game the past six seasons.
It’s still somewhat early in the season to be talking trades, but this is definitely something to keep an eye on as we get close to the trade deadline. DeRozan was a dominant scorer in Toronto with the Raptors a few years back, and he’s had his moments in San Antonio.
Clippers Are Getting Better
The Clippers are about to get even better now that Paul George is getting close to returning from offseason shoulder surgeries.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports, George plans to make his season debut for the Clips on Thursday against the New Orleans Pelicans. The six-time All-Star underwent surgeries on both shoulders in May and June, and hasn’t played since his first-round exit in April as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Despite not being at full strength, the Clippers haven’t missed a beat in George’s absence, winning seven of their first 10 games to start the season. To think that LA is about to add another superstar to that lineup must be pretty intimidating for the rest of the NBA. Not only does George bring a major scoring boost, but his elite defense gives the Clippers a pretty fearsome trio on the perimeter in himself, Kawhi Leonard and Patrick Beverley.
Knicks Making Changes
With news coming out on Monday of the Knicks laying the groundwork to fire coach David Fizdale after a poor start to the season, we’re learning of the potential candidates that could soon take over in New York, and one of them is a familiar face to Knicks fans.
Mark Jackson, the former point guard and coach, who had multiple stints in New York during his playing days, is apparently a name to watch if the Knicks move on from Fizdale, according to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix.
Should the Knicks eventually move on from Fizdale, there are in-house options — Keith Smart has been a head coach, Kaleb Canales was an interim coach in Portland — but the name to be watched is Mark Jackson. He was a pre-Fiz candidate and a favorite of GM Scott Perry.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) November 11, 2019
On top of a long playing career, Jackson also coached the Golden State Warriors for three seasons in which he went 121-109 before getting replaced by Steve Kerr. Jackson’s name has come up frequently in recent coaching searches, and the Knicks do seem like a fit for him.
We’ll see if he leaves the splendors of being a TV analyst to get back into coaching.