2017 Official Offseason Thread

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

While improving the bench is important, I think to truly see improvement in wins, we need to have better performance from the starters, as they will still be soaking up the majority of the minutes.

 

its going to be interesting to see what happens

 

 

because on one hand a consistently better bench might have been the difference between the 29 wins last year and a playoff spot.

 

on the other hand, if we changed 7 of our crazy blowouts into 2 point losses we'd improve our point differential by 7.1 ppg but gain no wins out of it.

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

I like our schedule at first glance. Good difficulty blend

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

The end of the season ends perfectly. 10 of the last 14 games at home and the final 11 games are Philly phoenix Brooklyn Chicago Atlanta new York Dallas Charlotte Toronto mil Washington

[Mauro Pedrosa 1,031]

The end of the season ends perfectly. 10 of the last 14 games at home and the final 11 games are Philly phoenix Brooklyn Chicago Atlanta new York Dallas Charlotte Toronto mil Washington

We lose 4 straight to end the season and miss the playoffs

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

We get to play Brooklyn 4 times, Chicago 4 times, Atlanta 4 times, phoenix twice, new York 4 times, Indiana 3 times.

 

Thats a lot of winnable games

[JJZFL 618]

While improving the bench is important, I think to truly see improvement in wins, we need to have better performance from the starters, as they will still be soaking up the majority of the minutes.

 

I agree with this also. Many of the blowouts were due to the starters. And while the assertion is being made that the starting unit was much better after the all-star break, ostensibly because we got rid of Ibaka and changed to a different style of play, I think it's very risky to draw those kinds of conclusions from a small subset of games at the end of the season. Remember that no one cared about many of those games, and in fact both teams would have preferred to lose some of them for better draft position. The better teams were resting players for the playoffs. We will see if the theory holds up once the season starts.

 

I agree with P4TW about the bench improving, but as Odin said above, the key will still be the starters.

[magicblue 315]

We get to play Brooklyn 4 times, Chicago 4 times, Atlanta 4 times, phoenix twice, new York 4 times, Indiana 3 times.

 

Thats a lot of winnable games

 

Is this different than any other season? Lol

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

Is this different than any other season? Lol

 

No. We only play some eastern teans 4 times and others 3.

[jjgator 164]

No. We only play some eastern teans 4 times and others 3.

 

We always play Atlanta 4 times because they are in our division right? (We play a few eastern teams outside our division 4 times, but don't we always play teams in our division four times? )

[jjgator 164]

It's kinda hard to get excited about the NBA season. I don't see anyone beating Golden State yet again. I guess it'll be good to see the Magic grow, but I see Golden State plowing through the playoffs again. I guess the Eastern playoffs might be interesting.

[Murphy13 185]

It's kinda hard to get excited about the NBA season. I don't see anyone beating Golden State yet again. I guess it'll be good to see the Magic grow, but I see Golden State plowing through the playoffs again. I guess the Eastern playoffs might be interesting.

 

The growth of Minnesota will be fun to watch over the next couple seasons, same with Boston. The NYK dysfunction and potential breakdown of the NOP could be secondary story lines. I expect much of the focus will be on GSW and Lebron's bowel movements though. Who is going to be the next new exciting team to come up? Philly and PHX probably are in front. We could make some noise on that front if some of our talent really steps it up too.

[The Neighborhood Bully 266]

There’s a clear opportunity in 2017-18 for Orlando to taste the goodwill and fanfare that comes with a postseason berth, though, and there’s every indication owner Rich DeVos wants Vogel to try for it. The Magic have ranked bottom-10 in attendance percentage for four years running. They regressed last season after making a win-now trade that brought in Serge Ibaka, and they didn’t get a lucky draw on lottery night last May. Orlando is under pressure to provide its fan base with some excitement, basically, and getting swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers or Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs is the safest means of doing so.

 

It’s almost decision time for the Magic with respect to its core. Gordon is extension-eligible right now, and Elfrid Payton will be next summer. Will Weltman and Hammond feel comfortable ponying up the dough for guys on their rookie contract who have yet to play for a winner but still have obvious room to improve? A playoff appearance would make paying up seem more reasonable on the surface, but not necessarily help Orlando make the best decision for its long-term future. Tying 40 percent or so of the salary cap to Gordon and Payton could shackle the Magic for years if those guys don’t take a huge leap as their primes approach.

 

What’s the answer, then? There isn’t a great one, a reality confirmed by Orlando’s largely invisible summer. The real test is what happens a year from now, when the front office has a better idea of how the careers of Gordon, Isaac, Payton, second-rounder Wesley Iwundu and forgotten top-five pick Mario Hezonja unfold. Considering the past evidence and present reputation of those players and their teammates, however, it stands to reason that the Magic might not be relevant again until hitting reset for the second time this decade.

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