Post#454 » by Def Swami » Mon Oct 29, 2018 12:10 am
It's a 6 game sample size, but pretty much what I expected from the Magic so far. The Magic really needed someone to take a leap for them to have a shot this year. Aaron Gordon has been so hit or miss, but mostly miss so far. Mo Bamba and Jon Isaac are barely involved. Vucevic and Fournier still dominate the offense, which is 29th in the league and last in points per game. The defense is okay, but not great enough to carry an anemic offense. Clifford has done a good job improving ball and off ball movement to get scoring opportunities; I actually like a lot of his sets. But it really doesn't matter since so many of the players we rely on are below average scorers and shooters, and absolutely woeful playmakers.
I was dubious as to the team's objectives for the season and remain so. It feels like they're really trying to win games. Clifford is relying on his vets and leaning on them to carry the offense. To no one's surprise, after 5 long seasons and 1 crucial evaluation season, the players still are who they are. Some argued that maybe Clifford + health + continuity + internal growth would lead to a 10 extra wins, but I just don't see it. The offense is so awful without any hope for improvement, and the rest of the league's offenses have gotten better by placing a premium on shooting and scoring. The Magic simply can't hang points with 90% of the league unless their opponents have equally woeful shooting nights like Boston did. It's a game of math that the Magic are going to be at a severe disadvantage every night.
The Magic aren't going to make any roster changes after 6 games. Hell, they didn't make any after 82 last season. But what's the point of these games? I imagine Weltman and Hammond are just taking this period until December 15th (when recently signed free agents can be traded) to evaluate some more. I get the feeling that these games are quickly going to become very meaningless in a month or so,
This year should be about developing Gordon, Isaac, and Bamba. I'm sure Clifford is a good teacher and has instilled some discipline in the team. I just don't think it matters if players like Vucevic, Fournier, Ross, Simmons, DJ, Grant aren't pillars of a future and unlikely to even be here next year.
Had a friend ask a Magic exec one time what the point of the Biyombo for Mozgov deal was about. The exec said it was "just to shuffle the deck." We knew what it meant; the outcome is the same with either player but the Magic just needed to move on and change the look. I feel that way about Vucevic and Fournier. They're actually pretty good players IMHO. They'll be really good for whatever their next teams are. Like Knightro said, the Magic aren't going to get much for an expiring contract like Vucevic's. But if the Magic are going to lose a lot of games with Fournier and Vucevic, like they have for almost 5 seasons, then it might be time to simply "shuffle the deck" and rejuvenate the franchise with a different look. I think it's only a matter of time, but we'll see.
I held out a slimmer open-minded hope that the Magic might be okay this year and compete for a playoff spot. It was going to take one player making that leap. It's not happening. This roster is so lopsided. The goals for this team should be to completely overhaul it. They desperately need to move their stable of big men for young guards, wings, playmakers, and shooters. They just need to rebuild this team. Rob Hennigan acquired a stable of nice young players, but doomed himself by never building a team that played well as a unit. At some point, I’d like to see the Magic morph into a team that actually makes sense in 2018. Even if it’s full of young, unproven players, I prefer to see a team that fits well together with players that have more defined and well-rounded skillsets.
