The Mario Thread 2016-17

[Skin]

Booker just had more of an opportunity, he's not better than Mario.

Uh. No.

I do wish Mario would've gotten the opportunity that Booker had last year. That was one of my constant gripes about Skiles. He was trying to win with vets in a season that should've been dedicated to player development. I do think it would've been interesting to see Mario in PHX, but...

HEEEEEEELLL NOOOO... Booker is miles and miles better than Hezonja. I'm shocked you even typed that out.

Let me guess... if i dug back into old posts id find something from you about MCW being better than Oladipo?

Go ahead and dig. I fought for Dipo over BMac when there was a clear divide here between the 2. MCW wasn't even a thought. If you think MCW was a part of ANY discussion for the #2 pick then that must have been a recollection of your own opinion of where MCW should've gone. lol, you thought!

[PennytoShaq]

Hezonja is a bust. I believed in this kid, but I must say Im very disappointed at how he turned out.
No progress whatsoever. Ok, he is not a liability on D anymore,but that is it. His offensive game even regressed. Every time I watch him play he is getting worse and worse.

The season hasn't even started yet and he's already a bust? Get out of here with that stuff.

[Optimus_Steel]

Hezonja is a bust. I believed in this kid, but I must say Im very disappointed at how he turned out.
No progress whatsoever. Ok, he is not a liability on D anymore,but that is it. His offensive game even regressed. Every time I watch him play he is getting worse and worse.

The season hasn't even started yet and he's already a bust? Get out of here with that stuff.

I think we are all dissapointed with his preseason performace but he had very good perfomances in real games that counted last year so its def premature to talk like that.

[basketballRob]

Uh. No.

I do wish Mario would've gotten the opportunity that Booker had last year. That was one of my constant gripes about Skiles. He was trying to win with vets in a season that should've been dedicated to player development. I do think it would've been interesting to see Mario in PHX, but...

HEEEEEEELLL NOOOO... Booker is miles and miles better than Hezonja. I'm shocked you even typed that out.

Let me guess... if i dug back into old posts id find something from you about MCW being better than Oladipo?

Go ahead and dig. I fought for Dipo over BMac when there was a clear divide here between the 2. MCW wasn't even a thought. If you think MCW was a part of ANY discussion for the #2 pick then that must have been a recollection of your own opinion of where MCW should've gone. lol, you thought!

I think what he's saying is MCW had less competition for a role in Philly and put up some great stats, even better than Oladipo's.

It may or may not have a correlation with Booker and Hezonja. Mario had and has way more competition in Orlando.

[yoyojw17]

Hezonja is a bust. I believed in this kid, but I must say Im very disappointed at how he turned out.
No progress whatsoever. Ok, he is not a liability on D anymore,but that is it. His offensive game even regressed. Every time I watch him play he is getting worse and worse.

The season hasn't even started yet and he's already a bust? Get out of here with that stuff.

I think we are all dissapointed with his preseason performace but he had very good perfomances in real games that counted last year so its def premature to talk like that.

The thing is.... Anyone who is established and has a crappy preseason... Everyone says it's preseason and it doesn't matter.... But Lord forbid a second year player is having some struggles in a new system... With a new coach.... After playing well and long for his national team over the summer.... "He's a bust" ... Smh ... And everything seen thus far is a figment of our imagination. Of this continues through to all star break... Then feel free to pass judgement . but at this moment.... It is an unfair evaluation for sure.

[fendilim]

Not sure why some people see getting Ibaka as desperation. I see it as we got the best basketball player on this team in years for a guy who was basically redundant for us since Fournier makes more sense at SG on our team.

Ibaka was also redundant for the Magic if you consider Gordon as the "future of the franchise".
Now there is no room for AG and they are forcing him to play a position where he just doesn't belong.

I disagree with this. Gordon was never a for sure PF by any means. It makes a lot more sense to develop him at SF. He doesn't have the body to get banged around down low full time. People alway think about Draymon, but that dude has the body to play the 4 full time.

Gordon is built more like Kawhi and he does show that he has shooting touch. He also is a guy you want locking down a team's best wing. If you can play him at SF, which he did a lot of in the past in college, you have an all-star wing. Even if he doesn't hit the Kawhi MVP talent level, he has a chance of being an all-star at SF and his body will hold up a lot better over time.

Additionally playing Gordon at SF and developing him there successfully means the Magic have the best frontcourt in basketball with Serge and Biz alongside him. That may be the most athletic and defensively elite front court of all time. Worth the gamble.

Gordon is a small ball 4.

[NavalAviator94]

Ibaka was also redundant for the Magic if you consider Gordon as the "future of the franchise".
Now there is no room for AG and they are forcing him to play a position where he just doesn't belong.

I disagree with this. Gordon was never a for sure PF by any means. It makes a lot more sense to develop him at SF. He doesn't have the body to get banged around down low full time. People alway think about Draymon, but that dude has the body to play the 4 full time.

Gordon is built more like Kawhi and he does show that he has shooting touch. He also is a guy you want locking down a team's best wing. If you can play him at SF, which he did a lot of in the past in college, you have an all-star wing. Even if he doesn't hit the Kawhi MVP talent level, he has a chance of being an all-star at SF and his body will hold up a lot better over time.

Additionally playing Gordon at SF and developing him there successfully means the Magic have the best frontcourt in basketball with Serge and Biz alongside him. That may be the most athletic and defensively elite front court of all time. Worth the gamble.

Gordon is a small ball 4.

Another positional expert. Is anyone else tired of hearing this? Let the kid play the 3 and see what he can do.


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[fendilim]

I disagree with this. Gordon was never a for sure PF by any means. It makes a lot more sense to develop him at SF. He doesn't have the body to get banged around down low full time. People alway think about Draymon, but that dude has the body to play the 4 full time.

Gordon is built more like Kawhi and he does show that he has shooting touch. He also is a guy you want locking down a team's best wing. If you can play him at SF, which he did a lot of in the past in college, you have an all-star wing. Even if he doesn't hit the Kawhi MVP talent level, he has a chance of being an all-star at SF and his body will hold up a lot better over time.

Additionally playing Gordon at SF and developing him there successfully means the Magic have the best frontcourt in basketball with Serge and Biz alongside him. That may be the most athletic and defensively elite front court of all time. Worth the gamble.

Gordon is a small ball 4.

Another positional expert. Is anyone else tired of hearing this? Let the kid play the 3 and see what he can do.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

Oh. I'm sorry, even Nba scouts said so... guess you're more reiable than him who scouts for a living.

[shadrock]

Uh. No.

I do wish Mario would've gotten the opportunity that Booker had last year. That was one of my constant gripes about Skiles. He was trying to win with vets in a season that should've been dedicated to player development. I do think it would've been interesting to see Mario in PHX, but...

HEEEEEEELLL NOOOO... Booker is miles and miles better than Hezonja. I'm shocked you even typed that out.

Let me guess... if i dug back into old posts id find something from you about MCW being better than Oladipo?

Go ahead and dig. I fought for Dipo over BMac when there was a clear divide here between the 2. MCW wasn't even a thought. If you think MCW was a part of ANY discussion for the #2 pick then that must have been a recollection of your own opinion of where MCW should've gone. lol, you thought!

No im talking as their rookie season went on. Not at the draft. Just seems like the same kinda knee jerk reaction youre having now with bookers splash in the pan.

[shadrock]

Let me guess... if i dug back into old posts id find something from you about MCW being better than Oladipo?

Go ahead and dig. I fought for Dipo over BMac when there was a clear divide here between the 2. MCW wasn't even a thought. If you think MCW was a part of ANY discussion for the #2 pick then that must have been a recollection of your own opinion of where MCW should've gone. lol, you thought!

I think what he's saying is MCW had less competition for a role in Philly and put up some great stats, even better than Oladipo's.

It may or may not have a correlation with Booker and Hezonja. Mario had and has way more competition in Orlando.

Yea this...

[erod009]

I disagree with this. Gordon was never a for sure PF by any means. It makes a lot more sense to develop him at SF. He doesn't have the body to get banged around down low full time. People alway think about Draymon, but that dude has the body to play the 4 full time.

Gordon is built more like Kawhi and he does show that he has shooting touch. He also is a guy you want locking down a team's best wing. If you can play him at SF, which he did a lot of in the past in college, you have an all-star wing. Even if he doesn't hit the Kawhi MVP talent level, he has a chance of being an all-star at SF and his body will hold up a lot better over time.

Additionally playing Gordon at SF and developing him there successfully means the Magic have the best frontcourt in basketball with Serge and Biz alongside him. That may be the most athletic and defensively elite front court of all time. Worth the gamble.

Gordon is a small ball 4.

Another positional expert. Is anyone else tired of hearing this? Let the kid play the 3 and see what he can do.


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Really thought this was a thread to post our opinions, I'm sorry man.
Didn't realize we were not letting him play the 3. Again, so sorry.

[OrlChamps2030]

Let me guess... if i dug back into old posts id find something from you about MCW being better than Oladipo?

Go ahead and dig. I fought for Dipo over BMac when there was a clear divide here between the 2. MCW wasn't even a thought. If you think MCW was a part of ANY discussion for the #2 pick then that must have been a recollection of your own opinion of where MCW should've gone. lol, you thought!

No im talking as their rookie season went on. Not at the draft. Just seems like the same kinda knee jerk reaction youre having now with bookers splash in the pan.

There's not really a comparison to be made between Hezonja-Booker & MCW-Oladipo. It would be lazy and incorrect to do so.

[pepe1991]

Forced to like Mario more now that he's on the Magic, but gon' funnit... we botched the #5 pick overall. Knew it then... Voiced it then... Was bashed then... Now folks are starting to see it. I feel some redemption over it... but I wish he proved me wrong.

Oh well, he's with us now. We gotta cheer for him. He doesn't even have good trade value. I do think he'll be fine by the time 2019 rolls around, but with the #5 pick, you're expecting an impact much much sooner... like PHX has with Devin Booker.

I drafted him in fantasy this year so I'm definitely pulling for him. I need the guy with the attitude to say "Messi needs to come watch my games" to show up.

Booker wasn't even on our radar and nobody was predicting we would take him.

Who would you have taken then? If I remember correctly you were pulling for Kristaps .... well he wasn't an option at our pick. Let me guess.. Turner or Winslow then? Considering they are the only two we didn't draft that are starter quality at this point.

It's easy to say we misdrafted mario, but to be fair he is exactly what this team needs now - still. He just hasn't been showing what we know he can do yet, for whatever reason.

Agree that nobody saw Booker comming. ( btw watched few Suns games, they are complete mess, anyone can average 15 ppg on that team, they are bad coached team where players do whatever they want. Knight bricks like 14 bad shots at half time every game. Booker has games where he goes 2-11 for 3 and shoots 15 threes in next game )

However, Winslow is not starting level player. At least not more than Hezonja. When you compare their PER 36 from last year only thing Winslow was doing better was rebounding .Mario smoked him at shooting from any range and playmaking, they were both box plus minus negative on defense.
Turner is good player, but when you have Gordon at PF ( like we had last year ) and Vučević at C ,adding another PF/C made no sense, it even makes less sense now,with Biyombo and Ibaka.

Hezonja would probably do much better under team where he can, like Booker can, take 15 shots every game without ever giving flying F about defense ( like Booker doesn't care, really watch his game, he is pathetic defender ) . Without anyone barking in his ear like Skiles did. When you watch other teams you figure out how anemic,slow, and Vučević- Fournier bromance oriented is Magic offense where , no matter what others do, most of time that 2 players only look to pass to each other.

[rcklsscognition]

Was watching the Blazers last night and they were talking about how they were sure fans were feeling good that CJ was back after a disaster preseason where he shot 37% from the field and 23% from 3. He was 100% from beyond the arc and 50% from the field last night for 25 points.

Let's hope Mario takes a page from that performance.

[pepe1991]

So after 1 season where dude that didn't play him flat out gave up on a team 4 months before the end of a season ( around New year), and bad FREAKING PRESEASON he is bust?
He wasn't even that bad in rookie year. He was turning the ball over , sure, and bad on defense. You can say same things for every rookie ever.

Preseason? Who gives a flying F about preseaosn? Harrison Barnes, max deal player is shooting 26% FG in preseason , even fans in Dallas don't care. It's semi competitive basketball, people care more about their health than actual games they are part of. His shooting was off and that's it. So what? Give him real games and time. Jesus, what an overreaction about games that are in reality practice .

[pepe1991]

Go ahead and dig. I fought for Dipo over BMac when there was a clear divide here between the 2. MCW wasn't even a thought. If you think MCW was a part of ANY discussion for the #2 pick then that must have been a recollection of your own opinion of where MCW should've gone. lol, you thought!

No im talking as their rookie season went on. Not at the draft. Just seems like the same kinda knee jerk reaction youre having now with bookers splash in the pan.

There's not really a comparison to be made between Hezonja-Booker & MCW-Oladipo. It would be lazy and incorrect to do so.

Just watch one Suns game. What they are playing looks like blindfolded race with ball where 5 strangers just happend to have same color of shirt they are wearing. That "team " ( in reality Lakers, Suns, Philly and Nets have collections of players, not team ) has no structure of actual team. 2 PGs are shoot first PGs, Booker is definition of shot jacker ( dude even in his rookie year had games where he would go 4-20 from the field ), Warren is not bad player but dude touches ball 5 times per game , Len takes most awkward offbalance mid range bricks. And did you know how they resigned Watson? Well, players said that they like him. OFC that they like him when he is just tool that stands there and let them do whatever they want. He is puppet like Lew is to Lebron, but they don't have anybody close to Lebron. They won 23 games on team where 6 players averaged 11 ppg or more. How awful organisation they are? Well, Morris was beating up his teammates in middle of a games and they didn't want to suspend him.

[Tayswagzzz]

Lol Mario playing on a different team is not the solution to be a great player. He can be a great player here in Orlando. He will learn defense & how to work within a team orientated offense here. Give the man time. He's got a great shot, great athleticism, needs to improve defensively & lessen his TO's, which will mean working on ball handling & decision making. The framework for a great player is all there guys, he just needs time to learn. Don't call him a bust yet.

[OrlChamps2030]

No im talking as their rookie season went on. Not at the draft. Just seems like the same kinda knee jerk reaction youre having now with bookers splash in the pan.

There's not really a comparison to be made between Hezonja-Booker & MCW-Oladipo. It would be lazy and incorrect to do so.

Just watch one Suns game. What they are playing looks like blindfolded race with ball where 5 strangers just happend to have same color of shirt they are wearing. That "team " ( in reality Lakers, Suns, Philly and Nets have collections of players, not team ) has no structure of actual team. 2 PGs are shoot first PGs, Booker is definition of shot jacker ( dude even in his rookie year had games where he would go 4-20 from the field ), Warren is not bad player but dude touches ball 5 times per game , Len takes most awkward offbalance mid range bricks. And did you know how they resigned Watson? Well, players said that they like him. OFC that they like him when he is just tool that stands there and let them do whatever they want. He is puppet like Lew is to Lebron, but they don't have anybody close to Lebron. They won 23 games on team where 6 players averaged 11 ppg or more. How awful organisation they are? Well, Morris was beating up his teammates in middle of a games and they didn't want to suspend him.

Dude don't be delusional.

Hezonja was a hair more efficient in TS% while Booker had much greater volume and a lower TOV%.

Yea the Suns didn't win a lot of games.. But Booker was the youngest player in the NBA. Can't really hold that against him.

I'm not even arguing that Booker will be a bonafide superstar or anything.. Just that there really is no comparison to be made for their rookie seasons.

Just gotta hope that Hezonja improves this season and that he is dialed in whenever he gets on the court

[sportsrock37]

Gordon is a small ball 4.

Another positional expert. Is anyone else tired of hearing this? Let the kid play the 3 and see what he can do.


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Oh. I'm sorry, even Nba scouts said so... guess you're more reiable than him who scouts for a living.

And Frank Vogel says he's a 3. I trust what he thinks over any scout since he sees him every single day and his reputation/job security is on the line having AG at the 3.

I'm 50/50 on what he is whether a small ball 4 or a 3, but I'm definitely willing to give him the opportunity to see if he is a 3. At this point I think I'm leaning towards a 3 (after the game tonight I may switch back to small ball 4, haha) I think defensively he is a better fit at SF with his athleticism wrecking havoc on the perimeter getting into passing lanes and help defense rather than facing up against bigger guys. I think offensively if he develops a NBA average jump shot he's more than capable of being a 3. He's explosive, he has good handles, is a very good passer for a guy of his size, he'd be a plus rebounder at SF. It's all about if he can develop a consistent jumper. If he can't, he's likely a 4. If he is capable of being a 3, our team becomes so much better. Adds that extra dimension defensively. You could realistically have (3) 1st team defensive players on the court at the same time with AG, Serge and Biz IF AG is able to be a capable 3 offensively.

I'm not singling you out on this comment, just in general on these type of discussions, it's like some people want him to fail at the 3 so they can say they were right(similar to the multiple discussions on Elf). I will HAPPILY be wrong about everything and eat as much crow as possible if the Magic are a better team.

[Blue_and_Whte]

What ever Mario's issues are he needs GTFO there and play ball. I don't really care what the problem is, he's getting paid to play a game so play it. Stop being so damn passive.

It's not that simple in sports. You have to get comfortable doing certain things at a very fast pace and that takes time.

He just stated in interviews that he does a lot of things in the NBA that are not the norm for him coming from Euro ball.

So while he is getting paid to play a game, it is still not easy to instantly go - "Oh, I just need to be more aggressive!!" and then it all clicks. That is obvious. The reason he is not aggressive yet is because things have yet to click to where he can be. I believe it will happen and he will be fine, but it probably won't happen Game 1.

I don't give a **** what he stated in interviews. He has a season under his belt, was the 5th pick in the draft, and we're starting to see the other high draft picks making a name for themselves. Meanwhile he's getting dismantled by D- Leaguers. And yes It is as easy as deciding to be aggressive instead of passive. Nobody has time for anymore excuses, man up and play or sit the **** down. CJ Wilcox outplayed him. Embarrassing.