Luke

Y’all have no idea how huge this win is! Missing 2 starters and another big piece for us (+AB the first couple), started the season with a ridiculously hard schedule… and yet we have wins over…. *checks notes* Oh… the defending champs (on their home floor) And… Toronto (on their home floor — in a cup game). A lot to clean up for sure, but man… forgive me if I’m wrong for being impressed by their level of grit & tenacity, despite everything that’s gone wrong thus far. While also still learning a new coach and new system (not an insignificant detail, even if you choose to overlook it). If these guys can just squeak out some Ws while we wait on P5/Penda/Suggs, we could be in good shape, especially as the schedule eventually lightens. These guys played like absolute warriors tonight. Not the Golden State kind, more like the Leonidas kind. I’m proud of them, this was a very tough game to close and they stayed with it, even as Scottie was having the game of his life and unable to miss, they didn’t quit at all. Play. The. Song.

My actual game 2 thoughts 📝: If I told you we held 🐜 man to 5-23 from the floor (2-9 3PT) you probably would have thought we won, right? Miami just got blown out by this same team… a team that’s universally considered a Finals contender. Did you expect us look like we’re on that same level in game #2 of a brand new system, under a new coach? Honestly, if guys like Bane and TDS just shot averages the game would have been much closer. Bane: 2-11 (1-9 from 3) + Fouled out early TDS: 2-9 (1-7 from 3) Cain: 0-4 from 3 Franz: 1-6 from 3 Bane’s game was so rough that he got me a -1 in fantasy hoops, yes… negative 1. Not a trend I expect to continue from him. The entire team was clanking. The looks were there, the shots were not. I still love the fact that Bane and TDS are getting the quality & quantity of looks that they are, that’s a huge improvement alone. It really sucks not having the extra depth AB and Penda would provide, not just for their skill sets, but our rotations would be cleaner & more flexible. It also hurt that Paolo went to the locker room with an injury right when we were making a run, that killed momentum and he wasn’t as effective when he returned. FWIW: The Knicks are also 0-2, and the Heat may be 0-2 soon, barring a sizable comeback, do you suppose their fanbases are throwing in the towel on the season already? Of course not. Unfortunately we started the season with our new system against the league’s elite, while having multiple guys out due to injury. We’ll go on win streaks as well. Again, 80 games remain. This is the East. Buckle-up, buttercup.

I fully realize that I’m yelling into the void. Not just because posting about it does absolutely nothing, but also because 90+ % of the people who see this, also actively participate in the very thing I’m posting against. I’ve long grown tired of seeing sports betting related material proliferated in every avenue of the sporting world & beyond. Commercials, the sports leagues themselves (once thought be an impossibility), seemingly all the major talking heads & content creators, apps, the biggest athletes , & more… we are just continually inundated with sports betting and frankly, it’s exhausting… to say nothing of the negative impact on the majority of those targeted (statistically speaking), though they be willing participants.

When Paolo makes light work of the formidable East this season… I’m gonna say you should have seen it coming. Sometimes you can tell just from a look… 🤷‍♂️

Friendly reminder, the Magic were what, one game out of the 5 seed with Franz missing FIFTY games?? To say nothing of the time missed by other (Paolo 10, Suggs over 20, etc) So forgive me if I’m not going to join in on the chorus of cries after every single signing that we didn’t get (ignoring whether or not it was actually even possible to get them). I’ll reserve my judgment on this offseason after it’s all said and done. And don’t think for a second that I’m a Weltman apologist or that I’m defending him… I’m just apparently far higher on Paolo/Franz/Bane than most. I’m also not saying we don’t need to make any moves, of course we do. I’m not sold on our depth, our scoring off the bench as a whole, etc., but let’s wait till the dust settles eh? One more thing people keep forgetting. They’re envisioning this entire roster as if the 2026-2027 version will be exactly the same as the 2025-2026 version, as if nobody develops. One advantage Orlando has, being so young, is that virtually nobody on the roster has plateaued, and all the best players haven’t even entered their prime yet except Bane. How many games you think Orlando would have won last season if Franz didn’t miss those 50 games? Now add a better coach to the picture, offseason development, and hopefully a couple moves around the margins, hopefully no more freak injuries, then check ball up top.

Orlando just lost the Wemby Stopper… another casualty to the cap, but long before he became a casualty to the cap, he was a casualty to Advent “Health” Really though, I’ll always lament only getting glimpses of his potential, which at his best, is in the highest echelon of defensive ability in NBA history.

My 2 Cents On Jalen Suggs…. Just a quick disclaimer here in case anyone thinks I have some sort of an agenda… I’ve been a huge J.Suggs fan from day 1. I’ve got his jersey, I even took the time to make a highlight video of him (something I’ve only done for 2 players). Having said that, if I want the best for the future of this team, I have to be objective… and I’ve got several concerns: 1.) His shooting. 2.) His ability to be a pass-first, playmaking PG (our offense has to run through Paolo/Franz/Bane). 3.) His ball-handling. 4.) Even his on-ball defense against several guards this season beyond just the DET series has been lacking. 5.) His decision making (this includes bonehead fouls, lackadaisical passes where he just falls asleep or underestimates opponents and they get intercepted, and his often-attempted flashy/showboating plays that usually get blown up). 6.) His health… even though we got him back for a long stretch, he still seemed like the season took its toll on him & he was nowhere near the athlete we saw at earlier periods. Unfortunately, I’m not convinced this won’t always be an issue until he ultimately degrades. He’s got one speed… pedal to the metal, and his body will always take a beating as a result. 7.) His contract… need the production to start matching the $$$$, right now there’s a sizable disparity. —————— I hear the counter to moving on from him… that we need to see him under a new coach. Do we think a new coach can move the needle enough in all these areas? Or at least half of them? I’m not saying it’s impossible, I’m just saying we’re going on year 6, so forgive me if I’m a little skeptical. Do I think he can be an impactful player? Of course, I just don’t know that he can be what we need as a starting PG. You can’t put him at SG because we have Bane. The best spot for him at his current level of play would be 6th man but his contract does NOT warrant paying him to be a 6th man. I WANT him to improve in all these areas because I like the guy and I obv want Orlando to win. So if Orlando either decides to keep him or can’t find a suitor for his contract… then hopefully he has a very productive summer because his showing against Detroit was lower than sub-par and none of the negatives we saw from him were brand new. We need guys who can contribute meaningfully in the playoffs, especially from the starting PG. If you disagree with my take, that’s fine…just know we want the same thing (the Magic succeeding).

I will die on the proverbial basketball hill that this kid is a franchise player. The number of people both inside and outside the fanbase (mostly outside tbh) who were so quick to sell his stock because of a single tough season, while ignoring all context — (& it’d still be a career year for a ton of guys in the league) was always comical to me, check my receipts. Fetch me a list of players doing this at 23…. yes, he’s ONLY TWENTY-THREE. The upside to someone of his size & skill-set is astronomical…. & to be so short-sighted that you think for a second Orlando should trade him is hilariously poor judgment. I understand that the vast majority of these sentiments came from armchair analysts and accounts who just loved to hate on him because for whatever reason it has been the popular thing to do, but still… Does he have things to work on? Of course. Are any of those things impossible to improve at for a 23 year old? No, not at all. You don’t luck your way into his playoff averages after 17 games. He’s a playoff riser & has all the makings of a future NBA Champion. If Cade is an MVP candidate (and I believe he’s every bit of that — he’s an absolute hooper) then what is Paolo? There’s no way you can say he’s far off. Point being, one guy is almost unanimously labeled an MVP candidate while the other was almost unanimously written off but he’s out here going band for band with an MVP caliber player.