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We all want to see him play more minutes because he is just a huge impact out there. But, considering we are looking like a team that is going to make the playoffs, do you all think that given his history we should just keep him at 10-15 minutes and save him for bigger minutes for the playoffs? I mean you can tell when Mosely really wants to win he puts Isaac in again at the end of the game. One can assume if we make the playoffs Isaac is going to get a fairly major role (if he's available lol). What are all your thoughts?

Last Guardian wrote:We all want to see him play more minutes because he is just a huge impact out there. But, considering we are looking like a team that is going to make the playoffs, do you all think that given his history we should just keep him at 10-15 minutes and save him for bigger minutes for the playoffs? I mean you can tell when Mosely really wants to win he puts Isaac in again at the end of the game. One can assume if we make the playoffs Isaac is going to get a fairly major role (if he's available lol). What are all your thoughts?

In a perfect world. He solidifies the defense aspect of our bench in our 8 man playoff lineup.

Jonathans per 36 are insane. I think someone ran the numbers and we are 7-1 when he plays 15 minutes. I am not saying that "he is the reason". You just can't deny that there is "something" he brings to the table at a high level for the limited minutes he provides.

It's basically like a starter coming off the bench. But I am not sure if he will ever crack 20mpg for his career again.

Last Guardian wrote:We all want to see him play more minutes because he is just a huge impact out there. But, considering we are looking like a team that is going to make the playoffs, do you all think that given his history we should just keep him at 10-15 minutes and save him for bigger minutes for the playoffs? I mean you can tell when Mosely really wants to win he puts Isaac in again at the end of the game. One can assume if we make the playoffs Isaac is going to get a fairly major role (if he's available lol). What are all your thoughts?

Osure why not? But at a lower salary

If he makes it through the playoffs healthy, the Magic should offer him an extension. Something like 3 yrs $36m. He may take the extension to get the guaranteed money. Plus, he's been a part of his church for a long time, and his wife is from here.

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JI is our x factor, I m so glad we have suggs and ji in this team.

I love Defensive beast

Is trading this guy even possible?

Starting not to care about how great he looks in 10 minutes a game once every 2-3 weeks.

I’d rather move him for a player that.. y’know… plays basketball.

MagicMatic wrote:Is trading this guy even possible?

Starting not to care about how great he looks in 10 minutes a game once every 2-3 weeks.

I’d rather move him for a player that.. y’know… plays basketball.

He’s on pace to play ~60 games. Not great but it’s not like he has missed more games than played. He’s at 21 of 29 games with some of those games missed being the 2nd game of back to backs which were supposedly planned (like tonight).

thelead wrote:

MagicMatic wrote:Is trading this guy even possible?

Starting not to care about how great he looks in 10 minutes a game once every 2-3 weeks.

I’d rather move him for a player that.. y’know… plays basketball.

He’s on pace to play ~60 games. Not great but it’s not like he has missed more games than played. He’s at 21 of 29 games with some of those games missed being the 2nd game of back to backs which were supposedly planned (like tonight).

He’s averaging like 13-14 mpg in the last 6 he’s played and has played 6 out of the last 14 on a $17.5m/2yr contract.

Yeah, don’t care how good he looks in extremely limited minutes as Paolo’s backup half the time he plays. This team isn’t good enough to be spending that kind of cap space on guys that don’t play basketball.

He’s bench decoration that happens to remind people he’s on the team when he plays in a losing effort against Giannis for 14 minutes.

Getting real tired of fans giving $30m+ of semi-useless hardly available players the benefit of the doubt because Orlando hoards perpetually injured nice guys and fan favorites to clap and sit on the bench. Can’t wait to be rid of both of them.

MagicMatic wrote:

thelead wrote:

MagicMatic wrote:Is trading this guy even possible?

Starting not to care about how great he looks in 10 minutes a game once every 2-3 weeks.

I’d rather move him for a player that.. y’know… plays basketball.

He’s on pace to play ~60 games. Not great but it’s not like he has missed more games than played. He’s at 21 of 29 games with some of those games missed being the 2nd game of back to backs which were supposedly planned (like tonight).

He’s averaging like 13-14 mpg in the last 6 he’s played and has played 6 out of the last 14 on a $17.5m/2yr contract.

Yeah, don’t care how good he looks in extremely limited minutes as Paolo’s backup half the time he plays. This team isn’t good enough to be spending that kind of cap space on guys that don’t play basketball.

He’s bench decoration that happens to remind people he’s on the team when he plays in a losing effort against Giannis for 14 minutes.

Getting real tired of fans giving $30m+ of semi-useless hardly available players the benefit of the doubt because Orlando hoards perpetually injured nice guys and fan favorites to clap and sit on the bench. Can’t wait to be rid of both of them.

Do you think he’s going to get a big contract this summer? I don’t.

thelead wrote:

MagicMatic wrote:

thelead wrote:He’s on pace to play ~60 games. Not great but it’s not like he has missed more games than played. He’s at 21 of 29 games with some of those games missed being the 2nd game of back to backs which were supposedly planned (like tonight).

He’s averaging like 13-14 mpg in the last 6 he’s played and has played 6 out of the last 14 on a $17.5m/2yr contract.

Yeah, don’t care how good he looks in extremely limited minutes as Paolo’s backup half the time he plays. This team isn’t good enough to be spending that kind of cap space on guys that don’t play basketball.

He’s bench decoration that happens to remind people he’s on the team when he plays in a losing effort against Giannis for 14 minutes.

Getting real tired of fans giving $30m+ of semi-useless hardly available players the benefit of the doubt because Orlando hoards perpetually injured nice guys and fan favorites to clap and sit on the bench. Can’t wait to be rid of both of them.

Do you think he’s going to get a big contract this summer? I don’t.

No.

It’s just a complete waste of time IMO.

Tired of Orlando being the premiere destination for guys to land huge contracts and not play.

Our top 3 highest paid players currently either can’t see the court or are injured for 20-30+ games a season and it’s **** annoying. Might as well light a big pile of money on fire because that’s about the equivalent of their contribution. All of them also have better replacements already availability notwithstanding.

Issue is gameplaning around player that you never know when he will play and for how long. You can't even build roster on player who is such a wild card.

Like Ingles, Cole Anthony, Mortiz Wagner trio is unplayable together if Isaac isn't around because your defense will be a**.

Yet, when Isaac plays, Mo- Cole are one of best scoring bench punches out there. Without him- that turns into wild run&gun with opponents where we gain no significant adventage.

And we really need our bench to be significant adventage. Matter of fact we won 9 in a row mostly because our bench was tearing teams apart.

pepe1991 wrote:Issue is gameplaning around player that you never know when he will play and for how long. You can't even build roster on player who is such a wild card.

Like Ingles, Cole Anthony, Mortiz Wagner trio is unplayable together if Isaac isn't around because your defense will be a**.

Yet, when Isaac plays, Mo- Cole are one of best scoring bench punches out there. Without him- that turns into wild run&gun with opponents where we gain no significant adventage.

And we really need our bench to be significant adventage. Matter of fact we won 9 in a row mostly because our bench was tearing teams apart.

This gets right at it. He's a wildcard and that's just hard to incorporate into a build.

Fultz, Harris, Isaac, and WCJ are all problems. I'll dance a jig if WePark replaces them.

I raised the white flag on him with the second-to-last hamstring injury. He'd be a game-changer if healthy but his body can't handle the NBA.

pepe1991 wrote:Issue is gameplaning around player that you never know when he will play and for how long. You can't even build roster on player who is such a wild card.

Like Ingles, Cole Anthony, Mortiz Wagner trio is unplayable together if Isaac isn't around because your defense will be a**.

Yet, when Isaac plays, Mo- Cole are one of best scoring bench punches out there. Without him- that turns into wild run&gun with opponents where we gain no significant adventage.

And we really need our bench to be significant adventage. Matter of fact we won 9 in a row mostly because our bench was tearing teams apart.

Agree...despite his incredible impact, ORL should use it's (rare) financial flexibility to stop grasping at threads this summer (or TD)...We'd be better off with a lesser but similar player that we can rely on/game plan for. I'd love to have Isaac around for $8m but we should be looking at a guy like Claxton (who is just as good in the paint/at the rim-but maybe not the perimeter mayhem-creator as Isaac) for around the same money as Isaac's non-guaranteed deal, or even make a trade for a step down, but similar Gafford as WAS is clearly open for business.

ORL is making tremendous progress...sitting on our hands while Paolo & Franz waste valuable years is a mistake. They are very young - which is amazing. But they are also "Arrived", so time is wasting...especially, if they're being asked to carry the team every single night, win or lose. We can essentially swap Isaac's salary and something for his reliable (if lesser) replacement. Then, we can get P&F some backcourt scoring & playmaking help with other assets (Fultz/Harris/Chuma expirings, WCJ, picks, etc)...this seems very attainable and timely.

My understanding of his contract:
This season is only 7.6m guaranteed (of 17.4 total) , if we waive him before 1/20/24, fully guaranteed after that
Next season is not guaranteed at all (17.4 total), fully guaranteed on 1/10/25

I don't think it's reasonable to go on like this, with him in and out of the lineup. I'd actually be OK with a minutes restriction of 12-20 mpg if he wasn't just "out" so routinely. He's a spectacular talent - but he really should be getting $8m just for M. Wagner-type situational minutes...that scenario is not an option. I don't see any point in waiving him next week, but if things don't improve over the rest of the season, waiving him this summer opens up a lot of cap space to chase guys that can play. I hope he gets it together and is a key part of the lineup entering the playoffs, but if not - time's up.

I LOVE what he brings to the court...but it's become so disruptive to the lineup and the game plan, imo, that it may be coming to an end. Perhaps some young team would pull a Grant Hill/PHO or Fultz/ORL type move and give him a shot. They might end up huge winners, possibly even DPOY. He's still young...I just think we are entering a critical phase and we have too many "maybes" in our equation. His (waived) salary alone gets you a good chunk of a Claxton or Quickley or Simons salary - if you can make the deal. I would think a significant role on a young, up and coming team like ORL would be starting to look pretty attractive. And, realistically, a healthy (even just for a few weeks) could put a really good team over the top through the playoffs. Could be a Bill Walton story...just not for us anymore.

JI is the x factor, he is here to stay

cedric76 wrote:JI is the x factor, he is here to stay

You can’t be an X factor if you don’t play basketball.

What X factor is hard capped at 14mpg and plays half the time?

He is an x factor when he's a available, same with Suggs. I think he is worth another vet min or up to $5m deal for one year but not more than that.

cedric76 wrote:JI is the x factor, he is here to stay

Dude can’t stay healthy he better not be here next year or our FO doesn’t want to win just collect a check.

I would be happy to see him ramp up to 20 minutes a game, no b2bs after all-star break, and 24 minutes, every game in the playoffs.

Otherwise, I would prefer to move on.