Orlando Magic Daily Roundtable: Lineups and rotations

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Nov 11, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon (00) drives to the basket against the Utah Jazz during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Was moving Aaron Gordon out of the starting lineup the right move? What does this say about the team so far this season?

Philip Rossman-Reich (@omagicdaily): I think moving Aaron Gordon out of the starting lineup was a very bad decision. Gordon is still the best chance the Magic have for a superstar and, even while trying to win, they need to put him in positions that will challenge him and help him develop. Gordon has taken the “demotion” in stride and he has been a bit more effective with Damjan Rudez in the lineup with him. But that is more a clue of how the Magic should build their roster if they really want Gordon playing the 3. Gordon’s demotion though symbolizes the team moving away from relying on their youth. And to me, that extreme short-term focus does not bode well for the franchise’s future.

Muhammed Jumani (@MuMuJumani): In my opinion, moving Aaron Gordon out of the starting lineup was a bad idea, because the replacement, Jeff Green, had not been playing well prior to his move on to the starting lineup, and Aaron Gordon’s season was shaping up to be a pretty decent season thus far. Gordon has the most potential of all the players on the Magic right now to become a superstar. His jumper is improving, his rebounding has always been good, his shot blocking has been better. It did not make sense to replace a young superstar in the making for a struggling vet.

Ryan Doyle (@RDoyle27): I hate it. Jeff Green has been bad. There is no two ways about it. Green has been mediocre on defense and has not done enough on the offensive end to make it worthwhile. Aaron Gordon needs those minutes. Gordon is the only hope the Magic have at a successful future. I love Gordon’s defense and athletic ability. If the Magic give him the chance to truly develop, I could really see Gordon become a star. That will not happen if Green is in his way.

David Iwanowski (@davidiwan1): I do not like it, specifically because of who was put in at his position. Aaron Gordon has struggled offensively, but he is still the best perimeter defender on the team and was the only wing starter who could consistently guard other teams’ scorers. Not only does Jeff Green not bring what Gordon does defensively, he has not been good offensively either. If the alternative is not clearly better, I would stick with the young guy who could turn into Orlando’s franchise player.

Luka Jelcic (@lukajelcic19): I think Frank Vogel wants to give more minutes to the veterans as the team wants to win now. Having that in mind, I see no improvement having Jeff Green over Aaron Gordon in the starting lineup. I liked the Green signing in the offseason, but his contribution has been questionable so far. This change tells me the team is still searching for the its identity, and there may be more lineup changes.

Alvaro Grullon (@AlGrullonNBA): I must admit at first I was excited about the lineup change. Something had to change with the starting lineup in order to get this team going. Jeff Green was expected to provide more outside shooting and more scoring to a starting lineup that was clearly lacking offense. Unfortunately, Green has not played to his potential during his time as a starter, which now makes matters even worse. I believe Frank Vogel felt a change was needed and he picked Aaron Gordon because he wanted to stretch out the floor a bit more and add one more shooting threat. It is not clear to me yet why he chose Gordon since he had been playing fairly well, especially on the defensive end. We will see how this ends up playing out in the upcoming games.

Zach Palmer (@FmrTankCommandr): Honestly, I thought moving Aaron Gordon out of the starting lineup was the right decision. Gordon was clearly struggling to find himself offensively at the small forward spot. And it looked like some of the guys in the starting lineup were really bothered by it. Now, Jeff Green is not an ideal replacement. In my eyes, Mario Hezonja makes a lot more sense, especially since it does not sacrifice development of the young guys. On the down side I am pretty disappointed the Magic are not allowing Gordon to come off the bench and play any power forward. He would absolutely shred most backup power forwards. I do not get the love affair with Damjan Rudez, but Frank Vogel is constantly touting his veterans.