2017 Official Offseason Thread

[jmmagicfan 301]

I just want EP, AG or JI to pop and become a star.

We all do, but I think we have some cause for hope in our bench's improvement at the very least.

[Magicfan1987 266]

Dwight is maturing

 

https://m.imgur.com/a/kN96q

 

Dudes so sad and desperate smh

[Magicfan1987 266]

Because clearly Dwight went up to her and asked for her picture...

Lololol

[Magicfan1987 266]

We all do, but I think we have some cause for hope in our bench's improvement at the very least.

 

That's where my hopes are docked at the moment.

[Miller4Prez66 545]

I just want EP, AG or JI to pop and become a star.

 

I'd settle for Payton becoming an above average starter but sadly I don't think he'll ever be that good.

[Mauro Pedrosa 1,031]

I'd settle for Payton becoming an above average starter but sadly I don't think he'll ever be that good.

If he doesn't learn how to shoot he'll have a very noticeable cap on his impact as a player

[fan for too long 2 530]

If he doesn't learn how to shoot he'll have a very noticeable cap on his impact as a player

His shooting numbers have gone up every year in every category except 3 pts. He is already above average in that aspect.

[the notorious S.A.C. 89]

I think Isaac has biggest chance.

 

we say that EVERY year about our #1...at some point we have to luck into at least one guy who can make the difference.

[Originalticketholder 133]

I think this guy forgets Kevin Durant played shooting guard his rookie year and was bad at it.

 

SG is definitely not the right position for Isaac. It is a stretch to try to match his skill set as that of a SG. But I think the article does show why he has the best chance to be our best player., and potentially an all star for us. I still think 3 is his position that creates the most mismatches. He can help teammates get better with his passing and that means he can help AG's game improve. Best thing the article recommended was do not worry about wins and losses, work on development and evaluation. New regime has a grace period. They should play Hezonja, as a meaningful contributor, experiment with him and Isaac and lineups. I love the talent that exists on this team top to bottom but it will need some time and finding the right lineups. If everyone improves, and some significantly ( for example like Payton's and Hezonja's 3 point shooting) this team can contend. Not likely but there is always hope.

[The Neighborhood Bully 266]

Former GM Rob Hennigan‘s last off-season on the job was one of the biggest blunders of the modern free agency era. In a new NBA where analytics and three-pointers reign, Hennigan went the contrarian route. He signed center Bismack Biyombo to a long-term deal and traded for another shot-blocking big man in Ibaka. These two, along with Nikola Vucevic, created both a logjam for playing time and an outdated, unattractive roster devoid of cap space for impactful free agents.

 

A deeper look at the signing of Biyombo becomes even more egregious. Biyombo’s four-year, $72 million contract, combined with the other bigs on the team, adds up to 43 percent of the team’s salary cap, hamstringing the Magic’s future flexibility. Orlando would’ve been better off signing Marvin Williams that summer instead of Biyombo. Williams, who signed a much more team-friendly contract (four-years, $54 million), is much more suitable for today’s NBA. He’s a true three-and-D player; he shoots 85 percent from the free throw line and 35 percent from beyond the arc, and he can guard multiple positions.

 

Orlando’s temporary rental of Ibaka further set the franchise back. The Magic’s acquisition of the big man led to archaic lineups that were outmatched in today’s NBA and stunted the development of Aaron Gordon. Seeing what this misuse of prospects was doing to the team, the Magic smartly traded Ibaka for Terrence Ross and a first-round pick. The team played much better down the stretch, but fans were heartbroken when they saw that the same players who were traded to Oklahoma City were flipped to Indiana the following year for bonafide superstar Paul George.These signings and trades were killers to Orlando’s rebuild, as they put the Magic neither in title contention nor in a position to acquire a top-three pick.

 

Compare the Magic to the Philadelphia 76ers during the same time period and the results are even more apparent. Though the 76ers only had one more draft pick, all but one of those picks were within the Klay Thompson realm of the 11th overall pick. Two have been the first overall selection, and two more have been the number three pick. Their commitment to tanking has led to much better prospects and far more cap flexibility. Former GM Sam Hinkie, mastermind of “The Process,” and the Sixers would only sign players on minimum contracts, and they filled out their roster with many second-rounders. When those second-rounders developed, they were on team-friendly contracts and were often flipped for more picks, which are vital to a rebuild.

 

After a five-year stretch in which Orlando won only 23 more games than the 76ers, it is clear whose plan has led to a better present and future for the respective franchises. The Magic must identify their plan, whatever that plan may entail, and stick with it. For too long, the Orlando Magic have been stuck in mediocrity. It’s either titles or tanking; in today’s NBA, there’s no room for in between.

http://lastwordonpro...-orlando-magic/

[A Better DJ & Photographer 456]

Yeah last year's off season was a very long WTF moment for sure!

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

does it bother anyone else that it seems like people don't understand what mediocre or mediocrity means?

 

I wish we've been stuck in mediocrity. Mediocrity is the last 4 seasons of charlotte. not a bottom team. an occasional playoff team but not a threat to win anything. no path to good. no path to rebuilding. Mediocre is average.

 

We've been bad. just bad. We needed to be the worst. We were mediocre for one year since Dwight left, the skiles year. 28 wins isn't mediocre.