Playoffs, league trends, and Orlando’s future

[The-Stallion70]

It's not just rule changes, it's not even being rig about existing rule changes.

From the official NBA rules-
Rule No. 10, Section II, d: A player who is dribbling may not put any part of his hand under the ball and (1) carry it from one point to another or (2) bring it to a pause and then continue to dribble again.

When you read it you simply can't read it with straight face, knowing every player violates this twice a game and some lead guards in particular, do it every possession.


Celtics vs Pacers , 2:43 to play, game 4 of ECF, Brown has planted pivotal foot, than makes another step and makes layup to tie a game. So probably second most important shot that night was clear ( uncalled) travel.


Giannis is yet to make eurostep that isn't travel, nba even branded his eurostep to celebrate rule violations.

There is whole gather step problem where it's free card for third , illegal step, when you mix gather step and Eurostep, and it's being done by +6'8 person you give players 4 steps to run with a ball, if you are as big as agile as Lebron or Giannis, you can cover distance of 3 point line to dunking distance without putting ball on the floor. Ofc nobody can guard them , that's execlly what league wants. More stars. Entertaiment > sport & competition.

We had 3 years of James Harden "step back 3" being glorified despite fact guy would create distance by literally picking basketball with both hands, with both feet planted, than jumped with both feet back, than either take a shot ( already travel) or lunch himself into defender to create contact for 3 free throws. Guy won MVP award for mastering cheating move that was always- just a damn travel.

I don't agree with everything you said but I do agree that the NBA does things that essentially help market the stars that directly conflict with rules of basketball.

The league's popularity took off with MJ's stardom after all. His well publicized and even celebrated "push off" on Bryan Russell is technically an offensive foul.

It is essential to the growth of the business and the other non-stars are okay with it because they are rich themselves.

These last two minute reports are also lame because they point out where they **** up and don't ever do anything about it. Like I don't care to know then and there is no accountability.

Last two min report is joke within a joke because they bend own rules. You can always go back to Banchero's shot vs Pistons as they said it's not a travel, and when you slow down video you can count not 3,not 4 but 5 steps made. Double stepback with one small additional step. Perfect. Execlly how basketball was intented to be played

There are way worst plays than that in every game that go uncalled but given we are Magic fans, that's memorable one.

But it's just politics, if they admit mistakes on every 2 min report, their refs would look like clowns, now we know they are clowns but it's worst kept secret

They admit their own fault each time they point out their own mistake and don't do anything about it. It is a collective insult to the integrity of the sport.

With all due respect pepe, I am working on my personalized 7-step move as we speak they call that an "Alaskan step" where I'm from

[pepe1991]

I don't agree with everything you said but I do agree that the NBA does things that essentially help market the stars that directly conflict with rules of basketball.

The league's popularity took off with MJ's stardom after all. His well publicized and even celebrated "push off" on Bryan Russell is technically an offensive foul.

It is essential to the growth of the business and the other non-stars are okay with it because they are rich themselves.

These last two minute reports are also lame because they point out where they **** up and don't ever do anything about it. Like I don't care to know then and there is no accountability.

Last two min report is joke within a joke because they bend own rules. You can always go back to Banchero's shot vs Pistons as they said it's not a travel, and when you slow down video you can count not 3,not 4 but 5 steps made. Double stepback with one small additional step. Perfect. Execlly how basketball was intented to be played

There are way worst plays than that in every game that go uncalled but given we are Magic fans, that's memorable one.

But it's just politics, if they admit mistakes on every 2 min report, their refs would look like clowns, now we know they are clowns but it's worst kept secret

They admit their own fault each time they point out their own mistake and don't do anything about it. It is a collective insult to the integrity of the sport.

With all due respect pepe, I am working on my personalized 7-step move as we speak they call that an "Alaskan step" where I'm from

Brothers "gathered" 11 times



Alaskan step, first 4 steps dont't count, they should be branded as "iceskate step".
Btw that alaskan step term is now inbranded in my brain and i can't stop laughing

[The-Stallion70]

Brothers "gathered" 11 times

You can gather that many separate times


in a grocery store


K im done lol

[Tarheel]

Random offshoot point but I think the way the NBA has created it's own version of basketball is a reason that the USA teams have struggled a bit with FIBA competition recently.

It will be interesting to see how they go in Paris, as the Olympics are usually when the top tier guys want to play so they'll have a pretty big talent advantage.

[VFX]

Whatever you want to call Doncic, Tatum, etc. they are playing outside-in, which is kinda more my point than merely just “back courts”. Orlando doesn’t play that way as currently constructed. They aren’t a multifaceted offense being run efficiently like every semi-finals or finals team.

I think ever RealGMers Magic fan is in agreement that one new starting guard is needed and guard depth in general needs to be solidified.

This needs to be done in a way to open up the box for Banchero and F-Wagner.

I am on record that a scoring PG is not the solution. But if that is what comes, it still improves the offense to the mess of the 2023/24 season.

As to your point on Dončić, Tatum, and etc., this is really what Banchero was stating in the exit interviews and the press nthe next day that he hopes the Magic does not get a new lead guard. He seems himself as the primary ball handleer.

Look back to the Bulls two threepeats. The "PGs" were John Paxson, B.J. Armstrong, Ron Harper. In the first threepeat, Paxson and Armstrong were longbombers. For the second, Harper was, actually I am not really sure. In game cheerleader?

The era of a pass-first PG is truly dead in the NBA. There was only one 10apg player in the whole of the NBA, and that was in a scoring PG in Haliburton.

Maybe Tyus Jones fits the mold.

My rambling aside, the modern NBA PG is a high usage player. The Magic do not have usages to go around to a third player. So, this is a soft-no for me. Frankly I would rather the Magic just start Black (next to Suggs), then to go after VanVleet, J-Murray, Russell, Sexton, etc.

Back to your point, which I agree with, the Magic's backcourt offense was the core problem to the last season and is THE priority for course correction.

Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I remember Paolo stating the exact opposite.

That Orlando needs to acquire someone to set the table and that he is NOT a point guard or lead ball handler. Moreover, that he believes that working on his shot would be massively beneficial. He’s correct on both accounts.

I think it’s more of a situation that there are frankly more players in the league that happen to be elite scorers and playmakers at the guard spots than say… Centers or Power Forward Bigs.

Those guys you can basically count on one hand as being engines on their teams and the successful ones also happen to have fringe to elite back court orchestration as well (Murray, Maxey), which is why you will see within 1-2 seasons the Spurs FO work very hard to put a guy next to Wemby that makes sense more than a PF or someone like Derozen.

Orlando went the other route, which is what I don’t necessarily like. They have two big Forwards, but they don’t play similar to league trends. They play like 90s guys iso-ing to the basket and playing team defense. Can’t say that I’ve seen that work very often without having some kind of legitimate outlet carrying the scoring volume elsewhere.

The bottom line is that every Magic fan should be praying these guys develop a shot and take more of them in the coming seasons. If not, then start praying for a Trae Young type of guy because that’s the only way Orlando is making it to the conference finals. These teams are too good at picking defenses apart from anywhere on the floor at volume and the offensive output just isn’t there yet.

[zaymon]

I think we will try to build around Suggs/Wagner/Banchero until proven you cant compete with them. When you look at past Weltman and Hammond teams they were build around forwards surrounded with complimentary backcourt.
Lowry/Green
Holiday/Tucker(DiVincenzo until injured)
Suggs is kind of similar to Green/Tucker. Now we can go for someone like Lowry/Holiday. Conley fills a similar role on the Wolves. White on Celtic(along with Holiday).
I know he is much worse defender but Tyus Jones is similar height and weight to Lowry.
Personally i would go that route while considering if WCJ is good enough rim protector.
Using our salary while keeping assets seems like 1A scenario.

Jones/Suggs/Wagner/Banchero/Claxton.

If this team construct doesnt work i would consider trading for heliocentric genius like Young, but thats propably at least a year before us.

[p0peye]

You don't need playoffs to tell you that half our roster can't do a thing on offense against set defense.