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Can I try a team wrap-up for the Orlando Magic? I watched some of their games this year! (myplayer was on their roster in NBA 2k15 so I'm qualified to be the level of a sportswriter) Nobody cares about the Magic, including their management, so I wanted to show them some love. tl:dr = Orlando Magic 2016/17 = A season of questionable decisions ending in abject failure. poo poo, poo poo, lovely-poo poo. At the beginning of the year things looked brighter. Two acquisitions: Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo, meant the front-court was stacked for a shot-blocking defense. New coach Frank Vogel seemed to be serious about the defense-first approach. A quarter of the way-in, the Magic where in a nice spot win-loss wise, due to their defense, but had the worst (or close to worst) offense in the league. This inconsistency meant they were just below middle of the pack at the all-star break. Then they traded Serge to the Raptors for an actual SF in Terence Ross. It went all downhill from there - ending in a an abysmal 29-53 record (6 games worse than the previous year). They also gave a giant contract (15 million for one year) to Jeff Green, a 6'9" / 29 year old / former 5th overall pick. Jeff Green could probably be a backup center if he tried to which he doesn't seem to be able to. Commentators usually remark that he teases you with talent that never shows up when needed. When I watched Magic games I only saw a defender/rebounder type player that was out of position when played at SF which he was most of the time, he also had no outside shot. What went wrong? First problem was that all members of the returning squad had to improve: Nicola Vucevic needed to play better defense, Aaron Gordon needed to become a more rounded player to start at SF to which Vogel put him in because Ibaka was starting PF, Elfrid Payton needed to show consistent performances and Evan Fournier needed to show it was the right decision to trade off Victor Oladipo to give him the unopposed start. Probably because of this their offense had no flow. Young players always lack consistency and having them as your stars is a recipe for failure. Second problem was that they lacked offense in general - Ibaka, when he was there, was a second-tier scorer at best and needs someone else to make shots so he can get space behind the three point line. They lacked a leader as Vucevic struggled with the new system. Elf slipped into the leader role sometimes but opposing teams knew to make him a jump-shooter and he'll miss most of the time so hugged the paint ending his easy shots. When Ibaka left that meant Fournier was the only 3-point threat. One dimension is not a good dimension in the NBA. Thirdly, apart from Biyombo, the bench was a bit of a wasteland. Bismack is a good hustle player but is a little old to develop a good roll to the basket to lead on offense off the bench. Jodie Meeks and D. J Augustin can shoot but don't defend. Mario Herzonja was a non-entity. Journeyman backup PG C.J. Watson showed bright spots. Jeff Green might not be an NBA level player. Lastly, Vogel didn't seem to trust his players much. Vucevic is the closest this team has to a star or leader on the floor and Vogel had been starting Biyombo instead because defense is not Vucevic's strong point --> this actually seemed to impact Vucevic's offense negatively. Aaron Gordon is a PF - good hustle, decent defense, great finisher around the rim - and mostly he was started at SF as a 3 and D type - which was weird as his 3 point shooting isn't great. Fournier and Payton spent long stretches on the bench for Jodie Meeks and D.J. Augustin because they couldn't make shots and then Meeks got injured. Next year? How long will the franchise survive? 1. Magic just fired their GM Rob Hennigan!!!! Things are looking up already!!! 2. Lose Jeff Green or sign him to a tiny contract befitting a backup. This isn't rocket science. For gently caress's sake. Who are you idiots kidding? If you are trying to tank then there are cheaper alternatives. Give me 15 million and I could even play better than Jeff Green. I will help you lose for cheap! 3. The big question is whether their two young 'stars in the making' (Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon) got any better? The answer is 'maybe'. Elf looks closer to a star but still has no three-shot and should cut his hair. Aaron Gordon spent half the year behind Ibaka and still looks raw after he left. Both these guys are really young at 21 yrs old or something, so they have time. How much they could develop on this team as opposed to any others is something to consider. If the Magic are set on developing stars instead of trading for them, then they shouldn't have gone for Ibaka who competed with Gordon for the PF slot. 4. With Terence Ross there is a chance that all their starters will play well in their natural position at the same time next year.... but ...realistically ....other teams might be interested in Vucevic as he can make his own shots, so there's an option to trade for something good. In the Ibaka trade they gained a late first-round pick (25th overall) which couples with their own higher pick that is yet undecided in the lottery. They could use this to trade Vucevic for a another pick to have a very young team like the Lakers or Philly but this means you are not going to win a lot of games for a few more years ....or trade them all away for a veteran or two to try to win now. There is also a chance to get a second round pick from the Lakers if the Lakers achieve a top three pick in this year's draft or that pick goes to 2019. It could be a very different looking team next year. 5. Don't trade for Derrick Rose or bringing back Dwight Howard something even more stupid. It seems like you shouldn't have to state this.
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Apr 19, 2017 04:50
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 10:25 |
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