08-25-2007, 10:44 PM
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#41 (permalink)
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Player
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: OC CA
Posts: 675
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Re: Foyle Agrees To Terms With Orlando
Quote:
Foyle just wants to play
Big man leaves Warriors, cash behind to play for Orlando
BY JOHN DENTON
FLORIDA TODAY
ORLANDO - Buried on the bench most of last season with the Golden State Warriors, Adonal Foyle wanted to be in a situation where he could contribute again so badly he sacrificed millions of dollars in guaranteed salary.
When he reached a buyout agreement last month with the Warriors, one in which he forfeited almost $5 million of the $18.6 million still owed to him, it paved the way for the 6-foot-10, 275-pound center to seek out a situation where he could be a presence again.
He should get that chance with the Orlando Magic, where he will back up franchise center Dwight Howard and be the muscle the team puts up against power players such as Shaquille O'Neal, Eddy Curry and Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the Eastern Conference.
Players often talk about doing whatever it takes to get on the court. Foyle hopes his willingness to give up millions in cash will show just how wholeheartedly committed he is to playing for the Magic.
"(The contract buyout) was mutual. We started and then we stopped and then we started again," Foyle said. "But this (in Orlando) is exactly what I wanted. In the NBA, the contracts are back-loaded, so I left a lot (of money) on the table. But I want to play; I want to go to a place where I can play and have fun again."
The longest-tenured player in Golden State, Foyle was unable to fully enjoy the Warriors' surprising run through the playoffs last spring because he was stuck on the bench. He stuck with the franchise through the lean years, playing for seven coaches in 10 years, before it finally broke through in a playoff upset of the Dallas Mavericks. But his plodding style didn't mesh with Don Nelson's helter-skelter version of small ball. As a result, he went from starting 72 games in 2005-06 to just six starts last season.
The Magic desperately sought out Foyle for the shot-blocking and interior defense he could provide. The Magic lost 7-footer Darko Milicic in free agency and needed another power player to pair with Howard and Tony Battie inside.
Foyle, 32, considered offers from Phoenix, Cleveland, Utah, Charlotte and Philadelphia before accepting a two-year deal with the Magic. He holds the option on the second season, but says he hopes to be in Orlando for the long term because he feels he's landed in a perfect spot.
"Doing the dirty work is the stuff that wins games," Foyle said. "This is a young team. It's a place where I know I'm going to play minutes and they had an opening. Doing the things I can hopefully will help put the team where it needs to be."
New Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said getting Foyle will take some of the pressure off Howard from having to guard the opposition's top interior player every game. And with a projected starting lineup including Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson and Howard, the Magic need a hard-nosed defender who could contest slashers at the rim.
"Adonal fits very well and brings us great shot blocking and post presence defensively, which we're going to need so Dwight isn't always stuck guarding the best low post players on other teams," Van Gundy said. "If you look at shot blockers per minute, Adonal's as good as any in the league and a good offensive rebounder. He brings a lot of things that we need."
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Good read... it seems as though we will use him regularly in our rotation, and i think that he will be great for this team and SVG seems really high on him. He didn't even mention Battie in our starting line up and he mentions that Foyle brings a lot of the things that he wants in a big man... possibly our starting PF?
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