MAGIC BREAKOUT? Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner can beat the expectations

0:00This is the Lockdown Podcast Network celebrating 10 years of your team every day. Thank you for making Lockdown your first listen every day. For your second listen, find the Lockdown NBA Podcast where there's no offseason. West Matt and Hayes keep you up to date on contract negotiations, rumors and everything you need to be the most informed NBA fan. Lockdown NBA on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. NBA 2K27 is out and it has a surprise prediction for the Orlando Magic. It's hot, take Wednesday, not Tuesday. Should've planned that better. Today on Lockdown Magic. You are a Lockdown Magic, your daily Orlando Magic podcast.

1:03Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. And you are indeed locked on magic today is September 9th, 2026. My name is Philip Ross, when I come to senior writer over at Orlando Magic Daily. I'm credentialed member of the Orlando Magic Media since the 2012 season on today's episode of Lockdown Magic. We're going to finish our conversation with Kukihil of Lockdown Pistons. He's going to fire off some hot takes on the magic of fire off some hot takes on the pistons. We could conclude that discussion in our second segment. I'll fire off a few more that may pop up in our last segment. But I would have started today with the hottest of hot takes, the most kind of absurd thing that I've seen in a while. But something that is at least giving a positive impression of the Orlando Magic, at least some positive, because it feels like so much, so much of this summer has been reing our

2:05fingers and reing our hands and being worried about the future. And look, there is a lot to be worried about. There is a lot on the line this season. There's a lot at stake for the magic this year. It is a defining season for this franchise because they're over leveraged. You know, they gave up all those draft picks to get to Asmine Bay who will have a take on that. But I still think it was the right decision. It was the right risk to take with the roster. But they are over leveraged. They're going to have to retreat from the second apron here very, very shortly. There are changes coming to this roster. And the question still remains. Is this team good enough? Is this team good enough to compete for a championship? Because if they're not, the magic do have to consider making some changes and certainly cutting payroll. But finding a way to still be competitive at a high level while shaking up a big part of the roster. The trade talk regarding Palo Banqueiro is probably a little far.

3:07The number of teams that are circling, trying to see if we can get Franz Wagner maybe, probably also a little too much. That's the question that still needs to be answered. The question that this magic team is essentially going to spend its entire season trying to figure out is how good are we really? And that's honestly been the question for the last two seasons before this year. This is an ultimatum. Like this season, is an ultimatum for the Orlando Magic. There is just no other way to put it. Now, there's obviously still a lot more to work through and there's still a lot more to do, but that is the stakes of the season. And if you look around the world, most people predict the magical be right back in the plane. If not in the 910 playing game, not even the 7-8 game in the 910 game.

4:08And as we mentioned on yesterday's show, yes, that is very possible. It's not an impossible thing that could happen. The magic could very well be right back where they were or in a worse position than they were the last two years. It's also quite possible that they're not. And the question really is, how good can the magic be? Now I am not one to give into hyperbole. I'm not one to say, oh, this team is so clearly better than I think they are clearly better than a lot of people think. But I'm not going to say you're and sugarcotens say the magic are champion team. That is not a hot take. I'm going to subscribe to you. I think the magic did make a mistake this summer, not addressing some bigger needs because even if this team were healthy, sure, they would have gotten to the second round. I think even with Franz Wagner at 60 percent, they're going to have to beat the pistons. I don't think they were good enough to beat the calves. And there's clearly still more this team needs. Even with Franz Wagner out and we'll talk more about Franz Wagner tomorrow.

5:12Even with Franz Wagner out, the magic should have had enough to win one of those last three games. Certainly they had enough to win game six with the way game six played out. Or maybe they maybe not maybe they are good enough because with NBA 2K 27 out. The magic are suddenly being predicted to win and win big, like big, big. Yahoo sports ran a simulation in the NBA 2K's might my GM mode, my NBA mode. And had the magic is the one scene in the east. Okay, that's just one prediction. Anything can randomly happen. Sharp one random prediction. Yeah, maybe the magic get there. This more illustrated ran a hundred simulations of the upcoming NBA season on NBA 2K. The magic tied to San Antonio Spurs winning the championship 19 times.

6:16They made the NBA play out. They made the NBA finals 14 more times beyond that. 33 times. One out of every three. One out of every three simulation had the magic in the finals. So you know what? I got my copy of NBA 2K. I cranked it up when the first things I did when I when I when I finish a download. And I was like, okay, let's see. Like is this true? Is this is this a real thing? Is this something that we have to account for? And in my simulation, the magic got only one the NBA cup. I only ran it once. I'm not crazy. The magic got only one the NBA cup. They finished with 60 wins. They were the one scene. They swept through the first two rounds of the playoffs, beating the bulls and. I'll make sure I know who they beat here. Beating the bulls and the. Where did I picture go? The bulls and the pistons before losing to the nicks and the Eastern conference finals in

7:17the seven game series would sting to lose game seven on your home floor, but say LaVee. For some reason, 2K likes the magic. I asked around a few people who played 2K and asked like, why does this happen? What do you think this is? Because the magic actually on team overall rating are 11th. They don't even make the playoffs. The Washington Wizards have a higher overall team rating. In NBA 2K, then the Orlando Magic, probably because of the overvalued and trade-yogged interview Davis. Couple of threes out there are that like 2K tends to like more balanced teams, teams that have a lot of depth. And I think we get to beat how deep this magic team really is, but. Jalen Suggs, a solid role player. Desmond Baines, a really high level player. I know Carter's really solid, even if he's not a video game video gamer. Um, you know, Nicole of which which could still produce.

8:18There's still something there. And like in the one semi-ran, the magic word just like an elite defensive team. On top of all that to kind of further boost that notion. By 2K simulation, I had the blazers winning the championship. And that doesn't seem like that is such an odd thing in 2K simulations. Go try it yourself. Like spend, spend the five minutes to like, send through an entire season and see what the results are. Now, I like look, I'm an optimist, but I'm not delusional. I don't think the magic are about to win the championship. I don't think that is where this season is going to end up. I think that the goal for the magic is once again to point toward a championship, win a playoff series and very clearly show the direction that this team needs to go to win a championship with the understanding and the acknowledgement that in a more, in this environment that has a lot more parity,

9:22it's really about catching fire at the right time and being in the hunt because anything can happen. Again, like maybe the magic do have things inside them and inside that building. I think it's a little, I don't think it's so far fetched, but I don't think it's something to bet on. Maybe the magic do believe, hey, we were a Franz Wagner injury away from going to the conference finals last year. And obviously, that changes things. I will reiterate this point, this hot take that I have, maybe it's hot take me, it's hot, but I will reiterate this point. The magic would 45 games last year, despite everything going wrong. Nothing could have gone worse for their Orlando Magic last year, barring long-term injuries. And they sewed one 45 games, they still finished the game out of fifth there, a game and a half out of fourth in early March. This team is not that far from that reality.

10:22And that is essentially what the magic are betting on. 2K likes the magic for whatever reason. But the magic have to figure out a way to make that reality as fun as those possibilities are. So let's get into it then. Let's close our conversation with Kuka Hill of Lockdown. Pistons will get into some of his hot takes and more coming up in just a moment. The problem of finding clothes that you can live it all day, be comfortable and do whatever you need to do. Whether it's just chilling, go into meetings, playing golf, being on the move. That problem has been solved by Kozirth. The everyday polo is the answer. It's lightweight, built to move with you. Just easy to wear wherever I've got it on right now and it's fabulous.

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12:34I can I go I had I wrote down some like I wrote down some hot takes or just my thoughts on the magic that if you ask me by I had in front of me if you didn't want to run through at the end. Okay, go for it. I think magic fans may enjoy it may not but I think it'll be fun content either way. They're hot takes. There are there's no responsibility freezing cold takes if you're listening. Log off. Close the window. You're done. So okay, so going through out these notes I wrote down one I still think fron's the best player on the team. I thought fron's was incredible through the first four was four games that he played before he got hurt. I thought he was absolutely incredible. I thought defensively he was all over the place. I thought he was quite literally the reason my depictions could not score could not keep up offensively. He was I thought he took away Dern and most himself with Wendell, but he was his ability to switch up and down was killing them. I thought he completely took Kate out of the game at times. I thought Kate did a good job of trying to find ways to to to still impact,

13:34but fron's was making it absolutely hell with the size of his length of the ability to move laterally. I thought he was all over the place defensive. I thought he was incredible. Can I add like my two cents two cents? So I'm not fast. I still think Paulo is the better basketball player just because like I think fron's doesn't have the ego to be the star. Like he's super competitive like you'll do anything but it always sometimes feels like you have to kind of push frons to be like no you're the guy go score like even Paulo talked about the summer like I'm kind of in his year like telling him like hey you can you're like you're the guy. I'm going to give you the ball if you're hot go for it. But I think fron's is the most important player for all those reasons like he's he's the glue that like binds everything together and you can just you can just feel the fracture when he was out because like just just there are just things they couldn't do anymore. Yeah the defense of me I thought for sure and then even offensively I thought he was doing a great job of being able to break down the defense get to the get to the basket and then make plays out of that continuously making the pistons have to rotate finding open shooters forcing them

14:37into tough matchups. I thought fron's was was playing incredible the first four games. I do think there was times that one of the things I saw magic fans talk about throughout the regular season. I follow quite a bit of magic fans that in the second half for some I think there was like this chart that was going through out the magic community that like in the second half you just stop touching the ball or something like there was like a yeah yeah just crashes or something. There is times I think there was like in in in game one even I felt like the pistons started to come back in the beginning of the fourth and the catch fron's is kind of like was ghost he was just like not even apart of the offense. So I do think that I think involving fron's even more and giving him even more of a responsibility and relying on him more I think would be a big thing for the magic. Next part I think coming out of that series this one might upset some people I'm sorry. Coming out of that series I felt like if I was a magic fan I'd be very questioning I'd be very much questioning whether Desmond Bay was the right move for to go after and the right person they showed traded for. I thought I thought Desmond Bay really hurt the magic in that series. I thought his inability to get anything off offense me and I know he had a saw on him

15:41but his inability to really make any kind of impact I felt offensively along with the fact that he was just like the guy being hunted out almost every possession defensively. When you pay him that much money and you give up that much assets I think walking out of that series of hours of magic fan I'd be saying I don't know if this was the guy we should have spent our assets on if we were going to make a big move. So that's the next one. That's fair. I think about the magic is like a lot of these questions are like let's give it a second year. Like one year could be an aberration let's see what it looks like a second go around but like I think you're right like like I still think about that Kade step back that he had over over Bane and game five that made it a four point game I think with like 12 15 seconds left. Like that was just like the definition of like oh this is this is that's that's the problem with that's that's the problem with Desmond Bane and I don't even think Bane necessarily had a bad series but like he just wasn't able to create anything off the dribble and like I think the magic of the pissants have the same problem where they just they don't have enough guys who can score for themselves and that's that's a Desmond Bane problem.

16:44That's what I was going to say I feel I'm walking out of that series I say and I'm sure some magic fans may have been thinking this about the season but for me being able to watch them for seven games I walked out that series being like the magic probably would have been much better if they were going to spend their assets and give that type of money going after a point guard or an on-ball guy an on-ball initiator a star on ball guy that can move maybe Powell and Fronge both down a pecking order to where they're not having so much usage whereas Desmond was kind of just like relegated off the ball and just was taken out of this I feel he was too often the go. Like some of that is like this is the jibal mostly offense or with the offense they were trying to run it it it was the right offense for a team that was developing and learning and able to make mistakes and explore the canvas it was not the right offense for a team trying to win a playoff series and like I'm sure I'm sure like it's like like I talked with Deany Cunningham about this too and we did our crossover episode like he compared you know what the magic you know maybe the magic fire you know firing Jamal Mosley's like the cast firing JB Bickers staff they bring in

17:45Kenny Ackinson and the offense just opens up and like Detroit experienced that too like JB Bickers and like look these are all good coaches it's just it's not it's not that these are bad bad coaches it's just maybe kind of the wrong situation things get stale but the piss is experienced that with JB Bickers staff he came in set the tone for what they were trying to do and the whole world opened up to them and so it's it it certainly I think the magic kind of hit their ceiling offensively with with what Jamal Mosley was trying to run and they they need some new ideas. All right last two last two I had okay one and not one three I guess I I think the magic portray jail and Suggs I think he was really I think I I felt like he was not as impactful as I maybe expect I really liked Suggs going into the series and I walked away from the series and I maybe was too I thought he was playing for his job in game seven and I thought he I thought he was going to be gone like and he's like I say a Stewart he's heart and soul the team like if he like everyone loves citing on-off numbers with Palo everybody is better with jail and Suggs on

18:47the floor with them and it's all defense and but the fact is he shot what like three for 22 in the last three games from three and it's like you need so you need someone who can scale up when it's time to scale up and like it's back it's two playoff series he didn't play in 2025 but two playoff series we shot less than 30% from three that's that's kind of a problem yeah I I think that's I don't think that's a crazy take it all like I was I thought we I thought when we talk to jail and Suggs after game seven that was the last time we're going to talk jail and Suggs and magic and that's well fair enough fair enough I thought offensively obviously I was like you mentioned he wasn't I just don't think he's what you guys need offensively then even defensively I thought the pistons did some things in games that can game seven that kind of I don't want to say neutralize but kind took away some of his impact defensively and he wasn't able to make up for it in ways that others would have been able to so I I feel like they should have moved on from jail and Suggs and they would have been better off um that's easier for me to say that maybe not even was a deal out that I could have made it better like I obviously I'm talking from outside perspective um and then the

19:49last thing last takeaway was when Del really impressed me but also did not like he impressed me and also was like okay that's why he's window and like at times so I think the magic are in a tough position with him because it's he can be he can look so good and look like the perfect center you want for a team like the magic and then at other times he can look like man if we just had something better right there that maybe would have been different so I that those are my those are the notes I had written down that we didn't get to with any of your questions by one I thought I should go ahead and run let me let me let me let me let me let me let me let me let me let me I don't have notes written down but let me let me give let me give a couple back to you to to to wrap things up um we obviously in Orlando like Tobias Harris a lot um even though he always tortures the teams that he used to play for which is every team in the league at this point um I thought Tobias Harris was the reason they won that series um like you know obviously like Cade's important a SARS important but like Tobias Harris finding his groove and I think it was game six and game seven to me was the big reason that Detroit won that series and like Tobias is just solid and I remember when they

20:52when they signed Tobias to that big contract everyone's like why are you giving Tobias that much money and I was like no like he's actually the perfect veteran for a young group that's going to be figuring out how to win for the first time he's going to be steady you're going to rely on him like he had so many big moments in that in those playoffs and I was personally really shocked that they either did not bring him back or did not find a similar player I think replacing him with John Collins is a is a downgrade I know you're high on John Collins for shooting and I think his veteran veteran stuff will be good for them too but I am I am beyond I think they downgraded losing losing Tobias Harris like I thought Tobias like still had so much to give and Tobias might be the reason the spurs won the championship this year like I think a lot of pistons fans would agree with you I think a lot of them do okay um and then the other thing is um um again like I was impressed with the Paul Reed decision over Isaiah Stewart that that that took some guts um Dana Stankens um I thought they overplayed him in the series yeah but he had some

21:57big moments um it some big moments like that that that is a heck of a find you know I know he had some big big moments during the season but like for a young guy like him to step up and to get that much put and to play that well I thought that was that was really really impressive and you know he kind of pushed strong Holland out of the way and pushed a couple other young guys out of the way to to get there but I thought he he ended up being a big difference maker in game seven yeah Danes is is one of the hot topics in the community about whether they whether he he is a great find but how much do you really want to continue to press that button is one of the hot hot topics in the community is there any other ones you have I mean like I I I'm I'm curious what you what you think and maybe I need to listen to a lot on pissant's more for this like but like you mentioned it like this tradeoff of are we giving up too much of our defense to get shooting like I like that the pissant's added shooting they obviously needed that and and you added guys I thought that have been in defensive groups before so it's like I say a

22:58Joe knows how to play high how to fit into a high level defense so I think that's good but what do you think that the pistons played their summer right just focusing on adding shooting or do you think they needed to make a splash play somewhere and and go get you know a quote unquote second star I think they could have I think a lot of people wanted to go with the second star I think that phrase and said in his last press conference that we were able to talk with him in the offseason they asked him after watching the playoffs and seeing the finals did he feel like this is becoming more offensively he said absolutely not think it's the exact opposite and the word that I key either quote I keep going back to that I'm gonna ask I can't wait to ask him about when we get to talk to him again as he said I feel like what we didn't learn is that you need to have a great defense and just enough offense so I'm I we need to figure out do you feel like you added just enough offense like he like do you have enough so they went out and got shooting I think they try to get a second second ball handler second star type of guy but I do there's a part of me that also

24:00does question how much treason actually did want to get a second star like I don't know I know they they talked and tried to get one but like I wonder how much of an urgent pressing need was it actually for him versus what the the fans wanted and along with that I know the front office for two years now has wanted to see a star on the ball and see what he can do on the ball and for multiple reasons that we've talked about just they haven't been able to get that sample that they wanted to and they feel like they're going to force that to happen this year and they want to kind of get that answer before the exit go all in so I think I think we'll find I'm not sure if they added enough offense I don't know if the shooting is going to be enough but I think they will make a decision at the deadline whether it was enough or not though yeah and then obviously like everyone's dealing with apron stuff and I imagine that was part of the calculus knowing that we're during staying like we all agree Duran is getting some long term deal at some point like the deadline will create enough pressure that someone will cave but like Duran's going to be expensive we saw what a men got I imagine the SARS looking for something similar you know maybe a little bit

25:02less but not too far like the aprons are real like let me let me let me tell you if someone who's dealing with the apron stuff right now like it's it's it's real like you you got to attack when you you can attack and you know you retreat when you when you retreat so where you know the magic are getting ready to retreat so this like this feels like a last ditch effort for the magic to to some degree all right so to wrap it up quick question we we're probably going to be splitting this I'm going to be splitting this up into two episodes for sure we're at 60 minutes absolutely this is absolutely a two-parter might be a three-parter um why I wanted to wrap it up with the same thing I wrapped up with Danny just real quickly what is your expectation now going into the season for the magic my expectation for the pistons is they'll make the second round is my I think they need to make the second round and at least to show in the second round that they're better equipped to be a good playoff team even if they lose if they walk out the second round I'm feeling better about them as a playoff team I think that's fine for you what do you think the magic need to be able to do this season for fans yourself the team to be like this was a successful season we've

26:03we've talked for like three four years now that the magic and the pistons are like on the same track it's it's the same goal like I think the goal for the magic is avoid the play in number one like you just you just don't want to do that it's it's it's great for fans it's miserable for everyone participating it um you know it's it's it's I love the play in tournament don't get me wrong but it's it's a lot and it's it's absolute it's absolute some energy and and put some pressure on you so avoid the play in tournament and then I agree I think the magic need to get to the second round and look like they have a path to being a championship level team um like I don't think this is I don't think this magic team is a championship team yet I think Detroit's further along in that process but I think the goal is get to the second round and have a competitive series and be like okay these are the steps we need to take or this that they're they're we can see the trophy in the distance like it's but we can't reach it yet we're not we're not there yet but we can see it in the distance it's not crowded in shadow or whatever so I think I think that's the goal for the

27:06magic this year is to is to show that this group is on on the right track um and that that this quirk and work is if it doesn't then they got to make some tough decisions all right Philip thank you for doing this I think this is enjoyable I think both sides will very much enjoy this and hopefully maybe we get another crossover playoff maybe maybe we see these teams play in the second round and front stays healthy this one we'll see you in the NBA Cup first off because on this podcast we respect the cup um second off see you in the conference finals my friend there you go we'll see you there we'll see you there appreciate today's episode of locked on magic is brought to my friends over at O2 running a business should feel like you're trying to connect a bunch of systems that were never designed to work together one app for accounting another for inventory another for sales and somehow none of them talk to each other that's where O2 comes in O2 is an all-in-one business management software that brings every part of your business together in one powerful platform from sales accounting to inventory and marketing everything works in one place O2 is one platform to manage grow and scale

28:11your business the best organizations know that success isn't just about talent it's about having everyone working toward the same goal and that's true in sports just like it is in business the best teams are always working in the same direction management scouting team coaching everyone is on the same page working toward the same goal it's all about operations and keeping everything working together and toward the same same end is the ultimate goal great organization or great organizations when because operations matter and that's why you should get O2 O2 is one platform to manage grow and scale your business try for free today at odu.com slash locked on that's odododo.com slash locked on I want to thank who what's again for having me on locked on pistons and for joining us here on locked on magic for a great conversation and look back at the Orlando Magic series with the Detroit pistons we are just about ready to move forward I have to have been promising player outlooks we'll

29:15start with those tomorrow we've been kind of doing doing them throughout the course of the summer but it does feel like we are in the real beginnings of the countdown to training camp the Orlando Magic posted on their social media and array of photos from the avan health training center the guys are back like almost all of them are back at back of Orlando back working out together we got photos of palo got photos of fronds got photos of AB got photos of jibalcane the colulucuvich window carder truss and solva no appendah jace Richardson a good chunk of the Orlando Magic roster I imagine Desmond being his back already because he's got kids Jonathan Isaac is probably probably never really left town he also has kids I don't think I don't know if they're school age yet but the match are back the magic are back they're working out together in the training center I'm sure they're getting some pointers some coaches as well there's you know kind of voluntary mini camps

30:15going on right now pick up runs are regular right now we are in the full countdown to training camp and I got one more hot take that I was I was listening back and listening back to that segment as I was recording this and listening back to our conversation with koo throughout throughout the throughout the last two days and so I'm just going to give one more hot take here you can check me out I'll knock down calves as well so I'll throw Danny under the bus as well here to Orlando Magic are going to finish ahead of the trip distance that's that's going to be my my hot take to end all hot takes on this hot take episode I am people begin you know like I'm out and about in the world it's the offseason everyone knows I'm the magic guy people people tend to ask me what do you think about the magic you know I had a couple people say like you you seem to be pretty positive on the magic and I tend to be a positive optimistic person I'm not going to hide that I'm not going to shut you know kind of dismiss that that that is just my natural predilection I am not a doom and

31:23gloom but I have been sitting here at this desk all summer trying to figure this team out and I'm not going to sit here and say 100% book it the magic or go into the finals I'm obviously not going to say that I'm not that I'm not delusion but I keep coming back to there were so many things that went wrong last year so many things that I don't think can go wrong again like we're going to talk more Franz Wagner tomorrow because because I want to really stretch that point that I made that Franz Wagner is the glue that holds this thing together and you could see this magic team and its identity and so many of the things that it wants to do just breaking at the seams because Franz Wagner was out for so long like that that's that's not nothing

32:24that's not that's not something to just flat out dismiss Franz Wagner is really really really important and I believe that he's going to be healthy just just flat out plain and simple I think the last two years of injuries were random and I don't think I think the first three years of his career where he played more than 75 games and frankly the magic had to strap him down and keep him from playing in the one games that he missed are more indicative of his durability than the last two seasons now now obviously he made a mistake coming back as soon as he did if the magic don't play in Berlin he probably finished his season the magic probably do get to the second round and we're having a very different conversation this summer but if Franz Wagner is going to play

33:2875 games let's just be conservative 75 let's say just play 70 games if Franz Wagner is going to play 70 games and Palo Bencaro takes how poor he was last season and then the poor condition or whatever it was last season he takes that seriously and by all accounts he has like that there are people that are like he's having really it's summer again we're going to find out in a month if those two players alone take that step this team makes so much more sense this team is capable of doing something something really special and really big I have defaulted to saying the magic we're going to finish sixth I have Boston are not Boston I have Philadelphia Philadelphia Cleveland and New York as the top three I'll great Toronto maybe at four but I don't see the quite letter trade still hasn't gone through like that's that's going to happen

34:30but it's still up in the air I think the trick out worse this summer I hit it at it in that segment I think the trick out worse this summer I think John Collins is a clear downgrade over to bias Harris I think that they added shooting but I would agree with with Kuska and Cernet maybe they sacrifice too much defense with the shooting that they added I don't think they solve their big problem which is a secondary attacker in fact they lost their secondary attacker into bias Harris I'm sure Jaylen again Jaylen Duren is going to sign it's not like Detroit's going to fall off the face of the earth but I'm not sold there you know 60 wins felt like the high end they're going to come crashing back to earth and I'm not sold they got better similarly I think Boston is going to come back down to earth a little bit Paul George is not as reliable as as

35:31Jaylen Brown on all fronts and honestly like I know people are like oh now Jason Tatum is going to be all the way back I don't think Jason Tatum is going to be all the way back now Boston's Boston they're quirky offense they work really well in the regular season Cleveland if they can stay healthy is still dangerous but I don't think they're playoff dangerous and Dodon Mitchell is only getting older James Harden's only getting older there there's a cliff coming for that team at Lane I think did get better but I also think they vastly overachieve last year and I'm not sold they're going to be able to repeat a lot of that again Orlando is definitely in the mix and it's a it's a big mishmash like again you could throw all the teams up in the air one through 12 in the eastern conference and just see where they land outside in New York outside of Philadelphia I Cleveland's got too much talent for me to completely write them off and Toronto I think is with if quiet healthy Toronto's gonna be really good you can't write off Boston my amy's got

36:36Yannis you know I'm I'm still hesitant to completely write off Washington even though I know injuries are going to be a huge factor with them and I don't think they have great depth but you know I like their young talent I think they pushed their chips in too far with with that with that group and I don't think that I don't think that group is going to serve their young talent but you know AJ DeBon says it's going to be pretty good I see no reason why the magic aren't in the mix to be a home quarter data team and Franz Wagner playing 70 games so vastly improves the magic that just that alone makes them better and who is right there is no team that has more variance than Orlando they could finish fourth or third they could be the surprising like I said this on the show why can't the magic do what the pissants did last year why can't the magic have a 60 win breakthrough and be the one or the two seed it's it's not impossible there's always a

37:36surprise nothing ever goes chalk and if there's a team that could surprise everyone in the lead and be like oh they finally figured it out they're really really good it's your land oh magic so I'll go ahead and pull the trigger on it now I'm going to mark it down I'm going to I'm going to stick to it in all my predictions the magic are going to finish ahead of the pissants this year I think they are capable of doing that clearly two k things they are two I think this magic team has has the ability it's it to people outside of Orlando it feels far fetched when I tell them no the magic goal is to look like they're going to win a championship in the next two three years and people will look at that kind of crazy be like what do you mean they haven't proved anything you're right they have I don't I don't I don't expect anyone outside Orlando to believe that but that is still the realistic goal for this team and if that's the realistic goal for this team they've got to be better than teams like the pissants

38:39they are their fraternity brothers that they have to out piece they have to outgrow they have to they have to beat out and like frankly like the things that I've been hearing just sitting back reflecting on last season I am I'm I'm excited for this season like like I'm hesitant I don't want to get burned again even though I just stuck my neck out for a hot take there um but I am really eager to see this team play because I think they're going to be pretty good and I think they're going to surprise a lot of people and I think they're gonna they're gonna be very successful that's my hot take of the day we'll have more as we get closer and closer to the start of training camp but that's going to for me today I want to thank you all again for listening to today's episode of Lockdown Magic where it's finding on Twitter at Philip R underscore

39:43O.D. and on Blue Sky at Philip R.R. You can subscribe to the podcast and I'll podcast your children and we'll go to the Westpuff I Odyssey and all the voice down on podcast your podcast enabled listening device to check check us out on YouTube as well to search for Lockdown Magic for the latest on the Orlando Magic Beasts or check out Orlando Magic T.L.A.L.A.com you can find a search Twitter at O Magic Daily Inn Beasts or Check out Lockdown NBA if you're on video we're going to send you over to the first ever 24-7 YouTube channel on the NBA on audio check out Lockdown NBA for your second listen of the day appreciate all the work that they do there they've gotten us through the summer some good magic topics in the last few episodes as well if you want to check out their archives and here's some national thoughts on the Orlando Magic but that's going to do it for me today I want to thank you all again for listening to today's episode of Lockdown Magic like I said on tomorrow's episode of Lockdown Magic, our next episode of Lockdown Magic we'll chat a little bit more about Franz Vogue's role and why he is so vital to what the magic you will break down some numbers and discuss what I mean by him being the gloom coming up it on our next episode but until then for Orlando Magic Daily Lockdown Magic this has been Bill

40:46Ross and I can show them next time for another episode of Lockdown Magic thank you for making Lockdown your first listen every day for your second listen find the Lockdown NBA podcast where there's no offseason West Matt and Hayes keep you up to date on contract negotiations rumors and everything you need to be the most informed NBA fan find Lockdown NBA on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts part of the Lockdown Podcast Network your team every day