2016 Official Speculation Thread: Episode V - The Preseason Strikes Back

[PennytoShaq]

Yeah I loved the Mario pick so I'm glad he is here.

Vuc just did an interview - he is playing the 4 next to Biz in practice. That's a pretty interesting frontcourt.

[T-Cat]

I will say this - Skiles had a lot of say in the drafting of Mario. I also am not sure Hennigan was 100% on board with this. The reason for the second opinion is because when I talked to Rob about Mario he was very lukewarm (before his first season) and basically said "we shall see" when I talked to him. I personally expected more excitement, but Rob is a legit dude and if you ever talk to him you will know what I mean. Very respectful to people and straightforward.

This is not to say that Rob did not have scouts all over Mario or that Rob does not want him here or believe in him. I think he was crushed that he couldn't get Porzingis last draft and Wiggins or Parker the draft before. I also think he resented Skiles coming in as a noob and having so much immediate input. He probably took it personally when Skiles started telling him negative stuff about Payton, a guy that he had to make big moves to draft. Add that to Skiles having a meltdown in Jan, and I can see how frustrating it would be to have a guy who almost quit on the team come in after the season and start making personnel demands.

It's all really on Alex Martins, who needs to butt out moving forward.

I do believe that Mario will be one of our best players in a year or two, but there may have been a guy out there that Rob wanted even more. We will never know.

I initially held a similar conspiracy theory for the past year as well. I thought they'd go Myles Turner after missing on another big man who could block shots and shoot.

I recall Brian Schmitz tweeting and writing a few days before the draft that Skiles was a huge Hezonja fan. So when we drafted Hezonja, despite positional overlap and need for front court depth, I found the pick sort of dubious.

At the same time, Jonathon Givony of DraftExpress, who is pretty close with Rob Hennigan, always had Hezonja pegged at #3 on his own personal draft board. That gave some credence to Hezonja's draft stock.

Also, a friend of mine, also a sedentary poster here, talked with a pretty high-ranking front office member who was really high on Hezonja. So

Personally, I still really like Hezonja's skillset and demeanor. I'm excited to see what a coach that builds him up can do for him. I anticipate he will force Vogel to play him next to Fournier and Gordon this year.

If true, Skiles did us a favor in drafting Mario for us! Thanks coach

[thelead]

Vuc just did an interview - he is playing the 4 next to Biz in practice. That's a pretty interesting frontcourt.

Words cannot express how happy I am to have Vogel here. That pairing may not work but at least he's willing to give it a shot. You have to think outside of the box sometimes.

[Def Swami]

Vuc just did an interview - he is playing the 4 next to Biz in practice. That's a pretty interesting frontcourt.

Words cannot express how happy I am to have Vogel here. That pairing may not work but at least he's willing to give it a shot. You have to think outside of the box sometimes.

Also like the way Vucevic phrased how he and Biz are used; neither really labeled as the 4 or the 5, just that they run the plays depending on who gets to the position on the court first and interchange based on that. Forcier, having done this last year with the Spurs, also got some credit from Vogel for helping to make this work. Not only is this coaching staff creative enough to play with the idea, they seem experienced enough to maximize its potential.

[JF5]

I will say this - Skiles had a lot of say in the drafting of Mario. I also am not sure Hennigan was 100% on board with this. The reason for the second opinion is because when I talked to Rob about Mario he was very lukewarm (before his first season) and basically said "we shall see" when I talked to him. I personally expected more excitement, but Rob is a legit dude and if you ever talk to him you will know what I mean. Very respectful to people and straightforward.

This is not to say that Rob did not have scouts all over Mario or that Rob does not want him here or believe in him. I think he was crushed that he couldn't get Porzingis last draft and Wiggins or Parker the draft before. I also think he resented Skiles coming in as a noob and having so much immediate input. He probably took it personally when Skiles started telling him negative stuff about Payton, a guy that he had to make big moves to draft. Add that to Skiles having a meltdown in Jan, and I can see how frustrating it would be to have a guy who almost quit on the team come in after the season and start making personnel demands.

It's all really on Alex Martins, who needs to butt out moving forward.

I do believe that Mario will be one of our best players in a year or two, but there may have been a guy out there that Rob wanted even more. We will never know.

I initially held a similar conspiracy theory for the past year as well. I thought they'd go Myles Turner after missing on another big man who could block shots and shoot.

I recall Brian Schmitz tweeting and writing a few days before the draft that Skiles was a huge Hezonja fan. So when we drafted Hezonja, despite positional overlap and need for front court depth, I found the pick sort of dubious.

At the same time, Jonathon Givony of DraftExpress, who is pretty close with Rob Hennigan, always had Hezonja pegged at #3 on his own personal draft board. That gave some credence to Hezonja's draft stock.

Also, a friend of mine, also a sedentary poster here, talked with a pretty high-ranking front office member who was really high on Hezonja. So

Personally, I still really like Hezonja's skillset and demeanor. I'm excited to see what a coach that builds him up can do for him. I anticipate he will force Vogel to play him next to Fournier and Gordon this year.

Hennigan was scouting Hezonja for more than 3 years. On top of that after drafting him Skiles himself said he didn't know much about the pick. So that theory has been debunked...

I think only the Tobias Harris trade was of Skiles's doing as he got his former players in his prior regime in the trade.

[Bensational]

Vuc just did an interview - he is playing the 4 next to Biz in practice. That's a pretty interesting frontcourt.

Words cannot express how happy I am to have Vogel here. That pairing may not work but at least he's willing to give it a shot. You have to think outside of the box sometimes.

Also like the way Vucevic phrased how he and Biz are used; neither really labeled as the 4 or the 5, just that they run the plays depending on who gets to the position on the court first and interchange based on that. Forcier, having done this last year with the Spurs, also got some credit from Vogel for helping to make this work. Not only is this coaching staff creative enough to play with the idea, they seem experienced enough to maximize its potential.

This is probably he most interesting news I've heard since free agency. If they can get Vuc and Biyombo to work together, then that's fantastic. We'll have a 3 headed beast for the 4/5 for most minutes of the game, and be able to get the best of both worlds on offense and defense.

I'm really intrigued and hopeful this works out.

[OrlandoDream]

Ummm we have a preseason game Monday!!!!!

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Thank the basketball Gods!! Tipoff will be here in no time. Im just glad to see our boys in blue back in action.

Will AG be playing?

[j-ragg]

Ummm we have a preseason game Monday!!!!!

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Thank the basketball Gods!! Tipoff will be here in no time. Im just glad to see our boys in blue back in action.

Will AG be playing?

I'd assume tomorrow he'd have to fully participate in practice. To this point he hasn't done any contact drills. So gun to my head id say they sit him since it's meaningless but hopefully he's healed up.

[The Other Ankle]

Words cannot express how happy I am to have Vogel here. That pairing may not work but at least he's willing to give it a shot. You have to think outside of the box sometimes.

Also like the way Vucevic phrased how he and Biz are used; neither really labeled as the 4 or the 5, just that they run the plays depending on who gets to the position on the court first and interchange based on that. Forcier, having done this last year with the Spurs, also got some credit from Vogel for helping to make this work. Not only is this coaching staff creative enough to play with the idea, they seem experienced enough to maximize its potential.

This is probably he most interesting news I've heard since free agency. If they can get Vuc and Biyombo to work together, then that's fantastic. We'll have a 3 headed beast for the 4/5 for most minutes of the game, and be able to get the best of both worlds on offense and defense.

I'm really intrigued and hopeful this works out.

The Vuc quotes and Forcier reference make it sound progressive and hopeful. But we have to remember that Ibaka has been sitting for a bunch of the practice time. So they would likely be trying it for stretches even if it was not looking good. When the dust settles, Vuc and Biz better be able to play together or one of them is going to be unhappy with their minutes.

[PennytoShaq]

I will say this - Skiles had a lot of say in the drafting of Mario. I also am not sure Hennigan was 100% on board with this. The reason for the second opinion is because when I talked to Rob about Mario he was very lukewarm (before his first season) and basically said "we shall see" when I talked to him. I personally expected more excitement, but Rob is a legit dude and if you ever talk to him you will know what I mean. Very respectful to people and straightforward.

This is not to say that Rob did not have scouts all over Mario or that Rob does not want him here or believe in him. I think he was crushed that he couldn't get Porzingis last draft and Wiggins or Parker the draft before. I also think he resented Skiles coming in as a noob and having so much immediate input. He probably took it personally when Skiles started telling him negative stuff about Payton, a guy that he had to make big moves to draft. Add that to Skiles having a meltdown in Jan, and I can see how frustrating it would be to have a guy who almost quit on the team come in after the season and start making personnel demands.

It's all really on Alex Martins, who needs to butt out moving forward.

I do believe that Mario will be one of our best players in a year or two, but there may have been a guy out there that Rob wanted even more. We will never know.

I initially held a similar conspiracy theory for the past year as well. I thought they'd go Myles Turner after missing on another big man who could block shots and shoot.

I recall Brian Schmitz tweeting and writing a few days before the draft that Skiles was a huge Hezonja fan. So when we drafted Hezonja, despite positional overlap and need for front court depth, I found the pick sort of dubious.

At the same time, Jonathon Givony of DraftExpress, who is pretty close with Rob Hennigan, always had Hezonja pegged at #3 on his own personal draft board. That gave some credence to Hezonja's draft stock.

Also, a friend of mine, also a sedentary poster here, talked with a pretty high-ranking front office member who was really high on Hezonja. So

Personally, I still really like Hezonja's skillset and demeanor. I'm excited to see what a coach that builds him up can do for him. I anticipate he will force Vogel to play him next to Fournier and Gordon this year.

Hennigan was scouting Hezonja for more than 3 years. On top of that after drafting him Skiles himself said he didn't know much about the pick. So that theory has been debunked...

I think only the Tobias Harris trade was of Skiles's doing as he got his former players in his prior regime in the trade.

Yes for sure, but a few things are not completely true. While Rob was scouting Mario, he is extremely thorough in his scouting and draft assessments. If it was not for bad lottery luck he would have built us an absolutely loaded team. He is so detailed that he meets with foreign guys he is thinking about maybe taking in the late second round.

Skiles also said really good things about Mario before the pick was made. He did a predraft interview that night where he mentioned him specifically. It doesn't really matter but I just wonder if Rob started thinking about someone else and had his hand forced a little more than he was comfortable with. That was really my main point. Those little things added up to his frustration with Skiles.

[PennytoShaq]

Its a good point that Ibaka is not playing. But that being said Vogel has more rotation options if he knows he can slide Vuc over now and then.

[MagicFan32]

i am glad the organization is willing to try and turn vooch into a 3 point shooter, that would exponentially increase his value, even if he only shot like 35%

[JF5]

Yes for sure, but a few things are not completely true. While Rob was scouting Mario, he is extremely thorough in his scouting and draft assessments. If it was not for bad lottery luck he would have built us an absolutely loaded team. He is so detailed that he meets with foreign guys he is thinking about maybe taking in the late second round.

Skiles also said really good things about Mario before the pick was made. He did a predraft interview that night where he mentioned him specifically. It doesn't really matter but I just wonder if Rob started thinking about someone else and had his hand forced a little more than he was comfortable with. That was really my main point. Those little things added up to his frustration with Skiles.

This is the 2015 Post-Draft press conference.

@ 4:20 they ask Scott about Hezonja... He admits he's completely clueless about him...

Watch on YouTube

Skiles had nothing to do with Mario being drafted...

Plus, on top of that I can't imagine a new coach thoroughly knowing about a full list of prospects a few months before the draft.

[Xatticus]

I'll let the board rate the relative Peevishness however they see fit. Just seems rather Douchey to harp on the possibility that Ibaka will leave when Henny has known him personally for the longest of any named executive; was allowed to speak with him before the trade; and then made the trade with confidence. It WOULD be an unprecedented and likely fatal mistake to Rob's tenure if Ibaka walked. That in itself is the strongest indication that he will almost assuredly stay here barring some fiasco.

Serge's life story article this Summer, his basic personalty and attitude, and his demonstrative statements about the Magic put your point of view into a whiny detractor minority: "But, but... He COULD leave!" That technical possibility doesn't support your attitude whatsoever, whether you like it being pointed out or not. I'll leave it to the board to "And1" whoever they agree with on the topic as I don't intend to waste any more time on this with you. Peace out!

I agree with B&W on this. Not many will admit to the recollection, but Dwight was considered to be of high character and loyalty before things fell apart. You can interpret Ibaka's comments how ever you wish to, but he'd be a fool to say anything else at this point. We will find out about his sincerity in a year's time. Until then, this is nothing more than conjecture, but the rumors at the time of the trade were that Ibaka had griped his way out of OKC.

[Xatticus]

I have a really good feeling about Gordon that I haven't had for any of the other draft prospects as well. The advanced stats, per 36 numbers, athleticism, age, and mental game give me confidence he'll reach his ceiling.


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I'd add his summer league performance last year as well, as that was really the only time we have seen him play without handcuffs on the offensive end.

[Def Swami]

I have a really good feeling about Gordon that I haven't had for any of the other draft prospects as well. The advanced stats, per 36 numbers, athleticism, age, and mental game give me confidence he'll reach his ceiling.


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I'd add his summer league performance last year as well, as that was really the only time we have seen him play without handcuffs on the offensive end.

Actually gave it a re-watch earlier today. It's in his arsenal somewhere. I'm interested to see what it looks like in real NBA games.

Watch on YouTube

[RickB-Orlando]

i am glad the organization is willing to try and turn vooch into a 3 point shooter, that would exponentially increase his value, even if he only shot like 35%

Only? That's pretty close to elite level for big men.

And value? Meaning trade value? If he is suddenly capable of playing both the 4 and 5 and hitting 35% from the arc, why would we trade him?

[shadrock]

I will say this - Skiles had a lot of say in the drafting of Mario. I also am not sure Hennigan was 100% on board with this. The reason for the second opinion is because when I talked to Rob about Mario he was very lukewarm (before his first season) and basically said "we shall see" when I talked to him. I personally expected more excitement, but Rob is a legit dude and if you ever talk to him you will know what I mean. Very respectful to people and straightforward.

This is not to say that Rob did not have scouts all over Mario or that Rob does not want him here or believe in him. I think he was crushed that he couldn't get Porzingis last draft and Wiggins or Parker the draft before. I also think he resented Skiles coming in as a noob and having so much immediate input. He probably took it personally when Skiles started telling him negative stuff about Payton, a guy that he had to make big moves to draft. Add that to Skiles having a meltdown in Jan, and I can see how frustrating it would be to have a guy who almost quit on the team come in after the season and start making personnel demands.

It's all really on Alex Martins, who needs to butt out moving forward.

I do believe that Mario will be one of our best players in a year or two, but there may have been a guy out there that Rob wanted even more. We will never know.

I completely disagree with this. Skiles was about for all of 5 minutes when we drafted Mario, plus Rob had been scouting Hezonja way back to his early teenage years. Mario always seemed to me to be the exact kinda move id come to expect from Rob. Now, trading TObias for Jennings and Ersan? Thats a totally different story.

[shadrock]

While we are on Mario, seems hes looked pretty rubbish in training, and is still playing a pace that is way too fast. CJ Watson kinda went out of his way in the day 4 training camp interview he did to say Mario has a long way to go. He was given a loaded qn that was clearly intended to portray Mario in a positive light, but then said the opposite. Would have been real easy to just say yeah hes been doing well etc. Frank also said much the same kinda stuff. Hope the kid can figure it out.

[fendilim]

While we are on Mario, seems hes looked pretty rubbish in training, and is still playing a pace that is way too fast. CJ Watson kinda went out of his way in the day 4 training camp interview he did to say Mario has a long way to go. He was given a loaded qn that was clearly intended to portray Mario in a positive light, but then said the opposite. Would have been real easy to just say yeah hes been doing well etc. Frank also said much the same kinda stuff. Hope the kid can figure it out.

am i missing something? Where do you get to watch them?