"Jonathan is having a great summer."

[MagicMatic]

Truly one of my biggest fears... JI plays half of the first 40 games and stunts PBs growth. Its time for the Magic to make him disappear.

Even if JI plays the 1st 40games at the same skill level he shown before the injuries, how could that stunt PBs growth?

Agree…completely complementary players. JI, on his best day, wouldn’t take shots from Paolo…maybe take tough defensive assignments off Paolo’s plate, if on the court together.

I actually think the stage is set for JI to make a real contribution playing 15 mins a game, backing up 3-5 (depending on matchups, schemes, injuries). I like the vision of JI just bringing crazy defensive energy in small doses. I really hope he’s healthy. Imo, this is the last shot in ORL. I could see him getting waived, sitting out a year or two before coming back on a vet min to a contender- like a much younger Bill Walton or (gulp) Grant Hill. I can’t imagine anyone expects a full-time Isaac ever again…but the Lord works in mysterious ways

JI is like the dad that went out to get cigarettes in 1999, never came back, and you get a call from on Christmas talking about how he's going to show up for your birthday every year and never does. Basically a caricature from a Hallmark movie.

Nobody should be relying on JI to suit up at this point. If he had any value whatsoever he wouldn't even be on the team.

[cedric76]

JI MIP 2023/2024

[pepe1991]

Isaac is already MIP
Most
Injuried
Player


LIterally in last 6 years nobody missed more games than him. Zion is distant second most injuried nba player.

[SHAQ32]

Quote from Jeff Weltman via the Orlando Magic Daily.
https://orlandomagicdaily.com/2023/07/12/orlando-magic-seem-confident-can-lean-jonathan-isaac/


"Jonathan is having a great summer. He looks terrific. . . . He’s doing all the things to put himself in a position to succeed. The doctors seem to feel confident with it. We’ll just see where it goes."

“That guy is a game-changing player. I think people kind out of sight, out of mind, forget how good he is.”

fool me 3 times.....?

Sure buddy

[SHAQ32]

JI MIA 2023/2024

Fyp

[drsd]

LIterally in last 6 years nobody missed more games than him. Zion is distant second most injuried nba player.

Orlando paid Timofey Mozgov 25M to not play basketball for Orlando in 246 games. With the same 2018/9 start of games-not-played, Orlando has paid Jonathan Isaac 50M to not play basketball for Orlando in 320 games.

Intermission: Let's reflect on Orlando paying 75M to two players to not play 560+ games. OK. Now: Back to the topic.


We must accept that Orlando "only" paid Mozgov 100K per game to not play, whereas at the same time paid Isaac 150K per game to not play, and paid him in ~80 more games to not play.

[The-Stallion70]

So over this

[dsg2021]

Prayers to JI. Excited to see him on the court and making a case for the MIP and DPOY!

[pepe1991]

Annual Jonathan Isaac awards:

MIP- Most injuried player
DPOY- Didn't play over year
MVP- Minimal viable player


Historically players with most Jonathan Isaac's awards: Greg Oden, Hill, Jonathan Isaac ( the man, the legend, the ghost), Bynum. Honorable mentions Derrick Rose & Tracy.

[drsd]

Annual Jonathan Isaac awards:

MIP- Most injuried player
DPOY- Didn't play over year
MVP- Minimal viable player


Historically players with most Jonathan Isaac's awards: Greg Oden, Hill, Jonathan Isaac ( the man, the legend, the ghost), Bynum. Honorable mentions Derrick Rose & Tracy.

Mr. Hill missed 374 Magic games during his employment in Orlando.
That's more than Mr. Isaac has missed (so far), and is the Magic leader in games lost.

[Fortune Teller]

Quote from Jeff Weltman via the Orlando Magic Daily.
https://orlandomagicdaily.com/2023/07/12/orlando-magic-seem-confident-can-lean-jonathan-isaac/


"Jonathan is having a great summer. He looks terrific. . . . He’s doing all the things to put himself in a position to succeed. The doctors seem to feel confident with it. We’ll just see where it goes."

“That guy is a game-changing player. I think people kind out of sight, out of mind, forget how good he is.”

fool me 3 times.....?

Sure buddy

"We'll just see where it goes."

Wow.

Can you imagine a CEO of a Fortune 500 company talking about his highest-paid employee, who has never produced anything, only worked a full year once going into YEAR 7 with the organization, doing things that might lead to his eventually producing something, and the quote is "We'll just see where it goes."

Weltman is so casual about something that might've led to the termination of a GM in L.A. or New York or Chicago. It's like he's a fan at home, just curious to see how it all plays out, instead of the guy who has the power to remedy the situation.

It's interesting that this is the most we've heard about Isaac's progress and workouts in the past 4 years. I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that this is the first time his contract is not fully guaranteed.

[darthcheech2000]

JI is like the dad that went out to get cigarettes in 1999, never came back, and you get a call from on Christmas talking about how he's going to show up for your birthday every year and never does. Basically a caricature from a Hallmark movie.

Nobody should be relying on JI to suit up at this point. If he had any value whatsoever he wouldn't even be on the team.

[jonbob17]

Good lord...Isaac really leaning into the politics at this point. The only time i see his name is Fox News headlines or posting instagram videos with Lara Trump or worse.

He's turning into the new Diamond and Silk.

[Fortune Teller]

The Magic and Isaac have gone all-in on making the team and Isaac himself political vehicles. They've decided they no longer have to pretend that this is a team for everyone. His role on the team as its highest-paid player is well-established, and only tangentially involves basketball.

On a related note, DeSantis slammed the NBPA and the league's players for releasing a statement critical of the team's donation to this Super PAC. Now an interview he recently did with some Christian broadcasting company has re-surfaced, where he called NBA players (vast majority black) "freaks of nature" when contrasting them with baseball players (majority white) who have "different skills" and play a "thinking man's game".


https://deadspin.com/orlando-magic-national-anthem-kneel-bubble-1850713119

https://www.foxnews.com/media/nba-star-jonathan-isaac-launches-anti-woke-pro-christian-alternative-nike-values-valid

https://www.newsweek.com/ron-desantis-racism-basketball-players-1808423

[drsd]

Man I can't wait to see Isaac-playing-basketball stories. Remember those days?

A 10/1/6 box score as a 20 mpg player logging 65+ games played. I know, I dream too big. But what's life without such a fantasy of thought.

[SOUL]

On a related note, DeSantis slammed the NBPA and the league's players for releasing a statement critical of the team's donation to this Super PAC. Now an interview he recently did with some Christian broadcasting company has re-surfaced, where he called NBA players (vast majority black) "freaks of nature" when contrasting them with baseball players (majority white) who have "different skills" and play a "thinking man's game".

I dislike DeSantis for many reasons but this is stretching it as a gotcha. "Freak of nature" isn't racial (unless we're going to start calling "Greek Freak" a racist nickname now), and even white dudes who ball like Mac McClung can do things that most people can't. You're just less likely to see the equivalent of a 7'4" guy moving like a guard in baseball, which are 90% pretty average sized guys with okay athleticism (relative to NBA players) and a lot of specialization. You could interchange "freak of nature" with "unicorn" and be describing Wemby or Porzingis or Giannis and it doesn't make it racial either.

[OhioRock3]

Good lord...Isaac really leaning into the politics at this point. The only time i see his name is Fox News headlines or posting instagram videos with Lara Trump or worse.

He's turning into the new Diamond and Silk.

Who cares? There are plenty of athletes who wade into politics

[jonbob17]

Good lord...Isaac really leaning into the politics at this point. The only time i see his name is Fox News headlines or posting instagram videos with Lara Trump or worse.

He's turning into the new Diamond and Silk.

Who cares? There are plenty of athletes who wade into politics

Are there? There are plenty of athletes that voice their opinions and otherwise. Not sure any are appearing on strictly political shows like Glenn Beck, Lara Trump, Ben Shapiro, Laura Ingraham, and Dave Rubin....or the ReAwaken Tour, which included all sorts of grifters, Qanon folks, and worse.

Should we care, I don't know. He's afforded his free speech just like anyone else, and he can use his platform as he sees fit. At the same time, some of the things he is being questioned on and sometimes I would even argue was being lead into, is counter to the ideas that most of the rest of the league embrace. I am not sure how it has impacted Magic culture, they say what they say to the media....I would have to imagine players around the league are concerned.

I tended to give Jonathan the benefit of the doubt when questions of his political alliances and motivations first arose, and tended to believe his reasoning being religious in nature. But everything since seems like he is part of this culture war our nation finds ourselves in, one where people take sides to prosper off the attack of the other.

Seems like Jonathan is prospering off book sales, a new "anti-woke" clothing line, and who knows what else, by lending his voice to a dogma counter to 98% of the NBA.

[Skybox]

Good lord...Isaac really leaning into the politics at this point. The only time i see his name is Fox News headlines or posting instagram videos with Lara Trump or worse.

He's turning into the new Diamond and Silk.

Who cares? There are plenty of athletes who wade into politics

Are there? There are plenty of athletes that voice their opinions and otherwise. Not sure any are appearing on strictly political shows like Glenn Beck, Lara Trump, Ben Shapiro, Laura Ingraham, and Dave Rubin....or the ReAwaken Tour, which included all sorts of grifters, Qanon folks, and worse.

Should we care, I don't know. He's afforded his free speech just like anyone else, and he can use his platform as he sees fit. At the same time, some of the things he is being questioned on and sometimes I would even argue was being lead into, is counter to the ideas that most of the rest of the league embrace. I am not sure how it has impacted Magic culture, they say what they say to the media....I would have to imagine players around the league are concerned.

I tended to give Jonathan the benefit of the doubt when questions of his political alliances and motivations first arose, and tended to believe his reasoning being religious in nature. But everything since seems like he is part of this culture war our nation finds ourselves in, one where people take sides to prosper off the attack of the other.

Seems like Jonathan is prospering off book sales, a new "anti-woke" clothing line, and who knows what else, by lending his voice to a dogma counter to 98% of the NBA.
Like with example above with Diamond and Silk...it was all fun when a couple of quirky black women were going on tv to talk about how great Donald Trump was....less fun when we found out they were registered democrats getting paid millions of dollars by the Trump campaign to spew talking points.

Read his biography...he was definitely "discovered" by a spiritual mentor who is most definitely steering the ship, to at least some degree. Whether or not this fortunate, enterprising neighbor is taking advantage, selfishly benefitting, or just helping JI with his journey is unclear to me. We'll see.

Like a lot of gifted, very young people. JI is very strong-minded, very certain, and (maybe) very easily misled. AGAIN...I know I was there at that age, looking for answers, and I'm at a very different mental and spiritual place now, at 55, but it's just a different time in a person's life and people have different levels of self-determination. I don't doubt his integrity or his honesty...I just wonder how it will unfold over the course of his life. I wish him the best...but I'm a little dubious about spiritual "influencers" intentions.

[pepe1991]

NBA athletes by default are "freaks of nature". Among whole global population only 0,000038% of people are 7 foot tall or taller.
And in nba you have 30-40 people over that size.

"Seems like Jonathan is prospering off book sales, a new "anti-woke" clothing line, and who knows what else, by lending his voice to a dogma counter to 98% of the NBA."

But what's NBA belief system? Leaning toward domestic left wing, alleged human rights concerns etc, but in same time being sponsored by Nike ( child labor etc) , China market ( who, btw just closed last LGTBQ center, but hey ) , Emirates games ( country where it's forbidden by law for muslim women to marry non muslim -or god forbid same sex person).

So yea.. it's virtue signaling and much like any other coorporation, nba only cares about money. Why they care about domestic rights probably has to do more with stock prices than human rights. But that's story for whole another day .


if Isaac wants to go balls to a wall in politics, good for him, he migh escape financial need to become some crappy scout for some nba team after he retires and won't go broke like 70% of other players.
You can agree or not agree with his political view, that's on you, but it's also not your business. But don't be hypocrit who cries about human rights while you are flexing in new nike shoes who some underfed child was forced to made.