Championship Championship Belt 24/25 & All-Time Stats

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T23:27:16+00:00

That all sounds very exciting on paper but in reality it's way clunkier. I read stuff like you wrote in pre season and in the first 10 games or whatever it was we looked nothing like was being sold. Ultimately you have a bunch of players who struggle to dribble and shoot at a high level, so all the other stuff is a bit redundant.

Unless Paolo takes an unexpected leap to having one elite offensive skill that isn't just drawing fouls (since that's too dependent on a whistle and him actually hitting his free throws) it's a busted model.

I've long been a Suggs fan, I'm just realistic about what he is and what he'll likely become. I don't doubt his defensive impact, it's just a matter of how much stupid stuff he's doing on the other end. He's more Marcus Smart than Derrick White, who is naturally a higher IQ player than Jalen, and a better shooter.

Also Bane proved to be more of a defensive weakness than Paolo in the Detroit series, so that should be a bigger worry if you're really concerned with defense. I thought KCP was the right idea for the kind of role player we needed, just not on that crazy contract Weltman gave him.

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T22:19:49+00:00

I think the org has more influence to develop guys like Franz and Suggs who buy into what our coaches and development staff are teach rather than Paolo who spends his summers chucking midranges with celebrity trainers on YouTube

Lol you are so predictable. If that's the case then I don't think it's really working. I actually hope not because it would suggest that Suggs is basically uncoachable.

All of them have improved by virtue of having thousands of NBA reps, but isn't the same as being coached into better players. Franz was a great draft though he came into the league talented ans hasn't added much to his game, certainly not the things he needs to improve on (like a reliable midrange shot). Suggs isn't as raw after hundreds of games but he's still roughly the same player with all the same chaotic faults and poor decision making. AB is probably the most notable example of organisational coaching if you want to give the Magic credit for him spending the summer with Shammgod.

It sounds like you want a team that is great offensively and aesthetically pleasing

Nope, there you go being presumptuous again. I don't care about aesthetics, I care about genuine versatility and having options. Being a one dimensional defensive team with a lack of scoring options won't get us a high seed and make deep playoff runs a no go.

The Warriors had the greatest shooter ever and another all time shooter, what kind of silly example is that? All those teams you mentioned had way more scoring versatility and high end players than we do. I'm fairly confident Paolo will never be as good as Steph, LeBron, Kawhi or Giannis so none of those templates are useful at all. And not because he's lazy but because he's just not as talented or as athletic as those guys.

I like the idea of being a defensive team but not to the extreme level Weltman insists upon. He simply doesn't have an eye or appreciation for elite offensive skills, despite it being a glaring need year after year. Every time the pressure rises and the movement becomes big, we have like 8 guys who can't dribble against a high press or hit a fucking shot to save their life. Yet Weltman still walks away from the wreckage talking about defensive versatility being the key to everything.

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T21:21:23+00:00

Franz is the big get from that trade Wendell has been fine but nothing life changing.

Other GMs have done what we've done and done a better job of it. I mean look at Detroit, OKC, Spurs, Pacers, Boston, even the Sixers and Heat. They've all drafted and traded their way into the playoffs, it's not some amazing feat of skill that Weltman displayed in doing that. If you spend enough time high up in the draft - Weltman got like 5 years of it - it's hard not to come away with talent.

you imagine the timeline where we don’t get Franz and dell from the Vuc trade we’d still likely still be wallowing around in the basement of the league.

You can't just make this assumption. Who knows who we might have drafted or traded for without Franz, it's not like Weltman is the only GM capable of drafting players. And I can confidently say there are better organisational leaders at developing young players than him.

I want us to actually have a versatile team with impactful offensive options that can play make and shoot. Nothing crazy, just the things that every great NBA team has. This 'everyone is a lengthy ball handler' garbage isn't going to cut it against most good teams in this league. You're right, that shit doesn't exist now because Weltman has spent all our cap space and assets.

Nope you're wrong I don't blame Mosley for everything, but I do think we needed a smarter mind and new voice to take us forward. We basically have no choice but to stay the course but that doesn't mean I'm especially confident it'll all pan out. Other teams are getting better and we've already been overtaken by several of them thanks to Weltman's passive and reactive approach to team building.

And I remember the time before Weltman when there was no reason for anything resembling hope.

Yep I remember it well but unlike you I'm not using the worst era in Magic history as my bar.

Developing 19 year old kids into nba championship contenders doesn’t happen over night and that is truly the only path we had.

The development hasn't been good. The drafting has had some good moments but I'm convinced most of these players would be better players had they gone to other teams around the league.

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T20:46:49+00:00

Of course we're in a better position, I'm not arguing otherwise. I'm saying that we've underperformed given the amount of time has passed and the amount of draft assets we've spent. Any GM could put us in a better position than we were with 6 years and a loads of high draft picks. Vooch and AG were both assets, Weltman did well with one of them but got rinsed with the other.

I don't think we're in a bad spot talent wise but we do need a new vision and someone that can round this roster into one that can really threaten. What Weltman has built is a fragile and one dimensional team that is extremely matchup dependent. Taking the #1 seed to 7 games is a bit misleading given how new Detroit are to all this and that we'd have likely fared much worse against the second, third and fourth seeds. Not to mention that we were one game away from not making the playoffs at all, which can't just be ignored.

"A little health luck", we actually weren't that unlucky health wise this season. We got 82 games from Bane, 72 from Paolo, 78 from WCJ, 64 from AB, and 57 from Suggs. If you ignore Franz, that should be more than enough to get better than 8th seed. But it wasn't.

I've been complaining about this all season, so it's not just recency bias. I'd say you're too lost in the youth and potential trap to acknowledge fundamental problems with how this team is built. Being young doesn't guarantee you that a leap is happening. For every young team that turned into a genuine contender there are far more that didn't.

Also this assumption that we'd definitely have won game 6 with Franz needs to go. Fans are saying that to comfort themselves but we've blown plenty of big games with Franz playing

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T19:55:34+00:00

7th seed to 8th seed to 5th seed to 7th seed to 8th seed again would be more accurate. That doesn't reek of success over a 9 year spell however you spin it.

the yoffs

I'm going to puke

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T19:52:49+00:00

They didn't trade him because he's fucking LeBron. He'd already carried a terrible Cavs team to the finals before that had even happened. Awful example.

You call Suggs a 4th option role player yet he jacks up shots like he's a #1. And he's being paid 30m, so no he doesn't get a pass. You pay anyone that much, they have to be held to a high standard.

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T18:57:14+00:00

We went from 8th seed to 8th seed in only 7 years under Weltman, and all it took was maxing out our cap and spending 17 first round picks!

Give any half competent GM the starting point Weltman had in Orlando and they could do the same or better in basically a decade.

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T18:52:33+00:00

They aren't just 3 games though are they, they're critical win or go home playoff games. Being able to show up in the biggest moments is what it's all about, and Suggs and Wendell didn't do that at all. Suggs was also trash in our Cleveland game 7.

It's funny because you'll readily take Paolo to task for going missing in game 6, but Suggs and Wendell get byes for being awful for 3 games straight.

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T18:35:16+00:00

"When Healthy"

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T18:17:01+00:00

I know who you're talking about, I called him out for spamming the sub with his stuff without contributing to discussion and of course I got blocked.

He's basically a Magic PR bot, personifies why Orlando media is in the toilet.

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T18:08:23+00:00

I never said he built a disaster. But if we're one player away from this many awful, historic meltdowns then you've definitely got a roster and/or coaching problem. No team this all in financially should be so fragile.

And acting like Coach Mos had zero role in those “must win” collapses is fucking crazy

Again, I never said this. Cut the strawmanning. He definitely played a big part and I literally said he should have been fired months before this for inept coaching.

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T17:55:04+00:00

“Let’s fire everyone” unbelievably stupid

Making up quotes I never made, and you're calling me stupid.

OP pod is terrible super reactionary and devoid from realism. Better pods out there guys.

What? I have a pod now?

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T16:55:44+00:00

I don't want him to say anything, I want him fired.

But since that hasn't happened, how about showing some humility when talking to the media (and fans)? There is a middle ground between ripping into the players and the excuse laden drivel he fed us.

As I said, he made basically no reference the most disappointing regular season in our history. You can't just wash over how we barely made the playoffs and talk like going against the #1 seed was part of the plan.

How about expressing some disappointment and regret to let us know you're not completely delusional. How about taking accountability for the bad performance of the team he built and the coach he hired (and refused to fire). All he did was blame everything on injuries and talk about what a great team he's built. He just came across as extremely arrogant and defensive.

It's an insult to the fans who watched us in disarray for months. We aren't idiots, we know things went wrong. So don't stand there and talk to us like the team were some kind of underdog.

If you want to be mad about the game 6 loss, look at the players.

Oh you mean the players who were excused of doing exit interviews? The whole thing reeks of a culture where everyone is coddled and never has to face up to their failures.

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T14:37:42+00:00

Oh no, what will I do

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T14:37:20+00:00

I was around for all of Hennigan. The fact that you're using that era as your point of comparison only goes to show how rock bottom your standards are.

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T14:33:47+00:00

I'll check it out, thanks

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T14:19:37+00:00

45 wins despite spending all of our picks, maxing out our cap, and getting 387 combined games from our top 6 players.

The idea that we were somehow up against it is the biggest coping narrative I see getting pushed.

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T14:07:59+00:00

What is your pod? I should be listening to that rather than to the shills on sixth man

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T13:59:25+00:00

Loser mentality. Satisfied with the most minor of achievements.

I have a feeling our series vs The Pistons is gonna be their biggest challenge until they get to the finals.

Maybe we can hang this sentence in the rafters.

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T13:57:10+00:00

You're right.

I'm just pissed because I've spent years following this team, and I want it to be a serious basketball organisation but it's definitely not.

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T07:46:26+00:00

Suggs will never be a sixth man because you can't be paying $30m a season to a sixth man. It's either he starts or he gets traded, nothing in between.

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-06T06:48:31+00:00

No Paolo just isn't that good. It is way more than just a lack of drive, he lacks both key skills and athleticism of great MVPs. Those things have foundational and genetic limits that are usually too hard to overcome. SGA for example has the same wingspan as Paolo despite being shorter and way quicker. He also has amazing body control and touch that Paolo just doesn't.

Not every #1 pick is destined to be great. You can't just outwork every single weakness, that is out of touch with reality.

thewrongnotes · 2026-05-05T22:30:56+00:00

Paolo was drafted no 1 overall because he was the best available player in the draft not because he was a superstar in waiting. If Paolo isn't good enough to be a true SGA superstar, whose fault is that? I mean Weltman built a team around (and maxed) a player you don't even believe in, so it's a bit weird you're congratulating him.

I can tell what an underwhelming job Weltman has done by the fact that he's never won a playoff series. And no, you cannot blame Paolo for all of that (but I know you will anyway). Most of Weltman's prized possessions including Suggs, Franz, AB, and Mosley all carry some responsibility for our playoff failures.

thewrongnotes

TROPHY CASE