Bebop Meat Mop

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?

Lowry mainly, he's a dirty player and thoroughly unlikeable. Don't have an issue with the rest of the team though, and Siakam is a nice story.

Maybe a better way to phrase the question would be, should they draft someone with a high floor or a high ceiling? At 16 there should be a number of players with about the same overall value.

Is Mozgov's knee so bad that he'll never play again? I know he had arthroscopic in January, but theoretically he'd be able to play next season.

Saw one game with Bol Bol early in the year, he was just getting manhandled left and right. Felt bad for him.

I can't see his defense holding up in the pros, at all. He's just not strong or quick enough. Maybe he finds a way to remake his body. Otherwise, he's 3 and D without the D.

Coming from a VT alum who's seen him play quite a bit, I've just never really been that impressed. Nice player for sure, has skill and some feel, but the athleticism just isn't there and doesn't seem to have the frame to add much strength. He puts up numbers and likes to facilitate for teammates, but can be too passive and often feels like the third or even fourth most important player on the team. I don't see how he projects as anything more than a shooter off the bench, but maybe that's all you can hope for in the middle of the first. The Stepien has a nice (if a bit old) rundown on him here: https://www.thestepien.com/2019/01/06/draft-notes-attempting-understand-nickeil-alexander-walker/ He makes an Aaron Afflalo comp, which I can see.

https://www.libertyballers.com/2017/3/2/14787424/sixers-medical-team-joel-embiid-jahlil-okafor-letting-the-franchise-down-bryan-colangelo-sam-hinkie This is an article from 2017 documenting the numerous missteps and screwups that the Sixers medical staff have been involved in over the years. It appears that their staff today is mostly unchanged from that time. Nothing conclusive, but there's enough smoke to seriously question what's going on up there. Professional sports teams and their high-priced medical staffs screw up diagnoses and treatments all the time, some more than others. And if you blow a diagnosis, it's kinda hard to send the patient to the proper specialist don't you think? Outright dismissing medical malpractice as even a possibility here is wrong. That is a pretty gross mischaracterization of TOS. It's certainly more well established than chronic fatigue syndrome for example. And yes, it's entirely possible that Fultz shopped around. It's also entirely possible that he was misdiagnosed by a medical staff with questionable history. We'll probably never know the steps he's taken to address the issue, but I suppose we'll find out when he starts taking shots for the Magic.

There's some evidence over the last few years that the Philly medical staff isn't particularly good at their jobs. "It's all in your head" is exactly the sort of thing that incompetent and/or lazy doctors will say, I've seen it too many times. If Lowe's source is indeed associated with the Philly medical staff, then all of that would follow. Ultimately who knows though; if it is all mental then hopefully being in a more relaxed environment will help him get right.

There have also been some spurious and possibly malicious rumors that Markelle's overbearing mother has been a contributing factor to his struggles with the Sixers. It was portrayed as almost a mini Lavar Ball situation. Hopefully that's not the case: if it is, maybe a more low-key environment can minimize that. *edit: funny you should post that, eyes.

Thoracic outlet syndrome, like others have said, is an "injury" more common to baseball pitchers than basketball players. I wonder if a lack of experience in that area lead to the Sixers medical staff not being able to identify his issue sooner. Hopefully Fultz has got the best people now helping him, but it might behoove the Magic to talk to the Rays medical staff about it. Alex Cobb, a former Rays pitcher, was diagnosed with this early, and after having a vestigial rib bone removed was able to come back ok from it. I hear a lot of people saying he has a bad shoulder as if it's a rotator cuff or a labrum; this is not a structural injury in the traditional sense. Nerves are a strange thing to deal with, and it seems Weltman has some understanding of the uncertainty present, and patience needed.

There is always some return for treating employees honorably, it just tends to be deferred and somewhat nebulous. Building a reputation as an organization that will consider players as something more that just commodities has real value on its own, with both players and their agents, especially when compared to the current debacle ongoing in LA/NO. Whether or not Vuch/Ross resign here, it seem that WeltHam are not interested in wringing blood from a stone. Useful draft picks would probably have been the desired return for those two expiring guys; if those weren't forthcoming, then just getting rid of them for junk doesn't make much sense.