3/14/07 Bianchi article

[FENDI 4]

I'm not putting everything on Brian either, as I blame the team's lack of pride. But to be blame Otis? I'm questioning it. I don't think Otis did anything wrong by just making the deadline pass. He held his ground coz there was no sensible offer at all, and thats a sign of a good GM. he didn't trade just for the sake of showing that he is doing his job.

 

Even if he built this team full of role players, it still shouldn't be playing like an expansion team at all.

 

Also, we had a 16-6 team last year, and we barely had any roster changes at all, I'm sure a lot of teams had enough time to figure this team out, just the same with the way the Warriors were unbeatable after they acquired Baron Davis, and to find out next season they were beatable.

 

Sure, we've been figured out, but Brian doesn't even make any significant changes at all. The only difference in the rotation is Darko starting, and the game plan is still the same.

[magic07 0]

It is great to see Bianchi jump ship so to speak. That is needed to put pressure on hill. I would doubt that JJ or any of the rookies had to say much. They probably feel it is not their place. On a side note of tehlaughing on teh court and bench...watch JJ...he is the only one clapping and cheering on the bench. He hasn't given up.

[FENDI 4]

We all know JJ is a competitor. But then wehn you have like at least 11 teammates, you'll probably get influenced sooner or later.

[chosen12 75]

What I find most disturbing about Bianchi's article is....I agree with 90% of it something I thought would never happen in this lifetime!! This is a very sad state that we find our team in! I, for the most part have given the players a pass during the first half of the season.

 

The obvious inability of Brian Hill to make signifigant adjustments, not just in the starting line up, but in all of the other associated areas of rotation, situational substitutions etc are well known. When he failed to change the plays, open up the offense to capitalize on the young and talented legs where also obvious and he should be held accountable for it.

 

Here is where I depart from the firebrianhill position. This lack of "PRIDE" that our guy's have displayed accompanied with the youthful laughter in the midst of our current winning streak (RIGHT)is an insult to the luke warm fan, the fringe or middle of the road fan, and particullary the hardcore Magic fans that has stood by them through all the indignities associated with basement dwelling in the NBA. Could it be youthful inexperience? Maybe! Could it be the laughter that disguises the pain associated with a failed system? Maybe! Could it be an indication of the overall environment "fake it until you make it" that the RDV management has implemented? Probably? Either way you look at it, we still deserve their best effort! I understand the empty feeling of operating in a failed atmosphere, we are all hoping for a coach that has a winning program attached to him, but even without that.....I expect to see their best effort.

 

Nothing was as sad as seeing T-mac pack it in on us, he had his reasons, but this is starting to feel like all of our guy's have packed it in, and that is not coaching, that is a matter of pride!!!! We have every right to expect their best effort, so no more passes from me, its all about the pride now. GO MAGIC!!

[Mr Charisma 0]

That is definitely one of Bianchi's better efforts when it comes to the Magic.

 

While this is not an acceptable excuse for the players, I understand that many of them are still college age, and they act like kids because they ARE kids. Money doesn't make you a man. Hopefully the criticism they are currently receiving will help them to grow up.

 

I respect Otis on several levels. One, he acknowledges that he has no one that is taking the lead in actually leading these young guys into manhood, and into responsibility and accountability. He isn't, the coaches aren't, and the veteran players aren't.

 

Secondly, the fact that he is willing to 'own it' is refreshing.

 

Again, this is one of my biggest gripes about BHill. Has he come out and acknowledged any responsibility for this? If he has, I've not heard it. Based on Grant Hill's comments after the team meeting, the coach pulled out film to prove that he was right and everyone else was wrong.

 

Why? Because that is ALL that matters to him: Being right.

 

Not winning; being right.

Not making use of the athleticism on the team; being right.

Not determining what his youth can contribute; being right.

Not re-evaluating his offensive and defensive schemes; being right.

 

It's not that he is wrong about everything, it's just that he has no ability to objectively self-evaluate.

[JJZ 0]

quote:

Originally posted by ball junkie:

quote:

Originally posted by FENDI:

I do agree with that, but as I said, Brian has failed to make changes. So no matter how teams are able to figure us, we know that this roster would work, its just that Brian's strategies is living in the past.

 

How can you make changes when as Bianchi says you have a flawed roster full of role players?

 

I don't think Brian is doing a great job but I wouldn't put everything on him either. It's an organizational failure meaning everyobody.

 

A bad coach will make everyone look bad, no matter what the talent level. We simply don't know what talent we have on this team because they're being coached to play losing basketball. Do you really think we have less talent than Atlanta, Memphis (without Pau), Charlotte (without Okafor) and so on? Guys like JJ and Diener get no PT because our roster is so "deep".....

 

At the beginning of the year everyone was in awe of how deep our roster was. We may not be a team full of stars, but with any kind of teamwork we have the roster to be a 50 game winner. Heck, even the "heart and hustle" club, which was felt at the time to have very little talent and certainly no stars, was winning more than this bunch, and was far more entertaining to watch.

 

Sorry, this "blame everyone" approach takes the onus away from where it belongs: poor coaching.

 

BTW, if a player is not playing with appropriate intensity, or is joking around when we're losing, I have the perfect answer: tell him to change the behavior or he'll sit on the bench. Then follow through. What's so hard about this concept? It comes back to coaching again.

[Erik 0]

The reasons why we started 13-4,players were healthy,other teams were not,we spent alot of the summer playing togehter,other teams did not,were were somewhat used to playing together,other teams were not,other teams figured out how to play us,and know that everything goes threw d12,we dont pass the ball well,we are very turnover proned,our coach doesnt have a clue,our gm is tretarded,the weather sucks,el nino is hurting the team.

[MagicmaninMiami 0]

quote:

Phil Jackson? Funny stuff Bianchi but it very well could be true

 

True? Okay. Put down the crack pipe. Walk away because the point is blown

 

Would Phil Jackson have a team that was cavalier about winning without sending a message? Look South. Pat Riley has been known to yank the entire starting lineup and put in bench players when he's disgusted with performance and they have almost all veterans. The laughing has been going on for months. The comparison to a Coach that has actually won championships is pathetic. All good coaches know how to send messages to their players.

 

So now the big deal is they are laughing on the bench. WHY SHOULDN"T THEY LAUGH?

 

They are playing a game, getting paid millions of dollars and have NOTHING at stake. I'd be pretty happy too.

 

Does someone have to write a memo on BHill's forehead that if you want to get the attention of players you motivate them with playing time? Sorry but all this rant about the players laughing is just another demonstration that the Magic have need of a coach. If you create a system that has no reward or punishment for performance or lack of professionalism whose to blame? Give it a break. Jameer laughs? So what? Next game he'll start and get the same minutes and hoist up as many shots as he always does laugh after laugh after laugh.

 

Start Diener over Jameer just a game or two and Jameer won't be laughing on the bench anymore for the rest of the season. How can an NBA coach not know basic player motivation?

[Guardian 6]

quote:

Originally posted by MagicmaninMiami:

quote:

Phil Jackson? Funny stuff Bianchi but it very well could be true

 

True? Okay. Put down the crack pipe. Walk away because the point is blown

 

Would Phil Jackson have a team that was cavalier about winning without sending a message? Look South. Pat Riley has been known to yank the entire starting lineup and put in bench players when he's disgusted with performance and they have almost all veterans. The laughing has been going on for months. The comparison to a Coach that has actually won championships is pathetic. All good coaches know how to send messages to their players.

 

So now the big deal is they are laughing on the bench. WHY SHOULDN"T THEY LAUGH?

 

They are playing a game, getting paid millions of dollars and have NOTHING at stake. I'd be pretty happy too.

 

Does someone have to write a memo on BHill's forehead that if you want to get the attention of players you motivate them with playing time? Sorry but all this rant about the players laughing is just another demonstration that the Magic have need of a coach. If you create a system that has no reward or punishment for performance or lack of professionalism whose to blame? Give it a break. Jameer laughs? So what? Next game he'll start and get the same minutes and hoist up as many shots as he always does laugh after laugh after laugh.

 

Start Diener over Jameer just a game or two and Jameer won't be laughing on the bench anymore for the rest of the season. How can an NBA coach not know basic player motivation?

 

I couldn't agree more. Well said.

[MilitaryMagic 0]

I keep thinking of the Portland Trailblazers when I think about the struggles we've had the past 4 years now. Constantly mediocre, roster in upheaval... you can tell that Magic management is making an honest effort to keep continuity on the team, but if what we have isn't worth keeping together... well.. we have to break it up.

 

I think one very important point is about Dwight. The kid is a beast. We need him. He's a max player... but only because he's huge. If Dwight wasn't the physically imposing specimen that he is, what would his worth be?

 

I look at Zach Randolph on the Blazers and I see a better player than Dwight. A player like Randolph has to overcome his physical limitations by improving his skills.

 

Now that the secret is out on Dwight, so to speak, his physical gifts don't give him the results we need. Dwight is clumsy with the ball and he is constantly out of position. He often gets beat when he boxes out after free throws. He barks at officials after he turns it over and is often late to get back on defense.

 

What I am trying to make clear is that Dwight is not a natural born leader. His blood does not run that way. Now we have Jameer Nelson and Grant Hill as team captains... a 3rd year point guard and a past-his-prime all-star.

 

This season we have handed Dwight the keys to the car and he hasn't driven us anywhere in particular. His stats are good - his impact on games often times is not. I worry about giving Dwight a max contract. It is necessary... it is his market value. But I haven't seen much from Dwight that tells me he can outplay and outwork his opponents, I've only seen what is obvious - that Dwight has physical gifts that nobody else in the NBA has.

 

So go ahead and fire everyone else on the Magic roster. But all we'll be left with is a franchise player that has yet to find his inner "Nemo".

[chosen12 75]

quote:

Originally posted by Mr Charisma:

That is definitely one of Bianchi's better efforts when it comes to the Magic.

 

 

Why? Because that is ALL that matters to him: Being right.

 

Not winning; being right.

Not making use of the athleticism on the team; being right.

Not determining what his youth can contribute; being right.

Not re-evaluating his offensive and defensive schemes; being right.

 

It's not that he is wrong about everything, it's just that he has no ability to objectively self-evaluate.

 

Could this be associated to the leadership that Otis says is not there?? I think so, but they should still be proud enough to play hard for their own sense of pride and for the people pulling for them when no one else will! Play hard, is not to much to ask for even in this dysfunctional system!!

[JJZ 0]

quote:

Originally posted by MagicmaninMiami:

quote:

Phil Jackson? Funny stuff Bianchi but it very well could be true

 

True? Okay. Put down the crack pipe. Walk away because the point is blown

 

Would Phil Jackson have a team that was cavalier about winning without sending a message? Look South. Pat Riley has been known to yank the entire starting lineup and put in bench players when he's disgusted with performance and they have almost all veterans. The laughing has been going on for months. The comparison to a Coach that has actually won championships is pathetic. All good coaches know how to send messages to their players.

 

So now the big deal is they are laughing on the bench. WHY SHOULDN"T THEY LAUGH?

 

They are playing a game, getting paid millions of dollars and have NOTHING at stake. I'd be pretty happy too.

 

Does someone have to write a memo on BHill's forehead that if you want to get the attention of players you motivate them with playing time? Sorry but all this rant about the players laughing is just another demonstration that the Magic have need of a coach. If you create a system that has no reward or punishment for performance or lack of professionalism whose to blame? Give it a break. Jameer laughs? So what? Next game he'll start and get the same minutes and hoist up as many shots as he always does laugh after laugh after laugh.

 

Start Diener over Jameer just a game or two and Jameer won't be laughing on the bench anymore for the rest of the season. How can an NBA coach not know basic player motivation?

 

Amen and seconded.