Poll: Is Orlando going to make this season's playoffs?

[drsd]

Oh really? You think theyre good? Or better? All Stars?

To paraphrase me:

Payton
-> A top 15 starter at PG.

This means I see Payton as an average starter.

Fournier
-> A top 10 starter at SG

.
This means I see Fournier as marginally better than average, but nowhere near being an all-star.

Gordon
-> A top 15 starter at SF.

This means I see Gordon as an average starter.

Ibaka
-> A top 5 starter at PF.

This means I see Ibaka as significantly better than average, but clearly less than an all-star.

Vučević
-> A top 10 starter at C.

This means I see Vučević as marginally better than average, but nowhere near being an all-star.

Plus the Magic have an above average bench. Maybe top-10 in the league.

What's my point? Orlando still has no stars. But has no weak-link and the team has a very deep bench. That sounds a lot like a playoff team to me. A playoff team that has no hope of getting out of round-2, and probably is expected to be swept in round-1.


..

[MiltownHawkeye]

^Just out of curiosity, which of Davis, Millsap, Aldridge, Griffin, and Draymond do you think Ibaka is superior to?

[Magic_Johnny12]

^Just out of curiosity, which of Davis, Millsap, Aldridge, Griffin, and Draymond do you think Ibaka is superior to?

None. (Even though I personally think he is on the same tier as Milsap)

Just out of curiosity, do you know how to read or was that just a sad attempt of a troll?

No where did he say Ibaka was superior to any of those specific players, he blatantly stated and I quote..

This means I see Ibaka as significantly better than average, but clearly less than an all-star.

Every player you mentioned is an all-star. Reading is fundamental my friend.

[MiltownHawkeye]

^Just out of curiosity, which of Davis, Millsap, Aldridge, Griffin, and Draymond do you think Ibaka is superior to?

None. (Even though I personally think he is on the same tier as Milsap)

Just out of curiosity, do you know how to read or was that just a sad attempt of a troll?

No where did he say Ibaka was superior to any of those specific players, he blatantly stated and I quote..

This means I see Ibaka as significantly better than average, but clearly less than an all-star.

Every player you mentioned is an all-star. Reading is fundamental my friend.

Did you miss the part where he said Ibaka was a top 5 PF, multiple times? No need to be so condescending. Or if you are, at least follow the conversation first. Sheesh.

[Magic_Johnny12]

^Just out of curiosity, which of Davis, Millsap, Aldridge, Griffin, and Draymond do you think Ibaka is superior to?

None. (Even though I personally think he is on the same tier as Milsap)

Just out of curiosity, do you know how to read or was that just a sad attempt of a troll?

No where did he say Ibaka was superior to any of those specific players, he blatantly stated and I quote..

This means I see Ibaka as significantly better than average, but clearly less than an all-star.

Every player you mentioned is an all-star. Reading is fundamental my friend.

Did you miss the part where he said Ibaka was a top 5 PF, multiple times? No need to be so condescending.

And he literally defined his statement clear as day right after, so he can avoid these silly discussions from outside trollers and internal genuine fans questioning his thought process on his analyzation.

There is all the need, you can thank other posters from other teams that love to camp out on our forums and wait for the opportunity to "nonchalantly" bash our organization and players.

[MiltownHawkeye]

None. (Even though I personally think he is on the same tier as Milsap)

Just out of curiosity, do you know how to read or was that just a sad attempt of a troll?

No where did he say Ibaka was superior to any of those specific players, he blatantly stated and I quote..



Every player you mentioned is an all-star. Reading is fundamental my friend.

Did you miss the part where he said Ibaka was a top 5 PF, multiple times? No need to be so condescending.

And he literally defined his statement clear as day right after, so he can avoid these silly discussions from outside trollers and internal genuine fans questioning his thought process on his analyzation.

There is all the need, you can thank other posters from other teams that love to camp out on our forums and wait for the opportunity to "nonchalantly" bash our organization and players.

I mean, by going from assigning number values to simply saying "above-average" it severely dilutes his analysis which was originally intended to make a much stronger statement. Where does Ibaka rank among non-All Stars at PF then? I have questions about ranking Payton as high as top 15 (or "average starter") as well. So did other fans of the team. The person asking the questions isn't the sole difference between "genuine concern" and "trolling."

[Def Swami]

I mean, dsrd did say "top 5 starter", which indicates he's in a class of 4 other players. Love dsrd's optimism but I was also curious about who those other 4 guys are. Even more so for Payton, who I think is closer to bottom 10 starting PG based on last season's go.

I actually think Ibaka could propel himself to an all-star caliber year with us; the potential for a top 5 starter is in the cards for Ibaka. He has to earn it this season though.

There are fair arguments for Gordon being top 15, Fournier top 10, and Vucevic as top 10.

[drsd]

Let me settle the discussion by calling Ibaka a Top-6 PF.
(With Milsap's injury's, Ibaka could be projected over him though).

Actually this is an interesting question. Would the Magic be better with Milsap at PF or Ibaka?






..

[AdamTheGreek]

Yes, and they might be competing for the Southeast division crown if they can mesh well out of the gate. I think Vucevic can average 20+ ppg and Elfrid just needs to stay healthy and the rest will be taken care of.

This team should be a playoff team. Period. The East as a whole has dropped a bit in comparison to last season. This is the deepest team we've had since '08-'09. Hennigan knows his job is on the line this season and he's not going to let injuries derail this season.

[erod009]

Aaron Gordon is a top 30 starting SF and top 60 if you include role players.
Guy is a power foward.

[CraZyPraiZ]

I voted yes but we need MAJOR contributions from Gordon, Peyton and Mario if we are to make it. A break out year from any of them would help.

[Orlwillbeback]

^Just out of curiosity, which of Davis, Millsap, Aldridge, Griffin, and Draymond do you think Ibaka is superior to?

None. (Even though I personally think he is on the same tier as Milsap)

Just out of curiosity, do you know how to read or was that just a sad attempt of a troll?

No where did he say Ibaka was superior to any of those specific players, he blatantly stated and I quote..

This means I see Ibaka as significantly better than average, but clearly less than an all-star.

Every player you mentioned is an all-star. Reading is fundamental my friend.

Maybe you should read what the thing said instead of reverting to being a condescending dick lol

[Orlwillbeback]

I liked Gordon alot better as a pf. He does not have the best perimeter skills to be a sf, at least not at this stage.

[simon24]

I liked Gordon alot better as a pf. He does not have the best perimeter skills to be a sf, at least not at this stage.

Same thing I'm thinking. Ibaka and Gordon in the starting lineup together is redundant.

[Skin]

I liked Gordon alot better as a pf. He does not have the best perimeter skills to be a sf, at least not at this stage.

Same thing I'm thinking. Ibaka and Gordon in the starting lineup together is redundant.

Different set of skills, but in the beginning folks used to say the same thing with Hedo and Shard in the line up. Two 6'10 tweeners on the floor at the same time who can't defend.

It's an untraditional feel, but that doesn't mean we won't have advantages to work with.

[simon24]

I liked Gordon alot better as a pf. He does not have the best perimeter skills to be a sf, at least not at this stage.

Same thing I'm thinking. Ibaka and Gordon in the starting lineup together is redundant.

Different set of skills, but in the beginning folks used to say the same thing with Hedo and Shard in the line up. Two 6'10 tweeners on the floor at the same time who can't defend.

It's an untraditional feel, but that doesn't mean we won't have advantages to work with.

I haven't seen much of Gordon but from what I seen and read his stats, his 3 point shooting is bad but from what I've seen he's pretty athletic.

[JF5]

I liked Gordon alot better as a pf. He does not have the best perimeter skills to be a sf, at least not at this stage.

Same thing I'm thinking. Ibaka and Gordon in the starting lineup together is redundant.

Different set of skills, but in the beginning folks used to say the same thing with Hedo and Shard in the line up. Two 6'10 tweeners on the floor at the same time who can't defend.

It's an untraditional feel, but that doesn't mean we won't have advantages to work with.

What the hell? Hedo and Rashard were 2 COMPLETELY different players offensively.

Hedo was one of the primary playmakers on the perimeter. Along with the fact that he was probably the best shot creator on the team and the unquestioned go-to guy. Lewis's role was primarily spotting up while using his post game from time-to-time. Those guys even though tweeners, were completely 2 different players.

Though I do agree that Gordon and Ibaka have different styles of play (Like Ibaka blocks shots, and Gordon is more amorphous defender and is a better passer). What they do on the court is pretty similar. High energy guys, with little offensive inclination, whose primary strengths are on the defensive end.

[BadMofoPimp]

I liked Gordon alot better as a pf. He does not have the best perimeter skills to be a sf, at least not at this stage.

Same thing I'm thinking. Ibaka and Gordon in the starting lineup together is redundant.

Different set of skills, but in the beginning folks used to say the same thing with Hedo and Shard in the line up. Two 6'10 tweeners on the floor at the same time who can't defend.

It's an untraditional feel, but that doesn't mean we won't have advantages to work with.

Shard was one of the better defenders in the NBA in 2009.

[Def Swami]

Same thing I'm thinking. Ibaka and Gordon in the starting lineup together is redundant.

Different set of skills, but in the beginning folks used to say the same thing with Hedo and Shard in the line up. Two 6'10 tweeners on the floor at the same time who can't defend.

It's an untraditional feel, but that doesn't mean we won't have advantages to work with.

What the hell? Hedo and Rashard were 2 COMPLETELY different players offensively.

Hedo was one of the primary playmakers on the perimeter. Along with the fact that he was probably the best shot creator on the team and the unquestioned go-to guy. Lewis's role was primarily spotting up while using his post game from time-to-time. Those guys even though tweeners, were completely 2 different players.

Though I do agree that Gordon and Ibaka have different styles of play (Like Ibaka blocks shots, and Gordon is more amorphous defender and is a better passer). What they do on the court is pretty similar. High energy guys, with little offensive inclination, whose primary strengths are on the defensive end.

I think the point of making Gordon a 3 is to make him more offensively inclined and give him more responsibility on that end. Whether you believe he's capable of fulfilling that role to make this team work is a fair debate. I have my own doubts, but I'm at least interested to see how it goes.

[drsd]

Aaron Gordon is a top 30 starting SF .....

The 30th SF in the league is by definition the league's worst starter. There are only 30 teams, after all. There are probably 5 bench SFs better than the league's worst starter, so such a player is barely top-40 at the position.

This means, for example, Robert Covington-Sixers is better than Gordon; Bojan Bogdanović-Nets is better than Gordon; T.J. Warren-Suns is better than Gordon; Jae Crowder-Celts is better than Gordon; Al-Farouq Aminu-Blazers is better than Gordon; Andre Roberson-Thunder is better than Gordon. I cannot accept that Gordon is the worst SF starter in the league. I just cannot.