Regular Season Game 9: Orlando Magic (2-6) at San Antonio Spurs (6-2)

[magicman112]

Good game. Its nice to play well once in a while. Definitely an up and down team. We have guys who are capable of making shots but for whatever reason everyone has to shoot well or no one shoots well. And when we don't shoot well, we stop playing defense.

I have very high hopes with Bamba. I don't think there is much to complain about in these first 9 games as a rookie. With some experience and weight, he's going to be an absolute beast.

Gordon did good. Really hope he puts it together this season and starts to go off regularly. Now is his time.

Yes, the inconsistency is what bothers most I think. Some nights they play like they did last night and you think ok maybe they're getting it figured out and then bam can't throw it in the ocean again.

[Skin]

Someone make the Sweater Vest thread!

[J the Drafter]

I think point guard play—ours and our opponent’s—is a key part of our season so far. We got killed by the Hornets (Kemba), the Blazers (Lillard), the Bucks (NA), and the Clippers (sg/pg Lou Williams). Fournier’s and Gordon’s struggles have also been a factor. Last night we got stellar play from D.J., Evan and Gordon. Vuc was only ok, but D.J.’s scoring offset his. It also looks like the Magic ceded a lot of their lead while Grant was in the game.

I believe the team’s lack of energy and their listlessness are a result of energy expenditure in practice combined with the transition from our old strength and conditioning staff. That through acclimation and through adjusting practice scheduling for optimum performance.

[fklt]

I was so oddly fixated on Weltman sitting 5 rows behind the bench and screaming at the refs/getting insanely into the game that I missed almost the entire second half.

i'm still leaning to the possibility that we are not tanking at all. i know supporters of the regime think weltman ****ed team up on purpose and trying to bottom up, but i give more credence to the possibility that this is weltman's vision of a team competing for playoffs but that has flexibility in case accidental sucking. notice the guys we traded away were not the guys with the high value, but the bad performers.

don't forget tanking is a medicine you guys, you need to be careful. and we already had our dose.

Going from EP/DJ/Mack to DJ/Grant/Briscoe was a clear downgrade of the entire PG rotation. That's not to say it was good before, it's just been made a lot worse. Biyombo was traded because he was going to get DNP'd since Bamba was drafted... maybe he even requested it. We added no real vets and no shooters. That does not look like a GM trying to win to me. I think the previous season is a better indicator of how Weltman would try to fill a bench when trying to win with a bad team... Simmons, Speights, Afflalo, Birch.

I don't think we're committing to this season at any shape, don't get me wrong. they want the keep the manoeuvrability for next season while slowly starting the climb. our point guard situation is worse, that's true, but they quite probably think DJ can handle it ok while they're safely looking for alternatives in the meantime. remember, in fact, last off-season was pretty much the same thing. weltman sat the whole summer and then signed the leftovers in a pretty safe manner. he was a bit luckier that time that's it.

there is no such thing as playing 4th dimensional chess and trying to tank so secretly that people wouldn't be able to tell. there isn't even one bit of value in that. you either tank and you don't. "but we're not helping the team as much as we could" is not a strategy. if that's your strategy, you're just dumb. truth of the matter is, while hammond has leading experience, taking risks and doing experimental trades as a GM, weltman is just a timid manager that never been in a position like this before before. he might have insight but he neither has vision nor the guts the back it up.

[OrlandO]

i'm still leaning to the possibility that we are not tanking at all. i know supporters of the regime think weltman ****ed team up on purpose and trying to bottom up, but i give more credence to the possibility that this is weltman's vision of a team competing for playoffs but that has flexibility in case accidental sucking. notice the guys we traded away were not the guys with the high value, but the bad performers.

don't forget tanking is a medicine you guys, you need to be careful. and we already had our dose.

Going from EP/DJ/Mack to DJ/Grant/Briscoe was a clear downgrade of the entire PG rotation. That's not to say it was good before, it's just been made a lot worse. Biyombo was traded because he was going to get DNP'd since Bamba was drafted... maybe he even requested it. We added no real vets and no shooters. That does not look like a GM trying to win to me. I think the previous season is a better indicator of how Weltman would try to fill a bench when trying to win with a bad team... Simmons, Speights, Afflalo, Birch.

I don't think we're committing to this season at any shape, don't get me wrong. they want the keep the manoeuvrability for next season while slowly starting the climb. our point guard situation is worse, that's true, but they quite probably think DJ can handle it ok while they're safely looking for alternatives in the meantime.

there is no such thing as playing 4th dimensional chess and trying to tank so secretly that people wouldn't be able to tell. there isn't even one bit of value in that. you either tank and you don't. "but we're not helping the team as much as we could" is not a strategy. if that's your strategy, you're just dumb. truth of the matter is, while hammond has leading experience, taking risks and doing experimental trades as a GM, weltman is just a timid manager that never been in a position like this before before. he might have insight but he neither has vision nor the guts the back it up.

What climb? We won 25 games last season, we downgraded the roster and most of the roster looks like it's on its way out. There are different levels of tanking, some more blatant than others. I don't think it's a coincidence our offense looks as bad on the floor as it does on paper with the lack of true PGs, playmakers, shooters. Seems like a great way to keep the plane grounded without having a firesale and openly advertising a tank job to the players and fans.

[fklt]

Going from EP/DJ/Mack to DJ/Grant/Briscoe was a clear downgrade of the entire PG rotation. That's not to say it was good before, it's just been made a lot worse. Biyombo was traded because he was going to get DNP'd since Bamba was drafted... maybe he even requested it. We added no real vets and no shooters. That does not look like a GM trying to win to me. I think the previous season is a better indicator of how Weltman would try to fill a bench when trying to win with a bad team... Simmons, Speights, Afflalo, Birch.

I don't think we're committing to this season at any shape, don't get me wrong. they want the keep the manoeuvrability for next season while slowly starting the climb. our point guard situation is worse, that's true, but they quite probably think DJ can handle it ok while they're safely looking for alternatives in the meantime.

there is no such thing as playing 4th dimensional chess and trying to tank so secretly that people wouldn't be able to tell. there isn't even one bit of value in that. you either tank and you don't. "but we're not helping the team as much as we could" is not a strategy. if that's your strategy, you're just dumb. truth of the matter is, while hammond has leading experience, taking risks and doing experimental trades as a GM, weltman is just a timid manager that never been in a position like this before before. he might have insight but he neither has vision nor the guts the back it up.

What climb? We won 25 games last season, we downgraded the roster and most of the roster looks like it's on its way out. There are different levels of tanking, some more blatant than others. I don't think it's a coincidence our offense looks as bad on the floor as it does on paper with the lack of true PGs, playmakers, shooters. Seems like a great way to keep the plane grounded without having a firesale and openly advertising a tank job to the players and fans.

dude, I don't believe that they would succeed, i'm saying they think they would. what you call downgrade basically was waiving mack.

[OrlandO]

I don't think we're committing to this season at any shape, don't get me wrong. they want the keep the manoeuvrability for next season while slowly starting the climb. our point guard situation is worse, that's true, but they quite probably think DJ can handle it ok while they're safely looking for alternatives in the meantime.

there is no such thing as playing 4th dimensional chess and trying to tank so secretly that people wouldn't be able to tell. there isn't even one bit of value in that. you either tank and you don't. "but we're not helping the team as much as we could" is not a strategy. if that's your strategy, you're just dumb. truth of the matter is, while hammond has leading experience, taking risks and doing experimental trades as a GM, weltman is just a timid manager that never been in a position like this before before. he might have insight but he neither has vision nor the guts the back it up.

What climb? We won 25 games last season, we downgraded the roster and most of the roster looks like it's on its way out. There are different levels of tanking, some more blatant than others. I don't think it's a coincidence our offense looks as bad on the floor as it does on paper with the lack of true PGs, playmakers, shooters. Seems like a great way to keep the plane grounded without having a firesale and openly advertising a tank job to the players and fans.

dude, I don't believe that they would succeed, i'm saying they think they would. what you call downgrade basically was waiving mack.

I don't think there's a GM in the league who thinks he'd be able to succeed with such little playmaking and shooting.

[fklt]

What climb? We won 25 games last season, we downgraded the roster and most of the roster looks like it's on its way out. There are different levels of tanking, some more blatant than others. I don't think it's a coincidence our offense looks as bad on the floor as it does on paper with the lack of true PGs, playmakers, shooters. Seems like a great way to keep the plane grounded without having a firesale and openly advertising a tank job to the players and fans.

dude, I don't believe that they would succeed, i'm saying they think they would. what you call downgrade basically was waiving mack.

I don't think there's a GM in the league who thinks he'd be able to succeed with such little playmaking and shooting.

they're depending on team health, signing of clifford, and bamba. if their approach to tanking is basically offsetting this with elimination of mack, then you gotta give that this is a very, very weak approach. and I'm not sure they are dumb enough to think they can win much without playmaking and shooting, but they sure as hell didn't prioritise it in any of the opportunities they had.

[OrlandO]

dude, I don't believe that they would succeed, i'm saying they think they would. what you call downgrade basically was waiving mack.

I don't think there's a GM in the league who thinks he'd be able to succeed with such little playmaking and shooting.

they're depending on team health, signing of clifford, and bamba. if their approach to tanking is basically offsetting this with elimination of mack, then you gotta give that this is a very, very weak approach. and I'm not sure they are dumb enough to think they can win much without playmaking and shooting, but they sure as hell don't prioritise it.

I don't know about that... I think Weltman knows it's uncommon for teams to stay fully healthy (we lose multiple players for 15-20 games every year), knows bamba is not going to be making much of an impact as a rookie for most of the season, and knows EP to DJ is a major downgrade from a playmaking standpoint. I think he also knows the team was playing out of their minds offensively that first month last season and won more than they should have. We'll see how it all ends, but if we end up just as bad as last year I think it makes far more sense that weltman expected such results.