Official 2023-2024 Magic General Season Thread

[RookieStar]

Are Paolo and Franz already better than Lewis and Hedo?

At the same ages and experience levels, absolutely.

But Hedo and Rashard were both *really* good from ages 24-29.

Agreed. At their ages right now, Franchero beats them both.

However, its in their primes where we get to judge them properly.

[KillMonger]

Dell still isn't right, why did he get to go straight to the starting lineup when everyone else had to come off the bench at first?

Sent from the phone in my hands

[pepe1991]

LOL Mo Bamba revange game : rofl:

You have to have a game first before you have a “revenge game”.

I can't belive he actually had people who were his willing defenders here...

[zaymon]

LOL Mo Bamba revange game : rofl:

You have to have a game first before you have a “revenge game”.

I can't belive he actually had people who were his willing defenders here...

I cant believe we have people who are Fultz willing defenders right now but it is what it is. Some people dont react to any evidence becouse they are judging with their emotions.

[Fortune Teller]

You have to have a game first before you have a “revenge game”.

I can't belive he actually had people who were his willing defenders here...

I cant believe we have people who are Fultz willing defenders right now but it is what it is. Some people dont react to any evidence becouse they are judging with their emotions.

Truth. Fans get attached and just can't accept that the team might be better if they simply moved on from dead weight and allocated salary cap dollars elsewhere. Our front office, however, should be objective and detached. But for the past several years Isaac and Fultz have been our highest-paid players and you never even here a hint that we are looking to move on from them and spend that $33 million elsewhere.

[zaymon]

I can't belive he actually had people who were his willing defenders here...

I cant believe we have people who are Fultz willing defenders right now but it is what it is. Some people dont react to any evidence becouse they are judging with their emotions.

Truth. Fans get attached and just can't accept that the team might be better if they simply moved on from dead weight and allocated salary cap dollars elsewhere. Our front office, however, should be objective and detached. But for the past several years Isaac and Fultz have been our highest-paid players and you never even here a hint that we are looking to move on from them and spend that $33 million elsewhere.

I have mixed feelings about JI. Yes he is unreliable, but he is also unique and talented. We dont need him that much in RS we need him for few games in the playoffs. He is exact type of defender we need next to Banchero. Thats why Celtics risked with Porzingis while he is as injury phrone as JI. Its very hard to find such a player. We had a chance with Lively this year.
Fultz is becoming a hindrance for the team. Yes he seems like a nice guy, yes everybody likes him, but whatever the reason he cant play most of the time and he is subpar when available. Feel good story becoming a burden. We can feel good about ourselves wanting to help him or just improve the roster before everybody starts to dislike him.

[VFX]

I cant believe we have people who are Fultz willing defenders right now but it is what it is. Some people dont react to any evidence becouse they are judging with their emotions.

Truth. Fans get attached and just can't accept that the team might be better if they simply moved on from dead weight and allocated salary cap dollars elsewhere. Our front office, however, should be objective and detached. But for the past several years Isaac and Fultz have been our highest-paid players and you never even here a hint that we are looking to move on from them and spend that $33 million elsewhere.

I have mixed feelings about JI. Yes he is unreliable, but he is also unique and talented. We dont need him that much in RS we need him for few games in the playoffs. He is exact type of defender we need next to Banchero. Thats why Celtics risked with Porzingis while he is as injury phrone as JI. Its very hard to find such a player. We had a chance with Lively this year.
Fultz is becoming a hindrance for the team. Yes he seems like a nice guy, yes everybody likes him, but whatever the reason he cant play most of the time and he is subpar when available. Feel good story becoming a burden. We can feel good about ourselves wanting to help him or just improve the roster before everybody starts to dislike him.

I personally gave JI another shot this season when I saw him string together a few great games and came off that rockets game punking low IQ Jalen Green.

However, i just can’t support this situation anymore. He’s treated like a piece of art that belongs in a museum instead of a basketball player at this point. Even though he’s an elite defensive player, he’s still only playing 10-14mpg behind Paolo and taking long stretches of games off with any minor hindrance to his health. Sorry, that doesn’t cut it with his contract price and the other glaring weaknesses this roster has yet to fill.

Just looking realistically at Orlando’s cap situation, and the growing importance of winning basketball games, I’d rather move him and Fultz for guys that can actually help the youth on this team improve AND win. Too bad they have low value because they don’t play basketball, which adds fuel to the fire and why I’m starting to dislike them entirely. You could cut them both at this point and I wouldn’t lose sleep.

[JoshuaPotter]

Just looking realistically at Orlando’s cap situation, and the growing importance of winning basketball games, I’d rather move him and Fultz for guys that can actually help the youth on this team improve AND win. Too bad they have low value because they don’t play basketball, which adds fuel to the fire and why I’m starting to dislike them entirely. You could cut them both ant this point and I wouldn’t lose sleep.

I hate to say it. I am very close to this. I was hopeful that with rest and both of these players in contract years that we would see a turnabout is fair play moment.

A Fultz who shoots with his current skill set would have opened us up to a 50+ win team. It's exactly what we are looking at in Black and hoping he develops over the next 3 years.

A Jonathan Isaac who heaven forbid maybe doesn't play B2B for some strange reason. But this is strange, weird, what are we saving him for? Playoff run only? If we get there, how do we know he has the stamina to play significant minutes?

Don't get me started about "he whom should be the perfect fit" G Harris. The "sniper SG" we often talk about has the perfect environment and he has lost essentially to hustle defense with pedestrian (pedestrian is a compliment) 3pt shooting backcourt.

[JoshuaPotter]

I am full steam ahead on just having the status quo while window shopping our expirings for a veteran who brings consistency to the backcourt. They don't have to be Anfernee Simmons. Basically a "proper" ingles for our backcourt.

We are essentially hoping in this case even banking a little bit on Suggs and Black becoming clones of each other at the floor of Suggs. Which isn't ideal, but not something I would be mad about.

Isaac. I just have no clue. If he had a history of being that complimentary championship piece. Think Robert Horry types. Then by all means, save him for that playoff run. If his body holds up.... He just doesn't have a history of that. So, why?

The problem with Isaac, Harris and Fultz though is beyond their expiring contract salary dump value that is all they bring. Isaac still has some cool video game level stats in limited minutes. But I can't see people putting his fragile self on a toadstool of value even if he is an expiring.

[pepe1991]

Just looking realistically at Orlando’s cap situation, and the growing importance of winning basketball games, I’d rather move him and Fultz for guys that can actually help the youth on this team improve AND win. Too bad they have low value because they don’t play basketball, which adds fuel to the fire and why I’m starting to dislike them entirely. You could cut them both ant this point and I wouldn’t lose sleep.

I hate to say it. I am very close to this. I was hopeful that with rest and both of these players in contract years that we would see a turnabout is fair play moment.

A Fultz who shoots with his current skill set would have opened us up to a 50+ win team. It's exactly what we are looking at in Black and hoping he develops over the next 3 years.

A Jonathan Isaac who heaven forbid maybe doesn't play B2B for some strange reason. But this is strange, weird, what are we saving him for? Playoff run only? If we get there, how do we know he has the stamina to play significant minutes?

Don't get me started about "he whom should be the perfect fit" G Harris. The "sniper SG" we often talk about has the perfect environment and he has lost essentially to hustle defense with pedestrian (pedestrian is a compliment) 3pt shooting backcourt.

There is no endgame plan with Jonathan Isaac. It's probably several doctors opinion , in and out of team, that he should be on heavy min restrictions and held out of higher risk games ( back to backs) because that's only what his body is capable of handling.

There are studies that now can somewhat predict how injury prone player will be using science.

Like it's case with Michael Porter Jr. and his family where whole family had ACL tear(s), few of them several times. You can probably make healthy assumption there is something wrong with their knees on genetic level . And Michael, thankfully still didn't have knee problems , his questionable health alraedy costed him his draft stock AND missed 1 full and 1 near full nba seasons ( out of 6 ) due injuries.

Isaac probably sits not to save him from playoffs but to save him from career ending injury.

[KillMonger]

Read on Twitter

[pepe1991]

Read on Twitter

Poor guy. Being lottery pick with 36 min in nba after 30 games probably hurts your ego.

[Orl_Magic]

This next 16 game stretch is going to be very hard for our injured, casual one handed bounce passing, always giving up a offensive rebound team. This team needs to win 8 of the next 16 if we want to be a 5 or 6 seed. Our record would be 26-20.

Let's say we go 4 and 12. Beating Knicks, Atlanta, Miami, Cleveland at home. Record would be 22- 24. We would still be in the hunt for the play offs.

We could realisticly lose the next 16 games in a row. This would give us a record of 18-27 heading into that Spurs game on Jan 31st. This would probably trigger a trade to address one of our glaring needs.

[VFX]

Read on Twitter

Poor guy. Being lottery pick with 36 min in nba after 30 games probably hurts your ego.

That’s what might happen if you are reached for over more qualified players because you happen to be slightly taller and went to ownerships favorite school.

[basketballRob]

It's funny how Black is becoming the scapegoat.

Scapegoat ? Its obvious magic need an upgrade at point guard and black is not that guy right now maybe in a couple years but right now he isn’t good

I think being fans of the team and spending time on forums is all about (admittedly amateur) analysis and, often, criticism..."Scapegoat" and "Hating" getting thrown around way too quickly. It's pretty clear that the team has areas that need improvement and it's okay to talk about it.


I think he will be good but, at the moment, he's not giving ORL what they need offensively. Honestly, I see the defensive effort, the sliding of feet, and the lunging towards shooters - but I'm not really convinced his defense is that special (yet?). I'm definitely not saying it's bad, I'm just saying it's not automatically "elite" because he's clearly trying hard. The hair and the intensity and the flailing limbs look like something but I'm not sure about the results. Certainly not "locking down" guys that I've seen.

He's one more guy that is NOT easy to fit into a lineup because he can't shoot (or really score at all), so others must accommodate him. Ben Simmons was All-NBA, but you need to build around his strengths (I'm talking about before he fell apart). Black has not shown enough to make the FO or Coach look at that approach...similar to Fultz or the Thompsons. We can be patient. I'd like to keep him but if he's needed to get the right fit...

He has the lowest defensive rating among rookies and the 3rd lowest defensive EPM among rookies behind VW and Chet. I think his defense will even get better as he gets stronger and more comfortable. The results have been clear to see.

Sent from my SM-G781U using RealGM mobile app

[pepe1991]

Read on Twitter

Poor guy. Being lottery pick with 36 min in nba after 30 games probably hurts your ego.

That’s what might happen if you are reached for over more qualified players because you happen to be slightly taller and went to ownerships favorite school.

I'm not sure others would have more chances to prove themselfs due our construction & fact Franz & Banchero want to make playoffs, but Jett Howard simply wasn't BPA at that point in draft. Just like Okeke wasn't.

[JoshuaPotter]

Poor guy. Being lottery pick with 36 min in nba after 30 games probably hurts your ego.

That’s what might happen if you are reached for over more qualified players because you happen to be slightly taller and went to ownerships favorite school.

I'm not sure others would have more chances to prove themselfs due our construction & fact Franz & Banchero want to make playoffs, but Jett Howard simply wasn't BPA at that point in draft. Just like Okeke wasn't.

Odd, I am not detecting any lies.

Lively, K. George, C. Whitmore, at least today are all doing better. Now we can debate and argue fitment. Beyond some of these picks, it becomes a wash. Dick, is an excellent example of where I was absolutely wrong.

[Skybox]

Scapegoat ? Its obvious magic need an upgrade at point guard and black is not that guy right now maybe in a couple years but right now he isn’t good

I think being fans of the team and spending time on forums is all about (admittedly amateur) analysis and, often, criticism..."Scapegoat" and "Hating" getting thrown around way too quickly. It's pretty clear that the team has areas that need improvement and it's okay to talk about it.


I think he will be good but, at the moment, he's not giving ORL what they need offensively. Honestly, I see the defensive effort, the sliding of feet, and the lunging towards shooters - but I'm not really convinced his defense is that special (yet?). I'm definitely not saying it's bad, I'm just saying it's not automatically "elite" because he's clearly trying hard. The hair and the intensity and the flailing limbs look like something but I'm not sure about the results. Certainly not "locking down" guys that I've seen.

He's one more guy that is NOT easy to fit into a lineup because he can't shoot (or really score at all), so others must accommodate him. Ben Simmons was All-NBA, but you need to build around his strengths (I'm talking about before he fell apart). Black has not shown enough to make the FO or Coach look at that approach...similar to Fultz or the Thompsons. We can be patient. I'd like to keep him but if he's needed to get the right fit...

He has the lowest defensive rating among rookies and the 3rd lowest defensive EPM among rookies behind VW and Chet. I think his defense will even get better as he gets stronger and more comfortable. The results have been clear to see.

Sent from my SM-G781U using RealGM mobile app

That's wonderful in a vacuum but two guys like that in your backcourt = losses. It's time to think about roster construction over advanced individual stats

[p0peye]

Just looking realistically at Orlando’s cap situation, and the growing importance of winning basketball games, I’d rather move him and Fultz for guys that can actually help the youth on this team improve AND win. Too bad they have low value because they don’t play basketball, which adds fuel to the fire and why I’m starting to dislike them entirely. You could cut them both ant this point and I wouldn’t lose sleep.

I hate to say it. I am very close to this. I was hopeful that with rest and both of these players in contract years that we would see a turnabout is fair play moment.

A Fultz who shoots with his current skill set would have opened us up to a 50+ win team. It's exactly what we are looking at in Black and hoping he develops over the next 3 years.

A Jonathan Isaac who heaven forbid maybe doesn't play B2B for some strange reason. But this is strange, weird, what are we saving him for? Playoff run only? If we get there, how do we know he has the stamina to play significant minutes?

Don't get me started about "he whom should be the perfect fit" G Harris. The "sniper SG" we often talk about has the perfect environment and he has lost essentially to hustle defense with pedestrian (pedestrian is a compliment) 3pt shooting backcourt.

There is no endgame plan with Jonathan Isaac. It's probably several doctors opinion , in and out of team, that he should be on heavy min restrictions and held out of higher risk games ( back to backs) because that's only what his body is capable of handling.

There are studies that now can somewhat predict how injury prone player will be using science.

Like it's case with Michael Porter Jr. and his family where whole family had ACL tear(s), few of them several times. You can probably make healthy assumption there is something wrong with their knees on genetic level . And Michael, thankfully still didn't have knee problems , his questionable health alraedy costed him his draft stock AND missed 1 full and 1 near full nba seasons ( out of 6 ) due injuries.

Isaac probably sits not to save him from playoffs but to save him from career ending injury.

As long as we pay him as 15 min backup that plays 50% games per season, I am willing to offer him another 2 years contract. He is definitively a positive on the court when he plays in those limited minutes, but he is not a part of the plan.

So, that is my perspective as a fan of the team who prioritizes team success. If I was Isaac's friend or relative, I would probably caution him against playing for he might risk further injuries that could affect his quality of life.

[JoshuaPotter]

As long as we pay him as 15 min backup that plays 50% games per season, I am willing to offer him another 2 years contract. He is definitively a positive on the court when he plays in those limited minutes, but he is not a part of the plan.

So, that is my perspective as a fan of the team who prioritizes team success. If I was Isaac's friend or relative, I would probably caution him against playing for he might risk further injuries that could affect his quality of life.

Kinda backwards of your team success priority to sign a guy who may not play for said team.

As I stated before. Nobody is questioning Isaac can ball when he is on the court.

But what good is he is he doesn't crack the playoff rotation due to injury? Do we just hope that we have the depth to make it work?

Alternatively, I am with you. If I am family of Isaac. I am telling and begging him to retire before his injuries seriously impact his quality of life. If they haven't already.