MagicMan1979 108 Report post Posted January 28 4. Wendell Carter Jr., reclaiming his place It was easy to take Carter for granted when the Orlando Magic went 13-7 without him earlier in the season as Carter recovered from injury. Orlando was the feel-good story of the league, its two-headed center of Goga Bitadze and Moritz Wagner the feel-good story-within-the-story. Carter returned on Dec. 20, scored in single digits in seven of eight games, and then missed five games with knee tendinitis. Executives from other teams wondered if they might be able to steal Carter on the cheap. (How good would he look on the Thunder?) In six games since returning (again), Carter has reminded Orlando -- if Magic brass needed any such reminder -- why they should hold onto him unless they get a bonkers offer. In those games, Carter is averaging 17.4 points and 7.4 rebounds on 64% shooting -- including 7-of-14 on 3s -- and reasserting himself as their most versatile two-way center. Carter is a ceiling-raiser. Carter's jump-shooting has always been something of a siren song; he has hit 33% career on 3s and about 38% on long 2s. Carter is still just 24. If he improves his shooting -- if this lasts -- he becomes a different player. Carter can control his physicality, and he has been meaner since his return. He's jostling for offensive rebounds, sealing off the lane for drivers, mashing smaller players in the post and blowing by slower guys on pump-and-go drives. He has done that in fits and starts in prior seasons before receding into his finesse jump-shooter alter ego. Carter has been cagey defending the pick-and-roll -- baiting ball handlers into lob passes, and then leaping backward to deflect them. He is fast enough to switch. https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/insider/story/_/id/39378266/lowe-joel-embiid-nba-greatest-scoring-season Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
orlandoholic 137 Report post Posted January 28 would San Antonio trade with us? they wanted AB really bad in the draft! so would they trade us Vassell and Johnson for a package around AB? Orl get Vassell, Johnson SAS get AB, Harris, Okeke and 2024 1st pick, 2025 Den pick, also several 2nd round picks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MagicMan1979 108 Report post Posted January 28 2 minutes ago, orlandoholic said: would San Antonio trade with us? they wanted AB really bad in the draft! so would they trade us Vassell and Johnson for a package around AB? Orl get Vassell, Johnson SAS get AB, Harris, Okeke and 2024 1st pick, 2025 Den pick, also several 2nd round picks Very interesting trade I hadn’t thought about. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soul Bro 1,421 Report post Posted January 28 42 minutes ago, orlandoholic said: would San Antonio trade with us? they wanted AB really bad in the draft! so would they trade us Vassell and Johnson for a package around AB? Orl get Vassell, Johnson SAS get AB, Harris, Okeke and 2024 1st pick, 2025 Den pick, also several 2nd round picks I don’t see why they’d want to trade Vassell. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
orlandoholic 137 Report post Posted January 28 2 minutes ago, Soul Bro said: I don’t see why they’d want to trade Vassell. because they committed a lot of money to Vassell and also Johnson, but the team is not going anywhere. So might as well start of with a fresh salary cap situation and young talent to develop around Wembanyama Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
All Eyes On Me 1,213 Report post Posted January 28 40 minutes ago, orlandoholic said: because they committed a lot of money to Vassell and also Johnson, but the team is not going anywhere. So might as well start of with a fresh salary cap situation and young talent to develop around Wembanyama I don’t know how you can say they’re not going anywhere with the most generational prospect since LeBron and a ton of young talent. I’d take Vassell in a heartbeat, but they ain’t trading him to us unless the get Paolo or Franz back Also, Vassell is a poison pill contract, so damn near impossible to trade for Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
orlandoholic 137 Report post Posted January 28 30 minutes ago, All Eyes On Me said: I don’t know how you can say they’re not going anywhere with the most generational prospect since LeBron and a ton of young talent. I’d take Vassell in a heartbeat, but they ain’t trading him to us unless the get Paolo or Franz back In 2023 the Spurs finished with 22 wins.. they stand at 10 wins right now! Wembanyama is a great talent, he’s hyped! But in all seriousness, he ain’t generational talent if he can’t move the needle. It ain’t like he got bad talent around him either when Lebron entered the league! So yeah, Vassell is nice. But at this point they brought him back so they don’t loose the asset! Not sure why you insist the Spurs would insist on Paolo or Franz. Vassell is a player with a injury history that showed upside, yeah. But he isn’t a number 1 or 2 option either. I like him as a fit, but at the same time i wouldn’t even break the bank just for him. It’s a package deal for me and i’d grow that team long term. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UEBERMORTAL 125 Report post Posted January 29 11 hours ago, orlandoholic said: Wembanyama is a great talent, he’s hyped! But in all seriousness, he ain’t generational talent if he can’t move the needle. It ain’t like he got bad talent around him either when Lebron entered the league! You are funny. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CTMagicUK 1,491 Report post Posted January 29 The Spurs are messing around deliberately to develop. They don't want to get too good too fast so they're experimenting with weird stuff like the stretch they started Jeremy Sochan at PG. Vassell isn't gettable because of the poison pill. Keldon Johnson probably is but I don't care for him all that much. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CTMagicUK 1,491 Report post Posted January 29 Latest rumours are that the Lakers aren't getting Murray because they don't have enough and aren't willing to include Austin Reaves. He's still worth the risk to me I think. Don't necessarily think Jeff Weltman will feel the same. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
orlandoholic 137 Report post Posted January 29 2 hours ago, UEBERMORTAL said: You are funny. Tell me more!! Why.. The Spurs are at 10-36! No? it’s facts. Of course he’s called generational talent. Nobody ever seen a player of his measurements and skill set before. But like i said. It hasn’t translated into wins, despite the Spurs having a legendary coach and a really talented roster, where the other User basically said they’d insist on Paolo or Franz for Vassell. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TreyMachine 399 Report post Posted January 29 Wemby is great, but I can confidently say he's not LeBron - and I have been a general LeBron hater for his career. The man is not only a freak athlete, but his biggest asset is that he makes every player around him better. He immediately made the worst team in the league into a fringe playoff team his rookie year. He took teams to the finals where Mo Williams was the second best player. Wemby is a great mismatch. He is Anthony Davis with some handles. He will do well in this league, and perhaps I'll eat my words one day, but I just don't see him elevating his team like LeBron ever did. He'll need a good #2 and #3 guy to make a deep playoff run. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
