Skin wrote:pepe1991 wrote:Skin wrote:Or he could feel disrespected by the way the team has treated him after 4 years and try to get out of here by signing a 1 year contract that would allow him to be a UFA the following summer.
I mean that is historically what we do here. Develop players who go on to have much better careers outside of Orlando.
Google "Nerlens Noel turns down 4 years contract" and you'll find out not a single smart person in the world , other than Noel and his stupid menager EEVEEEER did that.
He refuses to sign extension and gets buried on the bench, or gets hurt, odds for him earning more than extension after that year are zero.
Dion Waiters turned down OKC's $6.8M qualifying offer, then they got salty and rescinded it. He ended up signing with the Heat for 1 season and then resigned with them on a 4 year, $52M deal. Greg Monroe turned down the Pistons 4 year, $54M offer...signed a qualifying offer and then signed with the Bucks on a 3 year, $50M deal. Jmmy Butler gambled on himself and won BIG. Kawhi Leonard too... when the Spurs were hesitant to give him a max deal because they wanted him to take a discount. He burned them with antics they couldn't tolerate and then went on to greatness. So this happens.
Yeah, sometimes players make mistakes gambling on themselves too... but the bottom line is that the Magic need to avoid that kind of situation. Either have a plan for him to become a star or trade him. Weltman can't afford to turn that draft asset into mush. If all they get out of the 6th pick of the draft is a backup Center then their vision failed. Their scouting failed. Their development failed.
They lose confidence from patient Magic fans who see other players drafted after Bamba become good players or even worse, put further emphasis on the agony of why they didn't trade up for players like Trae Young and Luka Doncic when they had a chance. Mavs gave up a future 1st for Luka. Magic probably never even considered giving up a future 1st in order to beat the Mavs offer. ATL was willing to move down. But no, the Magic wanted to keep their pick in order to draft a player like Chuma Okeke.
Seems like every Vuc defender has a great view of the Magic and loves the direction we are headed, despite the fact that it is a dead end. I don't know what Bamba will be, but I know that if he doesn't start showing star potential soon that we are headed down another dead end. If the Magic keep killing hopes and wasting top picks, then we will never get out of this pit of despair.
Players almost never bet on themselfs for simple reason. Team can literally burry them if they want to. You sign QO and team simply DNP-s you and then what? Cry for trade? If player is that terrible, he won't even get a chance to sign QO, rather just become UFA year later ,as team decline team's option.
Butler, Monroe , Ben Gordon, had star power behind their names where it was impossible to not play them. Waiters was 4th overall pick, all nba rookie first team , lit up whole thing in Raising challenge ( 23 points in rookie year off bench) but he was also traded later because of Cavs championship aspirations.
For all the Vuc hate/ love there is still not a single, objective point that explains why Vuc "hinders" Bamba so much, if we all know Bamba isn't NBA starter today? Because guy simply is not. His conditioning, helth issues and skillset simply does not allow him to play more than 12-18 min of serious basketball today. So what's the problem?
Other than making draft mistake, that was slap in a face and so obvious from day one, what else is there to talk about? Mo isn't Luka, Mo isn't Trae, and by a look of things, Mo isn't even JJ Jr nor SGA. He is project big that needs to figure out what's his basketball purpose and find his role on serious team.
Soul made interesting, yet ironic point ,but not in way he probably thought, how Magic played CJ Watson, AA and Jeff Green over their youth. You know who "youth that needs more PT was" ? Payton, Gordon and Hezonja. Look where they are at now.
Fringe rotation player, average starter and part time starter on 21-45 team. So was decision to not play them more, give them more usage ever actually bad one? No. It just shows how fans know little ( or should i say know nothing ? ) about actual skills, potential and limitations of players that are on their favorite teams....
Bamba will be fine... if he is talented, skilled, driven and hungry enough to work on his limitations. If he is not, starting and playing more time won't save him. Just like Jah Okafor wasn't saved by playing unlimited min with unlimited usage. Just like MCW didn't turn into superstar just because he had no leash during his rookie year. Just like Ben Gordon didn't turn into Michael Jordan just because he shot 20 shots per game on rookie scale contract.
Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans. -John Lennon