2024 Off-season Thread

[Luke_FfS 262]

7 hours ago, Jason Funderburker said:

Did anyone actually have expectations that Biyombo would be good?

Well, maybe not a great % of us, but the fans always tend to believe we've made a master move.. until showed differently. Everyone was in love with Poole tough, and look what happened. Wasn't the point of the post anyway! :P

[orlandoholic 156]

6 hours ago, Luke_FfS said:

Well, maybe not a great % of us, but the fans always tend to believe we've made a master move.. until showed differently. Everyone was in love with Poole tough, and look what happened. Wasn't the point of the post anyway! :P

I’m a believer that players have to be in the right environment and locker room.. 

Poole got into the wrong situation imo. I think he’d be a better player on our roster, where the locker room and coach created an environment of accountability and togetherness. 

The Wizards are like the Magic a couple of years back. The AG and Oladipo and EP days, everybody tryna be a superstar

[JJZFL 653]

On 5/25/2024 at 2:25 AM, orlandoholic said:

Is that correct that we could have up to 69 mil in cap space? That’s obviously if we decline options of Ingles, M. Wagner too.. 

In that case, we have to do that and heck we could end up in a FA and add Monk, Claxton and OG Anonuby (OG would then probably require the Magic to sign and trade Cole in that deal) 

 

PG: Suggs, AB, 

SG: F. Wagner, Monk, J. Howard

SF: Anonuby, J. Howard, Houstan

PF: Banchero, Isaac, 

C: Claxton, WCJ

 

I could see us bringing back Fultz, Bitadze, Okeke on cheap deals. 

We also have our draft pick and draft Tristan Da Silva, McCain or a developmental player 

 

This team would get it done in the regular season and it would be great in the playoffs. That defense is unmatched in the NBA

With that PG rotation we aren’t going to improve.  

[orlandoholic 156]

playoffs show that the NBA is heading into a new era.. Defense will be granted is is becoming more and more welcome. The fans demanded it this season after the NBA had become a joke, and the NBa reacted midseason already. 

We need to anticipate this trend. Also i noticed that no longer the floor general PG is actually needed. What you need is at least two players that can handle the ball and break defenses down. Ideally they have great Bball IQ.. 

So i stand by my words. The best case right now would be to add Ingram. But it doesn’t seem realistic, as other teams like Cleveland are looking to add Ingram. Looks like Garland/Ingram trade is happening. 

 

Best case remains Monk and Claxton, and it i stand by my words that we need OG on this team if he becomes available. 

 

 

[JJZFL 653]

On 5/6/2024 at 4:12 PM, Shine88 said:

This is what killed us this season. Not having a dribble penetration guard that could open up things for our offense. Suggs ain't it, and Paolo is more of a secondary ball handler. Markelle excelled in that role last year, but the injuries has taken a toll on him and destroyed his confidences. Looking forward to see how Weltman addressing these issues this off-season. It's a big one. This is going to be the biggest summer in Orlando since 2007, when Otis Smith smacked it out the park with the Rashard Lewis signing. 

 

1 hour ago, orlandoholic said:

 

We need to anticipate this trend. Also i noticed that no longer the floor general PG is actually needed. What you need is at least two players that can handle the ball and break defenses down. Ideally they have great Bball IQ.. 

So i stand by my words. The best case right now would be to add Ingram. But it doesn’t seem realistic, as other teams like Cleveland are looking to add Ingram. Looks like Garland/Ingram trade is happening….

 

 

How many times can we ignore the obvious and make the same mistakes?  We need to prioritize the areas that need improvement the most, rather than adding to our strengths.  Paulo has already said himself that he would like someone to “set the table” rather than him and Frantz having to try and do everything themselves.

Before anything else, we need a PG on this team.  Suggs can be a great 2, but he is simply not a PG.  

[Jay Magic 1,266]

AB is PG we need end of...

[orlandoholic 156]

52 minutes ago, JJZFL said:

 

How many times can we ignore the obvious and make the same mistakes?  We need to prioritize the areas that need improvement the most, rather than adding to our strengths.  Paulo has already said himself that he would like someone to “set the table” rather than him and Frantz having to try and do everything themselves.

Before anything else, we need a PG on this team.  Suggs can be a great 2, but he is simply not a PG.  

Like i said in my post before. Ingram is a guy who can „set the table“.. 

Watch the games. You rarely see ball dominant traditional PG that are important. 

Look at..

Dallas, shoot they don’t even have a true PG on their roster. Irving is a SG in reality and Luka is a SF playing PG. He isn’t a PG.

Celtics, don’t rely on traditional PG.. Both White and Jrue are more Combo Guards and Tatum and Brown carry the load

The Wolves are the closets team to have a relevant traditional floor general PG. But Conley isn’t a main vocal point. They run about everything through Ant. Conley functions as their secondary ball handler. 

OKC, the hottest young team. They don’t have a traditional PG on their team. SGA is also more of a SG. 

 

The days of PGs are over imo. You just need players that have the ball handling skills in the half court to create for themselves or others.. 

Only knock i have with Ingram, he needs to be more of a passer when he breaks down defenses. 

The formula for the Magic, you just can’t guard three 6.10ft+ players that can handle the ball. Now don’t get me wrong. This is highly dependable on how Franz and Paolo develop their ball handling. With Paolo im sure he’ll make that step this offseason. He has no international duties and his work ethic is great!

Oh and a PG rotation of Suggs, AB and a cheap contract Fultz is a heck of a rotation! 
The other scenario with OG would also work, but it’s more reliant of Paolo and Franz. It’s not ideal on offense but the defense would be insane. This scenario would be reliant on also bringing in Monk. 

 

Imagine finishing NBA games with Suggs, Franz, OG, Paolo and Isaac on defense!!

[orlandoholic 156]

39 minutes ago, Jay Magic said:

AB is PG we need end of...

I agree, we don’t need to be overly aggressive with a PG.. 

[JJZFL 653]

4 hours ago, orlandoholic said:

Watch the games. You rarely see ball dominant traditional PG that are important. 

Look at..

Dallas, shoot they don’t even have a true PG on their roster. Irving is a SG in reality and Luka is a SF playing PG. He isn’t a PG.

Celtics, don’t rely on traditional PG.. Both White and Jrue are more Combo Guards and Tatum and Brown carry the load

The Wolves are the closets team to have a relevant traditional floor general PG. But Conley isn’t a main vocal point. They run about everything through Ant. Conley functions as their secondary ball handler. 

OKC, the hottest young team. They don’t have a traditional PG on their team. SGA is also more of a SG. 

 

The days of PGs are over imo. You just need players that have the ball handling skills in the half court to create for themselves or others.. 

Only knock i have with Ingram, he needs to be more of a passer when he breaks down defenses. 

The formula for the Magic, you just can’t guard three 6.10ft+ players that can handle the ball. Now don’t get me wrong. This is highly dependable on how Franz and Paolo develop their ball handling. With Paolo im sure he’ll make that step this offseason. He has no international duties and his work ethic is great!

Oh and a PG rotation of Suggs, AB and a cheap contract Fultz is a heck of a rotation! 
The other scenario with OG would also work, but it’s more reliant of Paolo and Franz. It’s not ideal on offense but the defense would be insane. This scenario would be reliant on also bringing in Monk. 

 

Imagine finishing NBA games with Suggs, Franz, OG, Paolo and Isaac on defense!!

 

4 hours ago, orlandoholic said:

I agree, we don’t need to be overly aggressive with a PG.. 

You keep saying repeatedly that we don't need a PG, but ignore the statistics  posted in my post above that show that our current playmaking was untenable.  I will happily concede that a dynamic guard like SGA to break down defenses would be sufficient, it doesn't have to be a "traditional PG", whatever that means.  SGA also has Giddy as another playmaker.  Regarding Doncic, he may run the pick&roll better than any NBA player in history, and if not, he's in the top 3.  He was second in the NBA with 9.7 APG this past year.  Jalen Suggs had 2.7 APG.

If we want to drive Paulo from the team, then try to make him play point forward.  Gordon had the same complaint when we tried to make him play point forward.  Paulo's already said he wants someone else to "set the table".  We played 3-4 big lineups plenty during the season and playoffs, and offensively they often didn't work at all.

Honestly I'm stunned that anyone would argue that we don't need much better guard play, and that a PG lineup of Suggs/AB/Fultz would be a good thing (worst thing imaginable), when our playoff series clearly showed just the opposite.

 

Edit:  For those who can't see the NBA University post on X from May 6 that I posted above, here is the text:

NBA University

 

@NBA_University

 

Jalen Suggs used 18 possessions as the pick-n-roll ball handler in the playoffs. He shot 1/9 FG (11.1%) & turned the ball over 38.9% of the time. Generating 0.33 points per possession Suggs + Harris cannot coexist as a backcourt with their combined lack of on-ball initiation.

 

 

2:20 PM · May 6, 2024

·

 

[orlandoholic 156]

5 hours ago, JJZFL said:

 

You keep saying repeatedly that we don't need a PG, but ignore the statistics  posted in my post above that show that our current playmaking was untenable.  I will happily concede that a dynamic guard like SGA to break down defenses would be sufficient, it doesn't have to be a "traditional PG", whatever that means.  SGA also has Giddy as another playmaker.  Regarding Doncic, he may run the pick&roll better than any NBA player in history, and if not, he's in the top 3.  He was second in the NBA with 9.7 APG this past year.  Jalen Suggs had 2.7 APG.

If we want to drive Paulo from the team, then try to make him play point forward.  Gordon had the same complaint when we tried to make him play point forward.  Paulo's already said he wants someone else to "set the table".  We played 3-4 big lineups plenty during the season and playoffs, and offensively they often didn't work at all.

Honestly I'm stunned that anyone would argue that we don't need much better guard play, and that a PG lineup of Suggs/AB/Fultz would be a good thing (worst thing imaginable), when our playoff series clearly showed just the opposite.

 

Edit:  For those who can't see the NBA University post on X from May 6 that I posted above, here is the text:

NBA University

 

@NBA_University

 

Jalen Suggs used 18 possessions as the pick-n-roll ball handler in the playoffs. He shot 1/9 FG (11.1%) & turned the ball over 38.9% of the time. Generating 0.33 points per possession Suggs + Harris cannot coexist as a backcourt with their combined lack of on-ball initiation.

 

 

2:20 PM · May 6, 2024

·

 

I think we are on the same page!! hear me out please.. 

We are basically saying the same thing as i am, . I am also saying, and been saying this for a long time, that we need another playmaker. Back then, i would get heat that Franz would be that playmaker. Yadadayada. It came to the point that people went at me and said that Franz is as good as Luka. This was during the world championship on his international duties. I pointed out the struggles with Franz. (this was on another fan internet site) 

Well i got on here and also got some heat of my takes/observations on Franz.. 

 

Well ok, back to the point. Yes we need another Playmaker!!! Yes.. The only difference in our opinion is that you attach being a playmaker to a guard position. 

I‘m looking at players that are playmakers, regardless if it’s a guard or a wing. I’m saying with the physical gifts Franz and Paolo have, we’d be able to play a Wing playmaker next to them. We don’t have to rely on a guard. 

Ingram is a well enough playmaker to make this team special. Especially if Franz is able to be that Ginobili type player again! 

Only reason i’m looking at Ingram is that he has 1 year left and he might control his destiny if he limits his teams he’d sign an extension. 
 

Also i’m attaching Monk to any scenario. He is an underrated playmaker who can play the pick and roll

And what are the other playmakers that are realistically available? My best fit is still Simons, but is he available? To what price? 

 

People on here are screaming for Klay Thompson or other shooters!? What is that going to do? We don’t even run plays for pure shooters. Okay doesn’t have the playmaking.

 

The other only realistic option is PG13 who is love. But i don’t think he’ll end up leaving the Clippers. And if so, i see the Lakers signing him if Lebron leaves. Maybe Miami or something like that. I don’t see him leaving to a young team. And if so, i see him returning to OKC..

 

So if your goal is to add a playmaker. Name me realistic options, please?!

 

[MagicMan1979 129]

6 hours ago, orlandoholic said:

I think we are on the same page!! hear me out please.. 

We are basically saying the same thing as i am, . I am also saying, and been saying this for a long time, that we need another playmaker. Back then, i would get heat that Franz would be that playmaker. Yadadayada. It came to the point that people went at me and said that Franz is as good as Luka. This was during the world championship on his international duties. I pointed out the struggles with Franz. (this was on another fan internet site) 

Well i got on here and also got some heat of my takes/observations on Franz.. 

 

Well ok, back to the point. Yes we need another Playmaker!!! Yes.. The only difference in our opinion is that you attach being a playmaker to a guard position. 

I‘m looking at players that are playmakers, regardless if it’s a guard or a wing. I’m saying with the physical gifts Franz and Paolo have, we’d be able to play a Wing playmaker next to them. We don’t have to rely on a guard. 

Ingram is a well enough playmaker to make this team special. Especially if Franz is able to be that Ginobili type player again! 

Only reason i’m looking at Ingram is that he has 1 year left and he might control his destiny if he limits his teams he’d sign an extension. 
 

Also i’m attaching Monk to any scenario. He is an underrated playmaker who can play the pick and roll

And what are the other playmakers that are realistically available? My best fit is still Simons, but is he available? To what price? 

 

People on here are screaming for Klay Thompson or other shooters!? What is that going to do? We don’t even run plays for pure shooters. Okay doesn’t have the playmaking.

 

The other only realistic option is PG13 who is love. But i don’t think he’ll end up leaving the Clippers. And if so, i see the Lakers signing him if Lebron leaves. Maybe Miami or something like that. I don’t see him leaving to a young team. And if so, i see him returning to OKC..

 

So if your goal is to add a playmaker. Name me realistic options, please?!

 

This is why I think we will need to make a trade for our PG assuming we don’t sign Paul George.   I’d go for a high end talent not just a stop gap hoping AB is good someday.  We all know the names out there. Some are more gettable than others. I think someone like Murray or Garland would be great and would cost us the same in a trade as Ingram. They just fit our core much better than BI. There are quite a few guards on the market though with Mitchell being my personal pipe dream. 
 

[Jay Magic 1,266]

https://x.com/statdefender/status/1794752405646766267?t=zJWv3CLvisVzgx0YrxpiMg&s=19

AB BEST Defensive rookie in the league this season.. Chet 2nd

AB the table setter.. the 3 point shooter.. the scorer.. the menace defender next to Jalen