Jan 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Channing Frye (8) shoots the ball during the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Suns defeated the Sixers 124-113. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
2. Out of Channing Frye, Ben Gordon, Willie Green and Luke Ridnour, which has the biggest impact on the court?
Oliver: I think the easy answer is Channing Frye… So, I’ll go with him. Frye’s spacing ability is just going to open the offense up so much that I think it’s hard to overlook. That being said, I think that Ben Gordon could have a decent impact as well. With Evan Fournier as really the only shooter in the backcourt right now, if Gordon, a 40 percent career three-point shooter, gets hot, it could be extremely impactful for stretches. The team needs shooting however they can get it, so Frye, and to a lesser extent Gordon, will have the biggest impact in my opinion.
Hutson: Well, if my first 3500 words on the subject didn’t make that clear enough, I’ll say it again: Channing Frye has the potential to seriously improve the Magic’s offense. More than ever, this team needs spacing and shooting, and he’s among the best stretch bigs in the league, especially when it comes to making his teammates better. Even if they only get to the levels of “mediocre,” it’d be a massive improvement on last year’s production.
Wolf: Well, Willie Green’s only impact will be how warm he keeps the benches this year. Ben Gordon hasn’t been good since he played for the Bulls. So between Luke Ridnour and Channing Frye, I’ll say Channing Frye. The 6-foot-11 big man has the ability to wrestle down low to grab rebounds and stretch the floor on offense with his three-point ability. His biggest impact will come on the offensive end. With his ability to stretch the floor, driving lanes will be created for less gifted shooters in Oladipo, Payton, Aaron Gordon, Harris, and Harkless.
Babazadeh: Channing Frye, plain and simple. The guy is one of the best stretch fours in the league and is most likely a starter on this team. Ridnour would be my second choice, but a distant second. I’m still shaky on what Willie Green and Ben Gordon’s impact will be on this team as I don’t personally project either one getting a ton of playing time. With that said, I think Ben Gordon has something to prove after his ugly stint with the Bobcats and may come into this season with a vengeance.
Taylor: I’m going to agree with Zach here and say that Frye will be the clear-cut guy as far as biggest impact goes, but I think Ben Gordon will make a bigger impact than most people think. This is a 10-year veteran that won’t have an enormous amount of pressure on him and will be able to go out and give Jacque Vaughn 10-15 minutes a night and hopefully retain some of that career 40 percent three-point shooting and knock down some threes. The contract Gordon signed is another issue, but Gordon should be solid this season for the Magic.