Magic do NOT extend a Qualifying Offer to Mo Bamba

[thelead]

Those expecting/waiting for us to do something with the cap space:



This seems incredibly stupid unless we're going to land a star. WTF are they planning on doing with that extra cap space?

[YosemiteSam]

I found my posts - I may have been "right" about Bamba, but I also preferred Knox - oof.....

an, oh, it was Knightro who made fun of me

Trade down or take Porter. No Bamba

I’m beginning to feel we trade with the Clippers and take Knox and a PG (Sexton, SGA or Robinson) and hopefully grab another asset from the Clips if they love someone at 6 I’d call the draft a win if we came out with Knox and SGA/Sexton.

If Porter's back is ok take him. If not get very very depressed, then trade down and hope that you get a diamond in the rough with multiple chances at later picks. Do not take Bamba under any circumstances please IMO.

Knightro » Thu Jun 7, 2018 2:21 pm

YosemiteSam wrote:
You see Dwight Howard, I see Hasheem Thabeet


Context is so important this time of year.

When Thabeet was a 19 year old freshman like Bamba, he was averaging 6 points and 6 rebounds a game while shooting 51% from FT line. He never even attempted a college three in his career.

Thabeet just had no offensive skill whatsoever. Over 80% of his offense as a *junior* was post up, offensive rebounds and cuts. He didn't really run the floor, he didn't shoot outside of the paint, he wasn't used a roll man in pick and roll.

Bamba, who is raw offensively in his own right, still showed more offensive skill as a 19 year old freshman than Thabeet did at any point in his college career.

Beyond that, despite being 2 inches shorter, Bamba is significantly longer than Thabeet. 7'10" wingspan for Bamba compared to 7'6 1/4th" for Thabeet. 9'5" standing reach for Thabeet, 9'7 1/2" for Bamba.

and then I wrote

Look all that is fair and the way the league has moved very few talented players will stay in college long enough to gain polish before the bad teams in the league have to decide on them. So I get why folks who love Bamba do. My opinion also requires context though - I look at our team, its needs, and the position it is in with its fans, and I feel we need 3 things from this draft:

1) The potential for impact in year one
2) An offensive player who can initiate the offense and get their own shot
3) a guard or wing

So you can see why I personally am not into Bamba. As far as whether he is Dwight Howard or Hasheem Thabeet, that will play out but I think those who are very high on Bamba are imagining potential on offense much more than he personally demonstrated and that is a big risk for the Magic to take this year. We already have Gordon and Isaac, if we take a risk I want it to be on an offensive player. Youth is a consideration but players like Tatum and Trae are/were also the same age and showed offensive polish already so they also have the potential to grow and be even better

[SOUL]

I love your accountability post up-thread, and I think you've persuasively argued that our front office didn't make some kind of humiliatingly obvious blunder with that pick.

But I think we can go by results now that we have hindsight. It's the same kind of logic that allows us to call Franz a great pick. If we are going to give them credit for Franz, then we can be reasonably critical of how Mo and Suggs seem to be turning out so far.

Of course, not everybody is reasonably critical...

Oh yeah, play wise, by all means.. like I had no real "horse" for the #1 pick but liked Jabari the best out of all 3. However, I will have some expectations when it comes to scoring/playmaking with Banchero as that's what he's been branded as. Same with Suggs, I expect some improvement this year on offense. He was the "duh" pick at 5 even if players behind him end up better but that doesn't mean I won't be disappointed if he doesn't improve, just wouldn't think our FO was crazy for getting him.

[VFX]

Maybe we're going to offer Ayton the max. I think we'd still have stretch Ross to do that.

Ayton
WCJ
Banchero
Franz
Suggs

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I won’t watch another minute of Magic basketball if this happens.

[Nyce_1]

Those expecting/waiting for us to do something with the cap space:



This seems incredibly stupid unless we're going to land a star. WTF are they planning on doing with that extra cap space?

You already know the answer. Can't be in a rebuild then stifle many young players' development with a big FA signing. Doubt we sign anyone of significance.

However, renting the cap space is possible.

[OrlandoMagic]

I just really hope we’re not going for Ayton. And if we do I hope we try a lineup and slide Franz to SG. While starting all three WCJ, Paolo and Ayton. Just for **** and giggles.

[VFX]

In the "who would you be disappointed the Magic drafting 2018 thread....

JJJ, or “reaching” for Sexton, SGA, etc without trading down. Wouldn’t be entirely thrilled with Bamba, but I could see him making more sense than JJJ.

This is how I feel too. Bamba was the correct pick, but it didn’t solve anything that has made this team bad in the first place. I’m praying trades are on the horizon to make sense of this.

Literally your posts in the 2018 thread, MM. Again, we could've traded down and utilized a pick for SGA or Bridges, but it wasn't a common or widely echoed statement. Nobody knew who would be good, or else we'd all be clamoring for quite a few of those guys right now.

I usually agree with you on most points, hell, even back then where you said "he was the right pick", which is what I'm arguing now. Locally it made sense, it just didn't work out here for various reasons.. so this isn't a "gotcha" post.

I don't know what you guys expected to happen once Doncic and Young were gone???
If they drafted Sexton or Alexander this forum would have total meltdown.

Bamba is is great prospect, not good- great. If you can land Gobert type defender with offensive upside who da hell would not take it in draft where nobody else looks like can be game changer. Gobert IS game changer, he makes Utah serious, balanced team, if they are on East they would be easly top 3 team.

I have lot of scepticism about Hammond and Weltman about their ability to make roster but i don't blame them for this pick. For other picks i do.
Right now roster is complete mess. Lot of bodies that do nothing. Trades need to follow.

Also pepe's draft night thoughts. This is what a lot of people generally felt so this isn't a "wrong" opinion.

Again, in hindsight, yes, not a good pick. Not what I'm arguing. But we just can't pretend to gaslight people on a forum who remember that night and where there are receipts.

Hell, pepe even wanted to trade Vuc for Schroder. That was his value at the time. But to be fair, Schroder came off of 19 ppg season.

Yes, and he WAS the correct pick IF Vucevic was traded after a **** season. He wasn’t, so the pick made zero sense. Waste of an asset entirely. Notice how I say “praying for a trade” to make sense of it all. JJJ made less sense somehow. The result? A few more seasons of bad basketball and now the 2018 draft doesn’t matter at all.

Knowing now that this Fo doesn’t make draft board moves I was naïve to assume theyd simply trade back for SGA instead of just making the right pick.

If you know my history, receipts included, you probably know I would never be ok with drafting a big in the lotto.

[Knightro]

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[Black and Blue]

Those expecting/waiting for us to do something with the cap space:

This seems incredibly stupid unless we're going to land a star. WTF are they planning on doing with that extra cap space?

I hear you as it seems like it's been forever since the Magic were free agency players. Will toss out one possible scenario: The Magic go into the season with this money. Their team produces better than expected and it becomes clear if they make a move it could help them make a serious push into consideration. They swing a trade using their cache of first rounders for a high-caliber player who has a large contract (that they need this room on their books to absorb).

Roster flexibility is a very good thing in the modern NBA. Especially as the season wears on and you see players upset with their teams and demanding trades. "We've got the cap space" generally gives a small market team like Orlando a leg up in negotiations, and from we know of Weltman he is all about control.

[SOUL]

He was legit good for the Clips last year.

[Nyce_1]

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I wanted to keep Mo, but this is the only replacement I'm happy with.

And he's German!

[SOUL]

[quote="MagicMatic"
Yes, and he WAS the correct pick IF Vucevic was traded after a **** season. He wasn’t, so the pick made zero sense. Waste of an asset entirely. Notice how I say “praying for a trade” to make sense of it all. JJJ made less sense somehow. The result? A few more seasons of bad basketball and now the 2018 draft doesn’t matter at all.[/quote]

Yeah, I wanted Vuc traded if we drafted Bamba. I thought his play was fool's good but he kept it up the entire season and then some so I ate a bit of crow on Vuc.. even if ultimately trading him down the line was correct and we got better value from it.

[MartinsIzAfraud]

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Yes Please !!!!

[PrimeThyme]

With the Raptors player development I think they would be really smart to go after him. I could see him thriving in that system and fits the mold of player they usually target.

We just need to cut our losses. We’ve taken our roster in a different direction since the pick and I don’t see a pathway to him ever being a starter again for this team.

I was down on the pick initially, ignored my instincts and talked myself into it, but then just never loved what I saw on the court. Maybe another team will be able to get it out of him, but his motor just never ran hot enough for me and I’m not sure how impactful he will be in this league. The stats are good, but the actual impact is what I question.

If Isaacs healthy, he can fill in those 20-25 mpg in the rotation.

[3ddman23]

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I wanted to keep Mo, but this is the only replacement I'm happy with.

And he's German!

see id be cool with this as long as its no more then 5-8 mil per year. As a back center in that marcin gortat role lol. Still pretty young too

[basketballRob]

Mo was in California a couple of of days ago and he was telling his dog just a couple more days before you can come here. Maybe Mo is signing with the Clippers.

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[Nyce_1]

Mo was in California a couple of of days ago and he was telling his dog just a couple more days before you can come here. Maybe Mo is signing with the Clippers.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

Better not be lakers.

[Optimus_Steel]

Looked over my old comments from Bamba's draft night, I called this right, said it was terrible pick. Four years later and we still have the same issue I was complaining about that night, we don't have offensive talent and cant shoot or score points. Not gloating, I thought we should have taken Okafor over Dwight, we know how that turned out. Years later and we still have the lack of scoring and shooting issues is my point.

[Knightro]

I found my posts - I may have been "right" about Bamba, but I also preferred Knox - oof..... an, oh, it was Knightro who made fun of me

For what it's worth, Bamba has still been a lot better than Thabeet despite being bad

[Black and Blue]

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He is 24 and the consensus is he has room to continue to grow after a career best year last year.

Not a floor spacer, more of a traditional shot blocking big, but he is a high energy guy who had good stats.

This guy would also be best buddies with the Wagners. Half the team bus would be speaking German.