Vince Carter wants to see Rasheed Wallace in a Magic uniform according to the Orlando Sentinel. Carter spoke about Wallace from the Coke Zero 400 in Daytona where he was the honorary pace-car driver. Both Carter and Wallace attended the University of North Carolina.
"“He’s a veteran guy who knows how to play the game first and foremost,” Carter said. “He’s an unbelievable shooter. He’s very smart and he’s a motivator. Just from playing against him, he knows how to play basketball and he makes very [few] mistakes on the court. So, I think that’s big for our team.“A guy like that who makes [few] mistakes at that level can get the team over the hump, because he’s been there. Not only has he been in the Finals, he’s won one. He knows what it takes to win. So, hopefully, we can bring him aboard, and I’m doing all that I can.”"
Most analysts think that Wallace is going to sign with the Boston Celtics, but that’s no slam dunk. The Boston Herald is reporting that whoever misses out on Wallace could throw their mid level exception at Glen “Big Baby” Davis of the Boston Celtics. Davis really exploded during the playoffs, playing exceptionally well against the Orlando Magic in the second round, even hitting the game winning jumper in game 4.
"A league source said the Celtics’ pursuit of Wallace actually may affect the team’s ability to sign its own restricted free agent – not because of the Celtics’ ability to pay, but because of the increased chance one of the jilted Wallace suitors might then make an increased offer to Davis. Orlando and San Antonio – both expected to meet with Wallace during the next week – are said to be interested in offering Davis most, if not all, of their midlevel exceptions as a contingency plan. The Grizzlies are also thinking about getting into the Big Baby sweepstakes."
The Celtics are also pursuing former Magic G/F Grant Hill. Hill played for Celtics coach Doc Rivers while in Orlando. Steve Kerr was in Orlando visiting Grant Hill, wondering if he could get him to remain with the Phoenix Suns. Rivers met with Hill on Sunday, believing that the veteran could push the Celtics back to the top of the league. Hill will be in New York on Monday to visit the Knicks. The Magic are suppose to have interest in Hill, but either has yet to comment on a potential reunion. A lot of Magic fans and analysts want to stay away from the oft-injured Hill, but the Magic have a slim bench at the moment and really need to fill it out.
The Magic begin summer league play on Monday at 5 PM in the RDX Sportsplex, the Orlando Magic’s practice facility. They will be taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder, who will feature big names like Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green.
There are a few players to really take a look at on the Magic roster. One in particular is Power Forward/Center Milovan Rakovic because of the probable loss of backup Marcin Gortat to the Dallas Mavericks. Rakovic is 6’10 and weighs 269 LBs. Rakovic is 24 years old and is from Yugoslavia. He was the last player selected in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks before being acquired by the Magic. Rakovic is an extremely tough and strong player. He loves contact and uses his big frame to hold his position very well. He won’t back down from any opponent. He has a decent short hook shot but scores mostly on put backs. He does have a decent 15-18 foot shot and loves shooting from the elbow, but he is very inconsistent. He is a good pick-and-roll player. He runs well for his size. He needs a lot of work on his passing and can’t really put the ball on the floor.
The Magic really need another PG on the team and Jeremy Pargo was a very college player. He is a little small at 6’0 but he has been an explosive scorer. He has good control of himself in the lane and has a very good floater. His assist to turnover ratio went up every year during his four seasons at Gonzaga. He has very poor decision making at times and really needs to improve in that area. Levance Fields is another PG on the team. He was a very good player for Pittsburgh and during his senior season at Xaverian High School, he was named New York Player of the Year. He is extremely undersized at 5’10 but he has some very big moments at Pittsburgh. It’s unlikely that he has any chance to beat out Pargo, who I think will make the team as the third PG.
Jeremy Richardson, a SF, could contribute this season after barely playing for Orlando last year. He has decent size at 6’7 and averaged 3.1 PPG in 12 games with the Magic last season. Before joining Memphis in December of 2007, he was averaging 28.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.63 steals[6] in 41.5 minutes in eight games for the Mad Ants of the D-League. In 2008, he was MVP of the D-League All Star game. He spent all of last season on the Magic, usually inactive.
Ryan Anderson is another player to watch, but he is just out to earn more minutes with the Magic. There is no chance that the second year man out of Cal won’t make the team. You can see more about him here.
See the full summer league roster here.