Bebop Meat Mop

So what do we think Fournier would be worth on the open market? Don't see why he would opt out of his final year because he seems overpaid at $17.5 mill, but maybe not?

Count me out on Derozan. Having someone who routinely shrivels up in the biggest moments as your number one option is pointlessly stupid. Everything else about him is pretty much irrelevant.

Compared to the other sports you might be right, but there's generally a lot more strength involved with basketball. Bulkier muscles obviously put more strain on joints and tendons. Nadal was one of the few tennis players who really went heavily into strength training and subsequently had a bunch of injuries early in his career; he started staying healthier once he backed off of that. I doubt Federer has lifted a weight in years.

Increased training can add it's own wear and tear, and that training is beginning at much younger ages as well. With tennis I think it may have more to do with players being able to maintain their quickness and flexibility better as they get older (because of advances in training), along with it being a lower impact sport in general. It's not that comparable athletically. Also there was a pretty flukey crop of all-time great players that just happened to show up around the same time with Federer, Nadal, Serena, and Djokovic a little later. Nobody since has had the pure talent to really measure up.

Oh sure I know it happens, circumstances change. But how many of those guys were signed with the express purpose of being flipped soon after? I suppose that's unknowable. Some people here seem to assume that the Magic's plan is to trade some of the players they just signed. I'm skeptical of that.

Not sure I understand the logic of signing someone in free-agency with the idea of trading them later. Feels like that's an idea talked about on message boards, not in NBA front offices. I think we have to proceed under the assumption that the Magic brought these players in with the idea of having them on the team for the duration of their contracts.

Blazers have gotta be getting desperate for big men at this point. I'm sure they would love to have Gordon but I can't really see any returns that make sense.

Definitely understand the plan and am on board with it, but there have been some opportunities to add more offensively-skilled players over the past couple years around the margins, NAW being the most recent example. If the choice of Okeke was driven by being hard-capped then that's fine, but this seemingly slavish devotion to stockpiling long defenders with developmental or limited offense is starting to seem a little self-defeating. When does it stop being an overreaction when a known problem from the previous year looks to be continuing? 15 games? 20? And has everyone forgotten that much of the Magic's success in the second half of last year was driven by a very soft schedule?

He loses his balance far too often and easily when dribble-driving, like he's about to tip over. It's partly inconsistent footwork, but also that he's gotten too muscular and top-heavy. I suggest he take dance lessons, skip some arm-days, and work on getting a Lowry booty.

The intensity is probably higher than a regular season NBA game. Obviously circumstances are different, but just the experience of being in these tournaments has had a hugely positive effect for many players heading into the next season. Durant is probably the most obvious one who took a leap immediately afterwards, but there has been plenty others. Maybe it's less of an experience for international players like Fournier since they tend to play in these things more often than American-born players do, but his confidence and poise can only be strengthened by this after perhaps being shaken last year.

Hassani Gravett, that name brings back memories. My girlfriend (a Gamecock) nicknamed him "Strawberry Milk" during their epic tournament run a few years ago. He was a decent player on that team, but I don't imagine he'll amount to much in the pros. G-League guy at best.

The Ringer - Young Core Rankings Has the Magic at 11, pretty interesting article.

If I can play devil's advocate for a moment, maybe the org believes that the ability to acquire a superstar (and thus become a legit title contender) is slim to none for the foreseeable future and maybe ever again. This isn't unreasonable, considering that these select few players now have the power to go wherever they want to, whenever they want to. Why would they want to come to (or stay in) Orlando? The city isn't great, and the ownership group can't provide business connections outside of basketball that are appealing. With that in mind the best path forward would be to assemble a middling playoff team that is extremely likable, with players that have history in the community and that fans can wrap their arms around. If so, then mission accomplished. You could see that as a loser's plan, or making the best of a bad situation.

What if free agency started immediately after the finals? Would leave a lot less time for collusion and tampering (though it certainly wouldn't eliminate it), and the draft would happen afterwards instead of before which makes more sense. The NBA off-season schedule as a whole seems totally arbitrary and non-sensical.

Ouch, it'll be tough for him to breath much less play basketball. But why is this coming out now? Did it just happen, or they're about to get swept and want an excuse?