Birch to stay through year
Rookie center
will stick around the Orlando Magic organization for awhile.
Today is the deadline for NBA teams to decide what to do with players on nonguaranteed contracts or partially guaranteed contracts.
Across the league, those players’ salaries will become fully guaranteed for the rest of the season if the players are not waived before 5 p.m.
The Magic will retain Birch beyond today’s deadline, said the team’s president of basketball operations,
Team officials regard Birch, a 25-year-old center, as an intriguing prospect. Weltman said the team has always intended to keep him beyond today’s deadline.
In July, the Magic signed Birch to a two-year contract.
When Birch made the opening-night roster for this season, the first $407,808 of his $815,615 salary became fully guaranteed. The rest remained non-guaranteed.
Birch has shuttled back and forth from the Magic to their G-League affiliate in Lakeland. With starting center
now injured, Birch serves as Orlando’s third-string center behind and
Entering Saturday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Birch had appeared in six games for Orlando and 18 games for Lakeland. prevented from playing against the Cavaliers and forced Magic coach to employ his 16th different starting lineup of the season: Back spasms
and Biyombo. Cavaliers forward
deserves praise for almost all areas of his game, but his passing and court vision might be his greatest assets.
Vogel understands James’ gifts all too well.
Before tipoff Saturday, Vogel was asked whether he could name players whose passing skills and vision equal James’ passing skills and vision. It was a short list: and
“Name a great passer in the history of the league, and LeBron’s right up there with the best ever,” Vogel said.
Among present-day players, Vogel said
and might have comparable passing ability and vision to James.
Since James returned to the Cavaliers in 2014, he had played in 11 regular-season games against the Magic entering Saturday’s matchup.
The Cavaliers posted a 10-1 record as James averaged 23.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 1.8 steals, 2.6 turnovers per game.
On Oct. 21, the Magic snapped a 17-game losing streak to the Cavaliers — a losing streak that predated James’ return to the Cavaliers.
Orlando dominated that night, winning 114-93.
“We competed, and we caught ’em on a bad night, quite frankly,” Vogel said before tipoff Saturday.
“They missed a lot of open looks and they were not sharp with a lot of their movement offensively, and their passing wasn’t precise. And we competed.
“You combine all that with us playing with great effort and spirit — the ball was going in, so our guys were charged up — that’s what you got.”
Vogel also respects point guard
who recently returned from hip surgery.
On Saturday, Thomas started his first game for the Cavaliers since his offseason trade from Boston for guard diminutive
“I’m a big fan of I.T.,” Vogel said.
“He changes ’em. Obviously, you have a dynamic, dynamic point guard out there that can do it all. He can beat you with the 3.
“He can beat you driving to the basket, getting to the free-throw line, and he’s a great creator.
“And he’s got the confidence and swagger that elevates any group. Certainly he’s going to bring that to the Cavs.”