Official Speculation Thread (Pt. XLVIII"Preseason"Ed.)

[AddiFB]

I don't want us to win over 30 games this year or the next. Now is the time to lose enough of games so we can be good again soon. They can be a fun team though, just don't aim for mediocrity.

[RYgoBOOM]

I don't want us to win over 30 games this year or the next. Now is the time to lose enough of games so we can be good again soon. They can be a fun team though, just don't aim for mediocrity.

exactly....

Which is why I am glad we kept Jones.


This team needs to hang in games and then lose by 10 every night. Make it fun for the fans to come out and enjoy and then we can just lose games in the 4th

[BadMofoPimp]

I haven't heard of many except diehard fans enjoying watching teams lose.

I hate watching my teams lose. I hope the Magic prove everyone wrong and win over 40.

[trebone]

I haven't heard of many except diehard fans enjoying watching teams lose.

I hate watching my teams lose. I hope the Magic prove everyone wrong and win over 40.

This, especially with the upcoming draft expecting to be very weak, if we were to tank I would say next season to try and grab Wiggins.

I hate watching my teams lose

[Leopold Stoich]

I don't want us to win over 30 games this year or the next. Now is the time to lose enough of games so we can be good again soon. They can be a fun team though, just don't aim for mediocrity.

Definitely true, I just don't think the team as a whole can win 30 games. Of course, there will be games we out ball the other team completely but I think our atrocious defense will be our downfall and the catalyst to a lengthy losing streak. There's no doubt in my mind though that this team is going to be extremely fun to watch and I'm so excited for this season to start.

[gp123]

I may joke about tanking, but I think the team needs to try to win every game it can. All it takes is a couple injuries to other teams and a favorable matchup in the playoffs, and who knows how far a team can go.

Chicago doesn't look the same. 2 of Boston's stars get senior discounts. The knicks are better with players out then playing together. Deron and Lopez will probably hurt their feet some more (and the nets are still, well, the nets). Is Indiana going to make a leap? Will Bynum's knees last 2 weeks? The Hawks? lol.

and finally, could a lebronless heat win the conference finals?

I know the odds area against us, but remember crap happens every season. Still gotta play the games.

[KingRobb02]

The team can try all it wants, but how many teams can you name that are worse than the Magic 1-8 right now? We are basically going into every game with a bad roster, only 2 guys who were here in 2010, and a rookie coach. At best we have a 40% chance to win on any given night. The only team that I think we match up with talent-wise is the Bobcats, and they have the benefit of having continuity on their roster. Every other team in the NBA has guy(s) that they can point to and say that "X can be an all-star in 3 years" except Orlando. Detroit has Monroe, Charlotte has MKG, Sacremento has Boogie Cousins, Phoenix has Gortat. Can you point to anyone on this team and say that they will be stars in 3 years? 25 will be a good year for this team. 30 wins would be a miracle.

[Def Swami]

so this morning driving into work, Dante was on the radio show with Mike Bianci (sp). Dante said he sees the Magic winning around 35 games, hopefully closer to 40.
You've seen other predictions of our record under 20 (see other threads, namely Hollinger)

1. Are the prognosticators THAT wrong?
2. as an employee of the Magic, is Dante (and others) setting an unfair expectation to the fan base?? (goes with the Magic saying "we aren't rebuilding")

I've felt if we win 28, that would be over achieving.

Homer goggles. Thinks we're better than we really are.

[BadMofoPimp]

With guys like BBD, Meer, JJ and Hedo who all know each others games very well, I think this team will be competitive for most parts of games. It just may take some time to really gel. Hence, I expect them to struggle the first month or two of the season and finish strong pending injuries. But, if BBD gets injured, then this team very well could be the worst in the league with no big man that can score or hustle like he does. I think Moore or Afflalo could fill in admirably if Meer or JJ goes down.

[Leopold_Stoich]

I think they're going to have a lot of games where they hold their own throughout the game but when it's time to close it out I think that's where they'll struggle. I don't really see a good crew to finish a game strong.

[gp123]

The team can try all it wants, but how many teams can you name that are worse than the Magic 1-8 right now? We are basically going into every game with a bad roster, only 2 guys who were here in 2010, and a rookie coach. At best we have a 40% chance to win on any given night. The only team that I think we match up with talent-wise is the Bobcats, and they have the benefit of having continuity on their roster. Every other team in the NBA has guy(s) that they can point to and say that "X can be an all-star in 3 years" except Orlando. Detroit has Monroe, Charlotte has MKG, Sacremento has Boogie Cousins, Phoenix has Gortat. Can you point to anyone on this team and say that they will be stars in 3 years? 25 will be a good year for this team. 30 wins would be a miracle.

I guess the question mark is on harkless for us -- but your saying they may be stars in 3 years... that doesn't help those teams now.

I don't believe our group is anywhere close to as bad as people are saying. I am not saying we are title contenders, and no one would ever claim so on paper. However, we are better at all of our positions then the team that took Indiana to its limits (an indiana team that gave the heat some trouble in the second round) last season and in a weak conference who's top tier teams are all top heavy, a few key injuries can drastically alter the landscape.

[BadMofoPimp]

I guess the question mark is on harkless for us -- but your saying they may be stars in 3 years... that doesn't help those teams now.

I don't believe our group is anywhere close to as bad as people are saying. I am not saying we are title contenders, and no one would ever claim so on paper. However, we are better at all of our positions then the team that took Indiana to its limits (an indiana team that gave the heat some trouble in the second round) last season and in a weak conference who's top tier teams are all top heavy, a few key injuries can drastically alter the landscape.

I won't bank on any of the youth being stars, but hopefully contributors, starters or at least role players in 3 years.

But, this team is better than last years squad.

Afflalo >>> JRich
Moore >>> Duhon
Harkless >>> QRich
Ayon/Vujecic/McRob >>> Orton/Clark
Nicholson >>> Harper
Hedo = Hedo
Harrington <<< Ryno

Really only lost Ryno in that talent department. His offensive boards will be lost but hopefully Vujecic or Ayon makes up for that there. Ryno looked very good in the last preseason game for the Hornets. I think he was undervalued just because he was traded. But, I hope Ryno does very well for the Hornets and has a long and successful career in the NBA.

[RickB-Orlando]

With guys like BBD, Meer, JJ and Hedo who all know each others games very well, I think this team will be competitive for most parts of games. It just may take some time to really gel. Hence, I expect them to struggle the first month or two of the season and finish strong pending injuries. But, if BBD gets injured, then this team very well could be the worst in the league with no big man that can score or hustle like he does. I think Moore or Afflalo could fill in admirably if Meer or JJ goes down.

I think the key to this team being competitive will be Vucevic and how he develops. I think he has the potential to be a very good center in the league, possibly evolving into a top five center.

[KingRobb02]

The team can try all it wants, but how many teams can you name that are worse than the Magic 1-8 right now? We are basically going into every game with a bad roster, only 2 guys who were here in 2010, and a rookie coach. At best we have a 40% chance to win on any given night. The only team that I think we match up with talent-wise is the Bobcats, and they have the benefit of having continuity on their roster. Every other team in the NBA has guy(s) that they can point to and say that "X can be an all-star in 3 years" except Orlando. Detroit has Monroe, Charlotte has MKG, Sacremento has Boogie Cousins, Phoenix has Gortat. Can you point to anyone on this team and say that they will be stars in 3 years? 25 will be a good year for this team. 30 wins would be a miracle.

I guess the question mark is on harkless for us -- but your saying they may be stars in 3 years... that doesn't help those teams now.

I don't believe our group is anywhere close to as bad as people are saying. I am not saying we are title contenders, and no one would ever claim so on paper. However, we are better at all of our positions then the team that took Indiana to its limits (an indiana team that gave the heat some trouble in the second round) last season and in a weak conference who's top tier teams are all top heavy, a few key injuries can drastically alter the landscape.

I used all-star in 3 years as a way to say knocking on the door of stardom. I think a guy like Cousins is really good, but he has no shot at the All-Star game unless Dwight and Gasol are hurt, because Duncan gets a spot on rep.

We like to compare this team to the Pacers last year, but we only won 1 game in that series and 3 out of the other 4 games were losses by 15 or more. I would point to game 1 as the fluke since we held the Pacers to an offensive efficiency under 90. The rest of the the series they were well over 100 and over 111 in the 3 blowouts. That team was plagued by the same thing this team will be plagued by, an inability to get stops. We will be lucky to not be bottom 5 in defense.

[gp123]

The team can try all it wants, but how many teams can you name that are worse than the Magic 1-8 right now? We are basically going into every game with a bad roster, only 2 guys who were here in 2010, and a rookie coach. At best we have a 40% chance to win on any given night. The only team that I think we match up with talent-wise is the Bobcats, and they have the benefit of having continuity on their roster. Every other team in the NBA has guy(s) that they can point to and say that "X can be an all-star in 3 years" except Orlando. Detroit has Monroe, Charlotte has MKG, Sacremento has Boogie Cousins, Phoenix has Gortat. Can you point to anyone on this team and say that they will be stars in 3 years? 25 will be a good year for this team. 30 wins would be a miracle.

I guess the question mark is on harkless for us -- but your saying they may be stars in 3 years... that doesn't help those teams now.

I don't believe our group is anywhere close to as bad as people are saying. I am not saying we are title contenders, and no one would ever claim so on paper. However, we are better at all of our positions then the team that took Indiana to its limits (an indiana team that gave the heat some trouble in the second round) last season and in a weak conference who's top tier teams are all top heavy, a few key injuries can drastically alter the landscape.

I used all-star in 3 years as a way to say knocking on the door of stardom. I think a guy like Cousins is really good, but he has no shot at the All-Star game unless Dwight and Gasol are hurt, because Duncan gets a spot on rep.

We like to compare this team to the Pacers last year, but we only won 1 game in that series and 3 out of the other 4 games were losses by 15 or more. I would point to game 1 as the fluke since we held the Pacers to an offensive efficiency under 90. The rest of the the series they were well over 100 and over 111 in the 3 blowouts. That team was plagued by the same thing this team will be plagued by, an inability to get stops. We will be lucky to not be bottom 5 in defense.

I agree with most everything there. Most likely, the team is going to try as hard as it can up until the all-star break. That's what will get the vets the padded stats in time for trades, install the "culture" yada yada.
I wont be surprised if we are in position for that final playoff spot though.

If the conference looks depleted then the team can make a decision to press on the gas to sneak in. but more then likely we will trade away pieces and play the rookies to ensure a losing record. Its the rebuild way.

my personal cup of tea though would be to play every game like its the finals.

[AddiFB]

The thing is, do you really want them to be "competitive" for the next 4-5 years, a.k.a. "mediocre" and getting nowhere fast? Too good for draft picks, too bad for any noteworthy achievement in the Playoffs? A.k.a. the Bobcats/Bucks?... OR... do you want them to be "bad" for 1-2 years, collect draft picks and even getting high lottery picks, signing a very good FA or two and by doing so, slingshooting us back into being playoffs contenders?

I understand you have pride and I hate watching my team lose as much as anyone else in here, but we have to think past that, past this season. Think 2-3 years into the future. We are NOT going to be doing any damage this year. We DO NOT want to creep into the 8th seed. We DO NOT want to stay in mediocrity hellhole.

We however DO want this team to get better. Right? That won't happen this year, so what we need to do is face the fact that we need to win a few games. We don't have to LOSE games on purpose, because we just will lose to a bunch of teams that are better than us. We have a bunch of good players, good role players. We just need to take off the pride sunglasses and ride the lose-bus for a season and two, and we're right back in the game and primed to do some damage.

I'm ready to enjoy Magic TEAM-BALL this season as the Dwight-centered team had gotten so dull and predictable. We have young guys with tons of explosive energy, but they are not going to carry us past mediocrity. If we can get 2-3 high picks over the next two seasons, 1-2 high-caliber FA... those guys we have now are going to make this team REALLY GOOD.

Just do yourselves a favor and don't hope for this team to be mediocre. You don't want to be there.

[BadMofoPimp]

Losing doesn't always constitute to winning a few years later. There are many instances where teams are built without have to become bottom dwellers for a few years. It happens all the time. It is just making wise decisions with player personel with good cap management. A team is not made just because of the draft.

Clippers spent like 20 years being bottom feeders. They had numerous top 10, top5 and even a number 1 pick. What did that get for them until they traded for Chris Paul.

[RickB-Orlando]

Losing doesn't always constitute to winning a few years later. There are many instances where teams are built without have to become bottom dwellers for a few years. It happens all the time. It is just making wise decisions with player personel with good cap management. A team is not made just because of the draft.

Clippers spent like 20 years being bottom feeders. They had numerous top 10, top5 and even a number 1 pick. What did that get for them until they traded for Chris Paul.

Totally agree with this. We don't have to be the worst to be successful in a few years, we need to be smart about how we build the team. I'm pretty happy with what I see so far, we have a good base of young players that have the opportunity to work hard and become solid starters - Nicholson, Harkless, Vucevic - and another group that can evolve into productive rotation players in O'Quinn, Moore, Jones, Smith, and possibly even McRoberts (who people seem to forget is only 25).

[AddiFB]

Losing doesn't always constitute to winning a few years later. There are many instances where teams are built without have to become bottom dwellers for a few years. It happens all the time. It is just making wise decisions with player personel with good cap management. A team is not made just because of the draft.

Clippers spent like 20 years being bottom feeders. They had numerous top 10, top5 and even a number 1 pick. What did that get for them until they traded for Chris Paul.

Clippers are a bad example. They've had numerous chances, quite a few good players, but their owner has been a jerk to them and eventually they've been traded away. They've got something good going for them now, which is good.

But, losing DOES give you a good chance to rebuild, if you have a capable FO who know what they're doing. The draft does not guarantee winning, of course, but it's a tool to help you rebuild. I just think that if we go with a mixture of high draft picks and FA signings over the next 2 years, we have a better chance of rebuilding the right way, rather than "going for the 8th spot" and hoping something good comes out of it. To me, that's just going to a battle against loaded enemies, heavily armored teams... with a spoon and a paper towel.

I may be wrong, but as of now, I don't see how we can build it up fast (like Martins said) by shooting for the middle ground. We need the high draft picks and we don't have trade assets to trade for them.

[AddiFB]

Oh and don't get me wrong, I'd be perfectly happy if we manage to build a competitor WITHOUT having to drink the cellar water for a year or two.