Jameer Nelson Assembles Team/Alexander Johnson Hoopla
For the second straight year, Jameer Nelson got the team together to help bond and prepare for the season ahead, all on his own dime. Some of the fun things they are doing include practicing together, doing yoga together (seriously), getting lectures from sleep coaches (also, seriously), and going to Atlantic City. That last part is one of the reasons I am quite glad that Artest, JR Smith, Charles Oakley and other malcontents didn't wind up on the team during this past free agency period, because you know a headline akin to this would have come out:
"Magic player loses 21 million in Atlantic City, shoots dealer, crashes SUV into freight train"
I've been to Atlantic City and lost money and it is tough to stomach. I can't imagine playing with the sheer amount of money NBA players have, so I hope all goes well. For some reason I envision all of the players gambling in the casino while Carlos Arroyo is repeatedly turned away for looking under 21.
With the news of a second get together, Jameer once again bolsters his rep with the team. After this past season he was hardly in a position to demand an extension, but leadership moves like this help send a sense of community and friendship. Otis' decision on whether to cave to Nelson's extension demands now rather than later just got a whole lot harder.
Other good news mentioned in the article involves Rashard Lewis getting some time at Jameer's Summer Bonanza (I will be pissed if it is called anything else). Lewis will need to make a big first impression on his new team, and if Nelson leaves next offseason hopefully Lewis will step in to be the new leader.
In other news, Alexander Johnson has signed with the Miami Heat. For those of you who don't 
know him, AJ was a big time college player and went to FSU. Many, and I mean MANY, Magic fans wanted us to get him...which of course means that the increasingly evil Heat had to get involved. They tried to get Rashard Lewis and nearly every other player the Magic were looking at this offseason, so when word got out that AJ was a possibility for the Magic you know what happened. Johnson is seen by many as a promising young prospect, and many Magic fans are questioning why we got Adonal Foyle over Johnson. To these people I say you never know what is going on behind the curtain. Johnson may have had his heart set on the city of Miami, or maybe he just wanted to learn under Shaq. Either way, to say our team made the wrong choice in getting Foyle would basically disregard all of the things that are unsaid in this signing. I, for one, think that Foyle was the smart choice. We have enough young people to develop in Gortat and Howard, and needed a mature and experienced presence for our big men. Overall, while Johnson might have the brighter future, Foyle definitely helps our team a million times more right now.
know him, AJ was a big time college player and went to FSU. Many, and I mean MANY, Magic fans wanted us to get him...which of course means that the increasingly evil Heat had to get involved. They tried to get Rashard Lewis and nearly every other player the Magic were looking at this offseason, so when word got out that AJ was a possibility for the Magic you know what happened. Johnson is seen by many as a promising young prospect, and many Magic fans are questioning why we got Adonal Foyle over Johnson. To these people I say you never know what is going on behind the curtain. Johnson may have had his heart set on the city of Miami, or maybe he just wanted to learn under Shaq. Either way, to say our team made the wrong choice in getting Foyle would basically disregard all of the things that are unsaid in this signing. I, for one, think that Foyle was the smart choice. We have enough young people to develop in Gortat and Howard, and needed a mature and experienced presence for our big men. Overall, while Johnson might have the brighter future, Foyle definitely helps our team a million times more right now.
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