I’m a Duke fan. Have been since I was kid (I’m headed home to Philly this afternoon to catch Duke/Temple tonight at the Wachovia Center). And of all the great players that have come through Coach K’s program, I think I may have enjoyed watching J.J. Redick play more than any college basketball player ever. There isn’t anyone who can convince me that Redick is not the best pure shooter on the planet today.
It’s perplexed me that he hasn’t been able to get any tick so for with the Magic. (Don’t give me the “he can’t guard anybody” excuse. Half the guys in the League play little to no D.) Redick was hurt much of his rookie season, and he was hurt heading into this season, but still. Every team needs shooters and theoretically, to me at least, he’s the best there is. True, many times that I’ve seen him (when he’s actually playing), in general, he hasn’t looked very confident or aggressive. But Redick started to show some flashes about a month or so ago, but has since disappeared from the lineup.
Today, there’s a piece in the Orlando Sentinel about how Redick has been supposedly drawing trade interest from other teams around the League:
Second-year guard J.J. Redick still can’t find a real role with the Magic, yet General Manager Otis Smith said Tuesday it doesn’t mean he has given up on him. He also said that Redick — the No. 11 pick in 2006 — still has value around the league, despite hardly playing in his first two seasons.
Redick’s lack of playing time has prompted teams to start inquiring about his availability. He is fifth among Magic guards in minutes played.
“Actually, his value is pretty high right now,” Smith said. “What he can do — shoot — is at a premium in this league. We just happen to have an abundance of shooters. The fact of the matter is, we have players around him who give us something [defense] that he doesn’t give us.”
Redick had not played in four of the last five games heading into Tuesday night’s game at Sacramento. He has played in just 15 games this season, averaging 3.2 points in 9.2 minutes.
“I don’t know if we would do anything [trade] — unless it makes sense,” Smith said. “From [players] 1-15, it would have to make sense.”
Could teams really be interested in Redick because they need a shooting boost? He could definitely help a team like the Cavs. He would have been a nice add to the Jazz before they traded for Kyle Korver. Or is this just the Magic themselves maybe trying to drum up artificial interest to create a market to move him?
(I ask these questions already knowing that A) most basketball fans hate Duke, B) the Duke player they seem to hate the most is Redick and C) the majority of comments that will be posted about this will almost certainly contain the word “sucks” or something like it.)
January 9th, 2008 at 11:42 am
MiCkeY MoNDaY says:
J.J. is always gonna be able to make a roster because hes got a cannon but his achilles heel is his defense. If he became a decent defender he’d be a lock for minutes on any squad.
January 9th, 2008 at 11:48 am
hahns says:
is it just me or is there an apalling lack of good/efficient shooters in the L today?? more than that, basketball IQ is at an all time low. team basketball is hard to find (spurs and boston excluded). i dont know what the statistics are, but it seems like ft shooting is at an all time low…and every front office seems enthralled by athleticism over actual skill. thats why you get guys like trevor ariza, who i like, but cant put the ball in an ocean.
it boggles my mind as well why jj cant get some tick either…his shot is too sweet to pass up. im going to agree, cavs need some JJ
January 9th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Myrie says:
J.J. Reddick
Hmmm. Excellent college ball player; but not NBA player. Most Duke players are that way. Coach K makes them excellent team players, but he doesn’t prepare them for the pro level. I HATE Duke (for many reasons). Never did like ‘em…never will. But, I respect what they have accomplished and I respect the players who have moved through their program.
Funny line above about Reddick being hurt. How?…..Running laps? Benchsplinters?
Watching this dude in college, you knew he did not have an NBA(ready) game. He does TWO things well (open jump shots and free throws), but ’sucks’ (just for yout Pat) at everything else. Poor defense, no athletic ability, poor IQ, poor defensive rotation, no body muscle, cannot handle the ball, cannot finish on the break, doesn’t hit the boards, average passer and leardership is questionable at this level.
Why should he get more playing time?
Even considering all of the above, Orlando is still the best place for him. He needs to be in a system where his weaknesses can be hidden. Portland would be good for him (but good luck finding PT there) and SanAn would be better (they need to get younger on their bench–Spurs should scoop up Chris Duhon while their at it. He ain’t no starter, but would do perfect in their system behind Parker).
Reddick needs to be easy right now….he is already in the right place. Maybe Billy Donovan would have played him more minutes…..
January 9th, 2008 at 11:56 am
nick says:
i think the problem is that he is kinda short as a combo guard and does not have the quickness that a ben gordon/monta ellis have. yes he can really shoot the ball but he doesn’t do much else. so that is probably limiting his playing time.
January 9th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
GEE ...I also sacked Colt Brennan says:
9 in my right….
Ok got to get this out the way Duke does suck. LOL
Redick is cool though and so is Grant. The most hated player I believe will always be Christian L. Still can’t stand him.
Anyway Redick just needs some tick (I thought his last name had two d’s). With more time he gets his rhythm, scores more and can and should be able to give teams 10 to 15 points. So yea a team that lets him actually play and get his shooting touch going should benifit.
LOL Duke does suck.
January 9th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
ferdiberdi says:
J.J. needs to move to the Cavs. Shoot all day with LBJ dishing the rock. Don’t think he would have lasted with the Jazz. Sloan gets tough D players, except for Okur LOL =P
And yes, he can’t be a combo guard because unlike Ben Gordon, he doesn’t attack the rim enough.
January 9th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Brown says:
I don’t think he’s been given the PT to actually show what he can do. It seems like his confidence has taken a huge blow since coming into the league, knowing that if he doesn’t shoot the lights out in his limited minutes, he’s going to get the hook. For a young player trying to establish his niche in the league, he at least needs to be given a chance. It’s hard for a young player who hasn’t found his NBA game to be such a minimal role player and actually produce.
Look at Matt Bonner when he started out with Toronto. The one thing he can do is shoot, but the only way he actually established his game is because he was given the PT to find his niche as a long-range spot-up jump shooter. I think that’s all J.J. needs it PT and some confidence from the coach.
January 9th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Celts Fan says:
The difference between the 2 is that Bonner is 6′10″, while Redick is 6′3″ or 6′4″. He’s always going to struggle to get his shot up over bigger, more athletic defenders, which makes it tough. Still think he’ll be a solid NBA player in some capacity though.
January 9th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Phil B says:
When the post starts out “I’m a Duke fan.” you know it’s not gonna turn out well.
January 9th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Stevie B says:
Totally agree with you Celts Fan……He’s got STEVE KERR/DANNY FERRY all over his career niche.
Nevertheless, it’s so funny that Otis Smith actually blew the lottery after taking Howard in 2004 by drafting a guy who prefer to play near atlantic coast (European side not the one in Florida) and a guy who will be 10th-12th man on the rotation.
January 9th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Brown says:
Celts Fan, I know there’s a sizable height difference between the two, but Bonner hit a lot of open jumpers, and there’s no reason for Redick not to be able to get open with the double-teams Howard can attract.
Damon Jones isn’t that big, but he got a lot of open looks when teams doubled-up on Shaq and he kicked it out. Having a slasher to shift the defense is good too. We’ve seen where Jones’ career went when he left Shaq. I still think Orlando is a good fit for Redick because of Howard.
Isn’t it funny how Orlando had two lottery picks at #11, and neither of them has contributed. Fran Vasquez will never play in the NBA. Another case of moron scouts/GMs overhyping and overvaluing a European big man. Can you imagine if they’d actually picked up a couple decent players with those picks? Like David Lee and Ronnie Brewer. Like I always say, screwing up drafts like that can be the difference between being a good team or a legit contender.
January 9th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Jeff LeGrand says:
I am not a DUKE fan, I agree with the comment about coach K not getting his players really ready to play beyond college, which should be one of the things he does. None of their players really get better in college except for what is natural progession of a player from his freshmen to senior years in college. Many Duke fans will scream out Boozer, Brand but they got better in the NBA they didn’t come into the NBA killing. Now on to JJ, yes he can shoot the ball but his lack of height, quickness, ball handling and IQ have hurt his chances of playing even with his killer J. He must not be showing something in practice or he’d play bottom line, if he showed in practice he would be able to handle it then he’d play, he would be good with Orlando, San An, perhaps Dallas but I’m not sure he’d still be able to get his shots off with LBJ, the guys he’s passing it out to are able to create off the dribble so defenders can’t just fly at them like they would JJ.
January 9th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Sacto J says:
Reddick reminds me of Bobby Hurley. Hurley, to me, never was a very good NBA playaer, yet somehow he managed to become a starter for the Kings (more of a reflection of the King’s sorry state at the time than a testament to Hurleys’ skills.)Really, he’s a point guard’s size with a shooting guards mentality. Not to mention last night he (vs. Kings) he seemed very clumsy on the drive, especially open floor fast breaks. Maybe this is why dude rides pines. Get him some tweazers and a box of tissues until he learns to dribble like a PG……
January 9th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Mad Skills says:
While JJ Redick is a great pure shooter from the ACC…
Pat Cassidy is the purest shooter in the history of “The Plex”. He never needs to dribble at all…in fact he seems downright nervous when putting the ball to the floor…he just hangs out on the baseline in the corner and waits for the rock.