Wilbur

Yep.

Didn't the Magic draft Gordon to be the defensive stopper with hope that the offense would come around? Why not pick a guy to be an offensive catalyst with the hope that his defense will come around? I'm not worried about where they play. If you put Gordon, Issac and Bagley on the court to start the game, chances are your rotation is going to dictate that 2/3 are always on the court. For the minutes all three play together, they are a complete matchup nightmare on offense and Gordon and Issac should be able to switch to give Bagley some protection on the defensive end. It is not as though Bagley has athletic limitations that impair his defense like Vuc. The guy is an athletic freak like Gordon. I'll be shocked if he is there at 6. Other than Ayton, I don't think there is another player that is more sure to be gone when the Magic pick.

Does he have to be on this team this year? When you think of all the young players that we have run through in this rebuild, to have only Gordon to show for it is really frustrating.

What can the Magic expect in return if they tried to immediately flip DeRozan to get back into the lottery? Essentially, a trade down that sheds salary instead of future draft assets?

If Bagley is there at 6, a guy that some say has the highest upside of any prospect since Anthony Davis or Ben Simmons, how do you pass that up for Porter and his spinal disc injury?

If the guy Orlando drafts at 6 this year is awful, how good are the next 3 years going to be anyway? This team is hitched to the development of Gordon (assuming he is resigned) and Issac. Those two are going to REALLY need to develop if they are going to overcome a Hezonja (no production in the first three years) type pick here.

The greatest pick for Orlando at 6 in this draft, in my opinion, is Bagley. If your future front line is Gordon 6-9, Isaac 6-10, and Bagley 6-11, all of whom can shoot the 3, pass and handle the ball you have match-up nightmares for opponents. I don't worry much about Bagley's defense because he is athletic and long. In addition, when you have the ability to switch Gordon, Isaac and Bagley he can largely be hidden. But... I doubt seriously that Bagley falls to 6. Assuming the Magic are sitting at 6 looking at one of Young, Carter, MPJ, Mikal, Sexton, Knox or SGA, I'd be real tempted to see what Philly, NY, Cleveland, Chicago, and even Charlotte and LAC were willing to give up to get the guy they want out of that group. I'm not convinced that Young is a better player long term than anyone else on that list.

If the Magic give AG the max... and I think they need to... this is AG's team. There is no second fiddle. Vuc and Evan need to be dealt for a bag of peanuts if necessary. The Magic need to hook AG on the fact that this franchise is going to sink or swim with him in the short term and that help in the form of Isaac and whoever we draft this year is on the way, but it needs to develop. In the meantime, he is the guy that is going to make this team win. He is the guy that has to make the players around him better. He is the guy that needs to control the lockerroom, etc. If AG doesn't buy in, he isn't worth the max deal... and maybe that is why we are hearing the Magic might not match.

To me Ross is in the same boat as Vucevic. They are both 27 years old, entering their walk years. They both do some things that make you believe they can be a piece of the puzzle, but neither one is worth what we will pay them next year and neither one is likely to be here beyond one year. Turn them in for future assets now. Don't wait. If this team were an 8 seed this year with a top 5 pick and the hole at PG, maybe we NEED Ross. But it isn't and the needs are plenty. Better to have a future asset than one year of Terrence Ross. I'm not entirely sure the front office knows what it is building. This off-season will be key. Can the dump the salary commitments to Fournier, Vucevic and Ross? Can they resign Gordon to something less than max without ensuring he is gone when the next contract expires? What happens with Hezonja?

I'd rather Ross be on another roster... along with Fournier and Vuc.

Channeling my inner Colonel Jessep: "Who's gonna do it (defend the PG)? You, Jonathan Issac? You, Evan Fournier?"

The Vuc and Ev show is at an end? About damn time.

I understand that we are limited in what we can offer Hezonja to resign. Isn't it sort a foregone conclusion that he is gone at this point?

Great. Vic version 2.

There appears to be a correlation between Fournier and Vuc getting more shots and our losses. In our loses, they take a combined 5 more shots than when we win. Maybe they will continue playing this way, maximize their value and we can move their salary this winter. I'm starting to buy into the Gordon, Isaac, Payton +1 high end FA future.