2016 Off-Season Thread

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

Good Lord!

 

I find myself in the middle of a personal dilemma, which is finding myself in agreement with not only George Diaz, but with his entire article!!

 

I may need therapy after today but, did anyone else read this?......Thoughts???

 

 

http://www.orlandose...811-column.html

 

Eh, this is a pretty good example of why I don't read the Orlando sentinel anymore. It's "Ibaka plays defense and that's good" stretched out to 500 words. He mentioned talking to Clifford Ray but never included anything about that conversation.

 

It's nice that Diaz is optimistic.

 

 

Vucevic is the really interesting piece. He's going to have to be Dirk on offense to justify keeping him long term. It's not just him. Monroe, Kanter, Lopez, big men who score but can't play defense are looking at their basketball mortality.

[chosen12 75]

Eh, this is a pretty good example of why I don't read the Orlando sentinel anymore. It's "Ibaka plays defense and that's good" stretched out to 500 words. He mentioned talking to Clifford Ray but never included anything about that conversation.

 

It's nice that Diaz is optimistic.

 

 

Vucevic is the really interesting piece. He's going to have to be Dirk on offense to justify keeping him long term. It's not just him. Monroe, Kanter, Lopez, big men who score but can't play defense are looking at their basketball mortality.

 

 

 

Well, far be it from me to defend the Slantteniel's beat writers, because I refuse to read Schmits or Bianichi at all, so we are in agreement there!

However, I find some comfort in Diaz placing the emphasis on defense and the lack of it and its relationship to our being out of the playoffs for the past four seasons.

 

So to Diaz's point regarding the returning guys (Vooch, Mario, Elfrid) in paying attention to Serges approach and how defense will be the banner which we raise this year is pleasing.

 

Would you agree?

 

Also, I agree that Vooch will be the odd man out somewhere before the trade deadline, but I can not be certain of this without assurances that Serge is re-signing with us!

 

There seems to be zero discussion about this issue and I find it troubling!

 

Serge will have a lot of options by the end on the 16-17 season whether he is good, bad or anything else.

[Soul Bro 1,419]

Good Lord!

 

I find myself in the middle of a personal dilemma, which is finding myself in agreement with not only George Diaz, but with his entire article!!

 

I may need therapy after today but, did anyone else read this?......Thoughts???

 

 

http://www.orlandose...811-column.html

I liked the article. Our team has a ton of potential to be the toughest team in the league, which would be so refreshing.

[chosen12 75]

I liked the article. Our team has a ton of potential to be the toughest team in the league, which would be so refreshing.

 

 

 

Agreed! What fascinates most about this potential is that, it is recognized nationally, but most are reluctant to say it based primarily on the results of the last four seasons, along with the partialy failure or success of our rebuild!

 

More to the point, if we are able to keep Serge beyond next season, we may be back in the big time with the addition of one more blue ribbon baller, possibly Blake Griffin, but I think it would be best that we continue to be patient with Gordon.

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

Well, far be it from me to defend the Slantteniel's beat writers, because I refuse to read Schmits or Bianichi at all, so we are in agreement there!

However, I find some comfort in Diaz placing the emphasis on defense and the lack of it and its relationship to our being out of the playoffs for the past four seasons.

 

So to Diaz's point regarding the returning guys (Vooch, Mario, Elfrid) in paying attention to Serges approach and how defense will be the banner which we raise this year is pleasing.

 

Would you agree?

 

Also, I agree that Vooch will be the odd man out somewhere before the trade deadline, but I can not be certain of this without assurances that Serge is re-signing with us!

 

There seems to be zero discussion about this issue and I find it troubling!

 

Serge will have a lot of options by the end on the 16-17 season whether he is good, bad or anything else.

 

 

I don't think Serge is going to have much impact on teaching defense. That's never been the problem.

 

The problem has been two things

 

1. The inconsistency of youth. This is why the team would look like world beaters one night and the worst team in the league the next night.

 

2. Players with strengths that didn't compliment other players weaknesses. Ideally you have Payton playing with shooters so you can run a lot of drive and kick. Oladipo, Harris, and Gordon weren't good shooters so you being in Frye. But Frye and Vucevic aren't good defenders. So you're just trading fatal weaknesses for more fatal weaknesses.

 

So we brought in veterans to fix consistency issues. And now we're committing to a style of play that may put a ceiling on our short term success but it should allow us to at least be a playoff team.

[chosen12 75]

I don't think Serge is going to have much impact on teaching defense. That's never been the problem.

 

The problem has been two things

 

1. The inconsistency of youth. This is why the team would look like world beaters one night and the worst team in the league the next night.

 

2. Players with strengths that didn't compliment other players weaknesses. Ideally you have Payton playing with shooters so you can run a lot of drive and kick. Oladipo, Harris, and Gordon weren't good shooters so you being in Frye. But Frye and Vucevic aren't good defenders. So you're just trading fatal weaknesses for more fatal weaknesses.

 

So we brought in veterans to fix consistency issues. And now we're committing to a style of play that may put a ceiling on our short term success but it should allow us to at least be a playoff team.

 

 

 

 

Sure, if we were anything, we were inconsistent at best!

 

Let us not forget that the bench was woeful.......... and the depth was really nothing but a poorer version of the inept (at times) starting 5.

 

But, this appears to be the season where all of the past inconsistencies, to include coaching changes and philosophies stunted muchof whatever growth our youngsters should have developed, and we bring it to the surface.....this season will set the foundation and future.

 

Now...Do we keep Serge after this season or not? I have heard nothing from him or his camp on this matter! I am interested in your position here.

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

Sure, if we were anything, we were inconsistent at best!

 

Let us not forget that the bench was woeful.......... and the depth was really nothing but a poorer version of the inept (at times) starting 5.

 

But, this appears to be the season where all of the past inconsistencies, to include coaching changes and philosophies stunted muchof whatever growth our youngsters should have developed, and we bring it to the surface.....this season will set the foundation and future.

 

Now...Do we keep Serge after this season or not? I have heard nothing from him or his camp on this matter! I am interested in your position here.

 

If we're good and he's good if we want him he'll be here. If Ibaka continues to decline or we suck he'll probably leave.

[Justin Jaudon 221]

I think it's important to remember that as the team is set up, we still have a major outside shooting problem. We have two guys in our starting lineup who can hit from outside with any consistency (and consistency might be a stretch for Ibaka). We traded Vic for Serge, which is a wash from outside, if not a slight downgrade. Other than that, we just slid Gordon down to the 3, so our outside shooting hasn't really improved at all in the starting lineup. Our bench has some shooters, which is nice. Last year our bench was supposed to have shooters, though: Watson, Mario, and Frye, to start the season. Now we have Meeks, Augustin, and Mario, which is better, I suppose. But is it enough to overcome the poor shooting of the starting lineup? It certainly wasn't last year.

 

My fear is that we will have a better defense, but still be unable to score.

[chosen12 75]

I think it's important to remember that as the team is set up, we still have a major outside shooting problem. We have two guys in our starting lineup who can hit from outside with any consistency (and consistency might be a stretch for Ibaka). We traded Vic for Serge, which is a wash from outside, if not a slight downgrade. Other than that, we just slid Gordon down to the 3, so our outside shooting hasn't really improved at all in the starting lineup. Our bench has some shooters, which is nice. Last year our bench was supposed to have shooters, though: Watson, Mario, and Frye, to start the season. Now we have Meeks, Augustin, and Mario, which is better, I suppose. But is it enough to overcome the poor shooting of the starting lineup? It certainly wasn't last year.

 

My fear is that we will have a better defense, but still be unable to score.

 

 

 

 

Being that this is a contract year for both Serge and Green, also the level of expectancy set for AG will/should yield improved #'s over last season!

 

The way that I see it, everyone has skin in the game this season (FO included) and the nice guy gloves have been removed! Vogel most of all will attempt to "BRAND" this as the NBA's most improved and most dangerous team of 2017. I think it works!

[Mauro Pedrosa 1,031]

I think it's important to remember that as the team is set up, we still have a major outside shooting problem. We have two guys in our starting lineup who can hit from outside with any consistency (and consistency might be a stretch for Ibaka). We traded Vic for Serge, which is a wash from outside, if not a slight downgrade. Other than that, we just slid Gordon down to the 3, so our outside shooting hasn't really improved at all in the starting lineup. Our bench has some shooters, which is nice. Last year our bench was supposed to have shooters, though: Watson, Mario, and Frye, to start the season. Now we have Meeks, Augustin, and Mario, which is better, I suppose. But is it enough to overcome the poor shooting of the starting lineup? It certainly wasn't last year.

 

My fear is that we will have a better defense, but still be unable to score.

I agree but I think we have the first few weeks to see if it can work or not. I wouldn't be surprised to see some major trades mid-season

 

I think we go after Patty Mills in free agency as well. I've been right many times lately ;)

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

I think it's important to remember that as the team is set up, we still have a major outside shooting problem. We have two guys in our starting lineup who can hit from outside with any consistency (and consistency might be a stretch for Ibaka). We traded Vic for Serge, which is a wash from outside, if not a slight downgrade. Other than that, we just slid Gordon down to the 3, so our outside shooting hasn't really improved at all in the starting lineup. Our bench has some shooters, which is nice. Last year our bench was supposed to have shooters, though: Watson, Mario, and Frye, to start the season. Now we have Meeks, Augustin, and Mario, which is better, I suppose. But is it enough to overcome the poor shooting of the starting lineup? It certainly wasn't last year.

 

My fear is that we will have a better defense, but still be unable to score.

 

Oh we're definitely going to have scoring problems but at least we'll be elite on one side of the ball. That alone is better than putting out a few good defense bad offense guys with a few good offense bad defense guys which results in us being below average in both.

[Justin Jaudon 221]

Oh we're definitely going to have scoring problems but at least we'll be elite on one side of the ball. That alone is better than putting out a few good defense bad offense guys with a few good offense bad defense guys which results in us being below average in both.

 

True, but if Payton doesn't make a big improvement, and Vuc starts, we still have two to three bad defenders in the SL, depending on Fournier's match-up.

 

As far as the SL, so long as Vuc is starting - and I can't see starting a unit with Payton and Biyombo - we traded a very good defensive guy for a very good defensive guy at a more needed position (sort of).