Luke_FfS

I was catalyzed by the Tyus/Jase pairing instead, asking myself why not only the coach, but the assistants and some analytic guy wasn't realizing that this pairing isn't going to work... searched for advanced data and actually got a big, BIG surprise. 14.5 positive net rating is huge, I would have never imagined such a result. So, forum is wrong here! :P (but i still believe that is not a good idea, there's enough minutes right now in the guard rotation without Suggs to play both of them, separately)

Both were ok and in line with previous seasons. What a difference makes having 40% shooters...

https://www.theringer.com/2026/01/12/nba/nba-awards-2025-26-least-improved-paolo-banchero-jaren-jackson-jr

Well, we almost resuscitated the Pelicans at home too (congrats to them for trading away their own pick btw, when I'm down on our Magic, it's easy to think about their lineup and management...). Let's thank Tristan 3's that keep us into the game when we were playing like ***. Most of the recent observations are valid for the game too, let's have the no-sense hope that a trip to Europe will magically solve all of them! :) Glad to have Mo back, too bad that every time we recover someone, we seem to lose others...

Great to have Mo back. If he's able to regain a decent form in a few weeks, we'll be facing a interesting choice before deadline (if, as supposed, we'll try to go below the tax) as our C's depth will be... too much, and one of them could become a trade candidate together with Tyus, depending on what they could bring back.

It's not even the first time it happens, I believe I've pointed it out a couple weeks ago or so. 91 point game, maybe we could win against some Euroleague team that way. 4 three point made, 3 by AB that in this absurd world has become our best 3pshooter.

Talking of Franz.. (but it ends about Paolo again..) https://youtu.be/G1Nqaau6FAM?si=1HR0K-v0CPb144iS&t=3657

I agree on KPC, but Bane is not actually Tyus... I mean, we all know that Jones had defensive issues in the past, and we were hoping that inserting him in a strong def bench would help. But Desmond was actually quite good in most defensive metrics and advanced def stats, until last season. It's about players in part, but mostly is the system not working anymore IMO. Until last season we were hard to watch sometimes, but we were also 100% sure that effort and intensity was there, no matter what (injuries included). This season looks like we started thinking we were so good... that we didn't need that effort and intensity anymore, and the system is not working that way. Our situation reflects it, and as a fan I was loving that grit even if the offense was awful, while now this is lost and with the higher expectations... this team is even more hard to watch. Again, I believe it's not only about individuals at the moment, but I'm counting the seconds to have Franz back, at least.

I feel sorry for the Wizards.

Defense was much better in this one, even if BKN quality offense helped. Our inability to close games earlier and our constant leaving the door open for a comeback is not a news anymore. Glad we found a way to get the W in the end, but that doesn't change the general moment and considerations about that weird team and situation.

Turnovers killed us until we played the starters, 4 apiece from the "new big 3" is just unacceptable. While there's a point in saying that the team has tuned out on coach, is also true that Mose has tuned out on the starters in this game, and that weird bench mob was actually following him, or at least trying... that was actually the perfect picture to show the difference between a group that is willing to try and another that thinks they don't need to. Last season teams were clearly less talented, but I was enjoying watching them cause they often were the ones fighting hard... this season is just bleh. Overall, for me is just another confirmation that we have multiple problems at different levels, from the top (maybe FO has made a good job last summer, but it was after a long long evaluation, and now what they're doing to solve this mess?) to the bottom of the organization, and I don't really see who is going to solve them.

I believe I did and explained why your point was not a good one, so let's agree to disagree. :) It's really hard to judge with the confusing data and performances we have. But going out in the second round it's soooo... NEGATIVE! :P Seriously, expectations after the summer were much higher, especially in an open wide East. I still believe we can be contenders in the East, actually, and that we have the talent to reach conference finals, but a lot of things need to be corrected, and until now we're not heading in that direction, unfortunately.

At any point I've suggested that you were comparing how good are both teams. I fully understand your post and your point, but that doesn't change the fact that was full of errors and inaccuracies, as showed in the answers. The point was just moot regarding not getting too high or low. :) Reality: you're insisting that there's too much negativity in the forum, and I was indicating you that, IMO, most of the posters here are just facing reality, using stast and facts, and not being negative at all. Actually there was a whole lot of positivity here after the summer, just check record prediction. https://forum.truebluenation.com/index.php?/topic/257678-202526-magic-record-prediction/ But as indicated in Soul Bro poll, the update in talent wasn't enough, and there're actually multiple problems now, even a few that weren't there in previous seasons (see defense and will of fight together). We all hope that we'll be better, and there's surely time before playoffs and in following season, but right now, the so called "negativity" is there for a reason.

You wrote that they were 100% healthy, and that's not remotely true. Missing one starter and the key 6th man of last season finals is not having their top guys healthy either. Your initial comparison makes no sense honestly, and back to us, I strongly believe that most posters here are not too high or too low, they're just able to face reality.

As I had, unfortunately, to repeat a few times, in the first 5 games we were mostly healthy, and our record was 1-4. Clearly healthy matters, but believeing that is the lone problem, and when we'll be all healthy (if that ever happens btw, considering our history...) we'll be automatically contenders, that's blindness IMHO, or call it too much positivity if you prefer. There's a lot, lot more that need to click to win a title. Most great team never accomplished it.