2023-2024 Regular Season Game 13: Orlando Magic (7-5) at Indiana Pacers (7-4) - 5pm

[Rainwater]

Coach Mosley is not stupid. If the GMs set the target for him to go and chase wins and playoff berth, he has no choice and knows he has to rely on the more experienced and proven guns on the squad.

He will always favor Markelle and rightfully so. Mosley ain't that dumb to forget he is also being evaluated and needs success with this still young team, he needs wins while still developing the rookies but relying mainly on the veterans (still young players).

I also think Kelle's days in Magic uniform are numbered unless he explodes after seeing the young competition challenging his spot (which is not out of the question still).

I am part of the group where I don’t think the organization cares too much about wins right now but rather growth. If the organization did care about wins the off season would have gone differently.

I feel like Fultz will be traded when they have the first opportunity even if it cost the team wins. And given how they have played without him I think they will be fine regardless.

I am still a little skeptical on Black, I really hope he brings more than just defense. He is still a rookie so he still has time to improve.

People think if they say "The goal is the playoffs or bust" enough times - it'll be true. That's a nice goal, but it's never been publicly broadcast (by anybody that matters) that the season's success is based on that. If it was, there would have already been a trade for a good PG that can shoot. It's pretty simple, trade for Brogdon or similar "gettable vet" and your playoff odds immediately increase...there's definitely no mandate to make the playoffs- it's one of several goals and not the most important one.

There's still a whole lot of evaluation going on...I'd say the Trade Deadline is when stuff is decided as far as who's part of the long term plan in ORL.

I completely agree with this.

[Viper1500]

This team could easily be 10-3. Tonight's game was the most impressive though. Even more than the MIL one in my opinion. All of this without Fultz and WCJ is truly impressive.

[MasterGMer]

Coach Mosley is not stupid. If the GMs set the target for him to go and chase wins and playoff berth, he has no choice and knows he has to rely on the more experienced and proven guns on the squad.

He will always favor Markelle and rightfully so. Mosley ain't that dumb to forget he is also being evaluated and needs success with this still young team, he needs wins while still developing the rookies but relying mainly on the veterans (still young players).

I also think Kelle's days in Magic uniform are numbered unless he explodes after seeing the young competition challenging his spot (which is not out of the question still).

I am part of the group where I don’t think the organization cares too much about wins right now but rather growth. If the organization did care about wins the off season would have gone differently.

I feel like Fultz will be traded when they have the first opportunity even if it cost the team wins. And given how they have played without him I think they will be fine regardless.

I am still a little skeptical on Black, I really hope he brings more than just defense. He is still a rookie so he still has time to improve.

People think if they say "The goal is the playoffs or bust" enough times - it'll be true. That's a nice goal, but it's never been publicly broadcast (by anybody that matters) that the season's success is based on that. If it was, there would have already been a trade for a good PG that can shoot. It's pretty simple, trade for Brogdon or similar "gettable vet" and your playoff odds immediately increase...there's definitely no mandate to make the playoffs- it's one of several goals and not the most important one.

There's still a whole lot of evaluation going on...I'd say the Trade Deadline is when stuff is decided as far as who's part of the long term plan in ORL.

Before the season I was kinda skeptical about Jalen Suggs and Jonathan Isaac. But this early start proved Jalen and JI want to be a part of the team from now forward. Not really just on the defensive end but overall performance that helped WINNING.

Jalen is a winning player and JI is a winning player also.

Before the start of the season, I really had high hopes on Markelle Fultz and I thought he could not only come in and become the starting PG for us, but also a near Stardom for Markelle. Kinda disappointed so far

At the beginning of this year, I said Jalen Suggs and Jonathan Isaac would be the X Factors for us. Now they are both way more than that and that is the biggest reason for our great start.

I want to keep our young core going forward and that was why I made the thread about 3rd Best Player being Jalen Suggs.

Next week we are going to play a lot of good teams, Toronto, Denver and Boston. It will be a great test for this young team. If we come in with Ws after Ws, our team building process should be accelerated a lot faster.

[The-Stallion70]

were gonna put Papa John's out of business!

[Optimus_Steel]

Really proud of this team. They got an early lead then just curb stomped them into submission. Perhaps lessons learned from the two Chicago games? Yes the 3rd string lower the gap but let’s be honest this game was decided in the first quarter and the outcome was not in the air. Impressive beat down.

[Optimus_Steel]

Forgot to point out we are tied with Miami for the division lead.

[richi_v25]

We whooped the #1 offense... on the road ... missing half our starters... Go Magic!

[RookieStar]

I am part of the group where I don’t think the organization cares too much about wins right now but rather growth. If the organization did care about wins the off season would have gone differently.

I feel like Fultz will be traded when they have the first opportunity even if it cost the team wins. And given how they have played without him I think they will be fine regardless.

I am still a little skeptical on Black, I really hope he brings more than just defense. He is still a rookie so he still has time to improve.

People think if they say "The goal is the playoffs or bust" enough times - it'll be true. That's a nice goal, but it's never been publicly broadcast (by anybody that matters) that the season's success is based on that. If it was, there would have already been a trade for a good PG that can shoot. It's pretty simple, trade for Brogdon or similar "gettable vet" and your playoff odds immediately increase...there's definitely no mandate to make the playoffs- it's one of several goals and not the most important one.

There's still a whole lot of evaluation going on...I'd say the Trade Deadline is when stuff is decided as far as who's part of the long term plan in ORL.

I completely agree with this.

Im not... say trade deadline is a week away yet our record is like now... tied for 4th in the East with a chance to be 3rd because only 3 wins separate us.

That is waaaaaaay above expectations from everyone. You think our FO will want to take the chance to break up the group and might bring us down to 4 spots lower?

I think its offseason unless we are in the playin area amd FO thinks an injection is whats needed to push us up

[Def Swami]

Dominated the paint in a way I've never seen them do against a team. #1 defense in the league is also legit. Kudos to the team for buying into what Mosely is preaching.

[Rainwater]

People think if they say "The goal is the playoffs or bust" enough times - it'll be true. That's a nice goal, but it's never been publicly broadcast (by anybody that matters) that the season's success is based on that. If it was, there would have already been a trade for a good PG that can shoot. It's pretty simple, trade for Brogdon or similar "gettable vet" and your playoff odds immediately increase...there's definitely no mandate to make the playoffs- it's one of several goals and not the most important one.

There's still a whole lot of evaluation going on...I'd say the Trade Deadline is when stuff is decided as far as who's part of the long term plan in ORL.

I completely agree with this.

Im not... say trade deadline is a week away yet our record is like now... tied for 4th in the East with a chance to be 3rd because only 3 wins separate us.

That is waaaaaaay above expectations from everyone. You think our FO will want to take the chance to break up the group and might bring us down to 4 spots lower?

I think its offseason unless we are in the playin area amd FO thinks an injection is whats needed to push us up

That would be highly unlikely.

But if it did happen, I would think it would be more of a fluke than anything sustainable. I would still stick to the plan and shot for long term success than short term gratification.

Such a situation reminds me of the Jazz performance last year.

[RookieStar]

I completely agree with this.

Im not... say trade deadline is a week away yet our record is like now... tied for 4th in the East with a chance to be 3rd because only 3 wins separate us.

That is waaaaaaay above expectations from everyone. You think our FO will want to take the chance to break up the group and might bring us down to 4 spots lower?

I think its offseason unless we are in the playin area amd FO thinks an injection is whats needed to push us up

That would be highly unlikely.

But if it did happen, I would think it would be more of a fluke than anything sustainable. I would still stick to the plan and shot for long term success than short term gratification.

Such a situation reminds me of the Jazz performance last year.

Oh im for long term goal as well. That is why if in the dream scenario where we are in the 4th placed Eastern PO spot, i think our FO would not make any changes untile after the season ends. No way they jeapordize what has been clicking so well and especiqlly putting butts in the seat for more $$$

[basketballRob]

I hope Isaac is okay. It looks like he took a shot to the legs.

Sent from my SM-G781U using RealGM mobile app

[Knightro]

Is this team a better lead guard away from being legit good like right now? Maybe...

[Rainwater]

Im not... say trade deadline is a week away yet our record is like now... tied for 4th in the East with a chance to be 3rd because only 3 wins separate us.

That is waaaaaaay above expectations from everyone. You think our FO will want to take the chance to break up the group and might bring us down to 4 spots lower?

I think its offseason unless we are in the playin area amd FO thinks an injection is whats needed to push us up

That would be highly unlikely.

But if it did happen, I would think it would be more of a fluke than anything sustainable. I would still stick to the plan and shot for long term success than short term gratification.

Such a situation reminds me of the Jazz performance last year.

Oh im for long term goal as well. That is why if in the dream scenario where we are in the 4th placed Eastern PO spot, i think our FO would not make any changes untile after the season ends. No way they jeapordize what has been clicking so well and especiqlly putting butts in the seat for more $$$

But if the magic are sitting in the 4th seed and the opportunity to trade Fultz for a good return arises when you know there is a chance you might be better in the future, you wouldn't do it for the sake of continuity?

[MaKiaVeLi7]

I am part of the group where I don’t think the organization cares too much about wins right now but rather growth. If the organization did care about wins the off season would have gone differently.

I feel like Fultz will be traded when they have the first opportunity even if it cost the team wins. And given how they have played without him I think they will be fine regardless.

I am still a little skeptical on Black, I really hope he brings more than just defense. He is still a rookie so he still has time to improve.

People think if they say "The goal is the playoffs or bust" enough times - it'll be true. That's a nice goal, but it's never been publicly broadcast (by anybody that matters) that the season's success is based on that. If it was, there would have already been a trade for a good PG that can shoot. It's pretty simple, trade for Brogdon or similar "gettable vet" and your playoff odds immediately increase...there's definitely no mandate to make the playoffs- it's one of several goals and not the most important one.

There's still a whole lot of evaluation going on...I'd say the Trade Deadline is when stuff is decided as far as who's part of the long term plan in ORL.

I completely agree with this.

That's why I started with "if". We are waiting for the Trade deadline for sure. A lot of questions might be answered then or new ones might pop up. Anyway, we should be excited about our progression and the fun season ahead.

[MasterGMer]

Im not... say trade deadline is a week away yet our record is like now... tied for 4th in the East with a chance to be 3rd because only 3 wins separate us.

That is waaaaaaay above expectations from everyone. You think our FO will want to take the chance to break up the group and might bring us down to 4 spots lower?

I think its offseason unless we are in the playin area amd FO thinks an injection is whats needed to push us up

That would be highly unlikely.

But if it did happen, I would think it would be more of a fluke than anything sustainable. I would still stick to the plan and shot for long term success than short term gratification.

Such a situation reminds me of the Jazz performance last year.

Oh im for long term goal as well. That is why if in the dream scenario where we are in the 4th placed Eastern PO spot, i think our FO would not make any changes untile after the season ends. No way they jeapordize what has been clicking so well and especiqlly putting butts in the seat for more $$$

I kinda disagree with you all a little. The question should always be is this lineup good enough to Win a Championship one day if Franz and Paolo grow to our expectations? Right now, I still think if there is a chance to improve upon our core, we need to do that.

But that can not be short sighted and also it shouldn't break up the chemistry and young core of the team, and that is why I made that thread "How good can our young core be?"

If we can improve it upon growing our young core, why not? It can not be a so called super star on a short rental. It can not be someone who takes the ball away too much from Paolo and Franz. And so forth

I know it is hard. But if that opportunity comes, we need take the risk a little

[Rainwater]

People think if they say "The goal is the playoffs or bust" enough times - it'll be true. That's a nice goal, but it's never been publicly broadcast (by anybody that matters) that the season's success is based on that. If it was, there would have already been a trade for a good PG that can shoot. It's pretty simple, trade for Brogdon or similar "gettable vet" and your playoff odds immediately increase...there's definitely no mandate to make the playoffs- it's one of several goals and not the most important one.

There's still a whole lot of evaluation going on...I'd say the Trade Deadline is when stuff is decided as far as who's part of the long term plan in ORL.

I completely agree with this.

That's why I started with "if". We are waiting for the Trade deadline for sure. A lot of questions might be answered then or new ones might pop up. Anyway, we should be excited about our progression and the fun season ahead.

I completely agree with this and the magic are further along than I thought when they first started this rebuild process.

[DiplomaticMagic]

Gary Harris not getting enough love by Magic fans....hes played great last 2 games. I dont want to trade him lol

[RookieStar]

That would be highly unlikely.

But if it did happen, I would think it would be more of a fluke than anything sustainable. I would still stick to the plan and shot for long term success than short term gratification.

Such a situation reminds me of the Jazz performance last year.

Oh im for long term goal as well. That is why if in the dream scenario where we are in the 4th placed Eastern PO spot, i think our FO would not make any changes untile after the season ends. No way they jeapordize what has been clicking so well and especiqlly putting butts in the seat for more $$$

I kinda disagree with you all a little. The question should always be is this lineup good enough to Win a Championship one day if Franz and Paolo grow to our expectations? Right now, I still think if there is a chance to improve upon our core, we need to do that.

But that can not be short sighted and also it shouldn't break up the chemistry and young core of the team, and that is why I made that thread "How good can our young core be?"

If we can improve it upon growing our young core, why not? It can not be a so called super star on a short rental. It can not be someone who takes the ball away too much from Paolo and Franz. And so forth

I know it is hard. But if that opportunity comes, we need take the risk a little

I think a lot of you didnt read properly what i wrote. I am all for upgrading yet what i objected was that THIS TRADE DEADLINE is the time for us to do so.

No its not. I want it after this season ends esp if by lucky chance we are in the POs and we see where we are deficient at.

Its always at the POs where teams grind each other out that strengthd and weaknesses come out.

[MaKiaVeLi7]

I completely agree with this.

That's why I started with "if". We are waiting for the Trade deadline for sure. A lot of questions might be answered then or new ones might pop up. Anyway, we should be excited about our progression and the fun season ahead.

I completely agree with this and the magic are further along than I thought when they first started this rebuild process.

Personally, I believe the Magic front office set the goal of making the play-ins or clinching playoff berth this year and Mose is aware of that surely. It might not be put up as an imperative at that stage of the team development, but I have a feeling that this is the reality and is desired strongly by the organization.

All indications are present, just think about it. The team was advertised even before the training camp as an up-and-coming playoff contender, not by the media, but by the Orlando Magic franchise. All from the commentators, Dante, coaches, managers and players are talking about it nonstop long before the season started. All those are people employed by the franchise and are instructed to comply with the company's direction. It must have been a discussed topic during the summer break for sure.

Coach Mosley is trying to cut the rotation to 9-10 players (excluding the injuries and bench playing a larger role so far). He is relying on the more experienced players, limited PT mostly deep deep garbage time for rookies, Caleb, Jett, Admiral, Goga (before Wendell went down).

All these are clear indications that we are after the playoffs this season and that's a good thing. All the vibe around the team performance points in that direction in my opinion.

I just believe that the GMs are keeping quiet about it in order not to attract unnecessary attention to themselves in case we fail and not burden team/coaches with extra pressure from media/fans/etc. They are playing it smart as with everything they've done so far. They are always quiet and leave everyone guessing, so no surprise here we are not hearing "playoffs" from them.