Just a regular Magic fan

Thanks for that. It helps me understand what the heck we are trying to do. Now some of the things Fultz4thewin has been saying makes more sense to me.

I thought it was a great game. Both teams battled, Fultz and AG had good games, and we came away with the W.

Thinking about our defense, Wasn't AG's on-ball defense last year pretty darn good? I remember thinking that he was sort of on his way to being a big version of, The Glove. He really embraced it and I thought he was really coming along. He's decent this year, and probably one of our best defenders, but he seems to have plateaued a little bit. I guess he is focusing on different things this year.

How do you view AG’s trade value this year? Has it decreased, increased, or stayed the same as his previous years ?

After a very poor shooting night against the Bucks the other night, Clifford said the team worked on shooting on their off-day. Not saying this is why we had a good shooting night against the Hawks, but I am thinking like, what took you so long? I understand defense is important and all that but isn't the object of the game to outscore your opponent. Practicing shooting should be a #1 priority. If players practice on their own, and the team emphasizes it, then I believe we should have better results.

Thanks for the stats, and proving me wrong about the efficiency and what each shot is worth. To me, though, there is more to the game such as things like confidence and putting our guys in a position to succeed. I get that moving Vooch out is better for us in the long run, but projects like that take time and can also keep a team from getting into a rhythm. Last night against the Hawks is more like what I have in mind. I thought Clifford did a better job with Vooch and his game plan overall.

I think this is on Clifford and his desire to turn Vooch into a stretch 5. I get that this is about spacing, and to help create opportunities for others, but it comes at the expense of more efficient scoring and offensive rebounding, IMO.

There should be an asterisk next to our name if we manage to make the playoffs. We have nothing to be proud of so far this season.

IMO, our poor play is on everybody.

I didn't know about that podcast. I need another to listen to on the way to work. Thanks!

So...when is the next time teams can make a move, this summer?

What I find interesting is that even with Fultz not having played very much in the NBA because of his injury, the others on our team can still learn a lot from him. Not saying he doesn't have room to grow, but he does a lot of little things well. For example, he is very good at creating space for a shooter by making a short pass or by just handing the ball off and then getting in the way of the defender. He does the same thing when it comes to helping other guys get rebounds. The dude can play. The problem I see is that some of the others around him haven't been taught those kinds of nuances or don't have the same level of awareness. IMO, he's a man among boys on our team, and the others don't even know it yet. Only when they figure it out and accept their role will we start playing together like a team and not like a group of individuals who are only concerned about their own personal agenda (Fournier!).

I wish they would ask him about his plans to fix the SG position. Fournier has been shooting the ball well, so I will give him that even though it's a contract year, but I have doubts about whether he is a good fit for our team and offense now that we have Fultz.

I don't care if we make the playoffs or not this year, so I would give all the young guys, who have shown potential, major playing time. At this point in our season, we can see our vets (Vooch and Fournier) aren't cutting it, so let's see what the young guys have.

I was just going to ask what the problem was, but I think you summed it up nicely. Not blaming Clifford entirely because he has to design a system around the players he has, but a lot of it starts with him and his staff. I think our guys are tuning him out because we don't play with awareness or play as a team (moving the ball, playing together) often enough. We don't really have a team. We have a group of individuals.

Me too. Maybe getting swept out of the 1st round will help Fultz, JI, and AG grow, but we are so devoid of talent otherwise that I would rather hope for a lucky ping pong ball bounce.

Not taking anything away from EP, but our entire effort was sloppy. It looks to me like Markelle is yielding to our vets out of respect, but IMO, he needs to take control of this team and be the man. The others, like Fournier, need to accept their role.

I am gonna watch it because I am a glutton for punishment. Bring on the pain!

That's my beef. If we can't trade for someone to help take things to the next level, we have to develop them. The guys at the end of our bench couldn't make it on most teams. We are probably the only reason they are in the league.

IMO, it starts at the top. I am a Dolphin fan and I would love it if Ross bought the Magic. Now there's an owner who isn't afraid to throw some $$$$ around. We might be limited by the salary cap regarding players, but that doesn't mean he can't go after and pay for the best talent evaluators and coaches.

I am as unhappy as any other about the direction of our team. I have serious doubts about Weltman and Hammond. However, unless we trade AG, JI, or Fultz we don't really have anything else of value that would make us a winner in a trade. What are these guys gonna do? It's hard to make chicken salad out of chicken ****.

I didn't have high hopes for him. I was just pointing out that in a small way he might be able to contribute. That said, I don't get why we would just give them a 2nd rounder. If we just need a body on the court we could play those at the end of the bench or call one of our guys up from the D league. I think our FO was trying to help out the sixers. Why we would do that is beyond me.

A lot to be excited about here. Seriously, though, maybe a change a scenery will do him good. It worked for Markelle...

Not that I ever would be a fan of them these days, but the Celtics are loaded for bear. They have a lot of guys who are fun to watch. Thinking about our team, I really enjoy watching Fultz, JI, sometimes AG, sometimes DJ when they have it going. The other guys like Vooch, Fournier, Ross, Bamba, etc. really don't do anything for me unless we are really moving the ball well and playing like a team. How about you all?

I hate that other teams like the Heat and the Celtics find a way to get better, and we don't.