2023-2024 Regular Season Game 24: Orlando Magic (16-7) at Boston Celtics (18-5) - 7:30pm

Last Guardian · Post #601 » by **Last Guardian** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:15 am

Fultz would help but we could just have Suggs handle/make plays more as an alternative. Paolo and Franz just need help, they are constantly just forcing it into traffic and its annoying especially against the better teams.

Optimus_Steel · Post #602 » by **Optimus_Steel** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:16 am

Last Guardian wrote:Fultz would help but we could just have Suggs handle/make plays more as an alternative. Paolo and Franz just need help, they are constantly just forcing it into traffic and its annoying especially against the better teams.

They need more spacing that’s for sure.

RookieStar · Post #603 » by **RookieStar** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:16 am

Lol... ahhgg typical Magic fans. I miss this. One loss and we over react.

A lots said that Moe is probably one of the best backup C in the league because of his offense and a lot wants to waive him to demote Goga to the bench.

Never change guys... never change

JF5 · Post #604 » by **JF5** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:17 am

Last Guardian wrote:Fultz would help but we could just have Suggs handle/make plays more as an alternative. Paolo and Franz just need help, they are constantly just forcing it into traffic and its annoying especially against the better teams.

Suggs isn't the best playmaker/decision maker and turns the ball over a lot. I mean he can probably get better at it. But I don't see it.

Post #605 » by **Knightro** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:17 am

JF5 wrote:You use that sample size but don't include how Franz, Paolo, Suggs, and Carter were all shooting under 40% during those 4 games.

It's not good to preface Fultz struggling to shoot during that time when we had Banchero threads saying he wasn't a star player during that time either.

How much of those players struggling in those early games should be attributed to the fact that all of them (Carter the least so since he doesn't dribble much) all had the basketball in their hands a lot less than they do now because Fultz is a heavy dribble guy?

Are you chalking it up to pure coincidence that three of Paolo, Franz and Suggs all took off when Fultz left the lineup? The sample size is probably small enough to say that, but I'm skeptical given Fultz's style of play and individual shortcomings.

VFX · Post #606 » by **VFX** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:17 am

byeganyo wrote:
MagicMatic wrote:It’s so funny that whenever Orlando loses a game the same 3-4 posters come out talking about Fultz like he would have even done anything tonight. The back court shot amazingly well and Paolo/Franz just had terrible games turning the ball over a zillion times. Goga and the bigs weren’t good defensively either.

Read the room. If anything he would have sped the game up and provided nothing outside comparable to what Black and Suggs did tonight.

I agree in principle with you, although taking the ball from Banchero and Franz hands tonight could have won us the game.
Also Ingles played 6 minutes, we looked lost defensively and he didnt play any more... but we continued to look lost, maybe he could have played a bit more at the price of better offense.

Yeah but at the same time you aren’t moving Black to limited minutes after a game like tonight and it’s the same with Suggs just because Franz and Paolo had bad turnovers for one game.

jonbob17 · Post #607 » by **jonbob17** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:18 am

That was a tough watch. Was kind of expecting a close one especially with the bigs missing on Boston.

Can’t win them all, hopefully a better performance on Sunday.

Skybox · Post #608 » by **Skybox** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:18 am

We’ve had their number. It looked to me like Tatum and Brown wanted to send a message to our kid stars…”you’re not on our level yet” . Message received.

Would be an amazing bounce back Sunday if Mose can get them breathing fire and sending a message right back. Hopefully, Suggs is at full heal and not look like the mummy. He’s the spark. Paolo and Franz need to return fire.

ibraheim718 · Post #609 » by **ibraheim718** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:18 am

Knightro wrote:
ibraheim718 wrote:I'm not a big Fultz fan either but I want your team to win.. and right now he would help take some pressure off of Franchero. In the mid-range he can score and get himself some easy buckets to stop runs. I would prefer Mosley take the handcuffs off of Black but that doesn't look like it's going to happen. The starting 5 to start the season was good too.. people forget that.. I want to see it again for a while. It's a win-win because if Fultz can string some games together he'll be easier to trade than just kicking him to the curb when there isn't a need to.

You're talking about things Fultz was individually good at *last year* though.

It's a limited sample size, but early on this year Markelle was quite bad in the midrange and saw his already very poor FT and 3PT rates somehow drop to worst guard in the league level bad.

I'm just not sure what he really solves. The defense will be worse. The spacing will be worse. And you're willingly taking the ball out of Paolo and Franz's hands by replacing a guy who doesn't dribble much with a guy who dribbles all the time?

I just don't see the point. And I say that knowing Fultz absolutely is going to return to the starting lineup the moment he's heathly.

Hey I agree. But the talent should overcome all that and still be able to win a string of games. Then you move him.

MasterGMer · Post #610 » by **MasterGMer** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:19 am

I really hope Fultz could be back Sunday. Maybe not starting. But at least get ready for this stretch we gonna have. So is Wendell. That could be huge for us.

GameOver25 · Post #611 » by **GameOver25** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:19 am

djguevara114 wrote:
SOUL wrote:
djguevara114 wrote:The Magic are fools gold this season gentlemen… I’ve tried to be quiet, but if we make playoffs, we get swept…

Your posts would be taken more serious/have less backlash if you didn't show up when we lose or get blown out or when Paolo has bad games lol

Actually, said these things well before they were “good” and if I kept pointing out flaws in Paolo’s game when they were winning I’d be criticized even more—it’s a no win when you’re a critical fan…

It’s the kryptonite of the organization to be fair—they want to build a team around character and selflessness… Tell me the last team that won a championship with that “mantra”… Either your a team with a top 10 player or two, or you have a team of pit bulls (Pistons)… The Magic don’t have either and realizing that is accepting that this is a high win regular season team that won’t produce in the playoffs…

You're not a "critical" fan, instead a "pitiful" one. Get lost.

VFX · Post #612 » by **VFX** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:22 am

JF5 wrote:
Last Guardian wrote:Fultz would help but we could just have Suggs handle/make plays more as an alternative. Paolo and Franz just need help, they are constantly just forcing it into traffic and its annoying especially against the better teams.

Suggs isn't the best playmaker/decision maker and turns the ball over a lot. I mean he can probably get better at it. But I don't see it.

Magic just won 9 games straight with Black and Suggs starting with Fultz getting 0 minutes.

There is more evidence that particular lineup works better than it does with Fultz.

Attempting to make this point after a home court loss to the best team in the East is disingenuous at best.

Post #613 » by **eyriq** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:24 am

Skybox wrote:We’ve had their number. It looked to me like Tatum and Brown wanted to send a message to our kid stars…”you’re not on our level yet” . Message received.

Would be an amazing bounce back Sunday if Mose can get them breathing fire and sending a message right back. Hopefully, Suggs is at full heal and not look like the mummy. He’s the spark. Paolo and Franz need to return fire.

Yeah, we got punked

thelead · Post #614 » by **thelead** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:25 am

22 games for him thus far and Suggs is a 46/39/82 shooter with elite defense. I’ll take it and I’d also like to see a small uptick in usage if I’m being honest. Not sure what is possible with the bumps, bruises, and energy used up on defense but would be nice to start pushing it a bit.

Post #615 » by **SOUL** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:25 am

No one is saying Moe is BAD.. it's that we have a lot of bigs that are solid and his hot start aside, there are legit questions on who deserves minutes on this team.

WCJ gets questioned all the time here and people are drawing the line at MOE?!

Optimus_Steel · Post #616 » by **Optimus_Steel** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:27 am

RookieStar wrote:Lol... ahhgg typical Magic fans. I miss this. One loss and we over react.

A lots said that Moe is probably one of the best backup C in the league because of his offense and a lot wants to waive him to demote Goga to the bench.

Never change guys... never change

We have a bipolar fanbase, prob trauma from too many losing years. Winning again is new to us and people need to realize we won’t win every game and this team is really young and lacks some pieces still, mainly 3pt shooting and consistent guard scoring threat. There is still going to be ugly nights this year like tonight and Nets games but man there’s gonna be more good nights too like when we beat Bos in the in season tournament game or beating Den on 2nd night of a back to back.

ibraheim718 · Post #617 » by **ibraheim718** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:27 am

thelead wrote:22 games for him thus far and Suggs is a 46/39/82 shooter with elite defense. I’ll take it and I’d also like to see a small uptick in usage if I’m being honest. Not sure what is possible with the bumps, bruises, and energy used up on defense but would be nice to start pushing it a bit.

We should start a campaign to communicate to him to chill the f out a little out there. He's too valuable to get hurt on a block in the 1st quarter. Picking your spots in the NBA is also a part of composure.

ibraheim718 · Post #618 » by **ibraheim718** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:30 am

SOUL wrote:No one is saying Moe is BAD.. it's that we have a lot of bigs that are solid and his hot start aside, there are legit questions on who deserves minutes on this team.

WCJ gets questioned all the time here and people are drawing the line at MOE?!

The decisions are:

WCJ OR GOGA?

GOGA/WCJ OR MOE?

BLACK OR FULTZ? (if Fultz does that mean they park AB on the bench because neither of them are taking much of Cole's minutes)

thelead · Post #619 » by **thelead** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:31 am

ibraheim718 wrote:
thelead wrote:22 games for him thus far and Suggs is a 46/39/82 shooter with elite defense. I’ll take it and I’d also like to see a small uptick in usage if I’m being honest. Not sure what is possible with the bumps, bruises, and energy used up on defense but would be nice to start pushing it a bit.

We should start a campaign to communicate to him to chill the f out a little out there. He's too valuable to get hurt on a block in the 1st quarter. Picking your spots in the NBA is also a part of composure.

Agreed. He needs to stop with the flying without control blocks. It’s incredibly reckless.

He has stopped trying to dunk everything so this should naturally be the next step for him.

Besides the shooting, I’m most impressed with his body control on layups with the crazy speed he uses to get to the rim. I believed in the shot but wasn’t sure if he would figure out how to control his speed on finishes. Just need him to apply the same level of thinking to the defensive side.

djguevara114 · Post #620 » by **djguevara114** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 3:32 am

Optimus_Steel wrote:Disappointing loss but can’t overact on this game. We played like crap and Bos was hyped up due to the numerous losses against us. Still we are a young team that has stuff to work on and the front office over the summer needs to add more 3pt shooting.

Can you overreact to the last three road games against playoff caliber teams? All three games down at least 20 points at one point? Ahhh, why is being a realistic fan so hated on?!

I love the heart they play with—most of the time, but this team is missing a true alpha…