2022-2023 Regular Season Game 20: Philadelphia 76ers (10-9) at Orlando (5-14) - 7pm

[PrimeThyme]

Other than a dislike of the front office, which I can understand, I'm struggling to come up with any legitimate reason why any fan of the Magic would actively want the league to punish the franchise.

What if the punishment was docking the Magic this year's first round pick? Would you still like it then?

If it's a matter of want, then I don't want our franchise to be doing any of this. I want them to be actively trying to put competitive/digestible products on the floor. But the problem is they aren't, && small market teams with no outside pressure on them are allowed to operate as they have and intentionally put G-League products on the court.

I want change, and I think it's egregious how our basketball operations have operated the last couple of years. Keeping fans in the dark, holding players back from injury, trading/signing for more injury proned players and ensuring that they, at all times, will have at least 3-6 rotational players out of the lineup at all times in an attempt to lose as many games as possible. In September/November.

This isn't the NBA that I love, and I don't think there should be a place for it in a competitive professional basketball league. If a player is healthy, they should be playing. If smoke is coming from an organization that they aren't, && it's extensively affecting the product on the court as it has with our team, a precedence needs to be set.

As a fan, it would be shattering, but I wouldnt expect as serious of a punishment as that anyways. Something along the lines of losing a second and massive fines to send a stern message would be my guess.

[thelead]

The system is broken. Teams are doing what they think is best based on the system they are working with. With the play-in system in place, they should just make all odds equal from 1-14. That way, you can fight for a playoff spot and still have a shot a franchise-changing talent. That or make it so that the worst 5 teams have slightly worse odds than the team that are slotted 6-10. That would make things super interesting

[NavalAviator94]

Other than a dislike of the front office, which I can understand, I'm struggling to come up with any legitimate reason why any fan of the Magic would actively want the league to punish the franchise.

What if the punishment was docking the Magic this year's first round pick? Would you still like it then?

If it's a matter of want, then I don't want our franchise to be doing any of this. I want them to be actively trying to put competitive/digestible products on the floor. But the problem is they aren't, && small market teams with no outside pressure on them are allowed to operate as they have and intentionally put G-League products on the court.

I want change, and I think it's egregious how our basketball operations have operated the last couple of years. Keeping fans in the dark, holding players back from injury, trading/signing for more injury proned players and ensuring that they, at all times, will have at least 3-6 rotational players out of the lineup at all times in an attempt to lose as many games as possible. In September/November.

This isn't the NBA that I love, and I don't think there should be a place for it in a competitive professional basketball league. If a player is healthy, they should be playing. If smoke is coming from an organization that they aren't, && it's extensively affecting the product on the court as it has with our team, a precedence needs to be set.

As a fan, it would be shattering, but I wouldnt expect as serious of a punishment as that anyways. Something along the lines of losing a second and massive fines to send a stern message would be my guess.

KillMonger just posted a Tweet from Fultz essentially saying him being out is ridiculous. I've NEVER seen anything like that said by a player. It's not out of the realm of possibility that the league would question Fultz and give some sort of penalty to the Magic if he indeed is ready to go.

[thelead]

Other than a dislike of the front office, which I can understand, I'm struggling to come up with any legitimate reason why any fan of the Magic would actively want the league to punish the franchise.

What if the punishment was docking the Magic this year's first round pick? Would you still like it then?

If it's a matter of want, then I don't want our franchise to be doing any of this. I want them to be actively trying to put competitive/digestible products on the floor. But the problem is they aren't, && small market teams with no outside pressure on them are allowed to operate as they have and intentionally put G-League products on the court.

I want change, and I think it's egregious how our basketball operations have operated the last couple of years. Keeping fans in the dark, holding players back from injury, trading/signing for more injury proned players and ensuring that they, at all times, will have at least 3-6 rotational players out of the lineup at all times in an attempt to lose as many games as possible. In September/November.

This isn't the NBA that I love, and I don't think there should be a place for it in a competitive professional basketball league. If a player is healthy, they should be playing. If smoke is coming from an organization that they aren't, && it's extensively affecting the product on the court as it has with our team, a precedence needs to be set.

As a fan, it would be shattering, but I wouldnt expect as serious of a punishment as that anyways. Something along the lines of losing a second and massive fines to send a stern message would be my guess.

KillMonger just posted a Tweet from Fultz essentially saying him being out is ridiculous. I've NEVER seen anything like that said by a player. It's not out of the realm of possibility that the league would question Fultz and give some sort of penalty to the Magic if he indeed is ready to go.

That's a fake Fultz account

[NavalAviator94]

If it's a matter of want, then I don't want our franchise to be doing any of this. I want them to be actively trying to put competitive/digestible products on the floor. But the problem is they aren't, && small market teams with no outside pressure on them are allowed to operate as they have and intentionally put G-League products on the court.

I want change, and I think it's egregious how our basketball operations have operated the last couple of years. Keeping fans in the dark, holding players back from injury, trading/signing for more injury proned players and ensuring that they, at all times, will have at least 3-6 rotational players out of the lineup at all times in an attempt to lose as many games as possible. In September/November.

This isn't the NBA that I love, and I don't think there should be a place for it in a competitive professional basketball league. If a player is healthy, they should be playing. If smoke is coming from an organization that they aren't, && it's extensively affecting the product on the court as it has with our team, a precedence needs to be set.

As a fan, it would be shattering, but I wouldnt expect as serious of a punishment as that anyways. Something along the lines of losing a second and massive fines to send a stern message would be my guess.

KillMonger just posted a Tweet from Fultz essentially saying him being out is ridiculous. I've NEVER seen anything like that said by a player. It's not out of the realm of possibility that the league would question Fultz and give some sort of penalty to the Magic if he indeed is ready to go.

That's a fake Fultz account

Haha - totally got me!

[drsd]

The system is broken. Teams are doing what they think is best based on the system they are working with. With the play-in system in place, they should just make all odds equal from 1-14. That way, you can fight for a playoff spot and still have a shot a franchise-changing talent. That or make it so that the worst 5 teams have slightly worse odds than the team that are slotted 6-10. That would make things super interesting

I think the top-7 teams should be locked and the 8th seed determined by an NCAA-style single game tourney of the bottom 8 teams. Then every game matters. And the 3-games to win to get an 8-seed will be awesome telly.


As of today the tourney in the East would be to get the 8-seed:

1-Atlanta vs. 8-Detroit
2-Brooklyn vs. 7-Orlando
3-Miami vs. 6-Charlotte
4-Chicago vs. 5-New York

Man that would be fun!



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[The-Stallion70]

Mo Bamba may be the worst top 6 pick ever taken by this franchise.

Are you serious???

This is Hezonja, and it is not close at all: Player Comparison: Mo Bamba vs. Mario Hezonja


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I have thought about replying to you drsd because I like your posts. I know that statistically Bamba is certainly a better and more productive player than Hezonja. But I would like to entertain this argument anyhow.

To me Bamba is the worst kind of player in NBA basketball: a center who doesn't defend. A team can't really use a big who doesn't defend because that is their main job they are being depended on to do.

As a center, I believe your main responsibility is serving as the backline defense at the rim and rebounding. He fails at the centers main job.

I think this why Clifford preferred Birch over Bamba because Birch was an effective competitor who just didn't amass alot of counting stats. I believe a big like Birch helps you win more than a big like Bamba.

As the center he lacks the physical strength needed to win wrestling matches in the paint and he visibly lacks motor. Nerlens Noel has a similar thin build as Bamba but he has still been effective in his career because he plays with such a high activity level, which Bamba does not. He fails at the center's main job.

Most frustratingly, we selected Bamba ahead of other guys who became stars like SGA and very productive players like Porter Jr, Wendell, Bridges, Sexton.

The other options we could have taken in the 2015 draft instead of Hezonja were Willie Cauley Stein, Stanley Johnson, Justise Winslow, etc. I'm not kicking myself as much for passing on them.

Hezonja was a perimeter player who lacked ballhandling ability and he also had problems on defense, although he was capable of making athletic plays on that end.

I personally believe that Mario got unnecessarily buried on the bench by Skiles and Vogel in a crucial time in his career. I think favoring vets over developing young players was a weird aspect of the Hennigan rebuild.

I dont understand why Willie Green and Jeff Green consistently got those opportunities instead of Oladipo/Harris etc.

Mario was not completely useless he could score a little bit abd could space the floor as a shooter.

But I believe that Bamba is basically useless for any purpose other than tanking. That probably sounds like a harsh take but I don't see how a low energy, non defending big helps a team.

[drsd]

I have thought about replying to you drsd because I like your posts. I know that statistically Bamba is certainly a better and more productive player than Hezonja. But I would like to entertain this argument anyhow.

"Lies, damned lies, and statistics"


Look: I appreciate all objective points. And in general I agree that a good team should focus on offense from the perimeter and defense from the front-court, usually.

But I do wonder if we are arguing something like "what's the worst cheap beer"? This is an unwinnable discussion for both of us






Or said another way:

[drsd]

Most frustratingly, we selected Bamba ahead of other guys who became stars like SGA and very productive players like Porter Jr, Wendell, Bridges, Sexton.

I am on record before the draft that Orlando was best placed to trade=down with this pick. It is absurd to me that GMs never trade down.

Cleveland at 8 and Philly at 10 seemed like wonderful trade partners were Orlando would get some stabilising assets and get Gilgeous-Alexander (who in my eyes had more upside than Young pre-draft).

Of course I am also on record that Orlando should have traded its team to move up to select Dončić. What do I know in player evaluations after all ?!?!?!? He was obviously a generational talent, but because he did not fit some media tick-box, he was down graded by the bobble-heads at ESPN.

In conclusion: yet again you are correct that actually selecting Bamba was not the bold move the Magic needed to make.

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