#4 Tony Battie

Up first for the Magic I have chosen Tony Battie, a very valuable part to our team, and a player I feel does not get enough credit on the Magic.

Strengths

Defense:Tony Battie’s good defense is what keeps him in the league, and on the court for the Orlando Magic. Tony Battie’s almost always draws the other teams power forward for a defensive assignment, it doesn’t matter who the power forward is. When he is in the game, it is him guarding people like Chris Webber, and Rasheed Wallace instead of Dwight Howard. For one reason, he is just as good man to man as Dwight Howard is. The other, he helps keep Dwight Howard out of foul trouble, which is huge for this team.

Mid-range shot:Tony Battie has a very nice mid range shot that is fairly consistent. If he gets the ball in the mid range, he has to be stepped on, or else he will hurt a team with that shot. His favorite shot on the court is from just above the free throw line, which helps out alot in the offense.

Shot Selection: He shows great shot selection when in the game. Rarely do you see Tony Battie shoot a shot with someone right in his face, unless it is late in the shot clock and he has to shoot. Tony Battie also rarely ever shoots a shot early in the shot clock, he keeps the ball moving and avoids ruining the flow of the offense.

Passing: A part of his game not noticed, Tony Battie is actually a pretty good passer for a big man. He doesn’t rack up assists, but he rarely ever turns the ball over on a bad pass, and usually gets his pass where he wants it well. On this season he has 18 turnovers in 22 games. In 82 games last year, Battie had 88 turnovers. A pass the Magic love to use during the game, is him getting the ball just above the free throw line, and throwing it into the low post to Dwight Howard. They usually run this pass and play two or three times a game.

Veteran Presence: With the rest of the Orlando Magic’s bigs being rather young, Battie’s veteran presence is huge for the rest of our bigs. Howard, Milicic, and Augustine when he starts playing are all very young, and rather knew to this league, and really look up to thim down low. I think in specific his impact on Milicic is the biggest. The coach’s love to use him as an example to Milicic, and he can be seen talking to Milicic through out the game when both are on the bench.

Weakness’s:

Low-post scoring: On offense, Battie has to rely on his mid range jumper, because his post up game and scoring from close to the basket is not to good. He is not good at posting people up, and usually does not score from close to the basket. I am dead positive that he has scored more points from mid range shots, than close to the basket.

Free throw shooting: It’s the strangest thing, he loves mid range shooting, and his favorite shot is just above the free throw line within the offense. Once it comes to free throw shooting though, he is a horrid shooter. Shooting only 58% this year, and 66% last year.

Rebounding: I know he is playing with a great rebounder in Dwight Howard the gobbles up rebounds, but Battie has never been a good rebounder through out his career, which is also a bit stragne for a power forward. He tries hard, and gives max effort to rebound every night, but he is still not that good at rebounding.
BOTTOM LINE:
Tony Battie has some negatives, but overall he has way more positives on this team. Battie hardly ever ruins the flow of this offense, by taking bad shots. His veteran leadership is easily apparent on this team, especially on the big men down low. His defense, and keeping Howard out of foul trouble is a very good, unsung impact on this team. I love what he brings to the table, and the impact he has on this team.

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