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Chad Ford hands Orlando Magic their offseason grade

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Mar 16, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Orlando Magic forward Evan Fournier (10) goes up for a shot against Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller (40) in the first half at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Orlando Magic forward Evan Fournier (10) goes up for a shot against Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller (40) in the first half at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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ESPN.com’s Chad Ford weighed in on the Orlando Magic’s offseason. It echoed much of the same sentiment as others in the national media: skepticism.

The reviews for the Orlando Magic‘s offseason all seem to come from the same stripe and have the same reasoning.

The Magic put all their chips in — which is an OK decision considering the last four years of losing — but how they did so did not seem to have a cohesive thought behind it. Loading up on rim-protecting bigs sounds great, but someone has to score. And there are still all those young players waiting for a chance and some development.

To many, despite the past four years, the Magic are hitting fast forward too soon. They are not letting this develop and mature at the right pace.

That is easy to say without the pressure of four years of pent-up frustration. The Magic had to do something.

For pushing all the chips in, the national media may just have too many questions to feel comfortable with what Orlando has done. And so all the results have sort of remained the same.

Add Chad Ford of ESPN.com to the list of those wary about what the Magic tried to accomplish this offseason, particularly in the Eastern Conference’s new landscape.

Ford gave the Magic a C- this offseason:

"“Furthermore, you begin to wonder how the addition of these veterans will affect the long-term development of players like Aaron Gordon, Mario Hezonja and Elfrid Payton. Given the push for the playoffs, will Vogel be allowed to keep letting them develop at the expense of more costly veterans? Is an eighth seed in the playoffs worth stifling their growth?“I don’t think it is. And given the depth in the East, I’m not sure the playoffs are even a realistic option either. Real plus-minus projections have them at just 36 wins next year.”"

He believes adding Ibaka was a good move — although it came at a great cost. And he sees a bit of what the Magic are trying to do with Bismack Biyombo. But the verdict is the Magic largely overpaid for Biyombo, D.J. Augustin and Jeff Green. Although, the Magic likely spent one year on Jeff Green with likely no other options left for them. They are not married to him long term anyway.

And, as Ford notes, ESPN’s Real plus-minus projections are not high on the Magic’s players. Kevin Pelton explained those projections a bit more on Locked on NBA earlier this week. He doubted the team made improvements enough to make it to the Playoffs.

The refrain when it comes to grading the Magic’s offseason has been the same. Ford echoes a lot of the same sentiments.

This is a team that has decided to push in for a Playoff berth. They gave up a lot for Serge Ibaka. And spent a lot on role players with an uncertain fit for the larger plan for the roster.

Next: Evan Fournier is Orlando Magic's X-factor

A ‘C-‘ sounds harsh, but it is a reality of the questions the Magic have left behind. One that could change very quickly if they come together, especially on defense.