2023-2024 Regular Season Game 68: Toronto Raptors (23-44) at Orlando Magic (39-28) - 6pm

[Knightro]

I think some of y'all are going to perhaps be surprised when Goga has minimal interest in resigning here this summer.

The guy wants to play. Not be a third stringer.

[RookieStar]

I think some of y'all are going to perhaps be surprised when Goga has minimal interest in resigning here this summer.

The guy wants to play. Not be a third stringer.

I don't. I think we will keep WCJ despite us wanting to trade him so Goga will be gone. We gave him enough screentime that his audition guarantees him lots of offers.

[The-Stallion70]

Goga has such good instincts for deflections and blocks, if we didn't have both Moe and Wendell he could fill in no problem.

One issue with Goga is he doesn't look like he's quite in elite physical shape like Wendell or Moe. This may be why Mose has preferred the other two to him. Inversely his instincts defensively appear to be well ahead of both Moe and Wendell.

[The-Stallion70]

I think some of y'all are going to perhaps be surprised when Goga has minimal interest in resigning here this summer.

The guy wants to play. Not be a third stringer.

And he should because he's talented enough to be in a permanent rotation on an NBA team.

[ogmagicfan]

Something to keep in mind.

Hopefully this doesnt happen, but if Isaac gets injured Mo is unplayable.

Hence id rather resign Goga depending on how much he wants.

Now if he's interested is another convo. I think he might consider it if Magic org promise him more PT. If we sign more scorers to come off our bench this offszn, then Mo's scoring becomes less necessary

[drsd]

I think the rotation in the playoffs has to be 9 and not 10.

START: Suggs, Harris, Franz, Paolo, Carter
BACKUP: Cole, Ingles, Isaac, Moritz

Paolo, Franz and especially Suggs should all get an uptick in minutes from where they are right now. Isaac, if his body can handle it, should also be given the green light to play 20 minutes minimum at the bare minimum and bump that up to 24-25 if he can hang.

No 5-man bench units.

Where's the And-2 button!

This must be the rotation for the playoffs. Fultz is not helping the Magic win games.

Yes there will be situational moments where Fultz, Black, Houstan and Bitadze get court time, but they should not, in my view: must not, be part of a schedule playoff rotation.

There is a REAL chance Orlando could win round-1 of the playoffs. The goal thus must be WINNING, not stroking egos or "training" players. Win and win now!

Even if your great ideas are not being listed to by coach, the starting five must, must, must be the playoff starting five.


..

[JoshuaPotter]

We're 17-5 in our last 22, but it feels like we're struggling.

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I think its because we still having big roster holes and are just winning in spite of a lot of us refusing to believe that defense is our new identity and that somehow the rebuild isn't going according to our plan. Therefore, we MUST be terrible.

We also do not have a 17-5 start. Which totally blinds us when we look up and see 44-28, as if that is demonstrably worse.

I still remember Dec / Jan when we fielded a starting lineup of Okeke and Houstan. I was there. Yikes. Those were hard months. Against tough teams too. I think some posters are still reeling from that.

Naaah.. my take on this is that its because we do not properly take care of business.

Example : the last 2 RAPS games.. we should have steamrollered and kept at least a 10pt lead after the 5mins mark in the 1st quarter. However, we were still fighting tooth and nail till the 3rd quarter. If that was a team like BOS/MIL, their version of Okeke, JEtt and Admiral would have been playing near the end of the 2nd quarter already.

So we are a young team and whether we face a championship contender or the leading #1 draft pick winner, we kinda play to their level.

I know this was "your take". So I don't want to take your words out context too far.

I think quite a few fans here have a bit of a "we didn't make the trade for my guy to solve our problem" therefore, the weaknesses are compounded in their minds, we read the projection and let it or not subconsciously process it.

In terms of why we aren't blowing teams out offensively 100% of the time when we logically should. We simply do not have the play style and more specifically the much needed offensive firepower. That may change as Paolo and Franz develop killer instinct. Yet, once again I say for myself, and moreso anyone else who reads it. We lack a 3rd option in scoring.

[bigdogdylan5]

A day that will live on in infamy lol

What??? Is this true??? Lol

Wow have PC...

I actually don't think its true. I heard the job posting was listed 3 days ago.

Yea job req was altered looks like

[MagicMatic]

I mean.. ideally come playoffs Isaac is starting at Center and Carter is the first one off the bench. It makes no sense to have the best defender, and most impactful player, coming in for your primary option on offense if you can help it. Mosely would be an idiot to do anything otherwise to be honest.

This is why I dislike Carters role on this team.

Moe isn’t going anywhere for obvious reasons. I know people say it shouldn’t matter that he’s Franz brother, but it does. You know ownership and the FO love the family dynamic here…

Goga’s skillset is infinitely more important than someone like Carter for this roster and with how they treat Isaac during the regular season he’d be seeing more minutes than he would right now. Carter can also get a point guard of consequence in a trade return. Nobody else is doing that on the block.

The odd man out is Carter IMO.

[tiderulz]

I think some of y'all are going to perhaps be surprised when Goga has minimal interest in resigning here this summer.

The guy wants to play. Not be a third stringer.

yep. we might have had a chance if his minutes had continued, but going to muiltiple DNP-coaches decision, he isnt staying unless paid and likely not unless he knows WCJ or someone else is being traded. And he isnt giving us any discount.

[Knightro]

I mean.. ideally come playoffs Isaac is starting at Center and Carter is the first one off the bench. It makes no sense to have the best defender, and most impactful player, coming in for your primary option on offense if you can help it. Mosely would be an idiot to do anything otherwise to be honest.

This is why I dislike Carters role on this team.

Moe isn’t going anywhere for obvious reasons. I know people say it shouldn’t matter that he’s Franz brother, but it does. You know ownership and the FO love the family dynamic here…

Goga’s skillset is infinitely more important than someone like Carter for this roster and with how they treat Isaac during the regular season he’d be seeing more minutes than he would right now. Carter can also get a point guard of consequence in a trade return. Nobody else is doing that on the block.

The odd man out is Carter IMO.

Don't get me wrong, I love Jonathan Isaac and how impactful he is, but the dude has played more than 23 minutes in a game literally one time since 2019.

This whole idea that he should be starting just feels like wishful thinking in a very big way.

I'll be happy if he can play in every playoff game.

[MagicMatic]

I mean.. ideally come playoffs Isaac is starting at Center and Carter is the first one off the bench. It makes no sense to have the best defender, and most impactful player, coming in for your primary option on offense if you can help it. Mosely would be an idiot to do anything otherwise to be honest.

This is why I dislike Carters role on this team.

Moe isn’t going anywhere for obvious reasons. I know people say it shouldn’t matter that he’s Franz brother, but it does. You know ownership and the FO love the family dynamic here…

Goga’s skillset is infinitely more important than someone like Carter for this roster and with how they treat Isaac during the regular season he’d be seeing more minutes than he would right now. Carter can also get a point guard of consequence in a trade return. Nobody else is doing that on the block.

The odd man out is Carter IMO.

Don't get me wrong, I love Jonathan Isaac and how impactful he is, but the dude has played more than 23 minutes in a game literally one time since 2019.

This whole idea that he should be starting just feels like wishful thinking in a very big way.

I'll be happy if he can play in every playoff game.

I assumed they were restricting his minutes out of fear that he would be reinjured or at least limiting his minutes to ease him back into a bigger role.

I see no other possible scenario where the playoffs aren’t the time to maximize his role and increase his playing time. He’s proven that he’s capable and that he is enough of a difference maker that he needs to be on the floor. There would be no other reason to restrict his minutes in a playoff situation. That’s why he’s being paid.

If people want to make the argument that he shouldn’t be playing starters minutes in the regular season, then fine. At some point being conservative with his minutes makes no sense if he’s absolutely able to play and he’s the X factor for Orlando in the playoffs.

AND if that’s the case, then what are they really trying to accomplish during the regular season then? If he’s better than Carter and making substantially more money, then why isn’t he starting?

Carter only has a spot on this team IMO because of how the FO has handled Isaac. He has somehow transcended the idea of “playing your best, highest paid, players all while simultaneously being labeled as the biggest difference maker on the court.” I will undoubtedly either hate Isaac, the FO, or Mosely if he is still being held back in place of Carter on minutes restrictions in the playoffs…

[Knightro]

I assumed they were restricting his minutes out of fear that he would be reinjured or at least limiting his minutes to ease him back into a bigger role.

I see no other possible scenario where the playoffs aren’t the time to maximize his role and increase his playing time. He’s proven that he’s capable and that he is enough of a difference maker that he needs to be on the floor. There would be no other reason to restrict his minutes in a playoff situation. That’s why he’s being paid.

Maybe!

I will need to actually see that happen before I believe it's actually happening.

I don't think it's realistic to expect him to go from 18-20 MPG in the regular season to 28-30 MPG in the playoffs with the flip of a switch though.

If they're gonna ramp him up, it makes sense (to me at least) to do it over the final 2-3 weeks of the season.

[JoshuaPotter]

I assumed they were restricting his minutes out of fear that he would be reinjured or at least limiting his minutes to ease him back into a bigger role.

I see no other possible scenario where the playoffs aren’t the time to maximize his role and increase his playing time. He’s proven that he’s capable and that he is enough of a difference maker that he needs to be on the floor. There would be no other reason to restrict his minutes in a playoff situation. That’s why he’s being paid.

Maybe!

I will need to actually see that happen before I believe it's actually happening.

I don't think it's realistic to expect him to go from 18-20 MPG in the regular season to 28-30 MPG in the playoffs with the flip of a switch though.

If they're gonna ramp him up, it makes sense (to me at least) to do it over the final 2-3 weeks of the season.

This has been a talking point I have been waiting to have all season. The Isaac end game. Are we just load management because this is who he is, or are we load managing because "this is who he is, but we are saving him for something."

I suspect we will find the answer out. When that answer comes about, his contract either becomes "worth it" so to speak or we realize he isn't worth it because health forever prevents his availability.

While I do not think we should see him 40 minutes per game. Him starting depending on the matchup, and getting up to 25m+ I do not think is unrealistic.

[drsd]

I mean.. ideally come playoffs Isaac is starting at Center and Carter is the first one off the bench.

Respectfully, I cannot agree. M-Wagner needs Isaac. Thus they work well on a unit together!

[Magicman125]

I mean.. ideally come playoffs Isaac is starting at Center and Carter is the first one off the bench.

Respectfully, I cannot agree. M-Wagner needs Isaac. Thus they work well on a unit together!

Give Isaac some of Carter's minutes in close games in the clutch if there are games where WCJ looks lost or overpowered on defense/hesitant on the glass (this happens more this season, especially after the hand injury) . Also gimme some of that Death lineup for defense in the playoffs (Suggs Franz Paolo JI Carter) .

[drsd]

Give Isaac some of Carter's minutes in close games in the clutch if there are games where WCJ looks lost or overpowered on defense/hesitant on the glass (this happens more this season, especially after the hand injury) . Also gimme some of that Death lineup for defense in the playoffs (Suggs Franz Paolo JI Carter) .

If your argument here is, "it isn't who starts but who finishes", I totally agree!

[Bensational]

If WCJ, Isaac and Moe are the team’s big man options then we’re going to need Goga or someone like him to cover the 20-40 games missed between WCJ and Isaac each season. Having 3rd string depth that can get you a 9-game win streak has been a major difference maker for us this season. Possibly the difference between fighting Atlanta and Chicago for play-in spots instead of NYK for 4th.

[RookieStar]

I think its because we still having big roster holes and are just winning in spite of a lot of us refusing to believe that defense is our new identity and that somehow the rebuild isn't going according to our plan. Therefore, we MUST be terrible.

We also do not have a 17-5 start. Which totally blinds us when we look up and see 44-28, as if that is demonstrably worse.

I still remember Dec / Jan when we fielded a starting lineup of Okeke and Houstan. I was there. Yikes. Those were hard months. Against tough teams too. I think some posters are still reeling from that.

Naaah.. my take on this is that its because we do not properly take care of business.

Example : the last 2 RAPS games.. we should have steamrollered and kept at least a 10pt lead after the 5mins mark in the 1st quarter. However, we were still fighting tooth and nail till the 3rd quarter. If that was a team like BOS/MIL, their version of Okeke, JEtt and Admiral would have been playing near the end of the 2nd quarter already.

So we are a young team and whether we face a championship contender or the leading #1 draft pick winner, we kinda play to their level.

I know this was "your take". So I don't want to take your words out context too far.

I think quite a few fans here have a bit of a "we didn't make the trade for my guy to solve our problem" therefore, the weaknesses are compounded in their minds, we read the projection and let it or not subconsciously process it.

In terms of why we aren't blowing teams out offensively 100% of the time when we logically should. We simply do not have the play style and more specifically the much needed offensive firepower. That may change as Paolo and Franz develop killer instinct. Yet, once again I say for myself, and moreso anyone else who reads it. We lack a 3rd option in scoring.

But we have the defensive reputation to stifle opponents. How we allow them to go on 10 to nothing runs baffle me. Its like we allow them to score on us and decide to defend them seriously at a later time only

[RookieStar]

I mean.. ideally come playoffs Isaac is starting at Center and Carter is the first one off the bench.

Respectfully, I cannot agree. M-Wagner needs Isaac. Thus they work well on a unit together!

This.

But may I add M.WAgner, Jingles and Cole ( defensive midgets all of them ) needs Isaac to cover for them.