I'm 100% down for the tank. Are you?

[pepe1991]

Tank on 3 players deep draft? Really? And with no shot of getting any of that 3 kids

[eyriq]

Las Vegas had us pegged for 28.5. .500 ball was my homer scenario. We are on pace for 36 wins. This is progress.

Our roster is riddled with key players still on their rookie scale contracts. We are still in the formative years of our rebuild and probably one more season away from threatening 50+ wins. BUT WE ARE ON TRACK.

Right now the players in their prime years are Vucevic/Jennings/Smith/Ilyasova, with Watson our only Veteran. Of those only Vucevic can be argued as a core player.

Our top 3 in win shares is Vucevic/Fournier/Gordon. While he is 3rd in WS he is only 6th in minutes played. Gordon would easily lead the team in win shares if he received more minutes.

The players that have led our team in win shares is an interesting list and I think you can peg the good years from the bad based on it. I think we can anticipate the Gordon era dawning on us very shortly.

N. Vucevic 
A. Afflalo 
R. Anderson 
D. Howard 
T. McGrady 
D. Armstrong 
B. Outlaw 
A. Hardaway 
S. O'Neal 
T. Catledge 
S. Skiles 
O. Smith 

[ORL_on_FIRE]

When we first started our rebuild this was the year I predicted us to finally sneak into the playoffs. I'm okay with patiently waiting one more season. Forget tanking though! No thanks.

[thelead]

Tank on 3 players deep draft? Really? And with no shot of getting any of that 3 kids

You do realize that it's a lottery right?

[axl_c_cool]

Tank no, play the core yes


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[Gomagic44]

IMHO it's pointless to tank. I don't want to keep riding this youth merry go round. It's time to trade about half our roster as said above.


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For what? More players like Ersan Ilyasova and Brandon Jennings?

With no shot at the playoffs, you might as well set yourself up by maximizing the value of the 1st round pick. 1st round picks shouldn't be wasted. Getting quality young players on rookie deals are some of the best bargains/gems in the NBA and it gives you the opportunity to hold on to these players for 7-8 years.

The inexperience on this team IS a problem. And that can be solved in free agency and by trades. But that's no reason to punt on the draft, which is still the best way to attain a franchise player. We haven't had that luck so far, but that doesn't mean the Magic should ditch that component of the rebuild altogether.

For a change, I have lost hope in this rebuild. I am ok with keeping the pick if we cant trade it for something worthwhile, but we need to blow up this starting lineup. This starting 5 will NEVER win a title. I would keep at most 3, but more likely 2 of the 5 starters we currently have. I am not sure vuc is an answer to our problems. If Gordon seems to turn out as well as he is looking, and can't work next to vuc, I trade vuc.

[rcklsscognition]

Right now we are a team of players who are waiting for someone else to get it done. A team of players that watches the other team beat us. We need a guard that can score and dominate. We need a leader. Couldn't care less what happens the rest of the season, I'm praying we hit Portland Trailblazer lottery gold and can restart this rebuild with some better luck. Take a step back in order to leap forward imo.

[Hadvar]

For a change, I have lost hope in this rebuild. I am ok with keeping the pick if we cant trade it for something worthwhile, but we need to blow up this starting lineup. This starting 5 will NEVER win a title. I would keep at most 3, but more likely 2 of the 5 starters we currently have. I am not sure vuc is an answer to our problems. If Gordon seems to turn out as well as he is looking, and can't work next to vuc, I trade vuc.

finally a realistic post,good job

[Gomagic44]

For a change, I have lost hope in this rebuild. I am ok with keeping the pick if we cant trade it for something worthwhile, but we need to blow up this starting lineup. This starting 5 will NEVER win a title. I would keep at most 3, but more likely 2 of the 5 starters we currently have. I am not sure vuc is an answer to our problems. If Gordon seems to turn out as well as he is looking, and can't work next to vuc, I trade vuc.

finally a realistic post,good job

*bows*


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[drsd]

Las Vegas had us pegged for 28.5. .500 ball was my homer scenario. We are on pace for 36 wins. This is progress.

Indeed !

Seriously, there is more than 20 games left and Orlando has already match last year's record. If Orlando gets to the 36 game level, this is a massive 11 game improvement over last season. That is very, very good.


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[Ducklett]

Las Vegas had us pegged for 28.5. .500 ball was my homer scenario. We are on pace for 36 wins. This is progress.

Indeed !

Seriously, there is more than 20 games left and Orlando has already match last year's record. If Orlando gets to the 36 game level, this is a massive 11 game improvement over last season. That is very, very good.


..

You aren't wrong that it is improvement, but the roster needs significant upgrades to ever become a contender. There are two ways to make your team better: free agency and the draft. No reason to not make our pick as good as possible so that we get the best value out of it.

[LBPTarHeel27]

For a change, I have lost hope in this rebuild. I am ok with keeping the pick if we cant trade it for something worthwhile, but we need to blow up this starting lineup. This starting 5 will NEVER win a title. I would keep at most 3, but more likely 2 of the 5 starters we currently have. I am not sure vuc is an answer to our problems. If Gordon seems to turn out as well as he is looking, and can't work next to vuc, I trade vuc.

finally a realistic post,good job

Realistic...but is it smart? What good is "blowing up" the starting lineup going to do us? I don't think anyone, even the biggest of Henny supporters, expect the current starting lineup to ever get us anywhere. As one of those big Henny supporters, I look at the rebuild and think that we are a different bounce of the ping pong ball away from being in much more prosperous position. While that means essentially nothing, it does help when you consider that Henny hasn't whiffed. We have managed to acquire some valuable pieces over the last couple years...we just don't have the key piece(s) that allow our guys to truly fall in to their roles. Of course we are not going to compete for a title with this 5...none of them are capable of carrying a team through the playoffs. That isn't the fault of the rebuild or the rebuilder and it also doesn't mean that we have a poor foundation.

We are still in the developmental phase of the rebuild. When you start from the ground up and don't take shortcuts...it takes more than a year or two. This summer, next season, and the following summer are the key points of the rebuild we really need to be looking at. This summer, we will see if Henny has the ability to bring in a FA that makes a difference. I don't think we land an elite player who becomes "the guy" for us, but it is a big opportunity to take a step towards winning. Next year, we clearly HAVE to make progress as a team. Another year of development + a summer of spending to improve has to = playoffs. Once that happens, we hit another summer of free agency...but this time we enter as a team that should be on the rise. This is when Henny will need to work his Magic and find a way to get us "our guy". Whether it is through trade or free agency, we need to make a big splash.

2017-2018 is the season I look at for us to truly be a competitor in the East. Aaron Gordon & Elfrid Payton will be entering year 4, Hezonja in year 3. We will know what we have in those three. Can Elf develop a workable jump shot or at least shoot 70%+ from the FT line? Can AG become a consistent and efficient threat to score on offense? Can Hezonja develop on the defensive end and hit 40%+ from 3? We will know all of those answers. I am pretty confident at least two out of the three will be yes. I believe those three + a couple glue guys that could be acquired this summer or via trade + a stud acquired between now and the 2017-2018 season get us to the point where we are a true contender in the East. If we are able to include Vuc, Oladipo, or Fournier as part of that core...then that's just icing on the cake.

[drsd]

... the roster needs significant upgrades to ever become a contender. ....

I totally agree!

The coming off-season looks to create a solid starting five and a good bench. Thats a 45-52 win team. Contender: yes. But what else is there in that ?


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[MAGICian619]

Get rid of Skiles, yes. Tank, no.

[Anti Chalmers]

i remember we were 3rd seed for a few hour

[basketballRob]

Mario starting tonight, let the tanking begin.