Mid-Summer Power Rankings from NBA.com

[KandiKane 136]

It's obvious Junkie just does this stuff to annoy people. It's pretty sad that a grown man would be so low class over and over again.

 

I feel sorry for his kids, they have no chance.

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

You guys are toeing the line. Keep in mind we don't allow personal attacks.

[magicblue 315]

Matt Moore of CBSSports had the Magic ranked 23 at season's end but after the summer of Henny dropped us 4 spots to 27...

 

 

 

http://www.cbssports...a/powerrankings

 

I thought we had turned a corner, but apparently it never ends. Junkie, notice how he says "I'm playing the skeptic card here to temper my excitement with them" (what does that even mean?) and then goes on to mention how stacked we are with young talent, even conceding we looked good with Vuc on the court last year and that Dipo is underrated. Basically the guy dropped us because he's afraid to stick his neck out there and predict success when others aren't, even though he seems to like most everything he sees. Taking a "skeptic's view" is his prerogative, but at the end of the day his opinion is meaningless and clearly skewed towards negativity for whatever reason, which I'd argue yours is as well. I love how he includes the first line leaving the door open for him to come back later and say, "I told you so" even though he never actually goes out on that limb. Brilliant.

[30Assists 342]

Pretty safe to say that none of us will know how these moves will actually work out until the season is rolling along. Until then, it's just conjecture.

 

Think back to the mutant frankenstein's monster that was the Detroit team from a few years back: a 6'9 center that had a passable season with the Magic, a Billups that had been rehabbing injuries the previous season, a disruptive egotist in Rasheed Wallace, some too-skinny rookie in Teyshawn Prince...

 

I'm not saying we're championship-bound, but sometimes lightning does strike. We're building a good team. Whether anything comes of it is another question.

 

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnd that's what the forums are for - Junkie has his opinions, everyone else has theirs.

[Catman 380]

Yep, nothing wrong with differing opinions when knowledge of the situation is displayed.

 

It just seems like some people are casual fans who say things like - "why would you get channing frye? It makes no sense. We overpaid!!" etc. To me that is just an uneducated opinion, which is not valid enough to argue on for multiple posts, threads etc.

 

A guy like Junkie has displayed a few things:

 

He did not watch the magic play last season

 

He does not read anyone's posts here (past the mods directly addressing him) and considers them to be "BS".

 

He doesn't know much about the game and relies on the media to define his opinion.

 

He is a massive homer for Kentucky which further skews his already uneducated opinion on the Magic.

 

So suddenly a writer in phoenix posts the exact same stuff we have been saying for weeks here and he considers it valid.

 

Basically, the guy posts here every day in a disrespecting and trolling manner, offers nothing of substance past links to articles we may not have read yet, and feels the need to make a new thread for any impulsive whim he feels like displaying.

[O_SteveO 106]

I honestly have no idea why people are still responding to him.

[Captain Hi-Top 791]

Just for you, Junkie. Enjoy.

 

Offseason Improvements, Declines: A Love Story

 

By Kevin Pelton

 

When the question of "Who got better this summer?" was posed at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas earlier this month, there was an easy answer: the Cleveland Cavaliers. By signing LeBron James, the Cavaliers landed the offseason's biggest prize.

 

Finding other teams that improved was more challenging.

 

To quantify my answer, I turned to the wins above replacement projections I previously used to rank this summer's top free agents. They incorporate both my box score ratings for next season from the SCHOENE projection system and ESPN's real plus-minus ratings, adjusted for age. For each team, I added up these projections for players lost and added via free agency and trades.

 

These team ratings don't include the draft and are still a work in progress. In particular, the final two top free agents on the market -- Eric Bledsoe of the Phoenix Suns and Greg Monroe of the Detroit Pistons, both restricted -- will swing things when they sign new contracts. Nonetheless, this method offers a good snapshot of which teams have helped themselves the most heading into the 2014-15 season via free agency and trades and which lost the most talent.

 

 

Orlando +1.9 (In the top ten no less)

 

(Link)

 

That's not taking into account the drafted players. Now, I know you felt the need to start an entirely new thread to determine if we got better or worse, and it rightfully got closed, but I figured your buddy Pelton here could just tell you what to think.

[Captain Hi-Top 791]

I honestly have no idea why people are still responding to him.

 

It's the summer, not much going on.

[Catman 380]

Just saw that locked post.

 

I actually cringed when I read it. It was that bad.

[Miller4Prez66 545]

I don't have a problem with differing opinions, I love a good debate. But I'm tired of seeing nothing but articles from the media on why we suck. Make up your own opinion and stop pasting quotes from the media.

[Catalina Maria 64]

Junkie ---

 

Here's how it is. I'm not 100% sure what Henny is doing, but I think it's this:

 

LONG TERM -- Oladipo is the SG. Would not make sense to keep Afflalo long term as the team has a plethora of capable wings who can drive, plus more athletic ... Henny wants to put Oladipo to the test and make this his coming out party

 

LONG TERM -- Jameer is faithful but he is not fundamentally sound as PG. His court vision is limited. His defense is limited. Henny acquired some PG's with excellent versatility and grit. He is putting a lot of faith in Payton early. And I believe that Payton had been targeted for awhile and was under the radar. Reason? Payton and Gordon have camaraderie and targeting defense minded and highly athletic 18 year old Gordon (who despite still young has a pretty good ceiling) at the #4 pick tells me the Magic did their homework. Gordon and Payton have worked wonders together in the past. Do some research on it.

 

LONG TERM -- This 2014-2015 team is more versatile. Many players play multiple positions (can't get that with Meer... Can't really get that with Afflalo either though he had played some SF I know coz I watch games ...). Versatility is what makes small town teams like SA and OKC strong.

 

Put a little more trust in your team who has proven lately everything is not a guessing game. Vucevic, Harris, O'Quinn (a superb 2nd round pick), Harkless, etc. Henny has done a decent job cleaning up the mess he inherited. He has done his research. Have more faith in him that the negative Nancy's who write nonsense. They are not the GM and to say that Afflalo/Nelson > Gordon/Payton/Frye/Fournier is a bit premature. This NEW team certainly looks to complement the talent base much much better and will allow Harris, Oladipo, and the rookies time to sink or swim. I think based on their character, these players will NOT sink. They will swim.

[God Hates Otis Smith 153]

why even address him he is not going to respond which is further proof he just posts things to troll