Two More Magical Buy Lows

Two hot off the press Buy Lows for you here, and in total that makes three for one team! After losing three games in a row, and locked in a virtual tie with Atlanta for the lead in their division, the Orlando Magic are fully well aware that they need to come together as a team, and fast. Just last week I issued a buy wicked low on Rashard Lewis. In case you’re not already aware; let me give you the highlights on Rashard.

STAT    2009     Career

PTS      14.4      16.8

FG%     42.6      45.7

FT%     77.9      80.7

The rest of his stats are fairly normal, save for boards being down a little too. Over his last couple of games, Shard has started to show some signs of life. This guy is known for being one of the best shooters in the league. He’s gone a little cold, and he’ll do what every cold shooter does, practice practice practice. If you have a need for cheap three’s right now, you should be looking Shard’s way. He’s still averaging 2.4 a game right now, that’s monster. I’d be looking to offload someone in the range of Marc Gasol, Brandon Haywood, Channing Frye (if you can really thieve em) or even Charlie Villanueva. It all depends on the stats you can afford to deal.

But Shard isn’t the only Buy Low on the Magic right now! That’s what happens when a team plays all out whack, it only takes one domino to fall for the rest to go with it. Especially in basketball, especially for basketball in the 2000’s, this is a team sport. But we do know a few things about the Magic that will not change. They are talented, very very talented. They have a good coach, a very good (regular season) coach. They have motivation, more than any other team in the league. These guys will practice hard, they will come together, and they will perform.

Buy Low – Vince Carter – F – Orlando Magic

Do you need any more indication of how cheap Vinsanity is right now than that little poll to my right ----à chock full of people who do not expect him to turn it around this year? I’ll venture at least half of them are Carter owners. Fine, then I’ll give you another, go read Matt Buser from Yahoo Sports last column where he basically told all his readers VC is worthless. I love it, he gets cheaper and cheaper. Let’s look at the numbers, and since this is VC’s first year in Orlando, I’m also going to put his first year in NJ (from Toronto) listed out too.

STAT    2009     Career   1stYrNJ

PTS      16.8      23.2      27.5

REB     4.5        5.4        5.9

AST      3.0        4.2        4.7

FG%     38.6      44.5      46.2

Wow, just wow. 38.6% from the field?! That’s abysmal, that’s beyond abysmal. Look, I’m no clown; I fully well understand the injury issue, the history of issues, the new team, blah blah blah. Two things I am not saying here: I’m not saying to offer anyone you’ll be missing anytime soon. Again use a targeted approach, does his owner need three’s? Great offer Channing Frye. Does he need FG% or Blocks? Great offer Haywood or Dalembert (so long as you can afford to lose them yourself). Make a very lowball offer. I’m also not saying to put yourself in a position where this move can destroy your season. If you’re already sitting on an injury risk or if you have a short bench, or are just not in a solid position to take a little risk – then stay away. But me? Even with Blake going down, I’m ready to get back in the ring. The upside is just too much to ignore.

Buy Low – Jameer Nelson – G – Orlando Magic

Prior to going down with injury, Jameer was simply awesome last year. He found a nice groove with Dwight Howard in the paint and the option of kicking it out to Shard or Hedo helped boost those dimes. I believe we saw the player we can expect to see going forward from him. Nelson has struggled thus far this year, but it’s more of a team cohesion thing. I’ll compare this year to last year to give a glimpse of what’s possible. If you find yourself in need of a true PG, who can shoot at a high clip and drop three’s, take a look.

STAT    2009     2008

PTS      11.9      16.7

AST      5.0        5.4

3PT      1.2        2.0

FG%     42.3      50.3

FT%     81.8      88.7

I really think he could go north of that assist line too. Once Shard and Vince begin to play more consistently, it’ll show up directly in Jameer’s numbers. Again, the same risk tag applies here. Do not go after these guys at this point in the season with a deal that could sink you. But the upside is too hard to ignore, I’ll be offering Allen Iverson and Mike Dunleavy to try and ink this one.

The Magic have lost their last three straight and have looked pretty poor on the court. Ole Stan the Man will surely feel the heat from above to get this team back in line. I expect they will righten the ship, and each of the three Buy Low players will be the biggest beneficiaries. Be patient, don’t take on too much risk, and ink the right deal for your squad.

Because the only way to win is to work harder than everybody else!