Well folks, the 20th anniversary season is over, and boy was it a memorable one. Orlando exceeded all expectations and was able to push the Lakers all the way to a 5th game in the NBA Finals... Much better than anyone predicted way back before the season started.
Now that we have had a bit of time to sit back and gain some perspective on the year, it is time for some player grades. Every few days we will tackle a different player and remember the good, the bad, and the elbows. First up, rookie Courtney Lee.
Player: Lee, Courtney
Stats: Courtney appeared in 77 games, and started 42. In 25 minutes per game, he averaged 8.4 points per contest, while pulling in 2.3 rebounds and contributing 1.2 assists and 1 steal a game. He averaged just less than 1 turnover a game, and shot 45% from the field, 83% from the line, and 40% from the 3 point line.
Best Game: Without question, Courtney's best game of the season was Game 2 against Philadelphia in the opening round of the playoffs. After Orlando lost Game 1 on a buzzard beater, Orlando had to come back and win Game 2, or else they were in danger of being the opening round upset. In 37 minutes CLee scored a career high 24 points on an impressive 10 of 17 shooting. He did not turn the ball over AND added 3 steals. He was the teams leading scorer on an evening where Hedo and Shard combined to shoot 7 for 24. How about that for a rookie picking up the veterans slack?
Worst Game: This one was tough, but we are going to have to go with Orlando's 82-88 loss to the Pistons on December 29th. Orlando was riding a 7 game winning streak and their familiar foe Detroit was on the schedule. In only 24 minutes Courtney committed 4 fouls and only scored 2 points on 1 of 3 shooting. Now this really wasn't too bad. I mean, it's not like it is one of those Hedo nights where he goes 2 of 14 from the floor and commits 5 turnovers, but it was pretty much his least effective game considering the minutes he played.
Most Memorable Moment: Mr. Lee had plenty of memorable moments during his rookie season. There was the elbow he took from Dwight that forced Courtney to give his best Rip Hamilton impression for the rest of the playoffs. And how about that dunk on Fisher during the Finals? Also, it can not be avoided, but there was the missed layup at the end of Game 2 against the Lakers. The game never should have come down to that shot (I'm talking to you Turk, Gortat, and Nelson for those missed 4th quarter free throws) but one can't deny that the series would have been completely different if Lee converts at the end. He didn't, so ohh well. As for his most memorable moment of the season, it must be his two dunks on LeBron James during the Eastern Conference Finals. The first one was in Cleveland, and you can watch the second below.
Offense: When Jameer was healthy and Courtney was starting, he was the 5th option on offense, which is alright. As the year progressed you could see Lee becoming more comfortable and confident on this side of the floor, as he became more sure of his passes and smart on his drives and shots. Towards the end of the season when he had solidified his role as a starter, you could bank on at least one strong drive to the hoop (and man can this guy fly) and two strong pull up jumpers. For the most part he moved well without the ball, but there would be times when he would sink his feet into one place and watch the action as a spectator. However, considering most of this was when Hedo was running around like crazy, so it is hard to really lay into the rookie on this one. In summary, his offensive production was a surprise.
Defense: As the season progressed, and mainly due to Pietrus' inability to stay healthy, Courtney found him self with some difficult defensive assignments. There was Dwayne Wade, Mr. Bryant, LeBron from time to time, Ray Allen during the regular season (JJ had him during the playoffs and we will get to that eventually), and so on. Now he gave up some big nights (see Wade's 50 on Feb. 22), but considering the assignments he had you must respect the rookie. His quickness was displayed often, as he averaged a steel a game. Just like offense, there were some lapses on defense, most common perhaps his issues with rotating on doubles and committing unnecessary fouls.
Fans Perspective: Magic fans loved Courtney. The rookie's hustle on the court was unmatched, and his ability to step in and contribute right away unlike past rookies (Mrs. Vasquez, JJ Redick) was a welcomed relief. Not only that, Lee seemed like a hell of a nice guy. There is no doubt that coming from Western Kentucky (via Indianapolis) to Orlando is a hell of a change of scenery. However, he seemed to make himself comfortable in our city, even dining with a local family. Needless to say, we expect a lot from Courtney in the future, both on and off the court. Speaking of expectations...
Expectations for 2010: Courtney will get smarter next season. There were numerous times during the season, which can be attributed to being a rookie, where he failed to see the wide open man under the basket or didn't see that the shot clock was about to expire. These mistakes can be avoided, and expect SVG and Co. to help CLee get over these. As for offense, look for his confidence to grow, much like it was during the playoffs before Dwight sent him out with that nasty elbow. His ability to hit the mid-range jumper was important to the offense, as Courtney usually had room to roam with the defense concentrating on Turk, Shard, D12, and Nelson when he was healthy. On defense, look for Courtney to really take a lot from his rookie season. Having to guard Kobe and LeBron from time to time can only help his confidence, skill, and bball knowledge, and he should only improve on the defensive end. It is fairly safe to say that Orlando hit this draft pick. Does anyone else still want Douglas-Roberts?
Grade: Given our expectations for Courtney at the beginning of the season - he was an Orlando Magic draft pick after all - we must be very pleased with his rookie campaign. With the inconsistancy of Pietrus and Redick, Lee solidified himself as the starting shooting guard and after the Nelson injury and Rafer trade, the most consistent guard on the team. A-
Comments (40)
... written by Dilajadi,
June 17, 2009
...and best of all, Clee is even a better person off the court than on it.
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... written by The Big Train,
June 17, 2009
Dilajadi, that is all I see and hear about him off the court. The man certainly had a head on his shoulders and has his priorities straight.
+0
... written by The Big Train,
June 17, 2009
has, not had!
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... written by Attara,
June 19, 2009
I hated the writer of the article, basketball is a team sport you can't blame a player because you lost the game. Hedo missed a couple of free throws, but he gave a perfect pass to Courtney Lee but CL couldn't make it. If you can't blame Courtney for missing a lay up, you can't blame the Turk for missing the free throws.
+0
... written by The Big Train ,
June 19, 2009
I'll let Bill Simmons respond:
Do me a favor: Go to a playground with a buddy, bring a 7-foot guy with you, stand at midcourt, then sprint toward the basket, have a buddy throw a lob pass that you'll catch as you're passing under the backboard, then have the 7-foot guy jump at you and grab the rim for good measure. Try this 100 times and see how many you make. Put it this way: If Lee made that shot, it's one of the great plays in the history of the Finals. So you can't give him a crap. You just can't. That would have been an AMAZING (that's right, I went all caps) pass/shot and ranked right up there with Ralph Sampson's series-winner in the '86 Western finals on the "I can't believe they drew that up and then pulled it off" scale.
It was an incredibly hard shot. Free throws are easy and NO team should ever miss 5 in a row, especially in The Finals. If the players (ya know, this is a team sport) then it doesn't come down to Lee's individual play at the end...
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... written by The Big Train,
June 19, 2009
to make the last sentence correct:
If the players (ya know, this is a team sport) don't miss all those freebies than it doesn't come down to Lee's individual play at the end...
+0
... written by Attara,
June 20, 2009
I can count 30 pointguards in the NBA who can't make that pass, starting with jameer nelson. I don't blame Lee and I don't blame any other players. But I belive that, that was a nearly perfect pass from Hedo, although he has the height of Ben Wallace. Sorry by the way, I have anger issues
We are Terry and The Pump Fakes, Jareth Cutestory, Vile Feminista, Maxwell Effort, I 3 Freely, Paul Ego, Supply and Demand, El Fantasma de Carlos, The Big Train, The Nickel Steak, Ayo!, and Tyson J. Perfect. Together, we are Magic fans. We remember Nick’s steal against Jordan, Billy Donovan, Scott Skiles, Jerryl Sasser and Reece Gaines, The Mac Attacks, the NBA on NBC, and Grant Hill’s ankle. We also watch TV and read the internet, thus noticing the endless flow of unoriginal Orlando Magic related puns. We have combined to discuss the Magic, the NBA, and from time to time supply side economics and the life of Leonardo da Vinci. Together we are The Puns Are Starting to Bore Me.
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Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 