Soul Bro

Besides him being old as dirt, I like him in the locker room. Additionally, I'm surprised his advanced stats look good, though I think this is probably because he played with JI. Either way, if we don't use his money to sign a big name, I'm fine bringing him back. Here are those advanced stats: https://www.nba.com/stats/player/204060

I agree. I think there's 0% chance we sign Dwight and bring him into our locker room.

I’m a big Franz guy, and I don’t believe he deserves a max. I think his upside is still enormous, so I hope we come together for a decent contract.

https://www.hoopsrumors.com Worth noting that Tyrese, like Franz, has also struggled in the playoffs. It happens, especially when guys are super young and still learning. I'm super excited about the direction of our team.

Yes, thanks for the find.

Agree

Our boys need to just knock down their threes.

When a perennial all-star is bragging about your young star, you pay attention. While he may be doing this to get more money from LA, I still appreciate the love for Paulo. Come on down to O-Town, PG!!!

“Among the players who the Magic and Banchero have caught the eye of is Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George. On his podcast, "Podcast P with Paul George," George singled out the Magic's performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Banchero's impact in the series. ‘Paolo has been the ultimate star,’ George said. ‘He's been phenomenal, he's been sensational, a true superstar, and he's playing against a tough team... He's been extremely consistent, he's been a scorer [and] dominant. I love his tenacity. He's one of the strongest players that I played against...He is a man-child literally playing a man's game at such a young age… He reminds me a bit of Melo from a standpoint of the physicality,’ George said. ‘Melo was like that where you knew you play against Melo, you were going to get banged and bruised up from him constantly putting pressure at the rim and putting pressure on you to stay in front of him… I've been very impressed with his first playoff experience and that Orlando Magic team is going to be good for a very long time.’” https://www.si.com/nba/magic/news/magic-cavaliers-2024-nba-playoffs-game-5-paolo-banchero-paul-george

“The Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic are reportedly preparing to pursue All-Star wing Paul George if he explores leaving the Los Angeles Clippers. ‘There's two teams that are paying very close attention to Paul George: the Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers,’ ESPN's Ramona Shelburne said on the Hoop Collective (17:45 mark). ‘Because both of them have the money to throw at him and have a need for a wing, just like him, a veteran guy. Every time I watch the Sixers I'm like, 'Oh, they could use Paul George.’ ESPN's Brian Windhorst then chimed in, saying George's future in Los Angeles may come down to the Clippers' willingness to offer him a max contract.” https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/10119371-paul-george-rumors-76ers-magic-eye-star-clippers-dont-want-to-give-max-contract.amp.html

I think Herro will be back on the block…

One more interesting thing I just discovered about Paulo. He averaged 7 FTA/ game in the regular season, and he's averaging only 4.2 FTA/game in the playoffs. The Cavs deserve a lot of credit for their very good interior defense, which has taken away our number one offensive strength.

Just to keep it real here, a lot of Paulo's turnovers are no-look passes to the top of the arc right into defenders hands, and his handle is often too high and loose. That's all on him. Additionally, Paulo's defense has a lot of room for growth. In regards to the Franz playmaker bit, the numbers tell a different story, as he's averaging more assists than Paulo in the playoffs with far less of a usage rate (22% vs 32%). Honestly, our guard play is so bad and inconsistent on offense that's hard for me to get a read on Paulo and Franz's ceilings right now.

The boys were so close. We’re missing a couple of pieces to really make a run. If we’re going to play Kelle, there’s no reason not to give AB or even Caleb Cole’s minutes. Mose has made some good adjustments; this is one I’d love to see.

Oh and can we bench Cole yet? Dude has been horrendous in this series. Coming into tonight, his averages were 22% FG and 11% 3PT for the series.