Q&A with Steve Clifford

[OrlandO]

:lol: at people talking about an expiring Vuc like he's holding the entire organization hostage. Like it or not, Vuc is here AND starting because he's still serving a purpose for the Magic, not because the decision makers are worried about his feelings.

There's no purpose. This is not a playoff team. The only purpose Vuc serves is adding additional wins to a team that needs a high lottery pick. Don't act like its a smart decision for management to keep Vuc this season just to add a couple more wins and hurt our lottery positioning. It's not. He should be gone.

There is a purpose. You just don't agree with it. Your idea of proper development differs from that of Weltman and Clifford's.

[pepe1991]

Vuc starting his 7th season with Orlando
Gordon and Evan 5th

[Optimus_Steel]

Its going to be another clunky and boring year in Orlando. They will probably be slightly better than Orlando City.

[cedric76]

Big take away from this article is:

Steve told AG to focus on D, AG got lost last season trying to become someone he is not.

Steve will clean his game

AG/Isaac duo at Sf/pf Will be great

Future line-up(19/20)

Pg
Evan
AG
ISAAC
Mo

[PrimeThyme]

New Q&A with Robbins: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-magic/os-sp-magic-steve-clifford-interview-20180921-story.html

Spoiler:

Orlando Sentinel: What do you expect the team’s identity to be?

Steve Clifford: I hope that it’ll be in a general sense a team that plays hard, that plays smart. That’s the recipe for winning in this league. Obviously, there’s a lot that goes into both of those things. And then we need to be balanced. We have to be able to play well at both ends of the floor. That’s what the good teams do. That’s how you build a team game that will allow you to play consistently and win on the road and have a chance to win against the better teams.

OS: Does the team need to set a tone in camp? And if so, how do you go about doing that?

Clifford: There are things, obviously, that you want: teamwork, accountability to each other and accountability to how you play, a spirit of togetherness. But I think so much of that is things that have to be built and developed over time.

I don’t think training camp is something that you want to ease into. I think that the better players are ready for training camp and are in good shape, and they have their games together. That’s what the good teams do. So we’d like to set a tone of work and a tone of spirit. But those are also things that will be developed over time.

OS: Is the goal this season to reach the playoffs?

Clifford: I don’t think you put limits or numbers [on things], especially as we’re just getting to know each other. But certainly I think that the potential to make the playoffs is realistic. I think that we have a number of guys who’ve had really good summers. We have some talented players, both younger and older. So depending on how things [progress], if we can develop that type of team game, there’s no reason as you look at the East that we can’t be competing for a playoff spot.

OS: What’s your philosophy regarding rookies’ playing time? Do you believe rookies should be given game minutes in order to develop? Or are rookies served better by beating out veteran teammates for playing time?

Clifford: I’d say we just take it case-by-case. So much of this league is finding the groupings of guys who will play better on the floor. Our goal this year is to both develop younger players and win. About younger guys, it’s my feeling that you want to give them roles that they can be successful in. As you look at the league over the last few years, you could find many examples where guys are just thrown out there just to learn. The fact that they were on subpar teams and weren’t on the floor a lot with competitive groups made it very hard for them to play well, and I don’t think that that’s beneficial in most cases.

I think that we have groupings here for our younger guys where they will play quality minutes that matter and be part of a good team.

OS: What, then, do you want to see from Mo Bamba during training camp, the preseason and the regular season’s early stages?

Clifford: Continued development. Continuing to get comfortable with the NBA game, with the detailed parts of both offense and defense. He’s very bright. He’s made good strides since summer league. So I think continuing the same approach and attitude that he’s had since we got back from Vegas [is the goal].

OS: Do you have similar expectations for Jonathan Isaac?

Clifford: I think Jonathan is a little bit further along because he’s a year older. He’s had the experience of going through an NBA season. So I think he knows more what to expect. As you saw in summer league, I think he’s made really good strides. He’s playing at a much different level than he did last year. Again, to me it’s just gradual progress for both of those guys.

OS: What are you and your assistant coaches stressing to Aaron Gordon?

Clifford: Aaron has made good progress every year. He’s played better and better every year. In my opinion, the thing that he can do to take another step is become respected as an elite defender and as a guy who’s both an exceptional individual defender and team defender.

OS: How do you intend to employ Nikola Vucevic? It seems he’ll be crucial on the offensive end of the court.

Clifford: To me, it’s inside and outside. He’s a very good post-up player. Then he’s also an excellent passer and decision-maker on the perimeter who has the ability to shoot the ball well from 3. So we have things, just like they did last year, where he’ll be in the post. And then there will be other parts, other sets, where he’s playing out at the perimeter. I think it’s important for him and our team that we have a balance of both of those.

[j-ragg]

This is the least excited I’ve been for a season in a while. Obviously interested in the future frontcourt but this team could be so much more exciting. But hey if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

[SOUL]

This is the least excited I’ve been for a season in a while. Obviously interested in the future frontcourt but this team could be so much more exciting. But hey if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

I'm pretty excited but I feel like it has a chance to really go south depending on how Clifford/FO decides to handle this season. But, to be fair, it could go the other way too.

[PennytoShaq]

I dont blame anyone for not being excited. We are most likely going to be bad. That said, i am pretty confident that things will get much better after this season.

[PrimeThyme]

My excitement level is probably around a 3 right now. If Isaac secures a starting spot in training camp it rises to a 5. && if Vuc is traded before the start of the season for a young unproven PG (Josh Hart please) it rises to a 10.

[PennytoShaq]

Man that would be real hot. I am tempering my expectations and not seeing us getting any great offers for Vuc, but you never know.

[Def Swami]

ORLANDOMAGIC.COM: I know this is kind of a question for Steve Clifford and the coaching staff, but how do you see the balance playing out at center between veteran Nikola Vucevic and Bamba?

JEFF WELTMAN: ``That’s totally a Cliff question, but Mo is just a rookie and Vooch is a proven, high-quality veteran in this league. We come into camp knowing that we have two highly talented, highly intelligent players at that position and talking to Cliff he sees opportunities to play those guys together. That’s one thing as Mo grows and develops his understanding of the league, his length, footspeed and perimeter abilities will allow that to happen. Can Mo and Vooch play some together? That’s obviously a Cliff question, but I think that will evolve as the season progresses.’’

[FFBlitzace]

This is the least excited I’ve been for a season in a while. Obviously interested in the future frontcourt but this team could be so much more exciting. But hey if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

I'm pretty excited but I feel like it has a chance to really go south depending on how Clifford/FO decides to handle this season. But, to be fair, it could go the other way too.

Yeah it seems like every year, there are specific things we feel good about and expect to happen, and then the exact opposite happens on a scale that not even the most pessimistic among us imagined. So anything better than a disaster like that will be an improvement.

[SOUL]

This is the least excited I’ve been for a season in a while. Obviously interested in the future frontcourt but this team could be so much more exciting. But hey if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

I'm pretty excited but I feel like it has a chance to really go south depending on how Clifford/FO decides to handle this season. But, to be fair, it could go the other way too.

Yeah it seems like every year, there are specific things we feel good about and expect to happen, and then the exact opposite happens on a scale that not even the most pessimistic among us imagined. So anything better than a disaster like that will be an improvement.

It basically starts with V and ends with ucevic. I don't mind him starting the first few months or something, but if we end another season with our veterans leading the team and the fans of this team defending yet another year of patience and bringing people along slowly, I'm gonna flip. Doesn't mean I want the kids playing 35-40 minutes a game, we just need to have a clear and concise plan on having a starting lineup with them in our future and figuring out where they play most optimally.

[The Real Dalic]

I honestly like what I'm hearing from Coach Cliff, he seems really smart and like he has a plan in mind. But all new coaches always know what to say to excite the fan base, it's when it's game time that they decide to ignore everything they said in the offseason.

But, I'm excited to see what happens. I'm expecting big things from Gordon. I also expect us to see some improvements from Isaac that get us excited for the future. I'm just hoping Augustine, Grant, and Briscoe prove me wrong, that position is so weak for us and they need to play well for us to have a chance at the playoffs.

[DiplomaticMagic]

I'm always excited for a new Magic season. Not sure if I'm rooting for wins or losses yet but either way, I'm here for it.

I applaud our management for being patient and not looking for a quick fix that can damage us long-term.

I'm not big on Clifford, but he's given me hope. You can never tell with coaches until you see them coach your team every night.

It's obvious management is trying to trade Vuc but probably not a deal out there right now that doesn't require us taking longer contracts. And our cap space is key. If I was GM, I would've straight up waived Vuc. If Bamba isn't ready at the jump, I think Birch is a more than solid starter, and Mozgov is not a total stiff.

[MasterGMer]

Magic has a long way to go

Let's focus each and every day