Magic Unlikely To Match Offers For Gortat

The Magic aren't expected to be able to match offers for restricted free-agent center Marcin Gortat.

Gortat made just $770,000 this past season, and Orlando general manager Otis Smith said that the team would be out of the running to retain him if the offers "were north of 5 [$5 million per season.]"

Houston seems like a possible fit for Gortat with news of Yao Ming's latest serious health setback.

So... if the Spurs can't sign the forum favorites of Wallace and McDyess, is Marcin Gortat worth the MLE?

timvp of spurstalk.com listed him at #5 out of his top 25 list.

If the Spurs want to roll the dice, Gortat could be an interesting gamble. In limited minutes, Gortat has been quite impressive. His rebounding is off the charts and he blocks shots at a very high rate.

Even though he's a big and strong seven-footer, Gortat can move his feet. He's also capable of running the court and finishes with authority around the basket. The native of Poland oftentimes did a remarkable Dwight Howard impersonation during his minutes on the court.

That said, there are a lot of risks regarding Gortat. First of all, he's a very, very limited offensive player. He's a poor passer and hit a total of three shots from the perimeter all season. He doesn't seem to have a good feel of the game when it comes to spacing and knowledge of where to be to help out his teammates.

Increasing the risk is the gimmick system he played in while with the Magic. He was almost always surrounded by four players who are best out on the perimeter. With the Spurs, he'd spend a lot of time playing with teammates who thrive near the rim. Could he adjust? There's a chance. But there's also a chance that the Magic's system accentuated his strengths and camouflaged his weaknesses.