What is the biggest reason the magic are 12-5?

[p0peye]

Weltham did well on most important stuff: Paolo and Franz picks coupled with Vučević trade and Mosley signing.

They whiffed on most other parts: took too long to evaluate and trade Elfrid, Bamba (and now Fultz) , they don't seem capable of using low 1st and 2nd round picks to find talent and are adverse to risk in trades.

Jury is still out on several high picks in Suggs, Black and Jett.

We are enjoying the wave of winning streak, but I think these are the facts.

[OrlChamps2030]

Weltham did well on most important stuff: Paolo and Franz picks coupled with Vučević trade and Mosley signing.

They whiffed on most other parts: took too long to evaluate and trade Elfrid, Bamba (and now Fultz) , they don't seem capable of using low 1st and 2nd round picks to find talent and are adverse to risk in trades.

Jury is still out on several high picks in Suggs, Black and Jett.

We are enjoying the wave of winning streak, but I think these are the facts.

I think they waited too long on Aaron Gordon too.

Gotta give them credit on Goga though. Great find. WCJ may be expendable now.

[VFX]

Weltham did well on most important stuff: Paolo and Franz picks coupled with Vučević trade and Mosley signing.

They whiffed on most other parts: took too long to evaluate and trade Elfrid, Bamba (and now Fultz) , they don't seem capable of using low 1st and 2nd round picks to find talent and are adverse to risk in trades.

Jury is still out on several high picks in Suggs, Black and Jett.

We are enjoying the wave of winning streak, but I think these are the facts.

is the jury still out on Suggs?

[purpleswordfish]

Last year, I felt that the Magic had a problem a lot of younger teams have - finishing games. It seemed commonplace for the Magic to play three good quarters last season and fall apart in the fourth. This year, I feel like they have a plan on how to close out a game and they're executing well more often than not. That's a product of experience on the players' part and solid coaching.

The OP makes a really solid point about the bench and how each player knows their role in the rotation. Isaac seems best suited to the current role he's given, as does Cole Anthony. It's a balanced roster and if they can get better PG play, the Magic are dangerous.

[p0peye]

Weltham did well on most important stuff: Paolo and Franz picks coupled with Vučević trade and Mosley signing.

They whiffed on most other parts: took too long to evaluate and trade Elfrid, Bamba (and now Fultz) , they don't seem capable of using low 1st and 2nd round picks to find talent and are adverse to risk in trades.

Jury is still out on several high picks in Suggs, Black and Jett.

We are enjoying the wave of winning streak, but I think these are the facts.

is the jury still out on Suggs?

Is it not? This board goes from DPOY to trade fodder depending on what Suggs shooter appears on given night. He is clearly a defensive stud, but we can't tell if he is next Tony Allen or Gary Payton.

[Bensational]

Looking at the advanced stats for the last 7 games there’s a pretty common and clear pattern which is all rotation players have an ortg of 116-118 and a drtg from 104-107 (Isaac 90), with the exception of rookie Black being 104ortg and 106drtg.

By traditional stats, Paolo, Franz and Cole are leading the scoring with Suggs and Moe also adding 13ppg a piece. Suggs efficiency has been great with 40% from 3 on 4 attempts a game. 51%fg overall.

We’re getting fantastic output from our young guys and just the right amount of veteran guidance to keep them on the rails. Suggs is in DPOTY mode, Cole is in 6MOTY mode, Mo Swag is in World Champion mode and Isaac is having his revival tour.

The room for growth was there and the guys have been filling every inch of it.

[MasterGMer]

Looking at the advanced stats for the last 7 games there’s a pretty common and clear pattern which is all rotation players have an ortg of 116-118 and a drtg from 104-107 (Isaac 90), with the exception of rookie Black being 104ortg and 106drtg.

By traditional stats, Paolo, Franz and Cole are leading the scoring with Suggs and Moe also adding 13ppg a piece. Suggs efficiency has been great with 40% from 3 on 4 attempts a game. 51%fg overall.

We’re getting fantastic output from our young guys and just the right amount of veteran guidance to keep them on the rails. Suggs is in DPOTY mode, Cole is in 6MOTY mode, Mo Swag is in World Champion mode and Isaac is having his revival tour.

The room for growth was there and the guys have been filling every inch of it.

I think one, if not the biggest, reason lies in how the team is brought in and root for each other no matter what. That is hard to coach and teach. Some teams have and some teams don't.

But if you want a winning team and championship team, your team has to be brought in to one goal, which is to Win! They sacrifice for each other, they root for each other on the floor, and they are so tight they are just ONE Unit.

I love this team. And I hope it continues. The tougher stretch of the schedule is soon upon us. I hope this young Magic team does well!

[Skybox]

Lot of stuff here…next question is “How sustainable is this level of success?”

[JoshuaPotter]

Lot of stuff here…next question is “How sustainable is this level of success?”

Or better yet. How do they respond to their next loss?

I was OK with how the season started relatively .500 because almost all games were contested.

How will this unit respond with our next blowout? They will occasionally happen.

[Jiwol]

Why is "A lack of Fultz" is not an option?

Because it's not like we're winning more because our PGs are raining 3s.

I thought Cole Anthony is a tiny bit better 3 point shooter than Fultz... There's more to this than shooting thought. Things like Fultz's usage rate which takes away shots from Paolo and Franz for example. I bet we lose a game as soon as he's insterted back into the starting line-up and plays more than 25 minutes.

[Skybox]

Or “how will ORL forum drama queens respond to the inevitable reality check game?”

(Me included)…let’s just say that I don’t expect them to be 36-15 or 48-20…but I am buying ORL stock

But, I definitely think this success is real and built on a solid foundation as long as the defensive intensity is maintained. There will be letdown nights (particularly likely when the ‘sparks’ like Suggs and/or Isaac are banged up or just off…lack of intensity is just as contagious). Generally speaking, our depth makes the possibility of pushing hard all season real…I also think our relative lack of reliable outside shooting will sink us on some nights. Upgrading that without downgrading defense is the next challenge for the FO. The stuff we’re seeing from our Point Forwards is REAL, IMO…but the next level will require reliable floor spacing and also the occasional 3pt late game barrage to get us back in a game.

So, I DO believe it’s sustainable…just not likely to be at quite the same %. I now think landing in the 3-6th seed is very attainable, especially if we make a smart move at the TD.

[JoshuaPotter]

Why is "A lack of Fultz" is not an option?

Because it's not like we're winning more because our PGs are raining 3s.

I thought Cole Anthony is a tiny bit better 3 point shooter than Fultz... There's more to this than shooting thought. Things like Fultz's usage rate which takes away shots from Paolo and Franz for example. I bet we lose a game as soon as he's insterted back into the starting line-up and plays more than 25 minutes.

Fultz doesn't shoot 3s. / Black + Cole + Harris + Suggs will.

The caveat here is that Black yes isn't as good a player overall as Fultz yet. In my humble opinion, defensive rating wise, he is already a potential equal then Fultz in his limited minutes which is very impressive for a rookie.

Blacks offense overall is not as good for a myriad of reasons, but yet again he doesn't seem to punish us as much as substantiated by several posters earlier in the season.

My thought on him was, if he was good, and we play him. We will still manage. If he was bad, and we played him say 30+mpg then yes I think it is fair to say we lose.

[Optimus_Steel]

Lot of stuff here…next question is “How sustainable is this level of success?”

Or better yet. How do they respond to their next loss?

I was OK with how the season started relatively .500 because almost all games were contested.

How will this unit respond with our next blowout? They will occasionally happen.

My take is they will be fine. Last year this team got down a lot but they wouldn’t quit and would make it a game towards the end by continuing to battle. This year they have shown further growth. They lost a tough game against BKL and the next night they beat Chi. They just come across as mentally tough team even with their youth, our two linchpins Paolo/Franz are big time competitors. Suggs is a bulldog. They will fight unlike the Vuc/Evan teams.

[JoshuaPotter]

Lot of stuff here…next question is “How sustainable is this level of success?”

Or better yet. How do they respond to their next loss?

I was OK with how the season started relatively .500 because almost all games were contested.

How will this unit respond with our next blowout? They will occasionally happen.

My take is they will be fine. Last year this team got down a lot but they wouldn’t quit and would make it a game towards the end by continuing to battle. This year they have shown further growth. They lost a tough game against BKL and the next night they beat Chi. They just come across as mentally tough team even with their youth, our two linchpins Paolo/Franz are big time competitors. Suggs is a bulldog. They will fight unlike the Vuc/Evan teams.

I don't disagree. I just believe we are in uncharted territory. Last year we had iirc a 8 game winning streak before playing .500 ball the rest of the way.

Some of that was the return of our guards coupled with several players off the bench playing out of their minds like Bol Bol for example and Bamba getting really hot.

As soon as teams figured Bol Bol out, and rough housed with Bamba. They faded into nothingness. You know the rest of the story. I imagine what we are seeing is a similar 3rd string "players have something to prove" before other teams find out good enough ways to adjust. Problem is, with the lineup and a summer camp healthy. We are a defensive powerhouse top to bottom buyins. Which means, teams aren't getting a break.

[Bakomagic]

Wrong thread!

[p0peye]

Or better yet. How do they respond to their next loss?

I was OK with how the season started relatively .500 because almost all games were contested.

How will this unit respond with our next blowout? They will occasionally happen.

My take is they will be fine. Last year this team got down a lot but they wouldn’t quit and would make it a game towards the end by continuing to battle. This year they have shown further growth. They lost a tough game against BKL and the next night they beat Chi. They just come across as mentally tough team even with their youth, our two linchpins Paolo/Franz are big time competitors. Suggs is a bulldog. They will fight unlike the Vuc/Evan teams.

I don't disagree. I just believe we are in uncharted territory. Last year we had iirc a 8 game winning streak before playing .500 ball the rest of the way.

Some of that was the return of our guards coupled with several players off the bench playing out of their minds like Bol Bol for example and Bamba getting really hot.

As soon as teams figured Bol Bol out, and rough housed with Bamba. They faded into nothingness. You know the rest of the story. I imagine what we are seeing is a similar 3rd string "players have something to prove" before other teams find out good enough ways to adjust. Problem is, with the lineup and a summer camp healthy. We are a defensive powerhouse top to bottom buyins. Which means, teams aren't getting a break.

This is first time we have 7 game winning streak since 2011/12 season.

[JF5]

They DO get massive kudos for the Vuc trade. Not sure who you claim was against that deal or that they were getting "killed". It was inevitable and Chicago was dumb enough to pull the trigger. AG should have been moved 1-2 seasons prior. He was worth more than a guy off the bench and a late pick. To me they broke even with those moves combined with Fournier, and later Ross, by waiting far too long.

The context and time frame when they were getting killed I mean the aftermath when it came to who they selected with that pick (which ended up being Franz). That pick people really did not like at the time.

Gordon, he was a complimentary player compared to a Vucevic who was a 2 time all-star who led his squad to the playoffs. So it wasn't like we were getting the king's ransom on him. During that time as well during the 16/17 timeframe he was getting similar trade offers that he ended up being traded for in 2021 which wasn't too surprising. I don't think there was a deal that could've made that would've been better. Nobody is fetching that many assets for a role player who players really nicely off a star centerpiece.

Fournier/Ross I agree as well... But there's a catch 22 to you saying "the Magic should've traded these guys years ago argument". Like I mentioned before and during the rumor reports back in 16/17 when the team was at its most desolate, our player's values were so low that teams were going absolutely lowball us. Essentially trading them for scrap late round picks was not the most ideal option for a losing organization to rebuild when you trade your best players for nothing.

So they had a 2-fold plan essentially and also was part of the agreement with Alex Martins at the time. Get this team to the playoffs and try to get them competitive, which they did as they made it to the playoffs in back-to-back years. But also, for Weltman/Hammond they needed to get the players values to a certain point to where if the team eventually topped out at a certain point they would be able to move the core guys for better assets which they successfully did (IMO). Yes, they might've waited to long in certain situations. But in the NBA where you're likely to get it wrong most of the time. They were able to max-out in this situation.

If they don't wait 2-3 there's a chance that other's player's values get hurt because they're potentially not looked at as winning players in a stable situation if the team chemistry/lack of talent takes a hit.

Paolo has more in his bag than Jabari. Orlando needed an engine and not a role player. Chet was really the only guy you could argue could have been the pick. But again, they went with the better offensive player.

I'm not even going to pull up all the polls and threads from last year on our board. But it was a clear that most here and general NBA thought Jabari Smith Jr. was going to be the consensus first pick. From draft express, nbadraft.net, NBA.com... You name it... Nobody knew Paolo was going to be the 1st pick until literally the day of. Even to the point where people thought we were trading back to raid the Rockets of their tremendous amount of assets but that clearly wasn't the case after pick 5 occurred.

Hell, Vegas odds the days of had Smith being the first pick until the few hours before the Draft then Banchero's odds skyrocketed.

You can look at it as hindsight now and say "Oh he was the better offensive player". But it shocked the hell out of everyone in the league. Let's not act like Paolo wasn't the 3rd guy since late December/Early January of 2022. It was a fantastic move nobody saw coming at the time and probably one of the more shocking draft pick sequences I've ever seen. Weltman/Hammond get their flowers for seeing which most experts and fans did not see in Paolo.

I'll eat crow on Cole Anthony. He's become more than he was in college and his rookie season. I absolutely hated the pick but it worked out. He's carved out a nice role and hes a completely different player, most of the time, than he was in his rookie season.

I admit too I didn't know where he would fit until last year when he started being the 6th man. Once the team fortified its defense and hid his weaknesses it made it easier to see how he would fit going forward with the squad. That has worked out wonderfully for the team.

They weren't getting rid of Isaac. He was injured, on a huge contract, and had limited value elsewhere during what seemed like 3 years of rehab.

They sat on their hands far too long with their decisions to give them full credit here.

I disagree with this completely... They could've cut/traded him 2 years ago to a team they didn't care about winning and they would've cut him. We've seen that with Kevin Porter Jr. (Albeit different circumstances). They could've cut him during this offseason/beginning of the year before the last year of his contract was guaranteed but they didn't do it.

On top of that he's currently making decent role-player money and 17 million a year, so its not like its an albatross to move. Again, he could still be cut now and not have his contract fully guaranteed. To me, it just shows they really believed on his abilities whilst also trying to retain as many assets as possible. And once again they look like geniuses for holding onto him as he helps the team win and is a huge part as to why the defense is a top 5 defense in the league.

They sat on their hands far too long with their decisions to give them full credit here.

How is that even possible? They turned over the core/roster almost completely within 2 1/2 seasons with a completely different core and completely different roster. Outside of Issac/Fultz/Cole/Okeke (3 of these guys actually being rotation players) everyone else was added during that time lime.

What I'm assuming when you're saying "sitting on their hands" you're focusing on 2 players that they kept on the roster whilst injured (Fultz, and Issac) you don't really necessarily care for. Which to me to this days makes no sense because they were purposely trying to lose whilst not just getting rid of solid assets down the line. Now everything has worked out and they've got their Centerpieces during the process of tanking, and these guys have shown to be solid/good surrounding supporting pieces. Like confused about this position at this point.

I'd say they are dead even in terms of their decision making good or bad.

The first three you mentioned are just selections based on need/fit. They didn't move for these picks. Orlando lacked offense entirely after punting on the Vuc era. Franz made more sense over Kuminga in this aspect and he's from Michigan (more on that later).

They also have some kind of weird bias about drafting Michigan players obviously coming down from ownership's ties to the University. Not a fan of that kind of decision making. Fultz will be their next big test. How they navigate that situation will determine my feelings on them in either a positive of negative light.

They picked Michigan players, yes... But we're not going to act like Franz isn't at least a borderline allstar right now who looks like he'll be a really good tier 2 player for years to come. Also, Caleb Houstan who is a very solid player who is likely to be a pretty good role player for years to come in the 2nd round? (Jett is yet to be determined).

This logic makes no sense because what you're purposely not recognizing is that maybe Michigan develops NBA caliber players? If these guys absolutely were garbage every time they were selected that would make sense. But these guys have looked good in an NBA setting. The idea that Management has a specific quota to draft Michigan guys is hilarious.

Mosely here has done the most with this roster as humanly possible. Nobody would look at this roster on paper prior to seasons start and say "wow Weltman and co did a fantastic job, look at all this elite talent they've put together in 8 years".

Like anything else involved in Magic acquiring talent... It all comes down to nailing draft picks, which they are above average here by coming out great with two drafts, bad in two, good in one, and TBD with the last one.

We're looking specifically the last 3 seasons where they were actually able to rebuild their team into something they envisioned. And its clearly their vision because a lot of the players on the roster fit the long/gangling versatile profile that they've been known to go after for a decade plus now.

They're the ones who put this team together. I don't know what to tell you... Either you believe this roster isn't talented at all and Mosley is by far the best coach in the league coaching a bunch of bums, or this team is that talented and but you just don't want to give any credit to the guys who pretty much put it together. On top of that they were the ones who hand picked Mosley to coach the team. This reply is very conflicting and confusing to me.

[Rainwater]

I feel like the bench is not getting a lot of love on this poll

[MasterGMer]

Read on Twitter

[VFX]

Spoiler:

They DO get massive kudos for the Vuc trade. Not sure who you claim was against that deal or that they were getting "killed". It was inevitable and Chicago was dumb enough to pull the trigger. AG should have been moved 1-2 seasons prior. He was worth more than a guy off the bench and a late pick. To me they broke even with those moves combined with Fournier, and later Ross, by waiting far too long.

The context and time frame when they were getting killed I mean the aftermath when it came to who they selected with that pick (which ended up being Franz). That pick people really did not like at the time.

Gordon, he was a complimentary player compared to a Vucevic who was a 2 time all-star who led his squad to the playoffs. So it wasn't like we were getting the king's ransom on him. During that time as well during the 16/17 timeframe he was getting similar trade offers that he ended up being traded for in 2021 which wasn't too surprising. I don't think there was a deal that could've made that would've been better. Nobody is fetching that many assets for a role player who players really nicely off a star centerpiece.

Fournier/Ross I agree as well... But there's a catch 22 to you saying "the Magic should've traded these guys years ago argument". Like I mentioned before and during the rumor reports back in 16/17 when the team was at its most desolate, our player's values were so low that teams were going absolutely lowball us. Essentially trading them for scrap late round picks was not the most ideal option for a losing organization to rebuild when you trade your best players for nothing.

So they had a 2-fold plan essentially and also was part of the agreement with Alex Martins at the time. Get this team to the playoffs and try to get them competitive, which they did as they made it to the playoffs in back-to-back years. But also, for Weltman/Hammond they needed to get the players values to a certain point to where if the team eventually topped out at a certain point they would be able to move the core guys for better assets which they successfully did (IMO). Yes, they might've waited to long in certain situations. But in the NBA where you're likely to get it wrong most of the time. They were able to max-out in this situation.

If they don't wait 2-3 there's a chance that other's player's values get hurt because they're potentially not looked at as winning players in a stable situation if the team chemistry/lack of talent takes a hit.

Paolo has more in his bag than Jabari. Orlando needed an engine and not a role player. Chet was really the only guy you could argue could have been the pick. But again, they went with the better offensive player.

I'm not even going to pull up all the polls and threads from last year on our board. But it was a clear that most here and general NBA thought Jabari Smith Jr. was going to be the consensus first pick. From draft express, nbadraft.net, NBA.com... You name it... Nobody knew Paolo was going to be the 1st pick until literally the day of. Even to the point where people thought we were trading back to raid the Rockets of their tremendous amount of assets but that clearly wasn't the case after pick 5 occurred.

Hell, Vegas odds the days of had Smith being the first pick until the few hours before the Draft then Banchero's odds skyrocketed.

You can look at it as hindsight now and say "Oh he was the better offensive player". But it shocked the hell out of everyone in the league. Let's not act like Paolo wasn't the 3rd guy since late December/Early January of 2022. It was a fantastic move nobody saw coming at the time and probably one of the more shocking draft pick sequences I've ever seen. Weltman/Hammond get their flowers for seeing which most experts and fans did not see in Paolo.

I'll eat crow on Cole Anthony. He's become more than he was in college and his rookie season. I absolutely hated the pick but it worked out. He's carved out a nice role and hes a completely different player, most of the time, than he was in his rookie season.

I admit too I didn't know where he would fit until last year when he started being the 6th man. Once the team fortified its defense and hid his weaknesses it made it easier to see how he would fit going forward with the squad. That has worked out wonderfully for the team.

They weren't getting rid of Isaac. He was injured, on a huge contract, and had limited value elsewhere during what seemed like 3 years of rehab.

They sat on their hands far too long with their decisions to give them full credit here.

I disagree with this completely... They could've cut/traded him 2 years ago to a team they didn't care about winning and they would've cut him. We've seen that with Kevin Porter Jr. (Albeit different circumstances). They could've cut him during this offseason/beginning of the year before the last year of his contract was guaranteed but they didn't do it.

On top of that he's currently making decent role-player money and 17 million a year, so its not like its an albatross to move. Again, he could still be cut now and not have his contract fully guaranteed. To me, it just shows they really believed on his abilities whilst also trying to retain as many assets as possible. And once again they look like geniuses for holding onto him as he helps the team win and is a huge part as to why the defense is a top 5 defense in the league.

They sat on their hands far too long with their decisions to give them full credit here.

How is that even possible? They turned over the core/roster almost completely within 2 1/2 seasons with a completely different core and completely different roster. Outside of Issac/Fultz/Cole/Okeke (3 of these guys actually being rotation players) everyone else was added during that time lime.

What I'm assuming when you're saying "sitting on their hands" you're focusing on 2 players that they kept on the roster whilst injured (Fultz, and Issac) you don't really necessarily care for. Which to me to this days makes no sense because they were purposely trying to lose whilst not just getting rid of solid assets down the line. Now everything has worked out and they've got their Centerpieces during the process of tanking, and these guys have shown to be solid/good surrounding supporting pieces. Like confused about this position at this point.

I'd say they are dead even in terms of their decision making good or bad.

The first three you mentioned are just selections based on need/fit. They didn't move for these picks. Orlando lacked offense entirely after punting on the Vuc era. Franz made more sense over Kuminga in this aspect and he's from Michigan (more on that later).

They also have some kind of weird bias about drafting Michigan players obviously coming down from ownership's ties to the University. Not a fan of that kind of decision making. Fultz will be their next big test. How they navigate that situation will determine my feelings on them in either a positive of negative light.

They picked Michigan players, yes... But we're not going to act like Franz isn't at least a borderline allstar right now who looks like he'll be a really good tier 2 player for years to come. Also, Caleb Houstan who is a very solid player who is likely to be a pretty good role player for years to come in the 2nd round? (Jett is yet to be determined).

This logic makes no sense because what you're purposely not recognizing is that maybe Michigan develops NBA caliber players? If these guys absolutely were garbage every time they were selected that would make sense. But these guys have looked good in an NBA setting. The idea that Management has a specific quota to draft Michigan guys is hilarious.

Mosely here has done the most with this roster as humanly possible. Nobody would look at this roster on paper prior to seasons start and say "wow Weltman and co did a fantastic job, look at all this elite talent they've put together in 8 years".

Like anything else involved in Magic acquiring talent... It all comes down to nailing draft picks, which they are above average here by coming out great with two drafts, bad in two, good in one, and TBD with the last one.

We're looking specifically the last 3 seasons where they were actually able to rebuild their team into something they envisioned. And its clearly their vision because a lot of the players on the roster fit the long/gangling versatile profile that they've been known to go after for a decade plus now.

They're the ones who put this team together. I don't know what to tell you... Either you believe this roster isn't talented at all and Mosley is by far the best coach in the league coaching a bunch of bums, or this team is that talented and but you just don't want to give any credit to the guys who pretty much put it together. On top of that they were the ones who hand picked Mosley to coach the team. This reply is very conflicting and confusing to me.

I think we agree on more than disagree.

What I’m talking about with sitting on their hands are the years leading up to trading Vucevic. They resigned a bunch of guys and waited around. That includes the 2018 draft. 2017-2021 were basically waiting around with Hennigans roster, making low yield selections, and rolling out gleague lineups until AG and co bitched about everything and it became obvious they needed to actually do something.

There isn’t really a spin you can put on those years. Nothing really made sense until they drafted Cole Anthony and traded Vuc. In the end it worked out for them, but it took 4 extra years of appeasing ownership (im guessing) or whatever you think was going on.

The Michigan player thing… I’m fine with it working out if the players actually pan out. We will see with Houstan and Jett in a few years. I just have doubts in methodology of drafting guys because ownership likes a school. The odds you are landing every pick because you like a school instead of picking a guy based on any other litany of variables is just kind of dumb decision making..but hey.. if it works it works I guess.

I kinda felt the same with the Chuma pick. Take a chance on an injury exception because it better fits the timeframe and we took a shot on a guy that fell in the draft? Didn’t work. Overthought the pick entirely trying to get cute with it. Oh well. Bamba? Don’t get me started on how stupid that pick was.

Yeah, I’m not really talking about the last 3 seasons. Everything post Vuc trade has made some sense. Like I said, their next task will be Fultz and to a lesser extent Carter. They have to actually think about paying people now and they are on the clock.

At no point ever did I think Chet and Jabari were better offensively than Paolo. I was a firm believer Holmgren was an injury waiting to happen and Jabari was one dimensional Shard-lite. Paolo made sense but I didn’t put anything past their process.

This team IS talented. They appropriately tanked 2 seasons after ditching Clifford and pissing away 4 seasons of evaluation. It landed them this group which has been the best basketball Orlando has had in a LONG time. They get credit for the last 2 seasons and this one plus Cole Anthony and being patient with Isaac (we will see if he returns to real minutes). That’s the list.

Again, I’m not saying they are terrible at their jobs. People just need to pump the brakes and remember they wasted everyone’s lives for 4 seasons before saying they have vision and are spectacular at making decisions.