2023-2024 Regular Season Game 39: Orlando Magic (21-17) at Oklahoma City Thunder (26-11) - 8pm

[zaymon]

It was not that bad given circumstances. We have a lot of injuries, a lot of dead salary. We need to look ourselves in the eyes and decide if we want to improve our team this season or next. There are arguments for both.
Holmgren won the game but i think we won the draft.

[Bergmaniac]

Impressive effort once again, but we just don't have enough talent right now with all the injuries to have a shot even on a night when OKC shot way below their average from 3 and most of this wasn't due to our defence, they were bricking wide open looks all night, especially the first half. Ballnadling and shooting again the main issues on offense.

Also, can we please find someone else to eventually replace David Steele as a play-by-play guy instead of Dante? Dante is just so bad at this role.

[Skybox]

SGA is the difference...lots of parallels between these two teams on the rise, but OKC got a head start with Paul George as an asset. I think Simons could be our SGA (not saying he's SGA, but similar role/function) and we'd have so much more versatility and ability to shoot ourselves back into games. Also, need to remember how good Franz is too when comparing. They've done a great job and I think ORL has too...but we can't stop now because we're just starting to see how our best pieces fit. OKC is doing that too - but they're farther ahead in their build and also have an unprecedented war chest of picks.

A lot of their picks will produce insignificant players, but the way it works these days is teams selling off talent need to wave the silly "I got X number of firsts". One good pick is far greater value than a handful of late firsts...I'm still amazed at how many trades last year involved srps -which are essentially inconsequential 90% of the time.

[DiplomaticMagic]

Dante is seriously so bad at play by play, Im thinking about writing Bally Sports and express my opinion. Is that who I would write? I cannot let him replace David Steele.

To me, David Steele is the best, and replacing him with Dante is like replacing Shaq with Daniel Orton.

To be fair, I thought Matt Guokas was also a GOAT and when we replaced him with Jeff Turner, I was so pissed and he was so bad at first. Hes gotten a lot better over the years but I think the combo with him and David is what really helps. With David Steele, we have one of the best broadcast teams in the league. Without him, its one of the worst.

[I Rasharted]

Dante is seriously so bad at play by play, Im thinking about writing Bally Sports and express mg opinion. Is that who I would write? I cannot him replace David Steele.

To me, David Steele is the best, and replacing him with Dante is like replacing Shaq with Daniel Orton.

To be fair, I thought Matt Guokas was also a GOAT and when we replaced him with Jeff Turner, I was so pissed and he was so bad at first. Hes gotten a lot better over the years but I think the combo with him and David is what really helps. With David Steele, we have one of the best broadcast teams in the league. Without him, its one of the worst.

[eyriq]

Dante is seriously so bad at play by play, Im thinking about writing Bally Sports and express mg opinion. Is that who I would write? I cannot him replace David Steele.

To me, David Steele is the best, and replacing him with Dante is like replacing Shaq with Daniel Orton.

To be fair, I thought Matt Guokas was also a GOAT and when we replaced him with Jeff Turner, I was so pissed and he was so bad at first. Hes gotten a lot better over the years but I think the combo with him and David is what really helps. With David Steele, we have one of the best broadcast teams in the league. Without him, its one of the worst.

Yep

[Fortune Teller]

Last night was the first time Paolo looked a little frustrated with his teammates.

I mean, WCJ, Ingles, Franz, Harris, and Fultz were basically our starting lineup last year if you replaced Ingles with Paolo. All those players are out.

Sent from my SM-G781U using RealGM mobile app

Three of the four check-cashers -- Fultz, Gary Harris & WCJ -- missed the OKC game. The fourth check-casher -- Isaac -- played with a minutes restriction.

Games missed this season (not yet at halfway point):

Fultz -- 31
WCJ -- 26
Isaac -- 17*
Harris -- 12

The four highest-paid players on the roster.

*On minutes restriction in games he's played.

[eyriq]

Last night was the first time Paolo looked a little frustrated with his teammates.

I mean, WCJ, Ingles, Franz, Harris, and Fultz were basically our starting lineup last year if you replaced Ingles with Paolo. All those players are out.

Sent from my SM-G781U using RealGM mobile app

Three of the four check-cashers -- Fultz, Gary Harris & WCJ -- missed the OKC game. The fourth check-casher -- Isaac -- played with a minutes restriction.

Games missed this season (not yet at halfway point):

Fultz -- 31
WCJ -- 26
Isaac -- 17*
Harris -- 12

The four highest-paid players on the roster.

*On minutes restriction in games he's played.

It is craptastic

[VFX]

Last night was the first time Paolo looked a little frustrated with his teammates.

I mean, WCJ, Ingles, Franz, Harris, and Fultz were basically our starting lineup last year if you replaced Ingles with Paolo. All those players are out.

Sent from my SM-G781U using RealGM mobile app

Three of the four check-cashers -- Fultz, Gary Harris & WCJ -- missed the OKC game. The fourth check-casher -- Isaac -- played with a minutes restriction.

Games missed this season (not yet at halfway point):

Fultz -- 31
WCJ -- 26
Isaac -- 17*
Harris -- 12

The four highest-paid players on the roster.

*On minutes restriction in games he's played.

This annoys me to no end.

[drsd]

Box score thoughts:

This is an odd one. Orlando won the FG% battle and lost the game (handily). Why?

Two reasons:
1) Orlando lost the TO battle battle badly 15-8, which is the major reason the Thunder had 10 more FG attempts.

2) And is it super painful to writ this, as it is the 5th straight game this is true, the Magic shot below 70% from the FT line.

I can swallow point 1. This is a young team and it will always be TO prone. Point 2 disgust. It is jut not OK to be shooting so poorly from the FT line, so consistently. This needs immediate correction. But how?

[dsg2021]

Dante is seriously so bad at play by play, Im thinking about writing Bally Sports and express my opinion. Is that who I would write? I cannot let him replace David Steele.

To me, David Steele is the best, and replacing him with Dante is like replacing Shaq with Daniel Orton.

To be fair, I thought Matt Guokas was also a GOAT and when we replaced him with Jeff Turner, I was so pissed and he was so bad at first. Hes gotten a lot better over the years but I think the combo with him and David is what really helps. With David Steele, we have one of the best broadcast teams in the league. Without him, its one of the worst.

I don't care too much for Jeff tbh. He's just okay. David Steele is great though.

[Skybox]

Last night was the first time Paolo looked a little frustrated with his teammates.

I mean, WCJ, Ingles, Franz, Harris, and Fultz were basically our starting lineup last year if you replaced Ingles with Paolo. All those players are out.

Sent from my SM-G781U using RealGM mobile app

Three of the four check-cashers -- Fultz, Gary Harris & WCJ -- missed the OKC game. The fourth check-casher -- Isaac -- played with a minutes restriction.

Games missed this season (not yet at halfway point):

Fultz -- 31
WCJ -- 26
Isaac -- 17*
Harris -- 12

The four highest-paid players on the roster.

*On minutes restriction in games he's played.

the good news is while this mess is occurring, ORL is better than before and 3 out of 4 on your list are expiring or non-guaranteed. The fourth, if he'd get his ass on the court, could be our best trade asset (other than frps) because of his modest deal AND he's really not needed due to Goga and Moe's play...lost opportunities suck but could be a lot worse for ORL. IF the FO has any courage, change is right around the corner for the "Flawed Four" listed above.

[ibraheim718]

The kids are right about where they should be. The teams that have beat them are teams with players in their peak.. veteran teams. OKC was the first young team to beat them. I had them at 42-38 in one of your threads.

[JoshuaPotter]

I just see Okeke starting and know it is going to be an L.

When healthy I wouldn't mind seeing
PF Paolo
SF Franz
SG Houstan
PG Suggs
C Goga

So long as Suggs / Houstan have the green light and Black gets a PG role next to Cole I think that could be fun. I would even be "oksh" with Okeke coming off the bench to relief Franz or houstan. But start?

I am hoping that by playing this Okeke goes off and restores some of his filler value in a trade. Otherwise, he is just deep bench 3rd string and has no business starting IMHO. I do not blame Okeke for starting though. That's the coaches decision.