Darth Rosen Strikes Back/ Who Is The Choice At Shooting Guard?

"Darth Rosen" is back...

Like a true villain, Harris Rosen does not know the word defeat. He is acting like Skeet Ulrich, sitting up to attack after the heroes in the movie Scream say "Careful, in these movies the villain always comes back for one last scare." We just have to hope that the people of Orlando are the ones delivering that final blow to keep him out of a sequel.

This is all referring to the news that came out yesterday, detailing that Harris Rosen will try to get a referendum to prevent the construction of one or more of the venues passed in the big Orlando venues bill recently. The full description of what he is attempting to do was posted on the Orlando Sentinel website in a blog.

I would really like to add some insightful commentary into this whole mess, but I really just look at it and shake my head. Everyone hates a sore loser, and that is what Rosen is being right now. Hopefully this plan doesn't succeed and I'm going to cross my fingers that the money these delays cause are not substantial.

To switch gears to something happier, the debate all summer has been raging as to who should be the Orlando Magic's starting shooting guard. It would appear we have a bunch of candidates, but none of them really stick out and make you say "wow".

Unless I am mistaken, the potential starting SGs that we have are JJ Redick, Keyon Dooling, Trevor Ariza, Keith Bogans, and Hedo Turkoglu.

-Turk is a marginal pick even as a candidate simply because his ball handling skills are atrocious and he is pretty big for a SG. Chances are that he will start or split time at SF. I would prefer him at backup SF although the crazy possibility exists that he might see time starting at PF due to our lack of quality big men.

-Keith Bogans had a very up and down year last year and would be a tough choice over fan favorites like Redick and Ariza. He is decent at defense, but does not contribute enough on the other end of the floor to warrant starting night in and night out.

-Trevor Ariza is undoubtedly one of the most athletic members of the team and can help defensively. On the other hand, he is not one of the most gifted outside shooters so him and Nelson could form a driving duo that clogs up the middle.

-JJ Redick is the guy most fans want to start (so says over 50% of an online vote held by the Orlando Sentinel). He played well in spurts last year and is already considered one of the best shooters in the league from his reputation in college. His offensive talents are unquestioned, but his defense was a major knock coming out of school.

Taking this all into consideration, and having flip-flopped all summer about it, I believe I have my choice:

Trevor Ariza.

(Covers head to shield from garbage Redick fans throw)

Don't get me wrong, I really like JJ Redick. He has been working really hard to get more playing time this season and performed more than admirably in the summer league. The one thing I worry about is how his game mimics that of Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis, both of whom will already be on the floor. All three are largely outside shooters who can't play defense, rebound little, and see themselves as scoring options. The sheer amount of low percentage shots on the floor at one time puts a chill down my spine. If Redick can somehow prove himself to be a quality assist, defense, and rebound guy then he definitely would gel well in the starting lineup (I'm holding out hope), but for now it might be wise to go with someone with different things to offer than Rashard and Lewis.

Personally, I think Ariza's game really would compliment the other players on the team. If you look at the lineup of Nelson, Turk, and Rashard, the things that scream out to you are the fact that the team doesn't play defense well, doesn't rebound, and lacks athleticism to a certain degree (Rashard is the exception here). Those attributes are exactly what Ariza brings to the table, and if the Magic DO decide to play Rashard at PF then another rebounding option is a must out there. On top of this, Ariza is a free agent next offseason and will undoubtedly try to go elsewhere if we don't give him a shot to start. It is worth seeing whether he can be our long term solution at SG before we invest a lot of money in him or let him go.

Magic management has a tough choice to make between these two, but in my opinion either way they go it will translate well in terms of ticket sales. Why? Redick is obviously a huge draw because of his name (the media will make a big deal about him starting) and Ariza will create a buzz with his highlight reel dunks and moves.

Of course, this entire conversation will be pointless if the rumors are true and JR Smith is added to the team, but we can wait until that day comes. For now, I would be happy with either JJ or Trevor being out there, but just can see it working better with Trevor.