I'm looking for a little info on your team

[jazzfan1971]

I'm starting up my offseason preview and wanted to get some info and feedback from you guys before I got going.

So, I come to you folks.

How do you see your depth chart breaking down?
What are the major story lines to your team this year?
How do you think you will finish record wise in the league? (what place? 1-30)
Tell me a little about your coaching situation.

Thanks in advance.

[Nyce_1]

Depth chart is up in the air but most seem to think it'll be:

Oladipo/Payton/Ridnour
Fournier/B.Gordon/Greene
Harris/Harkless/Marble
Frye/A.Gordon/Nicholson
Vucevic/O'Quinn/Dedmon

Position battles will be between B.Gordon & Fournier for the starting SG, and Harkless/Harris for starting SF. Many would like Payton to start at PG right away, but with Oladipo playing PG all summer league, we all think that's where he starts the season until further notice.

Major storylines:
- Who steps up as leaders with the loss of Jameer/Afflalo?
- Done with tanking and focusing on actually winning for the first time in 2 years. How will players play with more meaningful games on hand?
- How soon will it take Payton to get comfortable enough to earn a position in the starting lineup?
- What position will A.Gordon excel at?
- Will Oladipo & Harris take the next step to be focal points in the offense and replace the scoring lost with Jameer/Afflalo?


Record wise:
34-38 wins; in the east playoff race for that last spot.

Coach:
Vaughn is still young in experience, but this will be the first year where winning is the goal, and not developing talent. Meaning, no more wacky substitution patterns or sitting players when they're on fire. He's safe for this year, but must show some improvement in wins; especially road wins. If there's no improvement, or a regression this season, he'll be on the hot seat for 2015-16.

[Flannerz]

You're a Jazz scout aren't you?

[tooler]

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=1336068

Tooting my own horn, but this is my theory for the GM moves that seem confusing on the surface. It's the hidden storyline for the team.

But if this is a legit article, you should probably think about it independently rather than rely on some crazy RealGM theory.

[purpleswordfish]

I'm starting up my offseason preview and wanted to get some info and feedback from you guys before I got going.

So, I come to you folks.

How do you see your depth chart breaking down?
What are the major story lines to your team this year?
How do you think you will finish record wise in the league? (what place? 1-30)
Tell me a little about your coaching situation.

Thanks in advance.

What are the major story lines to your team this year?

How many locker room tantrums will Ben Gordon throw?

How do you think you will finish record wise in the league? (what place? 1-30)

30. Maybe 29 if Philly stinks.

Tell me a little about your coaching situation.

We have Jacque Vaughn and team management believes he has a "high ceiling." Much like the roster, we made this hire solely off of potential. He was also given an extension after having a whopping 26% winning percentage over two seasons.

[Optimus_Steel]

Depth chart is up in the air but most seem to think it'll be:

Oladipo/Payton/Ridnour
Fournier/B.Gordon/Greene
Harris/Harkless/Marble
Frye/A.Gordon/Nicholson
Vucevic/O'Quinn/Dedmon

Position battles will be between B.Gordon & Fournier for the starting SG, and Harkless/Harris for starting SF. Many would like Payton to start at PG right away, but with Oladipo playing PG all summer league, we all think that's where he starts the season until further notice.

That's what I think the lineup will be most of the year. I am confident that Fournier will start. He is a good ball handler and creator and he can shoot. I am sure a lot of fans will be calling for Payton to start at PG at some point but I think the team will bring him slowly. He will get a lot of minutes but I don't think they will start him yet. Payton has strong passing instincts and good defense and that will impress the fans. If he does start at some point then Fournier would be the 6th man. I expect Fournier to handle the ball at times and to be creating opportunities for teammates. Harris I think its the starter at SF. He has earned it.

Major storylines:
- Who steps up as leaders with the loss of Jameer/Afflalo?
- Done with tanking and focusing on actually winning for the first time in 2 years. How will players play with more meaningful games on hand?
- How soon will it take Payton to get comfortable enough to earn a position in the starting lineup?
- What position will A.Gordon excel at?
- Will Oladipo & Harris take the next step to be focal points in the offense and replace the scoring lost with Jameer/Afflalo?

-Harris is a natural leader and he will step up the role immediately. Dipo also sees himself as a leader. Kyle O'Quinn is also an underrated and vocal leader that leads by example.
-The young vets (Harris, Vuc, Fournier) will take a larger role in the offense and I think they will handle it well. They have the skillset and demeanor to handle it.
-Aaron Gordon will play both forwards spots at times, but mostly PF because we already have Harkless. Gordon will have good flashes but it will take a while to really put forth consistent production. How will Harkless handle coming off the bench? Can he make himself more involved in the game and not have so many lapses when he disappears for long stretches?
-Can Dipo figure out a way to not get hit so much? He is constantly being hit or knocked down and feeling pain. It scares me sometimes how aggressive he gets.

Record wise:
34-38 wins; in the east playoff race for that last spot.

I expect the Magic to be in the playoff hunt but ultimately come up short. I predict around 35 wins, which would be a good improvement. If some other teams suffer some key injuries they could potentially sneak in. This past season this team finished around .500 at home, even with the tank. The young guys had some very big games and were catalyst for wins at home against OKC, Indy, and several other playoff squads. The road record was historically bad and I don't expect that to continue because there wont be tanking and more experience for the young vets.

Coach:
Vaughn is still young in experience, but this will be the first year where winning is the goal, and not developing talent. Meaning, no more wacky substitution patterns or sitting players when they're on fire. He's safe for this year, but must show some improvement in wins; especially road wins. If there's no improvement, or a regression this season, he'll be on the hot seat for 2015-16.

Jury is still out on JV. He clearly was in with management on the tank the last 2 years so it was hard to really say how good of a coach he really is. He is a very good communicator and motivator, but how good is his actual coaching? We don't really know, but we expect to get a good idea this year since they will be trying to actually win games. Last year there were very strange substitution patterns and unexplained benching of players who were having great games, that should not be happening this year.

I expect this team to be more versatile and better defensively. For years we have been near the bottom in steals, turnovers forced, fast break points, and dunks. I expect a noticeable improvement in those areas, as well as a major increase in exciting plays.

[MellowRose]

I expect to see

Payton
Oladipo
Gordon*
Frye
Vucevic

*Or Harris*

around All-Star break.

[JF5]

I'm starting up my offseason preview and wanted to get some info and feedback from you guys before I got going.

So, I come to you folks.

How do you see your depth chart breaking down?
What are the major story lines to your team this year?
How do you think you will finish record wise in the league? (what place? 1-30)
Tell me a little about your coaching situation.

Thanks in advance.

Depth Chart:
Oladipo/Payton/Ridnour
Fournier/B.Gordon/Greene
Harris/Harkless/Marble
Frye/A.Gordon/Nicholson
Vucevic/O'Quinn/Dedmon

Storylines:
- If Oladipo/Vucevic/Harris make significant progress this upcoming season.
- Vaughn ability to coach this team.

Record:
- 35+ Wins... Playoff hunt, but fall short.

Coaching:
- People are skeptical of Vaughn, but he hasn't been given a fair shake with the tank and all. The next few seasons will determine if he has the ability to maximize this teams talents.

[Orlwillbeback]

I'm starting up my offseason preview and wanted to get some info and feedback from you guys before I got going.

So, I come to you folks.

How do you see your depth chart breaking down?
What are the major story lines to your team this year?
How do you think you will finish record wise in the league? (what place? 1-30)
Tell me a little about your coaching situation.

Thanks in advance.

Oladipo/payton/irdnour
fournier/Gordon/green
Harris/Harkless/Marble
Frye/Gordon/Oquinn
Vooch/Dedmon

Main storyline this year and primarily the last few years is the development of the young guys and how the handle bigger roles. Theyre being handed the keys so it will be exciting to see what exactly we have on our hands and assess it by the end of the season to see whether it's worth staying the course with this current group or seeking other avenues.

20th-22nd- 32 wins

Vaughn has not shown that he is not a good coach so far primarily because of his rotations but I liked his decision to play oladipo at the point last year. He featured Big Baby in his offense last year which is a prime recipe for tanking but now we will have our more efficient scorers tobias and vooch more featured in the offense. I also believe Oladipo will take a jump this year because I think he is that good. Athletes with his skillset usually improve quite a bit once they learn how to play. I expect Harris to separate himself this year as the team's best player and lead us in scoring.

I still think we are too young to make the playoffs but we should improve by 8-10 wins next season imo.

[darthcheech2000]

My Depth Chart:

Payton/Oladipo/Ridnour
Oladipo/Fournier/B.Gordon/Green
Harris/Harkless/Marble/Fournier/A.Gordon
Frye/A.Gordon/O'Quinn/NIcholson
Vucevic/Fyre/Dedmon/O'Quinn

Major Storyline:

Youth Movement
The Team has been handed off to the young guns. Frye will be the only Vet playing meaningful minutes.

35-38 wins
Start strong, fizzle in January, even out after allstar break. miss the playoffs, but make it interesting.

[BadMofoPimp]

How do you see your depth chart breaking down?
Dipo/Payton
Willie Green/Ben Gordon/Fournier
Harris/Harkless
Frye/Gordon/KOQ
Vucevic/KOQ

What are the major story lines to your team this year?
Why did the Magic select Gordon over Exum!!!

How do you think you will finish record wise in the league? (what place? 1-30)
20th between 30-35 wins

Tell me a little about your coaching situation.
Vaughn sucks. He doesn't hold players accountable and is a pushover as a coach. He has not done enough developing the youth in which he was brought in to do. He is not a bad offensive coach, but defensively, he is horrible. Poor rotations and substitution patterns. I expect him to not be back next year. Hence, he was a patsy for the tank.

[drsd]

How do you see your depth chart breaking down?

For opening night and for after the ASW, many here would project a quite different roster. None see Gordon-A starting this year, but many see Payton starting aftter the ASW.

..

What are the major story lines to your team this year?

How quickly will the rookies develop. Will Harris play SF or PF? Who starts at SG? Will Oladipo play PG minutes?

..

How do you think you will finish record wise in the league? (what place? 1-30)

I see a 32 win team that finishes about 10th in the East. Perhaps 22nd overall.

..

Tell me a little about your coaching situation.

Coach Vaughn is safe this year. If the team exceeds expectation, then he is retained. If the team struggles, he might be let go.




..

[GameOver25]

How do you see your depth chart breaking down?
Dipo/Payton
Willie Green/Ben Gordon/Fournier
Harris/Harkless
Frye/Gordon/KOQ
Vucevic/KOQ

What are the major story lines to your team this year?
Why did the Magic select Gordon over Exum!!!

How do you think you will finish record wise in the league? (what place? 1-30)
20th between 30-35 wins

Tell me a little about your coaching situation.
Vaughn sucks. He doesn't hold players accountable and is a pushover as a coach. He has not done enough developing the youth in which he was brought in to do. He is not a bad offensive coach, but defensively, he is horrible. Poor rotations and substitution patterns. I expect him to not be back next year. Hence, he was a patsy for the tank.

[rb1magicfan]

If we start the most talented players at each position(yes Harkless is more talented at this point and very overlooked by most magic fans he is a huge talent who has potentail to be a great two way player in this league) this will be our line up.We will be running alot like the Suns did last year with two very quick athletic guards and 2 forwards who are great finishers on the wings I think you can bring Frye A Gordon and Fourier in off the bench with those two guards and be just as fast with some more deep shooting. We have good mix of players to play this up tempo style of play we just need to take care of the ball and we will win 38-40 games and suprise some people this year. Go Magic!!!

Payton/Ridenour
Oladipo/Fournier/B.Gordon/Green
Harkless/A.Gordon/Marble
Harris/Frye/O'quin/Nicholson
Vucevic/Deadman

The biggest story line will be Aaron Gordon and his development compared to that of Dante Exum.Will they both be stars or will one out shine the other.The fact is it will probably take 2-3 years to really know for sure.

Coach Vaughn is a young coach with the right petigree but at times looks lost and even counter produtive.Many magic fans feel it was part of tanking the last few years but that remains to be seen.I think he has shown flashes of being a really good coach and then you look at the first game of last season. Andrew Nicholson was completly unstopable scoring from every were and Vaughn pulls him out and sat him for the rest of game. I think he played him 4 more minutes it was so stupid even the passive media members asked what happened.He did that with all of our young players Harkless Oladipo and Harris who had two or three games in a row he helped us win and scored in the high twentys and then found his minutes reduced and started coming off the bench.This year will tell the tale weather he can coach or if we need to bring in someone new.

[MellowRose]

If we start the most talented players at each position(yes Harkless is more talented at this point and very overlooked by most magic fans he is a huge talent who has potentail to be a great two way player in this league)

Agree with the rest of your post, but not this. Harkless has shown nothing to warrant this kind of statement. Zero. How many games did he play real minutes in, and yet managed to only get a stat line of 1 rebound, 2 points, 0 assists, 1 TO.

There were a bunch. Not impressed.

[jazzfan1971]

Thanks for the help!

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1343074

[tiderulz]

If we start the most talented players at each position(yes Harkless is more talented at this point and very overlooked by most magic fans he is a huge talent who has potentail to be a great two way player in this league) this will be our line up.We will be running alot like the Suns did last year with two very quick athletic guards and 2 forwards who are great finishers on the wings I think you can bring Frye A Gordon and Fourier in off the bench with those two guards and be just as fast with some more deep shooting. We have good mix of players to play this up tempo style of play we just need to take care of the ball and we will win 38-40 games and suprise some people this year. Go Magic!!!

Payton/Ridenour
Oladipo/Fournier/B.Gordon/Green
Harkless/A.Gordon/Marble
Harris/Frye/O'quin/Nicholson
Vucevic/Deadman

Frye starts over Harkless. Harkless has more potential but Frye has more game to game impact. And Harkless at best will be a Batum type player, defensive with a 3 pt shot.

[Mad Guru]

Frye started 82 games for a team that nearly made the playoffs in the West, he is the Magic's highest paid player by nearly 4 million dollars. The guy is starting.

[drsd]

Frye started 82 games for a team that nearly made the playoffs in the West, he is the Magic's highest paid player by nearly 4 million dollars. The guy is starting.

To add, this is a real sign that GM Hennigan projects Harris as a SF. And that Gordon A's role this year will be to learn behind Frye as a future PF. Frye's main locker-room job, I would project, is to teach Gordon A the training routines that are involved in improved shooting mechanics for a big.


Opening night:
(blue = major rotation; brown = deep bench; red = practice squad player that is not part of 12-man roster)
Oladipo/Payton/Ridnour
Fournier/Gordon-B/Green
Harris/Harkless/Marble
Frye/Gordon-A/Nicholson
Vučević/O'Quinn/Dedmon


At the All star break:
(Payton will be thrown into a starting role)
(Oladipo will shift to SG and get big minutes as a back-up PG)
(Harkless now has big minutes as a back-up SG to go with his back-up SF minutes)
(Nicholson and Gordon-A will have resolved who is the primary back-up PF at this point)
Payton/Ridnour
Oladipo/Fournier/Gordon-B/Green
Harris/Harkless/Marble
Frye/Nicholson/Gordon-A
Vučević/O'Quinn/Dedmon

[Jiwol]

Agreed, but right now playing roster consists of 13 players, not 12.