hootie249

I hate thinking about money in sports, i really do. Should be able to be a fan and just want the best players. However i just can't wrap my head around having Trae and all the other players on the team we have to pay. In any scenario we trade for Trae we have to almost assume either Franz or Suggs is going back the other way. At least DJ i can see fitting in with everyone staying. His contract is 25 million this upcoming year and escalates to 31 million 3 years later. I honestly can't see a Young trade without Franz going back the other way. DJ i could see happening but even that way they would be trying to get Suggs or Franz. It just makes more sense that we finally give out a free agent contract since they literally targeted this year to have money to spend. So take a big look at actual free agents. I would still much rather get a couple of lesser players then one big one. Two guys like Tyus Jones and Hartenstein at 15 million each would be much better for the teams growth. Much easier to move those pieces as well. At this point as far as a trades the only idea that kinda makes sense is the Simons trade mentioned above. Unless some team just wants to give us somebody for nothing. At this point i view first round picks as expendable so 2 or 3 picks FR picks would mean nothing to me. We don't need them right now.

But this is still just being sentimental. Why Should we allocate those funds to Markelle even if the whole team loves him when they can add a few million and possibly get someone who is already better at everything he does? It's been over 7 years, Markelle can't shoot and he hasn't turned into a passing savant nor a sublime inside presence. Yes the injuries, those darn injuries. Let's look at it this way, Isaac is injured more but when he is in the game he still has game changing skills. Does Markelle? What exactly does he do? Yes we won more games when he was healthy last year because this team had so many bad guards this decade Markelle is a slight upgrade. Time for a real upgrade. Yes, the league and money make no sense anymore. Super old guys are looking for huge contracts when just fifteen years ago they would go to contenders for 8-15 million dollars. Make no mistake, after this year we are contenders if we spend the money in the right places.

Probably best not to think bout it yet. The only thing i agree is this is the year to add a free agent or two. I don't even want a big name. Give me a Hartenstein and A good shooting guard/point guard. I have watched a few minutes of each game lately once i figured out how to get a good feed on my phone for free. Not much more i i can add about the players but wanna say i'm very impressed by the coaching adjustments each game. I wanna say i never thought this staff was the long term solution last year. They totally turned me around.

Yeah Philly is going to keep falling, we really just need to keep an eye out on the Heat,Pacers and Knicks.

Also besides Paolo and Chet how are the other rookies from Paolo's class doing? Lot of them took a step backwards this year. No Sharpe posts lately........

I agree a match up with Cleveland would be best. Maybe New York without OG,Mitchell/Hartenstien. But i will not wish for injuries. Milwaukee would be a sneaky good match-up. Nobody can stop Giannis but i bet if the team is fully healthy we could contain everyone else. Dame usually has epic play-off games but he gives up as much as he gets on the other end.

Without reading every post whoever points out 3 point shooting, the Magic were literally red hot for a month. Blowouts usually happen when a team can't hit a a shot which happens sometimes. Chill out. I also had the game on my phone till the 3rd quarter, turned it off before the 4th. Some games just happen like that, they just didn't have it last night, onto the next game.

It also mirrors the huge jump the team made in Shaq's second season.

Can we just wrap Isaac up in bubble wrap and unwrap him for the playoffs?

We should all be positive, this will be the first winning season for the Magic since the 2018-2019 season. How high we are seeded is important. However, the match-up is all that really matters. What team we play, are we healthy, are they healthy. If we stay healthy you can see with the schedule the Magic should finish a good amount of games over .500. Our seeding depends on the health of the teams above us. Anyone can see the Knicks and Sixers will continue to lose until they get players back on the court. Goal should be sixth seed but could be better.

Probably not. He is a great shooter but doesn't do much else. If we did get him he is a bench piece because where would he start? He can't defend smaller quicker guards and all our forwards are getting more minutes then him. He is a big slow guard or an undersized forward. Yes he would be good to have right now because he would fill the role that Jett or Caleb Houston should be doing if they had more exp or minutes. But at starter money and that's the problem.

A trade between our two teams would never happen. Same division. You telling me they gonna trade us Young so he can play against them 4 times a year right when Paolo is entering his prime? If a trade happens the most likely is San Antonio. Different conference and they can send all sorts of goodies back plus the Atlanta's own picks. I could see Portland as well. Portland could decide they don't want to rebuild. They can keep vets like Simons,Ayton,Grant and add Trae to the mix. Young might finally unlock Aytons potential. Grant is a solid vet and Simons is a bucket. All three of those guys are signed for more then two years so they would have a solid 3 year run to see what they could get out of them. I did a trade machine for them and it works with Brogdon,Williams and either Sharpe or Scoot but not both. That would be the sticking point i'm sure. If Atlanta got back Sharpe,Williams and Brogdon they could start winning now and still get a few firsts from Portland.

All these really big trades the last 7 years have been awful except for the Anthony Davis trade, The Mitchell trade and the Paul George trade. We can get players without giving up everything. I don't think we need a star just some pieces. You don't have to give away the whole house for those players. I cannot see a trade for Trea that wouldn't involve too much. It's possible it's just i can't see Atlanta doing it unless it's a godfather offer.

Well said. I think the Markelle as a starter ship has sailed. Cole has also regressed as a point guard and Suggs is a shooting guard. I don't think we can wait past this summer to secure the veteran point guard this team has needed for ten years. Nuff said.

Defense in the 4th quarter has kept us over .500 this year. let's see what happens.

Both teams playing like it's the playoffs. Wow. Those young guys know they are on national T.V.

Suggs is on a mission!

Pretty good start. Chet looks ridiculous. LOL. Thunder are very disciplined. Out guys look poised.

Holy ****! Time to buy a lottery ticket.

Go Magic! Hope everyone is healthy. Can't wait to watch Isaac and Goga shut down Chet! On another note i never get to watch Shai so looking forward to that as a basketball fan.

Yeah at this point it doesn't even matter if he plays well the rest of the season. He has had his time and his contract actually ending is a good breaking point. Guy was a bust, you can blame the secret injury,the real injuries,the Sixers or his mother. Good guys can be busts. Markelle is like water in a desert. When you have nothing,even some stale sulphur tasting water will tase like the best you ever had. We do play better with Markelle because this team has lacked a good point guard since DJ left. Having a guard who doesn't turn it over and can actually dribble and pass is important. But he really can't do anything else. He almost turned into a lethal mid range guy, but barely. He is supposed to be a good penetrator and play maker but his injures ruin this and team chemistry. If your in and out of the line-up and can't shoot your basically Ben Simmons. And Ben at least showed he had all-nba defense and passing at one time. To me the funniest thing is the Sixers drafted two guys at number one who can't shoot. The Magic could and should learn a lesson from all that. We have already given up the pick that was Tyrese Maxey and five years. i expect us to play well and will be thrilled if Markelle stays heathy the rest of the season. However, if our big summertime plan is re-signing him i will be pissed.

Brogdon and Tyus not being traded is kind of weird. Tyus only makes sense if they promised him a contract. Wizards have no point guards and there is a salary floor so if they promise him a starting job it's the only reason i can see why he is still there. Brogdon is a little strange but like Murray i think they assume better deals to be had in the offseason.

Uh yes that's my point. We have actual talented players now. We had garbage in the last decade before the bubble. Look if Gary and Ingles shoot like we know they can and Cole gets out of his funk we could have another 9 game win streak. Would guys like Burks or Hield have been better? Who knows but they always shoot around 40% and i just used them as examples. If we miss Fultz for a long time again would it have been wise to get a Monte Morris or a Dennis Schroder? I guess we will find out. And these guys were small deals, not big moves.

Uh we do have a chance at an upset or a close series this time. Last two times we made the playoffs we knew there was no chance. Because we had almost no talent. This team is full of talented individuals and they can get hot for one series. look at the Heat this decade. It's all mental. Heat players have went nuclear in the playoffs despite many of there best players being non shooters or no names.

I hardly ever post anymore and i am still a huge fan. Saw that win here in Denver, i know they will do better in the second half. Seems obvious with getting healthy and having all the home games. That said, i am starting to feel they were more lucky then smart with the rebuild. We do need shooters, why not get one?