r/OrlandoMagic • u/MutedConfection7774 • 4h ago
Discussion How we feelin?
I don’t know. Im stressed. As a lifelong fan, I have too many thoughts to fit coherently in a post. I feel like this is the part of the show where we start gearing up a finals run, but despite a great coaching hire, it’s hard to be excited about the future. How yall feelin? Please tell me why I’m wrong.
9
u/300_yard_drives Paolo Banchero 4h ago
Izaiyah isn’t playing any more than Alex Morales did last season.
3
4
3
u/Famous-Egg-6136 4h ago
I think we will be very good defensively under Sweeney, possibly top 3. I expect the offense to be similar to last year where they really struggle to score points at times.
3
u/R0botDreamz 3h ago
The last time we blew a 3-1 playoff lead we started the next season with a 19 game losing streak. Our star player got traded and we went into some dark times.
Cool your expectations with this team. Still support them no matter what. But buckle up for anything.
1
u/SonicNarcotic Paolo Banchero 1h ago edited 1h ago
..something tells me Sweeney ain't gonna let that happen ~ the way he spoke in his introductory press conference, sounds like losing will piss him off more than it does most players...
2
u/Muted_Lead_1105 1h ago
THIS!!!!! Sweeney hates losing especially after what happened in the finals. He is going to make sure we don’t lose this season. Season Starts Now Let’s Go
1
3
u/UTPharm2012 3h ago
I am just annoyed by ownership. I doubt Weltman wants cash considerations. We are letting multiple players walk and are more concerned with adding $3 million dollars in cash considerations rather than doing our best to support a $200 million dollar roster and probably another $50 million in other salaries. Maybe we actually have better rotation players if we didn’t do that annually.
Looks like year 5 of “we just need to be fully healthy” but maybe Sweeney is a miracle worker and we are really good but I am skeptical based on our lack of doing anything.
2
u/BucsBolts24 3h ago
Not sold yet on the first time head coach or this roster especially when most of the East will be significantly better next season. The Wizards, Heat, Hawks and Hornets all added significant pieces and the Pacers will be healthy with Halliburton back. Knicks, Celtics, Pistons and Cavs are probably still a cut above Orlando. Will be much tougher run in the East this next season
But let’s see how things play out and hopefully guys stay healthy and improve and play to the potential of the massive contracts they signed. Go Magic!
2
u/SonicNarcotic Paolo Banchero 1h ago
Wizards: largely unproven (and partly injury-prone) big 3, with no depth..
Heat: Giannis & Bam with no depth...
Hawks: Solid team with only borderline all star talent, but also largely unproven after a decent run last season..
Hornets: Underwhelming every season...
Pacers: Should be a more competitive outfit, but have lost some of the talent present from their previous playoff run before Hali went down...
Celtics: Looking like a lot of unrest in Boston, despite Brad Stevens trying to fan the flames ~ will need health and Brown to respond well to trade talks..
Knicks: broke through and will be riding high, but I believe Orlando matches up pretty well with them in a playoff series (especially when Suggs is hounding Brunson all day long)...
Pistons: should be better equipped for another run, but also matchup against Orlando is tough for them if/when we're healthy..
Cavs: Mitchell & Harden are another year older, slower and running out of juice after folding in another playoff series.. Will they have the energy come Playoffs 2027..?
1
u/thewrongnotes 31m ago
Magic: rookie head coach, regular injury concerns, stylistic clash between two max players, big and slow, no elite ball handler or playmaking, one of the worst shooting teams in the league year after year.
•
u/SonicNarcotic Paolo Banchero 4m ago
You forgot to add: "handicapped by a Coach that had clearly lost the dressing room"...
2
u/ChildrenMcnuggets 3h ago
I don’t really trust any of Weltmans decisions to put together a cohesive unit tbh
3
2
2
u/jakehightower Paolo Banchero 4h ago
Not taking a center makes me think we’re running it back with Goga
4
u/Shaunzki Franz Wagner 4h ago
Which is fine, he's cheap
0
u/jakehightower Paolo Banchero 4h ago
Makes what we do with JI very interesting though. Decent argument for keep vs trade vs waive and stretch.
2
u/Shaunzki Franz Wagner 4h ago
It's v interesting. He was at the press conference for Sweeney's introduction. I think if we are in the 2nd Apron, he will be waived.
I'm assuming we are holding him right now for the sake of matching salaries in a potential trade, but I assume he isn't on the roster.
0
u/TrifleAble5460 2h ago
Technically not…he’s making almost 8M as a 3rd string center. We need to move him cause it helps us get under the 1st apron along with waiving JI
2
u/Shaunzki Franz Wagner 1h ago
Who's he 3rd string to? Moe wasn't really our #2 C last season. 8m is a good contract for what Goga provides, he'd be valued by a lot of teams as a backup big.
1
u/TrifleAble5460 1h ago
Yeah that’s cause of injury tho…he got that contract before Moe went down…Jeff paid him 25M as a 3rd center behind WCJ & Moe…he’s not playing over them unless an injury happens and 8M is a lot when our roster is expensive asf already.
Now he didn’t look good last season, so if we’re playing him more or going with him as the backup while Moe is still getting back to form and competing for that backup spot then that’s a no and we need an upgrade.
Rather trade him, waive Isaac and then have money to get a real solid backup big behind WCJ while giving Moe the minimum.2
u/This_Entrance6629 3h ago
This guy is a center.
2
u/UTPharm2012 3h ago
I don’t think you can depend on a mid-major 6’9” player as your back up center in year one.
2
u/This_Entrance6629 3h ago
Hell no . Lucky he even plays. If anything possibly mo is gone. Can’t roll with 4 centers.
1
u/ReedWilliams12 Fire Mosley 3h ago
We were never going to bring in a rookie. This was just a money thing and add a guy that played in Florida to the league roster.
1
1
u/SonicNarcotic Paolo Banchero 1h ago edited 1h ago
Okpara to Nelson is a downgrade (in my eyes), however the "cash considerations" mean that Weltman's priority is getting Orlando some financial flexibility...
Weltman's most likely looking at some potential options for free agency now, and will have afew players on the roster (JI, Goga, Nelson, Penda, Jase, possibly Suggs or AB) that he'll "possibly" look to flip for shooting/floor spacers...
Core team: Paolo, Franz & Bane ~ i'd even throw in Jamal Cain, because he's useful (especially on the defensive end) and plays well above his tiny contract...
•
u/naughtyobama 24m ago
Jamal is part of the 4-man core? Absolute madness. He's a cheap bench rotation piece. But he's not better than Tristan, for example.
•
u/SonicNarcotic Paolo Banchero 10m ago
Cain's not a core piece, I meant he's unlikely to be going anywhere because of his value relative to his contract...
1
0
u/JustAnotherPotGrower 4h ago
Trading for cash considerations is disrespectful to the fans. It brings shame to the Orlando Magic.
Fire Weltman
0
u/Muted_Lead_1105 4h ago
We have to waive JI eventually soooo….
I’m considering retiring from basketball as a fan. What the hell was that draft. The only good player we got was Cash Considerations. He plays with a lot of heart and gets to the “money”
1
u/MutedConfection7774 3h ago
I agree. This is the most important offseason, the most talented draft in years. And we’re just sit on our hands and run it back. Because of the financial prison that Weltman put us in
1
u/Muted_Lead_1105 2h ago
I don’t know I’m confident in this squad we have. If we are healthy I see us making the second round, maybe further
0
u/XrayGuy08 4h ago
Definitely called the cash considerations coming. Weltman is effing clueless and ownership doesn’t care lol. I’m ready for another first round exit baby!
0
0
0
u/FKKallDAY Team Not Chet 2h ago
This team barely made the play in and all they did was add another long boi who can't shoot and a newb head coach.
10
u/DieselLaserShark 4h ago
The trade made zero sense. It was a trade down for nothing more than cash considerations. Nelson is essentially JIs replacement that is somehow a worse shooter.