February 9, 2024 • 45 mins
Dante, George and Jake discuss the Magic standing pat at the trade deadline, preview Paolo Banchero's All-Star weekend and preview the final 30 games of the season.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey, Welcome everyone to another edition of Orlando Magic Pod Squad.
Dante Marcatelli, Jake Chapman, George Galante recap the NBA trade
deadline from an Orlando Magic perspective in Magic Fans Magic
Pod Squad brought to you by the FIDA Department of Transportation.
They remind you the fans, don't let fans drive drunk.
If you've been drinking, don't get behind the wheel. Instead,
find a sober driver or catch a ride service. Remember,
(00:23):
drive sober or get pulled over. Have a great night
and drive stafe. Lots to get to on this edition
of Magic Pod Squad, one of the final ones before
the All Star break, as we recap the busy NBA
trade deadline and the Orlando Magic thinking going into this
one and the decision to ride with what you got
in a great position for this Magic team here down
(00:44):
the stretch, what it looks like the final thirty games
of the season, and a busy All Star weekend for
Polo ban Carrol and great national exposure coming up for
the Orlando Magic organization starting next week in Indianapolis. All
that coming your way on this edition of Magic Pod Squad.
Those fonds of Oaro if the Orlando Magic. This is
col Anthony Missus, Jennon Suggs, this is Paulo Man Carroll
(01:05):
of the Orlando Magic, and you're listening to the Pods
Squad and welcome everyone to another edition of Orlando Magic
Prod Squad. Dante Marca, Telly, George Galate, Jake Chapman.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Here with you.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Lots to get to. This Orlando Magic team now sitting
here at twenty eight and twenty four at the time
of this taping, three games left before the All Star Break.
You win game one of a four game homestand a
big home stand coming up, meaningful games here the last
three big night coming up with Shaquille O Neil getting
this jersey retire. We get a lot to get to
and we'll do it here on this edition of Orlando
(01:39):
Magic Pod Squad. The trade deadline has come and gone.
What looks like? What does it look like for the
final thirty one games of the season for the Orlando
Magic as they make their playoff push. Magic sitting in
a great position, and we'll recap all of it here
for you. But first of all, all star plans, all
star plans for everybody. George, you have an All Star
in Polo ban Carrol, But from what I understand, you
(02:00):
will not be anywhere near Indianapolis. Probably a good move.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
How'd you get out of that one?
Speaker 3 (02:06):
I well, I think it's just his tenure. Tenyure got
me out of All Star Weekend. I really have no
other excuse other than that. Listen, I love the festivities,
deaths Rand. It's a grand event for the league, but
I said it on this format before that for an
employee that has to go to All Star Weekend, and
(02:28):
and God bless Trish Wingerson, she's going to be doing she's.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Taking it for She's taken it. She's taken one for
the team. Oh okay, gotcha.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
He's gonna fall on the grenade for All Star Weekend.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Man.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
And now it's like, you know, we're so excited that
Paolo is in the game off absolutely so, it's and
we'll get to that. It's but now he's in the
Skills Challenge on All Star Saturday night, he is in
the Rising Stars event on Friday. I thought, you know,
he would pull maybe back off the Rising Stars event
(03:00):
since he's now going to play in the game. But
that means Trisha's got to get up there on Thursday. Oh, no,
so she she will be busy Friday. Yeah, she will
be busy Saturday night. She will be busy Sunday night.
And then I asked, asked, well what time? She said,
I got a five thirty am flight out Monday morning.
Oh my goodness. And uh, it's just it's along at first.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Well, it's even if he's not in all those events,
it's a busy night with him. Just anyway, right, going
to going to all the appearances and everything, you're going
to have it.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
He's going to have a media circuit to go through,
which is great, you know, and it's.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Going to be great for absolutely.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Absolutely, He's going.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
To get to do some things he has never done before.
And uh, he'll be excited and everybody will be excited
in his camp. It's his first time there, and there's
nothing like going there for the first time. Uh, it's uh,
but I plan on being nowhere near Indianapolis. I plan
on being here in Orlando. My kids will still be
at school. The lacrosse season Dante has started.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Oh yeah, okay, okay, okay, it's big.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
We'll be doing that.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
You're in the business season, well, Jake, just so you know,
when we go to Indianapolis to play the Pacers. He
doesn't stay in Indianapolis anyway. He stays in Chicago and
then drives over.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
So special exemption.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
That's how about you.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Thank you, Jay Jake. You get a chance to decompress
a little bit, right with that? What almost ten month old?
Speaker 2 (04:19):
I do? I do? We're gonna have to wait.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
I'm not sure if decompresses the way to describe it.
We're gonna go on our first plane flight with uh
with with little Josie he is recently ye oh, that's
big news, hitting nine months, and we're gonna go to Philadelphia,
see my sister. My parents are gonna drive from Cleveland
to Philly.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
So just a few days.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
We're gonna fly on on Friday and come back on Monday,
and then hopefully get a beach day on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Hopefully the weather is good enough because we need one
of those.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
You may get less rest, You may get less rest
than Trish.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Right exactly.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
In my mind light alone, just order to know exactly
that's Georgie. That's busy doving, that is that is a
lot of work. And I'm gonna tell you this right
now as soon as you sit down, everyone around you goes,
oh boy.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
Oh yeah, I am going to have my eye you know,
when you walk on the plane. I'm not somebody who
puts my head down and walks forward. My eyes are
dropping around. I always make eye contact with people when
I get on the plane to see what I'm working with.
And of course you always identify the first potential crying baby.
And now that's gonna be me. It's gonna be me, Kelly,
(05:23):
You're gonna walk down the plane when we're gonna identify. Yeah,
one of these things is as soon as we walk by, Hey,
what can you do?
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Right? I figured absolutely good.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
It's a good what two hours in a little change flight.
It's not too bad. We're not going to Seattle. And
you know, try to tie it up. You get a bottle,
you get a nap in there, and absolutely yeah, it works.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
He's listening eds.
Speaker 4 (05:43):
Crying kids cry.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Everybody understands, right, George, the crying kids, you sometimes you
just get. It's it's the ones that make no attempt
to stop. It is where you have the problem. Right,
It's the parents that say, okay, it's fine. Hey, you
know what, it's a crying baby. I'm not gonna do anything,
do everything you can to get the baby to stop.
And if she doesn't, she doesn't. But but you gotta,
you gotta give it an effort, and I know you will.
That's exactly it. And and we've are we're already taking
(06:06):
the proper precautions. We went to the doctor and make
sure she didn't have any ear infection.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
We get yeah, blue.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Boot listen, she'll have them when you get back. Yeah,
she'll pick what up on the player's aid, right, Yeah,
ear infection when you get the doctor.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
By the way, this is why I love her doctor.
She literally said, keep her in bubble wrapid before until
you get out there. Play there you go out of
We got a week in the time, so but we're ready.
I'm excited for it, and your nods.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
You'll be totally fired. Then then you wake up and
she's sucking on the armrest and you're like, okay, this
is doctor, I never get it. But you've been they're
not sterilized. Then you'll be surprised. There's not a feral
cleaning process on those planes. Oh that's great, you'll have
a great time. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not. I
feel like we've been We've been around enough, so we're
just gonna We're just gonna hump her down and enjoy
(06:53):
a couple of days off and be ready to go
here for the last thirty what I guess twenty seven
at that point, twenty seven games of the seat as
they make their playoff push. Probably not a huge surprise, guys.
The NBA trade deadline came and went and not a
huge uh, not any moves, not a single move for
the Orlando Magic. But you didn't know that there would be.
They've got a full roster, and you know, I'm sure
(07:15):
you know, as we know with Jeff Wellman, he's making calls,
he's fielding calls, and if there was something out there
that that made sense for this Magic organization, he would
have done it. He's we've seen in the past he's
not afraid to make a move if one is there.
But I'm not privy to a ton of insight more
than that. But George, I guess we can surmise without
the deal, without a deal being made, that there wasn't
(07:39):
something he feeled he felt comfortable pulling the trigger on.
And of course it always takes two to tango, so
so you need someone else.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
To help you as well.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
And maybe partly there's the feeling that with these with
this roster that we have, now, if we're fully healthy,
with thirty games left, let's see what we can do
here with the guys that we currently have on the team.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
You basically just took everything I was going to say
and already said it. So, yeah, Jeff is not going
to be one to sacrifice something for the future just
to try to accomplish something short term. Now that's not
to say that he's not interested in, you know, like
everybody else here, making the playoffs and making that ship
(08:18):
and doing everything we can. I think we have to
always kind of take a step back a little bit
and look where we are. And right now, like you said,
we're what we were four games over five hundred. If
somebody would have told you I know it, I know it,
or a training camp that listen at the All Star break,
you're gonna have the chance to be sick, you know,
anywhere from four to seven games over five hundred at
(08:41):
the All Star break. There is not one person in
Central Florida or anybody that wears Magic.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Blue in the world direct correct what.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Is signed that would have said sign me up? For
that sign.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
And a half a game out of six. Let's let's
just add that to the mix, too. Right.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
You can't control you can't cotrol the other teams, right
like you can control what they're doing. You can only
control what you're doing. And if you would have said
that you can be anywhere from four to seven games
or over over five hundred at the All Star rate,
there is not one person that would be said, we
should be better than that, right, correct, And so I
(09:18):
think the Magic are very happy with where we are.
I think that. And that's not to say that Jeff
didn't try to improve the roster. He's always looking in
the basketball operation staff is always looking to find ways
where they can improve. But it's not going to be
at the sacrifice of something where you know you're looking
two years down the road and oh crap, we shouldn't
have done that move. So sometimes, and we've seen it
(09:40):
in another places, sometimes the best move is no move.
Only time will tell whether that was the right decision
to make. I do think that the Magic are now
looking at their roster and seeing we have a full
healthy roster for the first time all season. Our schedule
does after the All Star break and we've already accomplished
(10:05):
what we've accomplished in the first fifty plus games with
having guys in and out of the line yep, with
being very road heavy, two West coast trips, two very
long East coast Midwest trips. I think the Magic we
cannot be in any better of a situation than we
are right now. And if we can get say two
(10:27):
of these final three games in this home stand before
we go to the All Star Break, I think everybody
in Magic Nation should be very happy with where the
team stands going into the home stretch.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Well, they have a chance to be four or five
games over five hundred going into the break, very realistic,
if not better going into the All Star Break, which
is phenomenal. Then you look at that, Jacob. The other
part of that is this team is seven and four
with the starting lineup that we saw last night. Okay,
so that's three games over five hundred. That's kind of
your difference right there. But it's a been eleven games.
(10:59):
You've had that intact in the starting lineup for eleven games,
let's see, right, So I guess one way to look
at it, just to kind of piggyback on what George said,
and again there's always magic fans that say, why don't
you take the expiring contract of whoever and turn it
into Buddy Heals, Or why don't you you know, why
didn't you trade Admiral Schofield and go get to Jantey Murray.
(11:22):
Well it doesn't work that way, but that's what magic
fans do, right They look and say, okay, well there
must be scenarios where we can add to it. First
of all, I don't think anyone should ever expect that
there would be a wholesale change, right. If anything, it
would have been a minor deal, maybe to add some
shooting or things like that. Then you watch them last
night they knocked down what they shoot fifty nine percent
from three, and think, okay, maybe maybe they've got it
(11:44):
in up. Maybe they're not in the tank to get
through the final thirty games, but maybe your moves are
simply Jake, you've got a fully healthy roster. That was
eleven times you've had that starting lineup last night. Let's
see what they can do for the final thirty one. Dan,
you think about the bench all this on.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
You've got ten guys who you know we envisioned as
your rotation at the beginning of the season, and it's
been twelve games or whatever that we've had, you know,
from one to ten, the guys in the in the
spots that we envisioned for them. I think, you know,
I think there was a thought that, you know, we
know they're not a great shooting team, can we add
(12:20):
some shooting? But like, who who in that the top
ten is going to slide out? We have shooting there,
it's just a habit.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Who's going to replace four we have?
Speaker 4 (12:28):
At the same time, we've got twelve road games left
for drying out at I mean, you will talk about
how how how top heavy and front heavy the schedule was,
and and and and here we are so basically everything
George said I agree with. I just don't understand, especially
because we were the fourth youngest roster in the NBA
on opening night, Like we have a majority of our
(12:49):
rosters best basketball is in front of them. You could
make the argument that everybody on our roster, their best
basketball is in front of them. You don't want to
trade away a guy too early and then all of
a sudden, it's two three years from now, and you, boy,
that would be nice, and to me it Storge the way,
George Foot it like you got to kind of stick
to the timeline. Paul is in year two, Franz Is
in year three. When those guys are at the height
(13:11):
of their powers, is when we want the flexibility to
be able to make that one move that we think
puts us over the top. And you got to keep
all your chips in your corner for that moment, and
it might be a big move, bring it in in
a you know, a perfect third compliment, or it might
be a small move at that point. You tried a
couple twos. But Oklahoma City did that, and then they're
(13:33):
able to make a move. And whether or not we
think Gordon Ayward is the one to put him over
the top, Oklahoma City was in every conversation yesterday. Sam
Presley could have done almost whatever he wanted to because
he nailed the draft for a few years and because
he added all those assets and resisted the urge to
make a small move for a few three or four
wins this season. You always have to have and this
is what I love about Jeff Weltman and the front office.
(13:54):
You always have to have that sort of long term
vision in mind because you want to build something sustainable
and you know, prove positive is the Atlanta Hawks. They
mortgage their future for Dejona Murray. He's a good player,
you wann't enough to make them a championship contender, not
even close. So I think the idea of of sort
of putting it all in when you're early on in
the timeline and Pollo in year two is first All
(14:17):
Star appearance just doesn't make a ton of sense.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
It's very listen. I it's very hard if it because
if it was me, I would be like, yeah, let's
go get whoever, let's forget whatever. All Star now. Like
the problem is is that it's not fantasy basketball. Right,
We've all played fantasy basketball, and we all feel like, well,
we know what we're doing, and we all know now
I can trade this, you know this super you know this,
(14:41):
these two guys for a superstar. It's good that we
have guys in our front office that can look bigger.
I am not one of those people. I want to
I want to win now.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
I want to win. Sure, yes, exactly exactly right, right,
they don't. It's it's just I want to play Isaac
forty five minutes. I'm with you.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
I know, it's really in January.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
I want to do yes, yes, exactly.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
There has to be bigger picture thoughts when it comes
to how this team is going to go, and Jake
hit it right on the head, I think we are
setting this up or when And that's not Again, this
is not to say we're not going to go try
to get a playoff spot this year. It's not say
we're going to go try to win a playoff series
or two this year. Of course we're going to do that,
(15:24):
but you do have to have bigger picture in mind.
And like you said when Fra, I love that when
Franz and Paolo hit their super superpower.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
I yeah, exactly, exactly.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
So, and then that hopefully you have set this up correctly.
Oklahoma City is in a different place than we are.
As much as we want to try to compare ourselves
with that, there are Listen, they're in first.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Place in the West, absolutely absolute worst place in the West.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
The magic or not, and so you can't. You can't.
It's not it's not a parallel road with us in
oklahom with somebody like Oklahoma City. Our time will come.
And again we've played twelve thirteen games with our full
roster out of fifty two, and now we have it again.
And now from in a stretch between March and April,
(16:09):
we're going to have ten of eleven home games against
teams that are sub five hundred, which we've done very
well at, especially at home. This schedule will let up
and we're poised to have a nice strong finish to
this season and then maybe we can make some noise
in the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
I'm all for that. And listen, you look at the
guys you've got. I think the thing that frustrates some
Magic fans is this is the second round. Is the
second round picks that you get something to fill in need? Right?
I think that's when you look and say, okay, well
you got this guy for just to pick you don't
even have to lose a player.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
But then I think to.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Kind of you guys's point as well, well, who does
that person replace in your lineup? Right? Because you're kind
of rolling along right now, everybody kind of understands their roles.
You look at a guy like Gary Harris, so I
think everybody thought maybe with that contract, you know, that
would be a desirable thing for other teams. And I'm
looking at it. You're nineteen and twelve. When Gary plays,
you're nineteen and twelve. In games when he plays, you're
(17:06):
seventeen and six when he hits a three, one three.
The difference for this team if somebody can step up
from time to time and make an additional three, it
means halt the world to this team. Right. They're one
of the top third in the NBA in clutch games
that they've been in decided by five points or less.
You're one or two made baskets away from having a
(17:27):
completely different record, right, and that's just one guy who's
playing about seventeen eighteen minutes.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Listen, I called you yesterday after the deadline, and we
just had a chat like we normally do, and I
said to you, like, we don't even need Let's just
take Gary and Joe for example, right, I don't even
need them to hit a three, correct, Well, that's two.
I need them to be on the floor to take
a guy right eighteen inches off the block.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
I don't need the magic to be to shoot thirty nine.
It'd be kick ass and amazing if the magic you're
thirty nine percent from three. But just the fact that
those guys are on the floor and can be on
the floor. And I think that goes to the numbers
you just said and being healthy, being old, and so
I think we are set up in a great place
(18:15):
downstretch here.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
No, yeah, no, I completely agree. So that I think
that you factor all that in And those are just
a couple of small examples that you look at if
you're the front office saying, all right, well, let's roll
with what we got, right. We don't know what the
future looks like for Markel, We don't know what the
future looks like, you know, for for some of these
other guys on the roster. But we've got to this point,
we're going to have them for the rest of the
for the rest of the duration. Let's let's see what
(18:37):
they look like here down the stretch, right, So that's
in every piece of good around. Yeah, I know, me too,
Me too, me too. Now that being said, you haven't
had a record of health for these guys, so it
is hard to bank on that for the final thirty games.
But hey, we're in a good position as far as
that goes. There might be a couple of back to
back scenarios where you may not have a guy or two,
you know, for for a handful of games, but for
(18:59):
the most part, this is the roster you have in
tach so that I think we would all agree, right,
so that the trade deadline comes and goes. Maybe those
were some of the factors that went into it. And
this is what we've got for the duration, not forgetting
anything right. We we think we've covered all that.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Yeah, so it is the last thing I was gonna
add is like when I was sitting there and going through, Okay,
who are guys who might be available, who might be
a good fit, I was basically naming other teams version
of Gary Harris and Joe Ingold right right right for that, Yeah,
exactly bringing it a veteran who defends well you know
at the point of at that doesn't need the ball
in his hands, in a good spacer for Paul and Frantz.
Oh wait a second, we have that guy. He's just
(19:35):
that's injury issues so far this year. So if he is,
if he is locked in a healthy coming down the stretch.
It's that That's the perfect example of when you see
it in another in another jersey, you're going, oh, we
need him, we need that guy. Emmanuel quickly when everybody
was talking about it, he was available from the Knicks,
and and I see all this discourse on Twitter, I'm
going we have a Manuel quickly. His name's cole An.
(19:57):
Like you know, like everybody, it's always it's always kind
of the grasses greener over there. We've got we've I
think we have the roster in place here and they've
proven it so far without health and with the schedule,
as we mentioned.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Here, we are four games about five hundred.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
We've had a lot of conversations over the years, all
of us, with other teams, you know, broadcasters, pr staff, whatever.
Where we look at somebody from Afar, I'm like, wow,
we'd really like to have that guy. And then you
have a conversation with that guy and they're like, oh,
you can have him.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
Right, It's very interesting like that.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Yeah, you can't say. And it's people like people, people
would have no idea the caliber of stars, even where
you've had a conversation and you're just like, man, he's
got to be great, you know, like I'd love to
have him, and they're turned around. It's just like you said,
the grass is always greener somebody else. Another girl is
always prettier, Like it's not necessarily the case so like, yeah,
let's right, let's ride with what we have. Let's let's
(20:49):
let's let's.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Well and and and if you want to make a move,
you can do it this summer. You're two months away, right,
You're two months away from the you know from from
the playoffs starting, so you can go. You can pursue
anything you want. You haven't given up any any you
haven't given up any assets, any draft compensation. And I
guess the last part of this I will piggyback on.
Guys can say they don't worry about the trade deadline.
All they want. Guys can say they don't care. Coach
(21:10):
can say, you know, control the things you can control
and all that, and that's right, that's how you have
to approach it. But there was a different feeling in
that locker room yesterday before the game, knowing that okay,
this is everybody's here. There were a lot more smiles,
there was a lot less tense. You went on, had
one of your best offensive games of the season. I
think guys weren't pressing. I think that's another part of it, right,
the final thirty games, and we'll touch on that next.
(21:31):
You know, guys got to play better. There are some
guys that got to you gotta shoot better, you gotta
play better, you gotta protect the ball better. And that's
what happens. You need that in the playoff push anyway.
But don't you feel like, Okay, this is this is
what you gotta And it looked to me like it
was it was just the weight was lifted off a
lot of guys shoulders last night.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Jake, you were at cheat around and yesterday, I mean,
there were a lot of guys. It's it's it's human nature.
We were all on our phones. We were all on
our phones as guys started to do media availability yesterday,
and that's when a couple of the you know, a
couple of the Knicks deals went down or they you know,
it's just it's wojbomb after Sham's bomb after woj bomb. Yeah, right,
And we're not the only ones that do that. I mean,
(22:10):
like Jay Jalen came out to do an interview for me,
and the first thing he said was he's like, well
grab you see you know, see the Knicks just got
you know, Bogeton. It's like they're all looking at it.
And but the problem, the difference between me and them
is that they could go at any minute?
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Yeah, true, Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
That has to be an unnerving feeling, absolutely for for
a young guy like that that's on his own, for
a guy that has a family like oh question. It's
a very nervous time for all the players, no matter
who you are, because it's been proven over the years
that nobody is is untradeable, right, nobody's untradeable.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
So it's well and into Jeff's credit. With all that
being said, am I gonna pull the trigger? Am I
gonna do something just to do something right and uproot
someone for something that I'm not convinced is gonna is
gonna be that much better than what we've already gotten, What's.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
Going to affect the other guys in the line?
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (23:05):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
Or I'm really tight with player B and player B
goes and that messes up player A.
Speaker 4 (23:10):
Yeah, that's what That's what I was gonna say. It's
it would never be the reason you want to make
a deal, because we want to keep our locker room together.
But we have talked all season long about the chemistry
and the vibe with the locker room, and it is unique.
I think we've been around long enough to know that
not all teams are built this way, and and and
chemistry is chemistry. You take away one piece and you
have no idea how it impact. Let alone, who are
(23:31):
we bringing in? Are they going to take shots away
from the guys that we need to still be developing.
There's just so much more edited in how many years
are on their contract, you know who who represents them.
There are so many layers to all of this. When
you make a move like that, and and and we
are not in the situation where the Detroit Pistons are
where it's like this, clearly is it working.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
We need to do so.
Speaker 4 (23:53):
Like goodness, they needed to do stuff for the sake
of doing stuff because very clearly what they were doing
was not working. We we we feel like we're we're
onto something here, and even those small, minor moves can
sometimes have big impacts.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Now, don't get me wrong, I would have liked to
had Buddy healed for a second round pick, but but
that deal wasn't out there.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
And it takes two to tang.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
It takes two to tango. You're you're exactly right. That
was that was a prominent thought. That was prominent thought
on Magic Twitter. Yeah, that's but that was the bottom
three guys in my roster. It's not gonna happen. Want
that too, So I did like I did, like the
tweet from Bill Simmons. We need to we need to,
we need to rethink if Detroit should be allowed to
make moves. I thought that was brutal in the way
(24:34):
they just blew that whole thing up. My goodness. So now,
the electricity in that building last night was sensational. I
think one of the things that stood out to me
was Jonathan Isaac rejecting the dunk attempt by Victor weban Yama.
He's caught a couple of people, and at some point
people are gonna stop, uh trying to attack Jonathan Isaac. Right,
you know, Jeff says it on the broadcast. Think twice,
(24:55):
Think twice, and then they'll shoot and you'll swadd it away.
Jonathan Isaac the final third games. Right as you sit
here now, with thirty games left, the minutes will start
to creep up. We've seen games where he finishes the
entire fourth quarter. Right, He's going to be a secret
weapon or an X factor for this team if they're
going to move up in the standings and ultimately clinch
(25:15):
a playoff spot. What does it look like for him
as we look at minutes, as we look at where
he's going to be potentially at the end of the season,
because he's a difference maker. And that was unbelievable. That's
a seven to four guy trying to throw it down
over the top of you and you sent it into
the stands.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
It's got to be really hard for Jamal Mosley to
keep him. I mean you've seen it Dante where he
kind of yes, right solver and asks, you know, you
or me or Joel Glass, how many minutes is jiat.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
And what do we say? And what do we tell him?
Speaker 3 (25:43):
I tell him four, even if it's the fourth quarter
and he's played at least twenty minutes, that four minutes
he got sixteen four. You're all good, everything's he's clear,
But you still have to listen. You know, the All
Star break is not where we want to get with
Jonathan Isaac. March first is not where we want to
get to Jonathan Isaac. We want to get to May
(26:05):
with Jonathan Isaac. You're right, I mean we and and
a full healthy Jonathan Isaac. The more he plays, the
more he can get through games. You know, with a
slight tick up in his minutes. The more the more
mentally healthy he has to be too to be out
there as well. And I think that's a big thing
with Jonathan is you know, he starts off slow. He
(26:26):
plays ten minutes a game and all right, my legs
are good. I can I can get through that.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Now.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
Now we're up to fifteen, Now we're up to twenty.
I'm not saying by the time we get to May,
he's going to be playing thirty five minutes a night.
That's not going to happen because this guy that's been,
you know, suffered through so much, so we can't can't
go ahead and do that to him. But as as
the season progresses here and he does what he did,
I mean last night was a was a masterclass I
(26:51):
thought by Jonathan Isaac. Just and on the offensive end too.
He's hitting the glass, he's running the floor. I mean,
he runs like a gazelle.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Nice pull up jumper. Yep.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
He had a really good all around game last night.
And you're right, I don't think I don't think he's
going to surprise anybody. Everybody knows who Jonathan Isaac is.
It's a matter of him staying on the floor, and
it gives us so much versatility with lineups. The things
that Jamal has already. I mean you've seen it with
the end of game lineup that he's been thrown out
there sometimes where you have Fronds at basically at the two,
(27:24):
where you have six ' ten six ' ten six
ten seven foot I mean, that's a that's an l
of a lineup, it really is. And he can just
he can do so many more things. Jamal. When I
say he knowing that Jonathan is healthy again available, remember.
Speaker 4 (27:42):
Last year when we were all excited about bull Bull
and Mobamba and and all of a sudden footers. This
is the practical application of that. This is the one
that works when you go giant down the stretch. I
pulled the numbers the other day. Ji's played one or
more minutes five times this season, and teams are averaging
one hundred and one point four points per game.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Against us in those games.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
It's just a matter of getting him on the poor
And I think what's frustrating or the I think the
reason that sometimes fans can't figure out why he isn't
playing twenty eight thirty minutes a game is because he's
not like a shooter sitting in the corner who can't
move anymore, and this is all he's able to do.
He is one of the most athletic, amazing freaks in
the league. When he's out there, he's one of the
(28:23):
only guys that you can even consider in the same
class with a guy like Webban Yama, because he's able
to move his feet on the perimeter, he can switch,
he can do absolutely everything you want from an NBA
defender in twenty twenty four. But there is that history,
and so you know, a lot of it is being cautious.
If the playoffs were tomorrow, maybe he could get away
with twenty eight minutes, depending on how he feels, but
(28:45):
they're not, and so we need to be careful, you know,
sort of inching his way in.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
But we see it.
Speaker 4 (28:50):
I mean, when coach Boseley has twelve minutes in his
back pocket headed into the fourth quarter of a closed game,
that's a secret weapon, man.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
And he is.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
I mean, he just absolutely rex rex offensive game plans
for opponents. It's gonna be really big, just keeping them right.
And and look, I don't if we need if he
needs to skip it back to back here and there,
or absolutely Miami were absolutely because come the back end
to April, hopefully we're gonna need a big filup.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
We're gonna need a big filat But also, and I'm
not saying he's gonna shut these guys down, but he's
gonna make these guys work. In the first round playoffs,
here is you start sizing up who you could match
up with. Right, if you end up getting eighth, then
you play Boston to have the ability to put twenty
minutes of Isaac on Tatum at least make him work
for right that you haven't had that right for the
for the last couple of years. I mean it's Milwaukee
(29:38):
with Giannis. Right, you started sizing up every freedom, absolutely,
but a lot of the a lot of the iron
at the top of the conference are are exactly who
he would guard, right, So I think you started at
least to give yourself a chance right to to to
at least try to slow down a guy like that
as much as humanly possible if they can be slowed down.
So I think he he becomes critical and I think
(29:59):
we out when Franz Wagner was out, we saw the
usage rate climb up for Apollo, Bancaro and you wonder, Okay,
at some point, you got to ease off of that guy, right,
and we've seen it here the last couple of weeks.
I think the All Star Break is going to be
good for him. Not that not that he's going to
get a ton of rest, but it's not going to
be hard on his legs. He's not going to be
out playing competitive basketball games. The Rising Stars Challenge, the
Skills competition, the All Star Break, I think you see,
(30:22):
you know, you don't go hard in those things. And
then he's going to have the four days off after
one of them being a travel day to get up
to Cleveland. So I think that's going to be a break.
Whereas conversely, if Franz Wagner hasn't had a break in
three years, right since he's come to the NBA with FIBA.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
And all that stuff.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
So I think those eight games off that he had
with the ankle, he probably needed three days off with
the ankle, but you decided to give him a little
extra rest, And I think that's why the last couple
of games we've seen thirty eight, thirty four last night
against San Antonio, I think that guy's fresh, and I
think that's going to help him here going down the stretch.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
It's the thing.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
I love it, and you and Q touched on it
post game last night after the Spurs game. This team
is just built to where let's take Palobank care a right,
he had a street going last night of seventeen games
in a row or eight, I'm sorry, eighteen games in
a row with twenty and five assists, twenty points of
five assists, and he was close to it last night,
but he knew Franz had it going and he doesn't.
(31:18):
You know, it's all about they're so team oriented and
it's and it's great that your top two players are
team oriented like they. Franz does not care if he
scores twelve and Palo goes for thirty five. Plo does
not care if Franz is going for thirty and he's
only got fourteen. It's all about who has more points
(31:39):
at on the scoreboard at the end of the night.
And it's just that refreshing.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
It's refreshing real, that's sh Yes.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
You've seen it the other way where somebody's got to
get theirs and listen, that's why this team is having
success again. If you would have told me, we would
be in this position in August, you'd all have taken it.
Everybody would have taken it. And I think it just
goes back to how team is shaping up. I agree
fns is hitting his stride. I mean, we knew Franz
wasn't going to shoot nineteen percent from three for.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
The whole year.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
Right, water usually settles and he's gonna he's gonna tick
that back up to him.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
I'm not gonna lie I thought we might as a team.
I'm not gonna lie to.
Speaker 3 (32:17):
But but you're right.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
But I knew it wouldn't be him. But we're we're
coming out of that too, which is nice.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
And maybe you're right, maybe those maybe that was a
little you know. And that's not to say those guys
don't work hard when they're out, because they're working hard
to get back on the floor. But everything has looked
better for Franz. Not to say he was playing bad
before the injury, because he was averaging twenty. But the
three is starting to look better. It's got a little
more arc on it. He looks fresher, Like you said,
(32:43):
his legs maybe got a little break where we wouldn't
have anticipated that in January.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Now, listen, two more things. I always want to touch
on the on the last thirty games of the season,
kind of what that looks like. And then All Star
weekend right with Pollo and all and the Magic are
well represented, which is going to be pretty cool. But
at the time of this right, the Magic, by the way,
are fighting off a Chicago Bulls team that seems to
have caught life. Right, So Chicago's right behind you, three
games behind you. Probably you know, Atlanta is catching fire too,
(33:10):
although they've lost two in a row, they have the
ability to catch fire. So those two teams aren't going anywhere.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
You're going to have to.
Speaker 1 (33:17):
Fight them off the rest of the way. But you're
tied with Miami, right, so you lose the tiebreaker because
they win the season series. But you're you know, so
you're you're half a game out of six with Indiana,
who you've beaten twice. You play them two more times,
but you've already beaten them twice, and now you start
looking at things. Guys, Listen, anything's possible here in the
Eastern Conference. You have to win it all starts with
(33:38):
what you do in this locker room. And I think
the big thing is you've got what thirty games left,
you have seventeen games against opponents that are five hundred
or under, right, so that should be setting up. Finally,
you haven't had that. We just came through that twenty
two game stretch where you're hoping to be above five
hundred at the end of it, and you are. You're
now four games over five hundred. So the schedule should
(33:59):
like up for you here down the stretch, your home
game heavy, You've got an eight game homestand now you
start thinking, and again you don't want to get too
ahead of yourself, but freezing Miles j You're three games
behind Philadelphia. Who knows what Philadelphia looks like with the
Joel Embid situation, right You don't know when or if
you're going to get him back. But they're free falling
(34:19):
right now. We assume that New York is going to
get these guys in take off, and I think they will.
I think they will because Jalen Brunson is just on
a mission right now. But what if it doesn't work?
What if it doesn't work with New York? And then
the last part of it is anyone convinced that Milwaukee
is gonna take off? Right? They're one in five since
they've hired Doc Rivers. I don't think it was all
(34:42):
Adrian Griffin's fault.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
I don't think.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
I'm not saying this is Doc's fault, but clearly there's
something that just isn't quite working with Milwaukee. You're one
and one against the Bucks and you play him two
more times at the end of the season. Now that
terrifies me. I think Milwaukee's going to figure it out.
Now ultimately get second in the Eastern Conference, but we
don't know. We don't know. You go potentially as high
as fourth, maybe even third in the Eastern Conference if
(35:04):
you get red hot.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
So the overarching theme of this edition of Pot Squad
is we're gonna be the second best team and we're
gonna win the East. We're gonna that's That's just we
just went from trying to battle for six seven into
like Dante's like, hey, you know what, screw We're winning
the East everywhere everything.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
When I sit down with Josh, I sit down with
Josh Cohen and he goes, you know, I kind of
ran some of the numbers, and I don't know what
that means. I don't know what that means, but I.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
Know Josh saying, especially with Josh.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
From Orlando Magic dot com. But I know, I I
know ninety seven percent of his life is crunching the numbers.
So I don't doubt what he says that's true. And
he said there is a path, you know, if everything
plays out how it should and this team beats this team,
and is that the Magic could get fourth in the
Eastern coprofence if he crunch the numbers.
Speaker 3 (35:47):
If we go twenty nine and one for the last,
that's the number.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
He's crushed the number.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
But I don't doubt.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
I don't doubt that he's got the lights off in
his room and he's got a black light and he's
brighten on the walls, and he's crunching the numbers. He's
got it all figured out.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
Was he doing it in black I don't know why
he's doing it there.
Speaker 1 (36:03):
It's just it's just how I imagine he fronts numbers about that.
Speaker 3 (36:07):
He can't be doing that in black lightness.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
While he's developing the film when in the back he's
got the guy.
Speaker 4 (36:12):
It works better. He's got the Guy's a multi media
name for crying out loud.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
Yes, he's got a methful to the madness, believe me.
But I but anyway I look at it, I say,
they're so I don't know, we don't know what the
East is gonna look like, so could Yeah, I think
at the bare minimum risk Magic team should be fighting
like heck to get to avoid play it. I think
there's a real possibility you could grab six, maybe even
go as high as as four or five in the East.
Speaker 2 (36:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (36:38):
I when you look at who's playing well right now.
You mentioned Chicago, it seems like they found something. I'm
not particularly worried about them. They also lost that lavine
for the rest of the year, but you know, it
seems to have help.
Speaker 3 (36:49):
It seems well.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
But but I think long time that's fine.
Speaker 4 (36:53):
And by the way, Kobe White, I think we should
probably be talking about the year that that guy's have
and he up and light out and Booch is playing
really well as of late. And they did think the
fact that they sat on their hands at the deadline
probably tells you that they feel okay about themselves. Either
that or they think that's the best chance to not
get everybody fired, which is probably more more.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
Likely is the case.
Speaker 4 (37:11):
You know, you got to get to that point this
time of year, Boston is Boston. The Cavaliers have been insane.
You're right about Milwaukee like there was something wrong there
and and I don't care if you bring in Greg Popovich.
You can't fix it like that immediately. No coach has
that much power. So we'll see. I mean, Milwaukee's got
(37:31):
more talent and just about anybody, but but there is
there's clearly like some issues eron. It's mostly on the
defensive end. I'm scared of New York, to be honest
with you, I think the question made yesterday. Absolutely they're
right up beyond that. So I just did Boston, Cleveland
and New York. I think are are playing the best
in the conference. And I think catching any of those
three I aside from that, I could see a free
(37:54):
fall for any of these teams. Indiana and unscary at all.
And the Sixers is gonna be really interesting to see
Ken Tyres Batsy slide into that role and carry a
team for thirty games and kind of tread water until
potentially and b plays again. I have a feeling we
won't see him again this year.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
It just doesn't it with the.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
Way they go or open, but with how cautious they
are with him for sure. I could certainly see that
art eart.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
Yeah, I don't think so. So you're right, and that's
where we are right now. And I think that's one
of the reasons you don't make a move and mess
with it, because you do look ahead and say, look,
if we just kind of keep doing what we're doing
right now, that's right. Even if we you know, even
if we tread water the rest of the way and
we're sitting there four games above five hundred at the
at the end of the season, are heading into April,
(38:40):
that could be good enough to be out of the
playing depending on what teams like Philadelphia and Indiana end
up doing. So I think you're in a good spot.
And it certainly helps that we have so many durn
home games coming up. That game homestand in March is
a god said, I mean, that could put you in
a good but.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
I'm well aware we wouldn't be saying any of these
things if we lost to San Antonio last night. So
this thing comes and goes counts and goes game by game,
right but right now it's set you. You're you're you're
winning the games you're supposed to win. That's all, especially
the three of us. Can you imagine if we lost
that game last night and then we got.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
I mean, there'd be there would be no podcast, there.
Speaker 3 (39:18):
Would be no you guys can go pound seeing when
I bought a podcast.
Speaker 1 (39:24):
You're right, but you but you. But they do what
they're supposed to do. They they you know, they've struggled
at times, but they've beat some of the best teams.
But they're beating the teams they're supposed to beat. And
that's that's all you can ask for here down the
stretch real quick before we get out of here, The
Magic is going to be well represented next week and
next week on pod Squad Jake Chapman and I you're
going to catch up with with Pete delas Sandro in
the front office for the Orlando Magic. So that's gonna
(39:45):
be fun and salary Cap will kind of get into
some numbers and I'll be curus.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
That Josh Cohen on with the black Light with Pete
on that I'm not a good point.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
I want to compare. I want to see how he
crunches numbers as opposed to Josh Cohen.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
How had you say real fast? I imagine bed a meal.
Speaker 4 (40:00):
Josh Cohen that is that's perfect. That is the perfect
way to get ready for a broadcast, because I kind
of murdered no matter what, that dude is NonStop info.
Speaker 2 (40:10):
I need one of you.
Speaker 3 (40:11):
Two to add. That should be Pete. Your first question
to Pete is does he crunch the numbers for the
capin with a Black Live?
Speaker 1 (40:17):
Yes'm fair enough.
Speaker 3 (40:18):
I think that would set the tone for the podcast
next week.
Speaker 1 (40:23):
I think, like the number like the movie twenty three
and everybody's just righting on the walls and with numbers.
But that's probably not how it is. That's probably not
how it is for all, not for all analytics people.
The Magic are going to be well represented during All
Star Weekend. This is gonna be cool guys with with
Paulo Banker obviously in the Big Game the Rising Stars Challenge,
you're gonna have Mac McClung with the Ostiola Magic. I
(40:43):
think that I'd love to see that guy get a
chance with your Orlando Magic at some point. The problem
is it would come at someone's expense. And now that's
hard to look and say who you want to get
rid of, because but you want the guy to get
an opportunity.
Speaker 4 (40:56):
He's tearing out rid of saying, who do you want
to get rid of?
Speaker 3 (40:58):
Oh, boy, don't do that.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
No, you can't know that. That's the thing. Everybody you've got.
You've got two or three guys that can I think
can really help you, but can't even get on the floor. Yeah,
you know it'd be because you've got guys in front
of you that are just offer more right now.
Speaker 4 (41:14):
Guy, I think you've got started to come that like
seventy games or so. That's the thing.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
That's the thing. You've got guys waiting in the wings
that are very good NBA players that just can't get
on the floor right now. So so if you even
if you added mac McClung, it's not like you could
add him on to the floor. I hope an NBA
team gives him a chance because I think he's an
NBA player. But he's going to be representing the Osteolo
Magic in the Slam Dunk Contest, and we know how
electrifying he was last year. Jalen Brown will be a
part of the Dunk Contest. This is gonna be cool, guys,
(41:39):
to see the magic heavily represented. You're going to get
some national attention with Shaquille O'Neil having his jersey retired
in your building. That'll be the first jersey to go
up in the Magic rafters. Kind of some fun national
attention coming Orlando's way. Finally here coming up next week.
Speaker 4 (41:57):
I'm as Clario playing his first nationally televised game. Yes,
it has already been named an All Star. Is that
that's right?
Speaker 2 (42:03):
Right?
Speaker 3 (42:04):
Like that's I mean, yeah, trust me, I've had lots
of count I had somebody call me from the NBA
the other day and say something about Paolo at All
Star and doing some media stuff or whatever for for
ESPN or TNT, and I was just like, well, why,
why why am I in.
Speaker 2 (42:18):
A hurry days.
Speaker 4 (42:21):
Like Adam BOYNT.
Speaker 3 (42:22):
I was kidding, I was, I was, well, I was.
I had my time to cheek. But they know that,
they know that every time they bring up National TV
or something to do with the national affiliates that there
before I agree and say yes, which I which we do,
I'm always gonna kind of give him a little jab.
Speaker 1 (42:38):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (42:39):
We haven't been on national TV very much in the
last twelve plus years. Bill, you have the number one pick.
He was almost a unanimous Rookie of the Year and
you still only gave us one. But I digress. Now
see you're get me all riled up.
Speaker 1 (42:51):
But but but the counter to that is, we have
not been four games over five hundred on February ninth
since twenty twelve, A long time. It's twenty twelve, it is,
and it's hard to look. It's hard to look and say, boy,
we've got to have that team on national TV. But
but we've had better. We have had. We have certainly
been more deserving than no games.
Speaker 3 (43:11):
I would like I would like to hope that as teams,
you know, we see it all the time, games get
flexed out as the year goes on. Right, there's there's
a long stretch here where I do think there's a
good possibility of us getting you know, getting games picked
up here along the way as they If we can
keep doing what we're doing and heading into the playoffs,
(43:32):
we're going to be hard to ignore. Paolo is going
to be at All Star weekend. The guy is so deserving.
I mean, everybody's seen the night where he got you know,
where he finally got the nod and and the reserves
were announced. Just that feeling for him and the team
and then everybody involved very excited for Palo, very excited
(43:52):
for the Magic. Listen, this is what we've been wanting, right,
there's craving for years and it just this is the
light at the tunnel and this is what we've been
hoping for and you can see it now from a
distance and it's a very very exciting time.
Speaker 1 (44:07):
And I get Magic fans pushing for you know, dodr Wy,
why aren't you pushing for nationally televised games. I don't
work nationally televised games. We don't broadcast those. So when
it's on TNT, we don't. We have the night off,
which is cool once in a while. It'll be awesome
on Tuesday for the Shack thing, but you're never gonna
hear me push. I like when the games are on
Bathley Sports Florida, when we can go up against ESPN.
But for those that don't know, you know we we
(44:29):
we are not. It's and exclusivity. TNT has the rights
and it's not like we broadcast simultaneously. But I love
the exposure. We got to get the exposure when we're
in the conversation now and it's coming. Absolutely absolutely, there'll
be more and more games, and I don't think we
can hide from it next year for sure, and we've
earned it, right, We've earned it, and we'll be and
Jake will be with Josie on Jet Blue looking on
(44:50):
the plane right watching, watching the highlights coming back. It'll
be it'll be a lot of fun here next week,
all right, guys, well, good stuff. We we got thirty
games to go and good luck to us. It'll be
a lot of fun here. The last two months we've
not had probably been about ten twelve years since we've
had the kind of this excitement going into the final
two months of a season. Let's enjoy it. Let's avoid
(45:11):
the play in. Let's grab a playoff spot here in
the next two months.
Speaker 3 (45:14):
I'll do my best, Dante, all right.
Speaker 1 (45:15):
Do your best, do your best. That'll do it for
this edition of Magic Pod Squad. We'll see you next
time with Pete Delessandro will join Jake and I next week.
You don't want to miss that on Magic Pod Squad.
Hey, Welcome everyone to another edition of Orlando Magic Pod Squad.
Dante Marcatelli, Jake Chapman, George Galante recap the NBA trade
deadline from an Orlando Magic perspective in Magic Fans Magic
Pod Squad brought to you by the FIDA Department of Transportation.
They remind you the fans, don't let fans drive drunk.
If you've been drinking, don't get behind the wheel. Instead,
find a sober driver or catch a ride service. Remember,
(00:23):
drive sober or get pulled over. Have a great night
and drive stafe. Lots to get to on this edition
of Magic Pod Squad, one of the final ones before
the All Star break, as we recap the busy NBA
trade deadline and the Orlando Magic thinking going into this
one and the decision to ride with what you got
in a great position for this Magic team here down
(00:44):
the stretch, what it looks like the final thirty games
of the season, and a busy All Star weekend for
Polo ban Carrol and great national exposure coming up for
the Orlando Magic organization starting next week in Indianapolis. All
that coming your way on this edition of Magic Pod Squad.
Those fonds of Oaro if the Orlando Magic. This is
col Anthony Missus, Jennon Suggs, this is Paulo Man Carroll
(01:05):
of the Orlando Magic, and you're listening to the Pods
Squad and welcome everyone to another edition of Orlando Magic
Prod Squad. Dante Marca, Telly, George Galate, Jake Chapman.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Here with you.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Lots to get to. This Orlando Magic team now sitting
here at twenty eight and twenty four at the time
of this taping, three games left before the All Star Break.
You win game one of a four game homestand a
big home stand coming up, meaningful games here the last
three big night coming up with Shaquille O Neil getting
this jersey retire. We get a lot to get to
and we'll do it here on this edition of Orlando
(01:39):
Magic Pod Squad. The trade deadline has come and gone.
What looks like? What does it look like for the
final thirty one games of the season for the Orlando
Magic as they make their playoff push. Magic sitting in
a great position, and we'll recap all of it here
for you. But first of all, all star plans, all
star plans for everybody. George, you have an All Star
in Polo ban Carrol, But from what I understand, you
(02:00):
will not be anywhere near Indianapolis. Probably a good move.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
How'd you get out of that one?
Speaker 3 (02:06):
I well, I think it's just his tenure. Tenyure got
me out of All Star Weekend. I really have no
other excuse other than that. Listen, I love the festivities,
deaths Rand. It's a grand event for the league, but
I said it on this format before that for an
employee that has to go to All Star Weekend, and
(02:28):
and God bless Trish Wingerson, she's going to be doing she's.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Taking it for She's taken it. She's taken one for
the team. Oh okay, gotcha.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
He's gonna fall on the grenade for All Star Weekend.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Man.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
And now it's like, you know, we're so excited that
Paolo is in the game off absolutely so, it's and
we'll get to that. It's but now he's in the
Skills Challenge on All Star Saturday night, he is in
the Rising Stars event on Friday. I thought, you know,
he would pull maybe back off the Rising Stars event
(03:00):
since he's now going to play in the game. But
that means Trisha's got to get up there on Thursday. Oh, no,
so she she will be busy Friday. Yeah, she will
be busy Saturday night. She will be busy Sunday night.
And then I asked, asked, well what time? She said,
I got a five thirty am flight out Monday morning.
Oh my goodness. And uh, it's just it's along at first.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Well, it's even if he's not in all those events,
it's a busy night with him. Just anyway, right, going
to going to all the appearances and everything, you're going
to have it.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
He's going to have a media circuit to go through,
which is great, you know, and it's.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Going to be great for absolutely.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Absolutely, He's going.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
To get to do some things he has never done before.
And uh, he'll be excited and everybody will be excited
in his camp. It's his first time there, and there's
nothing like going there for the first time. Uh, it's uh,
but I plan on being nowhere near Indianapolis. I plan
on being here in Orlando. My kids will still be
at school. The lacrosse season Dante has started.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Oh yeah, okay, okay, okay, it's big.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
We'll be doing that.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
You're in the business season, well, Jake, just so you know,
when we go to Indianapolis to play the Pacers. He
doesn't stay in Indianapolis anyway. He stays in Chicago and
then drives over.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
So special exemption.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
That's how about you.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Thank you, Jay Jake. You get a chance to decompress
a little bit, right with that? What almost ten month old?
Speaker 2 (04:19):
I do? I do? We're gonna have to wait.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
I'm not sure if decompresses the way to describe it.
We're gonna go on our first plane flight with uh
with with little Josie he is recently ye oh, that's
big news, hitting nine months, and we're gonna go to Philadelphia,
see my sister. My parents are gonna drive from Cleveland
to Philly.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
So just a few days.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
We're gonna fly on on Friday and come back on Monday,
and then hopefully get a beach day on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Hopefully the weather is good enough because we need one
of those.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
You may get less rest, You may get less rest
than Trish.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Right exactly.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
In my mind light alone, just order to know exactly
that's Georgie. That's busy doving, that is that is a
lot of work. And I'm gonna tell you this right
now as soon as you sit down, everyone around you goes,
oh boy.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
Oh yeah, I am going to have my eye you know,
when you walk on the plane. I'm not somebody who
puts my head down and walks forward. My eyes are
dropping around. I always make eye contact with people when
I get on the plane to see what I'm working with.
And of course you always identify the first potential crying baby.
And now that's gonna be me. It's gonna be me, Kelly,
(05:23):
You're gonna walk down the plane when we're gonna identify. Yeah,
one of these things is as soon as we walk by, Hey,
what can you do?
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Right? I figured absolutely good.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
It's a good what two hours in a little change flight.
It's not too bad. We're not going to Seattle. And
you know, try to tie it up. You get a bottle,
you get a nap in there, and absolutely yeah, it works.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
He's listening eds.
Speaker 4 (05:43):
Crying kids cry.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Everybody understands, right, George, the crying kids, you sometimes you
just get. It's it's the ones that make no attempt
to stop. It is where you have the problem. Right,
It's the parents that say, okay, it's fine. Hey, you
know what, it's a crying baby. I'm not gonna do anything,
do everything you can to get the baby to stop.
And if she doesn't, she doesn't. But but you gotta,
you gotta give it an effort, and I know you will.
That's exactly it. And and we've are we're already taking
(06:06):
the proper precautions. We went to the doctor and make
sure she didn't have any ear infection.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
We get yeah, blue.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Boot listen, she'll have them when you get back. Yeah,
she'll pick what up on the player's aid, right, Yeah,
ear infection when you get the doctor.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
By the way, this is why I love her doctor.
She literally said, keep her in bubble wrapid before until
you get out there. Play there you go out of
We got a week in the time, so but we're ready.
I'm excited for it, and your nods.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
You'll be totally fired. Then then you wake up and
she's sucking on the armrest and you're like, okay, this
is doctor, I never get it. But you've been they're
not sterilized. Then you'll be surprised. There's not a feral
cleaning process on those planes. Oh that's great, you'll have
a great time. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not. I
feel like we've been We've been around enough, so we're
just gonna We're just gonna hump her down and enjoy
(06:53):
a couple of days off and be ready to go
here for the last thirty what I guess twenty seven
at that point, twenty seven games of the seat as
they make their playoff push. Probably not a huge surprise, guys.
The NBA trade deadline came and went and not a
huge uh, not any moves, not a single move for
the Orlando Magic. But you didn't know that there would be.
They've got a full roster, and you know, I'm sure
(07:15):
you know, as we know with Jeff Wellman, he's making calls,
he's fielding calls, and if there was something out there
that that made sense for this Magic organization, he would
have done it. He's we've seen in the past he's
not afraid to make a move if one is there.
But I'm not privy to a ton of insight more
than that. But George, I guess we can surmise without
the deal, without a deal being made, that there wasn't
(07:39):
something he feeled he felt comfortable pulling the trigger on.
And of course it always takes two to tango, so
so you need someone else.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
To help you as well.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
And maybe partly there's the feeling that with these with
this roster that we have, now, if we're fully healthy,
with thirty games left, let's see what we can do
here with the guys that we currently have on the team.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
You basically just took everything I was going to say
and already said it. So, yeah, Jeff is not going
to be one to sacrifice something for the future just
to try to accomplish something short term. Now that's not
to say that he's not interested in, you know, like
everybody else here, making the playoffs and making that ship
(08:18):
and doing everything we can. I think we have to
always kind of take a step back a little bit
and look where we are. And right now, like you said,
we're what we were four games over five hundred. If
somebody would have told you I know it, I know it,
or a training camp that listen at the All Star break,
you're gonna have the chance to be sick, you know,
anywhere from four to seven games over five hundred at
(08:41):
the All Star break. There is not one person in
Central Florida or anybody that wears Magic.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Blue in the world direct correct what.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Is signed that would have said sign me up? For
that sign.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
And a half a game out of six. Let's let's
just add that to the mix, too. Right.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
You can't control you can't cotrol the other teams, right
like you can control what they're doing. You can only
control what you're doing. And if you would have said
that you can be anywhere from four to seven games
or over over five hundred at the All Star rate,
there is not one person that would be said, we
should be better than that, right, correct, And so I
(09:18):
think the Magic are very happy with where we are.
I think that. And that's not to say that Jeff
didn't try to improve the roster. He's always looking in
the basketball operation staff is always looking to find ways
where they can improve. But it's not going to be
at the sacrifice of something where you know you're looking
two years down the road and oh crap, we shouldn't
have done that move. So sometimes, and we've seen it
(09:40):
in another places, sometimes the best move is no move.
Only time will tell whether that was the right decision
to make. I do think that the Magic are now
looking at their roster and seeing we have a full
healthy roster for the first time all season. Our schedule
does after the All Star break and we've already accomplished
(10:05):
what we've accomplished in the first fifty plus games with
having guys in and out of the line yep, with
being very road heavy, two West coast trips, two very
long East coast Midwest trips. I think the Magic we
cannot be in any better of a situation than we
are right now. And if we can get say two
(10:27):
of these final three games in this home stand before
we go to the All Star Break, I think everybody
in Magic Nation should be very happy with where the
team stands going into the home stretch.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Well, they have a chance to be four or five
games over five hundred going into the break, very realistic,
if not better going into the All Star Break, which
is phenomenal. Then you look at that, Jacob. The other
part of that is this team is seven and four
with the starting lineup that we saw last night. Okay,
so that's three games over five hundred. That's kind of
your difference right there. But it's a been eleven games.
(10:59):
You've had that intact in the starting lineup for eleven games,
let's see, right, So I guess one way to look
at it, just to kind of piggyback on what George said,
and again there's always magic fans that say, why don't
you take the expiring contract of whoever and turn it
into Buddy Heals, Or why don't you you know, why
didn't you trade Admiral Schofield and go get to Jantey Murray.
(11:22):
Well it doesn't work that way, but that's what magic
fans do, right They look and say, okay, well there
must be scenarios where we can add to it. First
of all, I don't think anyone should ever expect that
there would be a wholesale change, right. If anything, it
would have been a minor deal, maybe to add some
shooting or things like that. Then you watch them last
night they knocked down what they shoot fifty nine percent
from three, and think, okay, maybe maybe they've got it
(11:44):
in up. Maybe they're not in the tank to get
through the final thirty games, but maybe your moves are
simply Jake, you've got a fully healthy roster. That was
eleven times you've had that starting lineup last night. Let's
see what they can do for the final thirty one. Dan,
you think about the bench all this on.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
You've got ten guys who you know we envisioned as
your rotation at the beginning of the season, and it's
been twelve games or whatever that we've had, you know,
from one to ten, the guys in the in the
spots that we envisioned for them. I think, you know,
I think there was a thought that, you know, we
know they're not a great shooting team, can we add
(12:20):
some shooting? But like, who who in that the top
ten is going to slide out? We have shooting there,
it's just a habit.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Who's going to replace four we have?
Speaker 4 (12:28):
At the same time, we've got twelve road games left
for drying out at I mean, you will talk about
how how how top heavy and front heavy the schedule was,
and and and and here we are so basically everything
George said I agree with. I just don't understand, especially
because we were the fourth youngest roster in the NBA
on opening night, Like we have a majority of our
(12:49):
rosters best basketball is in front of them. You could
make the argument that everybody on our roster, their best
basketball is in front of them. You don't want to
trade away a guy too early and then all of
a sudden, it's two three years from now, and you, boy,
that would be nice, and to me it Storge the way,
George Foot it like you got to kind of stick
to the timeline. Paul is in year two, Franz Is
in year three. When those guys are at the height
(13:11):
of their powers, is when we want the flexibility to
be able to make that one move that we think
puts us over the top. And you got to keep
all your chips in your corner for that moment, and
it might be a big move, bring it in in
a you know, a perfect third compliment, or it might
be a small move at that point. You tried a
couple twos. But Oklahoma City did that, and then they're
(13:33):
able to make a move. And whether or not we
think Gordon Ayward is the one to put him over
the top, Oklahoma City was in every conversation yesterday. Sam
Presley could have done almost whatever he wanted to because
he nailed the draft for a few years and because
he added all those assets and resisted the urge to
make a small move for a few three or four
wins this season. You always have to have and this
is what I love about Jeff Weltman and the front office.
(13:54):
You always have to have that sort of long term
vision in mind because you want to build something sustainable
and you know, prove positive is the Atlanta Hawks. They
mortgage their future for Dejona Murray. He's a good player,
you wann't enough to make them a championship contender, not
even close. So I think the idea of of sort
of putting it all in when you're early on in
the timeline and Pollo in year two is first All
(14:17):
Star appearance just doesn't make a ton of sense.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
It's very listen. I it's very hard if it because
if it was me, I would be like, yeah, let's
go get whoever, let's forget whatever. All Star now. Like
the problem is is that it's not fantasy basketball. Right,
We've all played fantasy basketball, and we all feel like, well,
we know what we're doing, and we all know now
I can trade this, you know this super you know this,
(14:41):
these two guys for a superstar. It's good that we
have guys in our front office that can look bigger.
I am not one of those people. I want to
I want to win now.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
I want to win. Sure, yes, exactly exactly right, right,
they don't. It's it's just I want to play Isaac
forty five minutes. I'm with you.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
I know, it's really in January.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
I want to do yes, yes, exactly.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
There has to be bigger picture thoughts when it comes
to how this team is going to go, and Jake
hit it right on the head, I think we are
setting this up or when And that's not Again, this
is not to say we're not going to go try
to get a playoff spot this year. It's not say
we're going to go try to win a playoff series
or two this year. Of course we're going to do that,
(15:24):
but you do have to have bigger picture in mind.
And like you said when Fra, I love that when
Franz and Paolo hit their super superpower.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
I yeah, exactly, exactly.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
So, and then that hopefully you have set this up correctly.
Oklahoma City is in a different place than we are.
As much as we want to try to compare ourselves
with that, there are Listen, they're in first.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Place in the West, absolutely absolute worst place in the West.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
The magic or not, and so you can't. You can't.
It's not it's not a parallel road with us in
oklahom with somebody like Oklahoma City. Our time will come.
And again we've played twelve thirteen games with our full
roster out of fifty two, and now we have it again.
And now from in a stretch between March and April,
(16:09):
we're going to have ten of eleven home games against
teams that are sub five hundred, which we've done very
well at, especially at home. This schedule will let up
and we're poised to have a nice strong finish to
this season and then maybe we can make some noise
in the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
I'm all for that. And listen, you look at the
guys you've got. I think the thing that frustrates some
Magic fans is this is the second round. Is the
second round picks that you get something to fill in need? Right?
I think that's when you look and say, okay, well
you got this guy for just to pick you don't
even have to lose a player.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
But then I think to.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Kind of you guys's point as well, well, who does
that person replace in your lineup? Right? Because you're kind
of rolling along right now, everybody kind of understands their roles.
You look at a guy like Gary Harris, so I
think everybody thought maybe with that contract, you know, that
would be a desirable thing for other teams. And I'm
looking at it. You're nineteen and twelve. When Gary plays,
you're nineteen and twelve. In games when he plays, you're
(17:06):
seventeen and six when he hits a three, one three.
The difference for this team if somebody can step up
from time to time and make an additional three, it
means halt the world to this team. Right. They're one
of the top third in the NBA in clutch games
that they've been in decided by five points or less.
You're one or two made baskets away from having a
(17:27):
completely different record, right, and that's just one guy who's
playing about seventeen eighteen minutes.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Listen, I called you yesterday after the deadline, and we
just had a chat like we normally do, and I
said to you, like, we don't even need Let's just
take Gary and Joe for example, right, I don't even
need them to hit a three, correct, Well, that's two.
I need them to be on the floor to take
a guy right eighteen inches off the block.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
I don't need the magic to be to shoot thirty nine.
It'd be kick ass and amazing if the magic you're
thirty nine percent from three. But just the fact that
those guys are on the floor and can be on
the floor. And I think that goes to the numbers
you just said and being healthy, being old, and so
I think we are set up in a great place
(18:15):
downstretch here.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
No, yeah, no, I completely agree. So that I think
that you factor all that in And those are just
a couple of small examples that you look at if
you're the front office saying, all right, well, let's roll
with what we got, right. We don't know what the
future looks like for Markel, We don't know what the
future looks like, you know, for for some of these
other guys on the roster. But we've got to this point,
we're going to have them for the rest of the
for the rest of the duration. Let's let's see what
(18:37):
they look like here down the stretch, right, So that's
in every piece of good around. Yeah, I know, me too,
Me too, me too. Now that being said, you haven't
had a record of health for these guys, so it
is hard to bank on that for the final thirty games.
But hey, we're in a good position as far as
that goes. There might be a couple of back to
back scenarios where you may not have a guy or two,
you know, for for a handful of games, but for
(18:59):
the most part, this is the roster you have in
tach so that I think we would all agree, right,
so that the trade deadline comes and goes. Maybe those
were some of the factors that went into it. And
this is what we've got for the duration, not forgetting
anything right. We we think we've covered all that.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Yeah, so it is the last thing I was gonna
add is like when I was sitting there and going through, Okay,
who are guys who might be available, who might be
a good fit, I was basically naming other teams version
of Gary Harris and Joe Ingold right right right for that, Yeah,
exactly bringing it a veteran who defends well you know
at the point of at that doesn't need the ball
in his hands, in a good spacer for Paul and Frantz.
Oh wait a second, we have that guy. He's just
(19:35):
that's injury issues so far this year. So if he is,
if he is locked in a healthy coming down the stretch.
It's that That's the perfect example of when you see
it in another in another jersey, you're going, oh, we
need him, we need that guy. Emmanuel quickly when everybody
was talking about it, he was available from the Knicks,
and and I see all this discourse on Twitter, I'm
going we have a Manuel quickly. His name's cole An.
(19:57):
Like you know, like everybody, it's always it's always kind
of the grasses greener over there. We've got we've I
think we have the roster in place here and they've
proven it so far without health and with the schedule,
as we mentioned.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Here, we are four games about five hundred.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
We've had a lot of conversations over the years, all
of us, with other teams, you know, broadcasters, pr staff, whatever.
Where we look at somebody from Afar, I'm like, wow,
we'd really like to have that guy. And then you
have a conversation with that guy and they're like, oh,
you can have him.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
Right, It's very interesting like that.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Yeah, you can't say. And it's people like people, people
would have no idea the caliber of stars, even where
you've had a conversation and you're just like, man, he's
got to be great, you know, like I'd love to
have him, and they're turned around. It's just like you said,
the grass is always greener somebody else. Another girl is
always prettier, Like it's not necessarily the case so like, yeah,
let's right, let's ride with what we have. Let's let's
(20:49):
let's let's.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Well and and and if you want to make a move,
you can do it this summer. You're two months away, right,
You're two months away from the you know from from
the playoffs starting, so you can go. You can pursue
anything you want. You haven't given up any any you
haven't given up any assets, any draft compensation. And I
guess the last part of this I will piggyback on.
Guys can say they don't worry about the trade deadline.
All they want. Guys can say they don't care. Coach
(21:10):
can say, you know, control the things you can control
and all that, and that's right, that's how you have
to approach it. But there was a different feeling in
that locker room yesterday before the game, knowing that okay,
this is everybody's here. There were a lot more smiles,
there was a lot less tense. You went on, had
one of your best offensive games of the season. I
think guys weren't pressing. I think that's another part of it, right,
the final thirty games, and we'll touch on that next.
(21:31):
You know, guys got to play better. There are some
guys that got to you gotta shoot better, you gotta
play better, you gotta protect the ball better. And that's
what happens. You need that in the playoff push anyway.
But don't you feel like, Okay, this is this is
what you gotta And it looked to me like it
was it was just the weight was lifted off a
lot of guys shoulders last night.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Jake, you were at cheat around and yesterday, I mean,
there were a lot of guys. It's it's it's human nature.
We were all on our phones. We were all on
our phones as guys started to do media availability yesterday,
and that's when a couple of the you know, a
couple of the Knicks deals went down or they you know,
it's just it's wojbomb after Sham's bomb after woj bomb. Yeah, right,
And we're not the only ones that do that. I mean,
(22:10):
like Jay Jalen came out to do an interview for me,
and the first thing he said was he's like, well
grab you see you know, see the Knicks just got
you know, Bogeton. It's like they're all looking at it.
And but the problem, the difference between me and them
is that they could go at any minute?
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Yeah, true, Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
That has to be an unnerving feeling, absolutely for for
a young guy like that that's on his own, for
a guy that has a family like oh question. It's
a very nervous time for all the players, no matter
who you are, because it's been proven over the years
that nobody is is untradeable, right, nobody's untradeable.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
So it's well and into Jeff's credit. With all that
being said, am I gonna pull the trigger? Am I
gonna do something just to do something right and uproot
someone for something that I'm not convinced is gonna is
gonna be that much better than what we've already gotten, What's.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
Going to affect the other guys in the line?
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (23:05):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
Or I'm really tight with player B and player B
goes and that messes up player A.
Speaker 4 (23:10):
Yeah, that's what That's what I was gonna say. It's
it would never be the reason you want to make
a deal, because we want to keep our locker room together.
But we have talked all season long about the chemistry
and the vibe with the locker room, and it is unique.
I think we've been around long enough to know that
not all teams are built this way, and and and
chemistry is chemistry. You take away one piece and you
have no idea how it impact. Let alone, who are
(23:31):
we bringing in? Are they going to take shots away
from the guys that we need to still be developing.
There's just so much more edited in how many years
are on their contract, you know who who represents them.
There are so many layers to all of this. When
you make a move like that, and and and we
are not in the situation where the Detroit Pistons are
where it's like this, clearly is it working.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
We need to do so.
Speaker 4 (23:53):
Like goodness, they needed to do stuff for the sake
of doing stuff because very clearly what they were doing
was not working. We we we feel like we're we're
onto something here, and even those small, minor moves can
sometimes have big impacts.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Now, don't get me wrong, I would have liked to
had Buddy healed for a second round pick, but but
that deal wasn't out there.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
And it takes two to tang.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
It takes two to tango. You're you're exactly right. That
was that was a prominent thought. That was prominent thought
on Magic Twitter. Yeah, that's but that was the bottom
three guys in my roster. It's not gonna happen. Want
that too, So I did like I did, like the
tweet from Bill Simmons. We need to we need to,
we need to rethink if Detroit should be allowed to
make moves. I thought that was brutal in the way
(24:34):
they just blew that whole thing up. My goodness. So now,
the electricity in that building last night was sensational. I
think one of the things that stood out to me
was Jonathan Isaac rejecting the dunk attempt by Victor weban Yama.
He's caught a couple of people, and at some point
people are gonna stop, uh trying to attack Jonathan Isaac. Right,
you know, Jeff says it on the broadcast. Think twice,
(24:55):
Think twice, and then they'll shoot and you'll swadd it away.
Jonathan Isaac the final third games. Right as you sit
here now, with thirty games left, the minutes will start
to creep up. We've seen games where he finishes the
entire fourth quarter. Right, He's going to be a secret
weapon or an X factor for this team if they're
going to move up in the standings and ultimately clinch
(25:15):
a playoff spot. What does it look like for him
as we look at minutes, as we look at where
he's going to be potentially at the end of the season,
because he's a difference maker. And that was unbelievable. That's
a seven to four guy trying to throw it down
over the top of you and you sent it into
the stands.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
It's got to be really hard for Jamal Mosley to
keep him. I mean you've seen it Dante where he
kind of yes, right solver and asks, you know, you
or me or Joel Glass, how many minutes is jiat.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
And what do we say? And what do we tell him?
Speaker 3 (25:43):
I tell him four, even if it's the fourth quarter
and he's played at least twenty minutes, that four minutes
he got sixteen four. You're all good, everything's he's clear,
But you still have to listen. You know, the All
Star break is not where we want to get with
Jonathan Isaac. March first is not where we want to
get to Jonathan Isaac. We want to get to May
(26:05):
with Jonathan Isaac. You're right, I mean we and and
a full healthy Jonathan Isaac. The more he plays, the
more he can get through games. You know, with a
slight tick up in his minutes. The more the more
mentally healthy he has to be too to be out
there as well. And I think that's a big thing
with Jonathan is you know, he starts off slow. He
(26:26):
plays ten minutes a game and all right, my legs
are good. I can I can get through that.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Now.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
Now we're up to fifteen, Now we're up to twenty.
I'm not saying by the time we get to May,
he's going to be playing thirty five minutes a night.
That's not going to happen because this guy that's been,
you know, suffered through so much, so we can't can't
go ahead and do that to him. But as as
the season progresses here and he does what he did,
I mean last night was a was a masterclass I
(26:51):
thought by Jonathan Isaac. Just and on the offensive end too.
He's hitting the glass, he's running the floor. I mean,
he runs like a gazelle.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Nice pull up jumper. Yep.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
He had a really good all around game last night.
And you're right, I don't think I don't think he's
going to surprise anybody. Everybody knows who Jonathan Isaac is.
It's a matter of him staying on the floor, and
it gives us so much versatility with lineups. The things
that Jamal has already. I mean you've seen it with
the end of game lineup that he's been thrown out
there sometimes where you have Fronds at basically at the two,
(27:24):
where you have six ' ten six ' ten six
ten seven foot I mean, that's a that's an l
of a lineup, it really is. And he can just
he can do so many more things. Jamal. When I
say he knowing that Jonathan is healthy again available, remember.
Speaker 4 (27:42):
Last year when we were all excited about bull Bull
and Mobamba and and all of a sudden footers. This
is the practical application of that. This is the one
that works when you go giant down the stretch. I
pulled the numbers the other day. Ji's played one or
more minutes five times this season, and teams are averaging
one hundred and one point four points per game.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Against us in those games.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
It's just a matter of getting him on the poor
And I think what's frustrating or the I think the
reason that sometimes fans can't figure out why he isn't
playing twenty eight thirty minutes a game is because he's
not like a shooter sitting in the corner who can't
move anymore, and this is all he's able to do.
He is one of the most athletic, amazing freaks in
the league. When he's out there, he's one of the
(28:23):
only guys that you can even consider in the same
class with a guy like Webban Yama, because he's able
to move his feet on the perimeter, he can switch,
he can do absolutely everything you want from an NBA
defender in twenty twenty four. But there is that history,
and so you know, a lot of it is being cautious.
If the playoffs were tomorrow, maybe he could get away
with twenty eight minutes, depending on how he feels, but
(28:45):
they're not, and so we need to be careful, you know,
sort of inching his way in.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
But we see it.
Speaker 4 (28:50):
I mean, when coach Boseley has twelve minutes in his
back pocket headed into the fourth quarter of a closed game,
that's a secret weapon, man.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
And he is.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
I mean, he just absolutely rex rex offensive game plans
for opponents. It's gonna be really big, just keeping them right.
And and look, I don't if we need if he
needs to skip it back to back here and there,
or absolutely Miami were absolutely because come the back end
to April, hopefully we're gonna need a big filup.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
We're gonna need a big filat But also, and I'm
not saying he's gonna shut these guys down, but he's
gonna make these guys work. In the first round playoffs,
here is you start sizing up who you could match
up with. Right, if you end up getting eighth, then
you play Boston to have the ability to put twenty
minutes of Isaac on Tatum at least make him work
for right that you haven't had that right for the
for the last couple of years. I mean it's Milwaukee
(29:38):
with Giannis. Right, you started sizing up every freedom, absolutely,
but a lot of the a lot of the iron
at the top of the conference are are exactly who
he would guard, right, So I think you started at
least to give yourself a chance right to to to
at least try to slow down a guy like that
as much as humanly possible if they can be slowed down.
So I think he he becomes critical and I think
(29:59):
we out when Franz Wagner was out, we saw the
usage rate climb up for Apollo, Bancaro and you wonder, Okay,
at some point, you got to ease off of that guy, right,
and we've seen it here the last couple of weeks.
I think the All Star Break is going to be
good for him. Not that not that he's going to
get a ton of rest, but it's not going to
be hard on his legs. He's not going to be
out playing competitive basketball games. The Rising Stars Challenge, the
Skills competition, the All Star Break, I think you see,
(30:22):
you know, you don't go hard in those things. And
then he's going to have the four days off after
one of them being a travel day to get up
to Cleveland. So I think that's going to be a break.
Whereas conversely, if Franz Wagner hasn't had a break in
three years, right since he's come to the NBA with FIBA.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
And all that stuff.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
So I think those eight games off that he had
with the ankle, he probably needed three days off with
the ankle, but you decided to give him a little
extra rest, And I think that's why the last couple
of games we've seen thirty eight, thirty four last night
against San Antonio, I think that guy's fresh, and I
think that's going to help him here going down the stretch.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
It's the thing.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
I love it, and you and Q touched on it
post game last night after the Spurs game. This team
is just built to where let's take Palobank care a right,
he had a street going last night of seventeen games
in a row or eight, I'm sorry, eighteen games in
a row with twenty and five assists, twenty points of
five assists, and he was close to it last night,
but he knew Franz had it going and he doesn't.
(31:18):
You know, it's all about they're so team oriented and
it's and it's great that your top two players are
team oriented like they. Franz does not care if he
scores twelve and Palo goes for thirty five. Plo does
not care if Franz is going for thirty and he's
only got fourteen. It's all about who has more points
(31:39):
at on the scoreboard at the end of the night.
And it's just that refreshing.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
It's refreshing real, that's sh Yes.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
You've seen it the other way where somebody's got to
get theirs and listen, that's why this team is having
success again. If you would have told me, we would
be in this position in August, you'd all have taken it.
Everybody would have taken it. And I think it just
goes back to how team is shaping up. I agree
fns is hitting his stride. I mean, we knew Franz
wasn't going to shoot nineteen percent from three for.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
The whole year.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
Right, water usually settles and he's gonna he's gonna tick
that back up to him.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
I'm not gonna lie I thought we might as a team.
I'm not gonna lie to.
Speaker 3 (32:17):
But but you're right.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
But I knew it wouldn't be him. But we're we're
coming out of that too, which is nice.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
And maybe you're right, maybe those maybe that was a
little you know. And that's not to say those guys
don't work hard when they're out, because they're working hard
to get back on the floor. But everything has looked
better for Franz. Not to say he was playing bad
before the injury, because he was averaging twenty. But the
three is starting to look better. It's got a little
more arc on it. He looks fresher, Like you said,
(32:43):
his legs maybe got a little break where we wouldn't
have anticipated that in January.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Now, listen, two more things. I always want to touch
on the on the last thirty games of the season,
kind of what that looks like. And then All Star
weekend right with Pollo and all and the Magic are
well represented, which is going to be pretty cool. But
at the time of this right, the Magic, by the way,
are fighting off a Chicago Bulls team that seems to
have caught life. Right, So Chicago's right behind you, three
games behind you. Probably you know, Atlanta is catching fire too,
(33:10):
although they've lost two in a row, they have the
ability to catch fire. So those two teams aren't going anywhere.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
You're going to have to.
Speaker 1 (33:17):
Fight them off the rest of the way. But you're
tied with Miami, right, so you lose the tiebreaker because
they win the season series. But you're you know, so
you're you're half a game out of six with Indiana,
who you've beaten twice. You play them two more times,
but you've already beaten them twice, and now you start
looking at things. Guys, Listen, anything's possible here in the
Eastern Conference. You have to win it all starts with
(33:38):
what you do in this locker room. And I think
the big thing is you've got what thirty games left,
you have seventeen games against opponents that are five hundred
or under, right, so that should be setting up. Finally,
you haven't had that. We just came through that twenty
two game stretch where you're hoping to be above five
hundred at the end of it, and you are. You're
now four games over five hundred. So the schedule should
(33:59):
like up for you here down the stretch, your home
game heavy, You've got an eight game homestand now you
start thinking, and again you don't want to get too
ahead of yourself, but freezing Miles j You're three games
behind Philadelphia. Who knows what Philadelphia looks like with the
Joel Embid situation, right You don't know when or if
you're going to get him back. But they're free falling
(34:19):
right now. We assume that New York is going to
get these guys in take off, and I think they will.
I think they will because Jalen Brunson is just on
a mission right now. But what if it doesn't work?
What if it doesn't work with New York? And then
the last part of it is anyone convinced that Milwaukee
is gonna take off? Right? They're one in five since
they've hired Doc Rivers. I don't think it was all
(34:42):
Adrian Griffin's fault.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
I don't think.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
I'm not saying this is Doc's fault, but clearly there's
something that just isn't quite working with Milwaukee. You're one
and one against the Bucks and you play him two
more times at the end of the season. Now that
terrifies me. I think Milwaukee's going to figure it out.
Now ultimately get second in the Eastern Conference, but we
don't know. We don't know. You go potentially as high
as fourth, maybe even third in the Eastern Conference if
(35:04):
you get red hot.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
So the overarching theme of this edition of Pot Squad
is we're gonna be the second best team and we're
gonna win the East. We're gonna that's That's just we
just went from trying to battle for six seven into
like Dante's like, hey, you know what, screw We're winning
the East everywhere everything.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
When I sit down with Josh, I sit down with
Josh Cohen and he goes, you know, I kind of
ran some of the numbers, and I don't know what
that means. I don't know what that means, but I.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
Know Josh saying, especially with Josh.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
From Orlando Magic dot com. But I know, I I
know ninety seven percent of his life is crunching the numbers.
So I don't doubt what he says that's true. And
he said there is a path, you know, if everything
plays out how it should and this team beats this team,
and is that the Magic could get fourth in the
Eastern coprofence if he crunch the numbers.
Speaker 3 (35:47):
If we go twenty nine and one for the last,
that's the number.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
He's crushed the number.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
But I don't doubt.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
I don't doubt that he's got the lights off in
his room and he's got a black light and he's
brighten on the walls, and he's crunching the numbers. He's
got it all figured out.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
Was he doing it in black I don't know why
he's doing it there.
Speaker 1 (36:03):
It's just it's just how I imagine he fronts numbers about that.
Speaker 3 (36:07):
He can't be doing that in black lightness.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
While he's developing the film when in the back he's
got the guy.
Speaker 4 (36:12):
It works better. He's got the Guy's a multi media
name for crying out loud.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
Yes, he's got a methful to the madness, believe me.
But I but anyway I look at it, I say,
they're so I don't know, we don't know what the
East is gonna look like, so could Yeah, I think
at the bare minimum risk Magic team should be fighting
like heck to get to avoid play it. I think
there's a real possibility you could grab six, maybe even
go as high as as four or five in the East.
Speaker 2 (36:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (36:38):
I when you look at who's playing well right now.
You mentioned Chicago, it seems like they found something. I'm
not particularly worried about them. They also lost that lavine
for the rest of the year, but you know, it
seems to have help.
Speaker 3 (36:49):
It seems well.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
But but I think long time that's fine.
Speaker 4 (36:53):
And by the way, Kobe White, I think we should
probably be talking about the year that that guy's have
and he up and light out and Booch is playing
really well as of late. And they did think the
fact that they sat on their hands at the deadline
probably tells you that they feel okay about themselves. Either
that or they think that's the best chance to not
get everybody fired, which is probably more more.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
Likely is the case.
Speaker 4 (37:11):
You know, you got to get to that point this
time of year, Boston is Boston. The Cavaliers have been insane.
You're right about Milwaukee like there was something wrong there
and and I don't care if you bring in Greg Popovich.
You can't fix it like that immediately. No coach has
that much power. So we'll see. I mean, Milwaukee's got
(37:31):
more talent and just about anybody, but but there is
there's clearly like some issues eron. It's mostly on the
defensive end. I'm scared of New York, to be honest
with you, I think the question made yesterday. Absolutely they're
right up beyond that. So I just did Boston, Cleveland
and New York. I think are are playing the best
in the conference. And I think catching any of those
three I aside from that, I could see a free
(37:54):
fall for any of these teams. Indiana and unscary at all.
And the Sixers is gonna be really interesting to see
Ken Tyres Batsy slide into that role and carry a
team for thirty games and kind of tread water until
potentially and b plays again. I have a feeling we
won't see him again this year.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
It just doesn't it with the.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
Way they go or open, but with how cautious they
are with him for sure. I could certainly see that
art eart.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
Yeah, I don't think so. So you're right, and that's
where we are right now. And I think that's one
of the reasons you don't make a move and mess
with it, because you do look ahead and say, look,
if we just kind of keep doing what we're doing
right now, that's right. Even if we you know, even
if we tread water the rest of the way and
we're sitting there four games above five hundred at the
at the end of the season, are heading into April,
(38:40):
that could be good enough to be out of the
playing depending on what teams like Philadelphia and Indiana end
up doing. So I think you're in a good spot.
And it certainly helps that we have so many durn
home games coming up. That game homestand in March is
a god said, I mean, that could put you in
a good but.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
I'm well aware we wouldn't be saying any of these
things if we lost to San Antonio last night. So
this thing comes and goes counts and goes game by game,
right but right now it's set you. You're you're you're
winning the games you're supposed to win. That's all, especially
the three of us. Can you imagine if we lost
that game last night and then we got.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
I mean, there'd be there would be no podcast, there.
Speaker 3 (39:18):
Would be no you guys can go pound seeing when
I bought a podcast.
Speaker 1 (39:24):
You're right, but you but you. But they do what
they're supposed to do. They they you know, they've struggled
at times, but they've beat some of the best teams.
But they're beating the teams they're supposed to beat. And
that's that's all you can ask for here down the
stretch real quick before we get out of here, The
Magic is going to be well represented next week and
next week on pod Squad Jake Chapman and I you're
going to catch up with with Pete delas Sandro in
the front office for the Orlando Magic. So that's gonna
(39:45):
be fun and salary Cap will kind of get into
some numbers and I'll be curus.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
That Josh Cohen on with the black Light with Pete
on that I'm not a good point.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
I want to compare. I want to see how he
crunches numbers as opposed to Josh Cohen.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
How had you say real fast? I imagine bed a meal.
Speaker 4 (40:00):
Josh Cohen that is that's perfect. That is the perfect
way to get ready for a broadcast, because I kind
of murdered no matter what, that dude is NonStop info.
Speaker 2 (40:10):
I need one of you.
Speaker 3 (40:11):
Two to add. That should be Pete. Your first question
to Pete is does he crunch the numbers for the
capin with a Black Live?
Speaker 1 (40:17):
Yes'm fair enough.
Speaker 3 (40:18):
I think that would set the tone for the podcast
next week.
Speaker 1 (40:23):
I think, like the number like the movie twenty three
and everybody's just righting on the walls and with numbers.
But that's probably not how it is. That's probably not
how it is for all, not for all analytics people.
The Magic are going to be well represented during All
Star Weekend. This is gonna be cool guys with with
Paulo Banker obviously in the Big Game the Rising Stars Challenge,
you're gonna have Mac McClung with the Ostiola Magic. I
(40:43):
think that I'd love to see that guy get a
chance with your Orlando Magic at some point. The problem
is it would come at someone's expense. And now that's
hard to look and say who you want to get
rid of, because but you want the guy to get
an opportunity.
Speaker 4 (40:56):
He's tearing out rid of saying, who do you want
to get rid of?
Speaker 3 (40:58):
Oh, boy, don't do that.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
No, you can't know that. That's the thing. Everybody you've got.
You've got two or three guys that can I think
can really help you, but can't even get on the floor. Yeah,
you know it'd be because you've got guys in front
of you that are just offer more right now.
Speaker 4 (41:14):
Guy, I think you've got started to come that like
seventy games or so. That's the thing.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
That's the thing. You've got guys waiting in the wings
that are very good NBA players that just can't get
on the floor right now. So so if you even
if you added mac McClung, it's not like you could
add him on to the floor. I hope an NBA
team gives him a chance because I think he's an
NBA player. But he's going to be representing the Osteolo
Magic in the Slam Dunk Contest, and we know how
electrifying he was last year. Jalen Brown will be a
part of the Dunk Contest. This is gonna be cool, guys,
(41:39):
to see the magic heavily represented. You're going to get
some national attention with Shaquille O'Neil having his jersey retired
in your building. That'll be the first jersey to go
up in the Magic rafters. Kind of some fun national
attention coming Orlando's way. Finally here coming up next week.
Speaker 4 (41:57):
I'm as Clario playing his first nationally televised game. Yes,
it has already been named an All Star. Is that
that's right?
Speaker 2 (42:03):
Right?
Speaker 3 (42:04):
Like that's I mean, yeah, trust me, I've had lots
of count I had somebody call me from the NBA
the other day and say something about Paolo at All
Star and doing some media stuff or whatever for for
ESPN or TNT, and I was just like, well, why,
why why am I in.
Speaker 2 (42:18):
A hurry days.
Speaker 4 (42:21):
Like Adam BOYNT.
Speaker 3 (42:22):
I was kidding, I was, I was, well, I was.
I had my time to cheek. But they know that,
they know that every time they bring up National TV
or something to do with the national affiliates that there
before I agree and say yes, which I which we do,
I'm always gonna kind of give him a little jab.
Speaker 1 (42:38):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (42:39):
We haven't been on national TV very much in the
last twelve plus years. Bill, you have the number one pick.
He was almost a unanimous Rookie of the Year and
you still only gave us one. But I digress. Now
see you're get me all riled up.
Speaker 1 (42:51):
But but but the counter to that is, we have
not been four games over five hundred on February ninth
since twenty twelve, A long time. It's twenty twelve, it is,
and it's hard to look. It's hard to look and say, boy,
we've got to have that team on national TV. But
but we've had better. We have had. We have certainly
been more deserving than no games.
Speaker 3 (43:11):
I would like I would like to hope that as teams,
you know, we see it all the time, games get
flexed out as the year goes on. Right, there's there's
a long stretch here where I do think there's a
good possibility of us getting you know, getting games picked
up here along the way as they If we can
keep doing what we're doing and heading into the playoffs,
(43:32):
we're going to be hard to ignore. Paolo is going
to be at All Star weekend. The guy is so deserving.
I mean, everybody's seen the night where he got you know,
where he finally got the nod and and the reserves
were announced. Just that feeling for him and the team
and then everybody involved very excited for Palo, very excited
(43:52):
for the Magic. Listen, this is what we've been wanting, right,
there's craving for years and it just this is the
light at the tunnel and this is what we've been
hoping for and you can see it now from a
distance and it's a very very exciting time.
Speaker 1 (44:07):
And I get Magic fans pushing for you know, dodr Wy,
why aren't you pushing for nationally televised games. I don't
work nationally televised games. We don't broadcast those. So when
it's on TNT, we don't. We have the night off,
which is cool once in a while. It'll be awesome
on Tuesday for the Shack thing, but you're never gonna
hear me push. I like when the games are on
Bathley Sports Florida, when we can go up against ESPN.
But for those that don't know, you know we we
(44:29):
we are not. It's and exclusivity. TNT has the rights
and it's not like we broadcast simultaneously. But I love
the exposure. We got to get the exposure when we're
in the conversation now and it's coming. Absolutely absolutely, there'll
be more and more games, and I don't think we
can hide from it next year for sure, and we've
earned it, right, We've earned it, and we'll be and
Jake will be with Josie on Jet Blue looking on
(44:50):
the plane right watching, watching the highlights coming back. It'll
be it'll be a lot of fun here next week,
all right, guys, well, good stuff. We we got thirty
games to go and good luck to us. It'll be
a lot of fun here. The last two months we've
not had probably been about ten twelve years since we've
had the kind of this excitement going into the final
two months of a season. Let's enjoy it. Let's avoid
(45:11):
the play in. Let's grab a playoff spot here in
the next two months.
Speaker 3 (45:14):
I'll do my best, Dante, all right.
Speaker 1 (45:15):
Do your best, do your best. That'll do it for
this edition of Magic Pod Squad. We'll see you next
time with Pete Delessandro will join Jake and I next week.
You don't want to miss that on Magic Pod Squad.
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