MartinsIzAfraud wrote:yoyojw17 wrote:jonbob17 wrote:
41-41 would have been a good result this year. The Magic are 8 games under .500. Not sure how they are getting better next year with all the teams around them getting better and the Magic without Isaac.
If they wait until 2022-2023 to rebuild, it will be a full rebuild, front office, everybody, doubtful that Fultz and/or Isaac will be part of that timeline.
But one can just as say that if the season never got disrupted... this team would have hit that mark. And the reason i don't can't put a nail in this coffin is because core players are still growing. Fultz, isaac and bamba are still developing. we drafted a player that could make a difference for us in the future in okeke.... and at some point.... players like fournier, vuc etc will be used to find pieces to fit in what we have going. just gotta be patient... and sadly there have been setbacks along the way with injuries.... like many teams. But since our team is not fully dependent on single players... mediocrity is the ceiling when it happens... and not tank mode unless wholesales are made.... and that is not wise.
our team is super young... and next season could have been a huge difference through development alone. And i get it... people want to see a winning product asap. but i'd rather them do the best that they can with what we have.... and make strategic changes... IF they believe in the player's potential. Which i honestly do.
but we will see what happens because we don't know what's seen in practices and behind the curtain. At the end of the day,... we have no say in all of this... so as long as I can see the plan, there is no reason for me to get my panties in a bundle until it is proven otherwise. lol... how I stay sane 101.
Isaac won't be developing for a full year and honestly he's back at step 1. Bamba is 2 years away from being 2 years away at this point. Fultz is developing but until he gets his shot back and confidence he's going through the motions. Okeke will be treated like a rookie and with Cliff will see 10 minutes and be pulled the second he makes a mistake. There's not really much to be excited about for next year when they trot out the same 4 year old stale garbage.
You mention the point where players like Fournier & Vuc will be used to find pieces and completely pass over the fact that they've been on the block for years and haven't returned anything. Vuc on 10M wasn't wanted or valued and now on 30M definitely won't be wanted. Fournier is a nice 6th man ala TRoss, put him in a lineup with a dominant ball handler and tell him to run off screens or spot up shoot. Issue is he's more valuable to a mediocre team like ours vs another team so we're not going to get much. The time to trade him was also at the deadline but the FO was so worried about making the playoffs they refused to make a risky move.
The FO backed themselves into the plan and it was doubled down this past off season. They're ok with 8th seed Vuc Fournier run offense and Cliff milking every ounce out of the vets he can. The problem is there's no real way for fans to see improvement except through some magical god sent development internally and that's pretty much gone.
Well... injuries will happen. And it's sad that it derailed him AGAIN.... but it's not something you plan for.
Bamba is no longer 2 years away from 2 years away.... tis a cute saying to use every year though. haha. The strides he has made on his body are actually ahead of where i expected him to be thus far. Yep... the muscle gainz came at an overall cost of his conditioning... that i expected... but what little i saw from him when it came to being in the paint... is the stuff that will make the biggest difference in his career. the guy can now comfortably throw his weight around and out muscle point guards... let alone the bigs. Might seem like a small thing to most... but i'm sure it makes a huge deal in the confidence of a player.
YES.... eventual trade pieces. Most people saw us pick up players and wanted them to be thrown on the floor. the organization did not want to go down the route of just packing in young talent and tanking and getting that loser mentality... they wanted to cultivate a "culture" as the young players are given a chance to physically, mentally and emotionally grow. players like fournier and vuc are meant to be the ones to take the pressure until the young ones can shoulder more of it themselves. And to ME... that makes perfect sense. It's not that... "oh... they've been trying to pawn them off and couldn't".... that's "this board has been actively trying to sell off players that were not being peddled as highly as they think ... and then got disappointed cuz they didn't see what they want happen." two totally different scenarios
Who says they are "OK with the 8th seed".... growth takes time. we made the playoffs last year... and we made it again this year. not a regression. But at the same time... you have teams that are still at the top of the east the same they were last year... philly, boston, toronto, milwakee, indiana fielding similar teams (but to most "continuity ain't mean nothing").... miami doing a great job retooling... and brooklyn that has maintained their competitiveness throughout the lack of their prime stars. then you have orlando... still in the mix... and still growing, but still having to deal with setbacks as well... like everyone else. If people were expecting us to go from out of playoffs, to 8th seed, to top 4, to ECC. ... that's their fault for the expecting such things... especially when it's not like we're the only team trying to win and battling for position. hahaha
i'm just saying.... expectations and reality are two totally different things. There are soooooo many variables that come together to make the success of a team.... and the recipe is not that easy. and there is not only one recipe to get the job done.
