We asked you to play the waiting game with Otis and we openly sought the attention of Brandon Bass and now we must give Daddy Warbucks our GM Otis Smith his due.

Otis has turned into a very shrewd and masterful general manager who instead of just being satisfied with going to the Finals saw this team's weaknesses and decided to act on them seemingly as soon as the confetti was swept off the Amway floor.

First of all Otis extends an offer to Hedo who has to think about it. Instead of sitting on his hands and waiting he senses Hedo will be too expensive or not resign so he goes and gets Vince Carter which was exactly what the Magic needed. He can create his own shot and finish at the rim much better than Hedo and all they gave up was promising rookie Courtney Lee. A more underrated acquisition of the trade was Ryan Anderson of Cal. Now we do not get carried away with Summer League but he was clearly one of the best players out there and looks like a great piece for the future.

2 rules apply to NBA trades. Whoever gets the most talented player wins (check) and you never trade big for small (check). The Magic hit a homerun and took advantage of a team that desperately wanted to cut payroll.

Otis then gets involved in the Shawn Marion deal and picks up a very valuable 8 million dollar trade exception that can be used at anytime for a pretty nice piece. (Cough Shane Battier Cough).

Then knowing there is only an 8 man roster Otis lets ideas float out that he is only going to be offering up the vet minimum and was very, very vague with the media. We hear that a team has made an offer to Brandon Bass in the 5 years and 25 million range but we find out it was agent speak. Otis continues to negotiate with Bass while his agent runs his mouth and then splash 4 years 18 million. The brilliance in this is Dallas is convinced that Otis will not match Gortat so they step away and watch from the sidelines.

Then yesterday Otis matches the offer sheet on Marcin Gortat seemingly leaving the Mavs befuddled. It was clearly a move they thought they had in the bag but Otis knew all along he would match the offer. Even if Marcin is traded after December he kept a young, coveted asset that should net the Magic a nice player or draft pick in what could be a very deep draft.

Now the Magic have veteran players like Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis who though slightly past their prime are tremendous players and both have proved to be solid in the clutch. Dwight is still only 23 and is scratching the surface. Bass, Anderson, Nelson, JJ, Pietrus, and Gortat are all still in their young 20's and have many more years in the tank. Plus this new blend allows the Magic to feature a more traditional lineup.

Then if things do not work out this season you have a massive trade exception and seperately you have several young pieces and what is essentially an expiring contract in Vince Carter.

Overall you never know how things will work out because no one can see in a crystal ball except Miss Cleo but on paper this team has the makings of something special not just now but in the future. For that we must all thank our General Manager Mr. Otis Smith.

Special thanks to "rtillaree" for the photo.

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that personal PUNS favorite Marcin Gortat will have his offer matched by the Orlando Magic. Daddy Warbucks Otis Smith was quoted as saying:

“Having quality big men is an absolute must in our league, and Marcin (Gortat) has worked very hard to fit into that category,” said Smith.  “He provides tremendous depth to our frontcourt and we’re happy to bring him back.”

We all thought Otis saying he had unlimited money to spend was kind of a joke but maybe he wasn't kidding. He also has done wise with his spending choosing not to throw the full mid-level at Brandon Bass nor giving in to Hedo's demands for a 5 year, 50 million dollar contract.

Though the roster is still only 10 deep we would have to assume the rest will be filled in with vet minimum players or the last portion remaining from the mid-level. We now have a great mix of young and veteran which allows this team to compete for championships not just in the short term but in the long term as well.

If things do not work out according to plan the Magic have a big trade exception, a blossoming big man whom several teams targeted, and a couple of decent expiring deals in AJ and JJ.

Overall this off-season has been well played by Otis and we are getting more and more anxious for the season to start.

Showing that he hates working weekends like the rest of us Otis signed his first free agent of the off-season Mr. Brandon Bass. The deal is reported to be a 4 year deal worth 18 million with a player option after year 3.

As the unofficial representative of the Orlando Magic to Mr. Bass we would like to formally welcome him to the team and hope he can help be the enforcer and rebounding 4 we have craved for so long in Orlando.

Somewhere Dwight is smiling a little larger today...

With news breaking late last night that the Magic got involved in the 4 team Shawn Marion deal, Hedo Turkoglu makes one last clutch play for the Magic netting us a nice trade exception for our troubles.

It only seems fitting we should resume our player grades with Hedo.

Well after all the hoopla and speculation today is the day that NBA teams can officially sign free agents. This is big for Orlando because like we have said Otis is playing the waiting game and seeing what falls to us. It might not be the most proactive strategy but with the cap coming down to 57.7 million and projected to come down even further it 2010 in might be the most prudent.

Here are some news and notes from around the league involving the Magic...

• According to the Toronto Star Bryan Colangelo spent all day yesterday trying to go through a myriad of sign and trade deals with other teams. Worst case scenario is they just renounce everyone and sign Hedo tomorrow. Maybe Otis will decide to help and take Anthony Parker off their hands.
• John Denton of Florida Today tells us that Otis will wait the full seven days before deciding on Marcin Gortat. With the mid-level coming in at 5.8 million it is hard to imagine Otis matching a 5 year, 34 million deal for the Warlock but weirder things have happened. Hopefully he is using the leverage to facilitate Brandon Bass to Orlando.
• The San Antonio Express-News tells us that the Spurs are the leader in the clubhouse for another Magic target Antonio McDyess as they have offered him the full mid-level for 3 years.
• Vince Carter tells NBA Fanhouse that the Magic are still the favorites in the East. Sounds good Vince!
• NBA Fanhouse also tells us that Ryan Anderson is making a name for himself in summer league. If he keeps up this pace he will have his jersey retired with previous Magic Summer League legends Travis Diener and J.J. Redick.

The next week should be interesting as we see what the final word on Hedo and Marcin are and move on with our own free agent targets. Though I have nightmares about this team filling out the roster with vet minimum players I expect the Magic to finalize some things in the next week.

Stay tuned....

It can be hard as a fan to play the waiting game. We see all of the other contenders making moves in free agency and we wonder to ourselves when are we going to make our splash move. Well it might not be splashy but it is coming at some point.

So far Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Boston have used their mid-level contracts on the players they covet. That leaves the perceived contenders of San Antonio, Cleveland, and Orlando with money to spare. Denver is certainly a contender but all indications are they want to bring back Chris Anderson and there really have been no reports of them chasing anyone.

After Hedo got cold feet Portland has their 9-10 million to work with and like Detroit seem determined to somehow spend it. So we will see where they take their money as they will probably be attached to every restricted and unrestricted free agent because that seems to be how they operate.

Otis said it perfectly but there are more players than money right now so here is who is still available.

Excluding Shawn Marion and Lamar Odom you have guys like Anderson Varejao, Antonio McDyess, Linas Kleiza, Zaza Pachulia, Drew Gooden, Chris Wilcox, Joe Smith, Glen Davis, Ike Diogu, and of course personal PUNS favorite Brandon Bass. Even looking at a restricted player like Glen Davis are the Celtics really going to match when they have now committed 80 million to next season's payroll and will be looking at lucrative extensions for Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo next season.

I am by no means a capologist but with so many teams up against the luxury tax and the league getting very top heavy it makes no sense for teams in the middle or towards the bottom to tie up long term money with alot of these players.

So lets just see how this thing shakes out before we rush to judgement and assume the Magic are going to field an eight man roster.