2022-2023 Regular Season Game 1: Orlando Magic (0-0) at Detroit Pistons (0-0) - 7pm

[FlyingArrow]

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https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/magic-rookie-paolo-banchero-scores-most-points-by-no-1-overall-pick-in-nba-debut-since-allen-iverson-in-1996/

CBS Sports article said Joseph's heel was just inside the circle. I'm normally one that says not enough charges are called. There's so much that the offense gets away with. But this was a block for two reasons. He was on the circle, but he also wasn't set in time. Paolo was already on the way up before his feet were set.

[pepe1991]

Magic, Pistons, Pacers, Houston ( and if i'm missing on somebody, feel free to add ) are in honeymoond stages of rebuild.
Wins aren't measured as only objective category of sucess, so personal data, box score, feelings and how something "looks" is counted as sucess and met with cheers and happy reactions from internet fans and fans in a arena.

This is part of the rebuild where everybody is daydreaming about his favorite team's players being something he or she envisioned.

But it also means that this stage isn't reality. Hard decisions are yet to be made, real nba contracts are yet to be made, serious cuts are yet to be made, coaching decisions are yet to be made. Direction pretty much still doesn't exist.

Cavs and T wolves are example of a team who is in next stage of rebuild. Reality part. They made big trade, they gave up contracts to young studs, they are now "married" for rosters they created.


Magic had very similar situation to current roster back in 2015-16: Vuc, Oladipo, Evan, Gordon, Payton, Hezonja and Harris were all sub 23 years old.
First night we lose to 1 point to team with 2 allstars (Wall & Beal)
Second game we lose in double OT to OKC with 2 hall of famers ( Durant & Westbrook) by Westbrook half court off the board 3 point shot ( if my memory serves me well enough).
And fanbase was thrilled. Exited. Future bright. Champagne was already cooling in lockeroom for future ECF championsh. Than reality striked and team was in situation where they couldn't afford all the assets going forward ( Evan, Oladipo exstension, Gordon upcomming exstension, Vuc existing exstension ) and Hennigan panicked and made moves and burned roster to the ground.
By the T wovles game, there was same Pistons- vs Magic talk. "two exiting young cores", fan-fiction di*** measuring contest who has better young core. Who's future is brighter. Do you know how many players stayed on current team, 7 years later? 1. One. Out of 19. Towns. Funny enough ,Magic won that game ,for whatever is worth.


However, this honeymoond stage is closing out. Magic should probably make roster changes in next year, as that will only time where they can actually leveradge salary cap as asset ( unlike their usage of TPE) to build roster going forward.
2023 FA is already shaping into fool's gold, just like exstensions of Fultz, Isaac, Harris and Bamba as all of them reverted to their old habbits. Broken or just bad. Or both.

Hampton, Cole, Okeke, Bol are in third years, in April they are eligiable for exstensions or enter 4th years as upcomming restricted FAs.
Ross and Moe Wagner are probably gone after this season.
Both Isaac and Fultz salaries aren't guaranteed but will become one ( for 2023-24) if Magic elect to keep them on start of calendar year of 2023.

So yea. This is last chepter of "wins don't matter" season. I mean , sure ,you can tank for next 15 years, but at some point your Banchero and Franz Wagner will become 50% of your salary cap and good luck building roster of 13 men with 50% aveliable money as no factor in free agency for multiple reasons.

For Orlando Magic it's pivotal to use current season to figure who among players:
1) plays for personal gain & stats
2) who isn't positive basketball contributor
3) who are players who can be useful when winning becomes only objective goal

Everything else is fanfiction.

[JBSouthpaw]

Magic, Pistons, Pacers, Houston ( and if i'm missing on somebody, feel free to add ) are in honeymoond stages of rebuild.
Wins aren't measured as only objective category of sucess, so personal data, box score, feelings and how something "looks" is counted as sucess and met with cheers and happy reactions from internet fans and fans in a arena.

This is part of the rebuild where everybody is daydreaming about his favorite team's players being something he or she envisioned.

But it also means that this stage isn't reality. Hard decisions are yet to be made, real nba contracts are yet to be made, serious cuts are yet to be made, coaching decisions are yet to be made. Direction pretty much still doesn't exist.

Cavs and T wolves are example of a team who is in next stage of rebuild. Reality part. They made big trade, they gave up contracts to young studs, they are now "married" for rosters they created.


Magic had very similar situation to current roster back in 2015-16: Vuc, Oladipo, Evan, Gordon, Payton, Hezonja and Harris were all sub 23 years old.
First night we lose to 1 point to team with 2 allstars (Wall & Beal)
Second game we lose in double OT to OKC with 2 hall of famers ( Durant & Westbrook) by Westbrook half court off the board 3 point shot ( if my memory serves me well enough).
And fanbase was thrilled. Exited. Future bright. Champagne was already cooling in lockeroom for future ECF championsh. Than reality striked and team was in situation where they couldn't afford all the assets going forward ( Evan, Oladipo exstension, Gordon upcomming exstension, Vuc existing exstension ) and Hennigan panicked and made moves and burned roster to the ground.
By the T wovles game, there was same Pistons- vs Magic talk. "two exiting young cores", fan-fiction di*** measuring contest who has better young core. Who's future is brighter. Do you know how many players stayed on current team, 7 years later? 1. One. Out of 19. Towns. Funny enough ,Magic won that game ,for whatever is worth.


However, this honeymoond stage is closing out. Magic should probably make roster changes in next year, as that will only time where they can actually leveradge salary cap as asset ( unlike their usage of TPE) to build roster going forward.
2023 FA is already shaping into fool's gold, just like exstensions of Fultz, Isaac, Harris and Bamba as all of them reverted to their old habbits. Broken or just bad. Or both.

Hampton, Cole, Okeke, Bol are in third years, in April they are eligiable for exstensions or enter 4th years as upcomming restricted FAs.
Ross and Moe Wagner are probably gone after this season.
Both Isaac and Fultz salaries aren't guaranteed but will become one ( for 2023-24) if Magic elect to keep them on start of calendar year of 2023.

So yea. This is last chepter of "wins don't matter" season. I mean , sure ,you can tank for next 15 years, but at some point your Banchero and Franz Wagner will become 50% of your salary cap and good luck building roster of 13 men with 50% aveliable money as no factor in free agency for multiple reasons.

For Orlando Magic it's pivotal to use current season to figure who among players:
1) plays for personal gain & stats
2) who isn't positive basketball contributor
3) who are players who can be useful when winning becomes only objective goal

Everything else is fanfiction.

100% agree. During the year, or summer is the time. Next year will start being the peak of Franz/WCJ/Paolo contracts. We'll have Franz for 2 more years, WCJ & Paolo for 3.
That is 60% of your starters for LESS THAN 25% of the cap. We'll have those players for only $31M in 24-25, there are 26 players who make more than that this year!

Want to add, it starts when Bamba is eligible for trade.
He and Ross should be moved to contenders for picks/assets.
I think Bamba would be great in LAL.

[AaronB]

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https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/magic-rookie-paolo-banchero-scores-most-points-by-no-1-overall-pick-in-nba-debut-since-allen-iverson-in-1996/

CBS Sports article said Joseph's heel was just inside the circle. I'm normally one that says not enough charges are called. There's so much that the offense gets away with. But this was a block for two reasons. He was on the circle, but he also wasn't set in time. Paolo was already on the way up before his feet were set.

I think that the biggest reason a charge was not called is because it was a total flop by the defender. The wide angle view did not show it, but the up close view shows that PB has really amazing body control and he was able to jump around the defender with only a very slight amount of contact and the defender falling down was a total flop.

[jonbob17]

Didn't we start like 6-2 the season we blew it all up?

4-0 and 6-2 yep.

Then Fultz tore his ACL in the 8th game and they lost 8 of the next 9.

Fultz wasn't great to start off that season, but had we had him against the Pistons we would have crushed them. Bol Bol and Houstan first off the bench. Awful. I am interested or even like both those guys long-term. Fultz was very good last year, and if nothing else would given at least one capable ball handler on the court at any given point in time. Suggs and his leaky handle being the other. TBH Franz running the point and being guarded by athletic defenders 40 feet out from the rim and relying on a high screen everytime to get moving is giving me some anxiety. It was kind of sloppy in game 1 (and a little in preseason).

These big lineups are fun, but One of Suggs and Fultz needs to be out on the court at all times. I guess until Fultz gets back that needs to include Cole...and until Cole gets back that probably needs to slide down to RJ.

I like RJ, and think he has improved, and he still plays all sped up, but he's far ahead of Bol and Houstan as a ball handler. That bench unit was terrible on opening night.

[thelead]

Didn't we start like 6-2 the season we blew it all up?

4-0 and 6-2 yep.

Then Fultz tore his ACL in the 8th game and they lost 8 of the next 9.

Fultz wasn't great to start off that season, but had we had him against the Pistons we would have crushed them. Bol Bol and Houstan first off the bench. Awful. I am interested or even like both those guys long-term. Fultz was very good last year, and if nothing else would given at least one capable ball handler on the court at any given point in time. Suggs and his leaky handle being the other. TBH Franz running the point and being guarded by athletic defenders 40 feet out from the rim and relying on a high screen everytime to get moving is giving me some anxiety. It was kind of sloppy in game 1 (and a little in preseason).

These big lineups are fun, but One of Suggs and Fultz needs to be out on the court at all times. I guess until Fultz gets back that needs to include Cole...and until Cole gets back that probably needs to slide down to RJ.

I like RJ, and think he has improved, and he still plays all sped up, but he's far ahead of Bol and Houstan as a ball handler. That bench unit was terrible on opening night.

JI being held out. Fultz says he didn't even know his toe was broken but he's still out. Cole mysteriously being scratched minutes before tipoff. RJ not being brought in in the second quarter... all I see is: