Bensational wrote:I'm not concerned about trying to define the future of the team just yet. For me, this season is another 'evaluation season', but more of a fun one.
WeHam have already identified what works for us presently. We know what we're getting from Vuc, Ross and Cliff's coaching. We know that is good enough to get us in the playoff conversation.
Now we get to evaluate our emerging talent. AG looks ready for a larger role - we'll get to see how much larger he can handle. Isaac looks like he's learned how to defend wings at an even higher level, and has some new confidence in his offense. Fultz is here. Bamba looks to be understanding the game a bit better.
Despite any criticisms I've aired of management, this is the most exciting season in forever. The championship path may not be clear yet, but we're poised to be competitive, and we've got the development of plenty of youth to track, too. Buckle up people, this is going to be a good season!
Cannot agree with this more. Even the last Dwight Howard season was kind of unbearable given his antics and impending free agency that just hung over the whole season.
This team is genuinely fun with some high upside, high character players. Lord knows I've been super critical of the front office, but we will have a fun, competitive team with room for improvement.
I've said this before on here, championships are not the end all be all for me. I watch the game for reasons beyond that. I admire teams that set themselves up to be good for years and years and are always in the mix. I hope the Magic can develop what the Blazers, Raptors, Jazz, Nuggets have established. I always wanted that for the Dwight Howard-led Magic until he cratered the franchise.
People often say the middle of the pack is the worst place to be in the NBA. But after actually experiencing it for the first time in the franchise's history over the last 7 seasons, I'm pretty sure the bottom feeders is worse. The teams like the Suns, Kings, Knicks, and Wolves who haven't seen the playoffs in almost a decade (despite some good players passing through) is just an endless abyss of incompetence. Without some real luck and great management, it's really hard to pull a team out of that chaos and anarchy.
Steve Clifford is probably the best decision the front office made. Every coach talks about it, but Clifford was the only one to establish a culture of discipline and responsibility and unselfishness on the court. There's an actual professionalism and respect that the Magic finally have around the league that they never had under the previous regime. You can see it in the way guys like Woj and Lowe cover the Magic now. There are definitely front offices who garner that respect, like the Pacers, Celtics, Jazz, Heat, and Spurs for example. They hold everyone in their organization accountable and take their jobs seriously. And then there's the opposite end of the spectrum - the Kings, Suns, Wolves - the same teams that can never escape the sellers of the NBA and cycle through GM's and coaches every other season.
So I've taken issue with roster construction with the front office. But, I can't deny they put together a playoff team with multiple young players and upside and there's a newfound energy and respect around the franchise.
