Official Speculation Thread '20-'21 VI: "I like this team"

[JBSouthpaw]

The Hypothetical Trade

Magic Receive: James Harden, Danuel House Jr.

Rockets Receive: Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon, Mo Bamba, 2021 First-Round Pick, 2023 First-Round Pick, 2025 First-Round Pick, 2027 First-Round Pick

I am so glad Magic fans do not have a voice the GM and PBO listen to!

Link

After a couple second-round playoff exits, the Magic would be unable to redevelop a roster until about 2030.
(( And I thought we were "guaranteed" a championship by 2030 ))

..

besides agreeing with you, you think Harden will come play for DeVos family? He doesn't want to play for an owner that supported trump, let alone play for one that had a family member in his cabinet.

[yoyojw17]

On Bamba, the Magic aren't being totally up front about what's going on with him. It has been 6 months since he had COVID. They actually tried to play him in the Bubble until they decided he was feeling the lasting affects of COVID. What makes them sure that it's the lasting affects of COVID and nothing else? I'm genuinely curious. There are long haulers, but 6 months is a long time.

Also, how bad is the Magic medical team? Aminu had surgery almost a YEAR ago. In what world is he not ready for training camp? The Magic paid this guy $30 million and they can't even get him on the court after rehabbing for a whole year. Makes you really dubious as to the job they're doing. Especially when you factor in everything Isaac has been through.

It makes sense why the Magic re-signed Clark if Aminu is out. Clifford needed someone to play over Okeke. Clifford isn't playing Anthony or Okeke. He's going to ride his vets to 30 wins and a play in tournament.

One thing about Clifford, he doesn't lie about his feelings on players. If he's optimistic about a player, he'll tell you. If he's pessimistic, you'll hear it in his words. The one encouraging thing from his presser is Fultz looks good. Fultz turning into a go-to option has always been the Magic's hail mary lottery ticket. Fultz getting better would be a huge win for this team in the grand scheme of things.

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Re Mo & Covid: Long haulers suffer symptoms for a while. Some longer than 6 months. It's just unfortunate for Mo and hopefully he recovers 100%. I think because COVID is still such an unknown about it's lasting effects, the teams is navigating their best to also protect his future.

Cliff is open to playing the kids if they earn their time. If he felt comfortable playing a rookie Bacon in Char, and a making Kelle the starter after about 2 weeks into the season, i have no doubt he'll play the rookies if they prove they deserve the time.

I think people forget that Isaac and Bamba were knowingly selected with the conception that they were works in progress... and were treated that way. Their bodies needed time to develop and they would need to progress before they made steps towards demanding playing time. Vuc is a pure center... and so is/will bamba... so as long as vuc is here... there is 32-34 min accounted for. Vuc would have been a place holder till bamba blossomed. Injuries and so on have not helped his development or his projected trajectory.

Isaac went from 20 to 26 to 29 min. And i'm sure if we took out the injury stuff.... he would have been at higher levels as well.

Cole and Okeke are totally different. They are selected knowing that they have the ability to help immediately in comparison... and it's not a case of physical maturity. they have that already and have skills that would help from day 1. By looking at the context ... it could be seen that there is a difference. I would believe both will be given the chance to succeed and prove themselves from the time they hit the floor for training camp.

[PrimeThyme]

I'll say it again, I think with Chuma's skillset and how he projects as an immediate impact defender that he has a far, far, far better chance of playing for Clifford from the jump than Anthony does. I would not be shocked at all to see Anthony out of the rotation for stretches this year, while It would shock me to see Chuma out of it.

I don't see him being nearly as good as Isaac, but he should be able to provide a lot of the same impact that let Isaac get on the floor early for Clifford as well.

I foresee Anthony struggling with turnovers, efficiency, and shot selection early on. That's not a good recipe to get minutes from Cliff.

[Def Swami]

*eyes emoji*

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[Nyce_1]

Markelle about to blow up.

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[Def Swami]

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[CZ Eddie]

I really wish Magic would tell us WTF is wrong with Bamba.
Maybe it's a secret to keep him as trade bait.

Josh Robbins: Steve Clifford, when asked about Mo Bamba: “There’s no real timetable for him to be able to come back and fully participate. I think that he’ll be able to do some things that are more organizational and everything. But he’s a ways away, and there’s no timetable on his return.” – via Twitter JoshuaBRobbins

[Nyce_1]

I really wish Magic would tell us WTF is wrong with Bamba.
Maybe it's a secret to keep him as trade bait.

Josh Robbins: Steve Clifford, when asked about Mo Bamba: “There’s no real timetable for him to be able to come back and fully participate. I think that he’ll be able to do some things that are more organizational and everything. But he’s a ways away, and there’s no timetable on his return.” – via Twitter JoshuaBRobbins

LOL WHAT?

They've already told you. He's still dealing with COVID after-effects. There's no conspiracy, man.

[drsd]

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If Fultz developer a 33% three ball on three-attempts per game, the Magic has there PG for the next 8 yers. If Fultz develops a 40% three ball on four attempts a game, the Magic found its Allstar to build around.


,..

[PrimeThyme]

We desperately need Fultz to develop into something. I've got to see him put together something over 20 games or so first though. His shot faded too often after he would seemingly start to experience shoulder discomfort or just get in his own head.

I won't overreact to anything I see over the first 10 games or so. Unless he comes out and is still taking the push shot 3 pointer and is reluctant to shoot.

[KillMonger]

I'll say it again, I think with Chuma's skillset and how he projects as an immediate impact defender that he has a far, far, far better chance of playing for Clifford from the jump than Anthony does. I would not be shocked at all to see Anthony out of the rotation for stretches this year, while It would shock me to see Chuma out of it.

I don't see him being nearly as good as Isaac, but he should be able to provide a lot of the same impact that let Isaac get on the floor early for Clifford as well.

I foresee Anthony struggling with turnovers, efficiency, and shot selection early on. That's not a good recipe to get minutes from Cliff.

i would accept this "earn minutes" dialogue if we we're a good team or even a playoff team maybe....damn near every team in our division got better while we focus on continuity....Anthony should be getting minutes by default since there isn't anyone in front of him in the depth chart behind fultz....this year is shot from the start, we got too many key players injured

[PrimeThyme]

i would accept this "earn minutes" dialogue if we we're a good team or even a playoff team maybe....damn near every team in our division got better while we focus on continuity....Anthony should be getting minutes by default since there isn't anyone in front of him in the depth chart behind fultz....this year is shot from the start, we got too many key players injured

I don't accept it either && think that a team in our position needs to get its priorities straight && do everything they can to try and see what they have in the young talent on the team. We already know what we have with the Vuc's, Evan's, && to a lesser extent, the AG's of the world. That's not the case with the young players.

Fultz/Chuma/Okeke/Bamba need to really be tested and given significant roles this year so we can see where we are at.

[Catledge]

This is strange point to make. Comes without saying that Bogdan and Galinari would be Magic second best players on offense.
Galo is definition of advanced stat darling. He either shoots 3s or free throws.
Bogdan is versitale two guard who can run offense with bench unit of space the floor with outside shooting.

It's not impossible that Hawks thing goes terrible, but i also think there is objective chance where they can win 45 games and even jump to 5-6th seed this year.

Snell, Dunn, Rondo, well they are better than Bacon and Ennis, that's a given.

Bogdan is an inferior version of Fournier, and Gallo is a standing jump shooter at this point in his career and has always been a weak defender. I would have been extremely disappointed if we had spent resources on getting those guys.

i saw waaay too much international head to heads to know that on good team Bogdan >>Evan and it's not even funny how much more talented Bogdan is. He just spent NBA career on trash Kings.

Galo is streach PF at this stage. But elite shooter non less. Also elite scorer if you see how little shots he takes to get to his 17-19 ppg.

I think international hoops is cool, and I want it to continue to grow, but it is quite simply not a very good indicator for NBA performance. It's not entirely useless, but it's dramatically less useful for measuring NBA performance than actual NBA performance is. When we compare NBA performance, the evidence shows that Fournier is a slightly better player (I won't bore you with the stats, but they are pretty clear). The Hawks have to pay Bogdan $18m/year ($1m than Fournier is making this year) for four years. Bogdan and Fournier are the same age.

Gallo is Ryan Anderson (also loved by advanced stats) with less rebounding. The Hawks are paying him $20m/year for three years. That's $2m more than AG is making this year, and $3.5 more than he will make next year. In the last year of Gallinari's contract, he will make $550k less than Vooch and be two years older. I can't overstate how pleased I am that we do not have to pay that money to Gallinari.

Are there really Magic fans on this board who wish we had made these moves? When people imagine the Magic as being free of the AG and Vooch contracts, are these the kinds of signings they want to spend that money on? If the answer is a clear no (as I think it is), then why on earth should we be praising Atlanta for those moves?

[Optimus_Steel]

Here is my guess with Bamba. He already had stamina problems and now that had Covid its possible his lung capacity has been compromised. I would say this is not a good sign. Wish him the best but looks like WeHam blew this draft pick, but that was the case even before Covid.

[Optimus_Steel]

Have the Issac medical exception been granted yet?

[Max Power]

It sucks for Bamba this is happening to him. He’s been behind where he should be since he got here, for a variety of reasons. I genuinely think he’s a good kid, very likeable, and there’s definitely talent and potential there. Mad respect for the guy helping pay Amway Center workers salaries when Covid hit. Hopefully he fully recovers from this and can resume his career.

[yoyojw17]

It sucks for Bamba this is happening to him. He’s been behind where he should be since he got here, for a variety of reasons. I genuinely think he’s a good kid, very likeable, and there’s definitely talent and potential there. Mad respect for the guy helping pay Amway Center workers salaries when Covid hit. Hopefully he fully recovers from this and can resume his career.

I won't go as far as saying he's behind where he should be. people said he was "two years away from being 2 years away" since he was drafted. haha

the linchpin in my opinion was the development of his body. And according to the what i've heard... he was listed by the team at 250lb... which is 30+ lb of weight since being added. Huge milestone that would help a CENTER do what he needs to do. This was about to possibly be his coming out party.... but... "Stupid Covid"

Yeah... hope he recovers from this and gets back on the horse.

[Nyce_1]

Have the Issac medical exception been granted yet?

not yet.

[tiderulz]

On Bamba, the Magic aren't being totally up front about what's going on with him. It has been 6 months since he had COVID. They actually tried to play him in the Bubble until they decided he was feeling the lasting affects of COVID. What makes them sure that it's the lasting affects of COVID and nothing else? I'm genuinely curious. There are long haulers, but 6 months is a long time.

Also, how bad is the Magic medical team? Aminu had surgery almost a YEAR ago. In what world is he not ready for training camp? The Magic paid this guy $30 million and they can't even get him on the court after rehabbing for a whole year. Makes you really dubious as to the job they're doing. Especially when you factor in everything Isaac has been through.

It makes sense why the Magic re-signed Clark if Aminu is out. Clifford needed someone to play over Okeke. Clifford isn't playing Anthony or Okeke. He's going to ride his vets to 30 wins and a play in tournament.

One thing about Clifford, he doesn't lie about his feelings on players. If he's optimistic about a player, he'll tell you. If he's pessimistic, you'll hear it in his words. The one encouraging thing from his presser is Fultz looks good. Fultz turning into a go-to option has always been the Magic's hail mary lottery ticket. Fultz getting better would be a huge win for this team in the grand scheme of things.

Read on Twitter

Re Mo & Covid: Long haulers suffer symptoms for a while. Some longer than 6 months. It's just unfortunate for Mo and hopefully he recovers 100%. I think because COVID is still such an unknown about it's lasting effects, the teams is navigating their best to also protect his future.

Cliff is open to playing the kids if they earn their time. If he felt comfortable playing a rookie Bacon in Char, and a making Kelle the starter after about 2 weeks into the season, i have no doubt he'll play the rookies if they prove they deserve the time.

I think people forget that Isaac and Bamba were knowingly selected with the conception that they were works in progress... and were treated that way. Their bodies needed time to develop and they would need to progress before they made steps towards demanding playing time. Vuc is a pure center... and so is/will bamba... so as long as vuc is here... there is 32-34 min accounted for. Vuc would have been a place holder till bamba blossomed. Injuries and so on have not helped his development or his projected trajectory.

Isaac went from 20 to 26 to 29 min. And i'm sure if we took out the injury stuff.... he would have been at higher levels as well.

Cole and Okeke are totally different. They are selected knowing that they have the ability to help immediately in comparison... and it's not a case of physical maturity. they have that already and have skills that would help from day 1. By looking at the context ... it could be seen that there is a difference. I would believe both will be given the chance to succeed and prove themselves from the time they hit the floor for training camp.

bodies are one thing. attitude, energy, motivation another. I dont see those from Bamba, but you do see them from Isaac.

[tiderulz]

Markelle about to blow up.

Read on Twitter

and Dwight could hit FT's at 90% in practice.

i just hope it translates into game time. i would love to see him succeed.