With less than a dozen games left in the season, the Orlando Magic should begin what the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns are doing and crank up the tank.
The Orlando Magic have disappointed the last five years. The last two seasons especially.
In the span of a year, the Magic traded their two best players — Victor Oladipo and before him Tobias Harris. Then they acquired a middle-aged third option in Serge Ibaka to build around. All the while the team promised a Playoff appearance.
Those goals have fallen short and left a dissatisfied fan base and an uncertain future.
The Magic pulled off back-to-back close wins against teams clearly trying to tank to get one of the more talented players this year’s draft. These wins over the Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers will probably prove to be costly in the draft ordering.
The Magic’s win over the Suns gave the Suns a solid 3.5-game cushion for third-best Lottery odds — and the 46.9 percent chance at a top-three pick that comes with it — and Monday’s win over the 76ers pulled the Magic to within a 0.5 game of rising to fifth in the Lottery order. The difference between fourth and fifth is the difference between a 37.8 percent chance and a 29.1 percent chance at a top-three pick.
The motivation is clear.
The Magic have to lose in order to have a better chance at the best marquee player in this year’s draft. Winning games at this point in the year will not help the Magic for next year, other than a brief bit of confidence for a team that is likely not going to return intact next year.
Tanking games will land the Magic with a top pick in this year’s talented pool of draftees, including a stab at the highly accomplished Lonzo Ball, Markelle Fultz, Josh Jackson and Jayson Tatum. All four players are predicted to be stars on the next level and would dramatically upgrade the talent level for the Magic.
It would at least give them a brighter, more promising future.
The next three weeks will be interesting to see. Coach Frank Vogel has already started to play second-year forward Mario Hezonja more. Hezonjoa did not receive a lot of minutes before the Magic were out of playoff contention, moving in and out of the rotation all year.
Vogel and the Magic players are attempting to build a winning culture with these final few games. That has been the goal this entire year. The truth is a team has to have a franchise player to build around to begin with in order to build a winning culture.
Take a look at all the top teams in the Playoffs, they all have a franchise cornerstone player that they can build around. The Cleveland Cavaliers have LeBron James, the Boston Celtics have Isaiah Thomas and the Washington Wizards have John Wall. In the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors have Stephen Curry, the San Antonio Spurs have Kawhi Leonard, and the Houston Rockets have James Harden. And on and on and on.
Those teams all acquired and grew those stars in different ways. But their culture is built around these star players. They succeed on their shoulders.
Orlando is still in need of that player. And in this Draft, a top pick will almost assuredly put the team in that clearer direction.
The Magic have to stop beating teams like the Suns and the 76ers. They need to “tank” to get one of these star-studded players who can turn around this franchise and give it a clearer direction.
Why would they continue to win and ruin their chance to get a game changer to end up with another role player for the 2018 roster?
A team cannot have its cake and eat it too.
Orlando Magic
This has been one of the worst seasons in franchise history. The last thing they need to do is try to be competitive when there is undeniable talent available in the 2017 NBA Draft.
The Magic have missed out on a franchise cornerstone every year they have been in the lottery. The cannot afford to miss out on a franchise player again. Even if there is some benefit in scratching out a few more wins to lighten the load of one of the worst seasons in franchise history.
The upside is tremendous if the organization plays its cards right.
This current roster has no players with winning or Playoff experience on it besides Bismack Biyombo and Terrence Ross with the Toronto Raptors last year. And they were bench players on that championship-level team.
Building a winning culture is all about getting the best players and putting them in a position to win. To do that, Orlando must put themselves in the best position to succeed in the Lottery.
It is not just the draft that helps to build a winning culture. If that was the case the Magic would have a winning culture, they have had lottery picks four consecutive years and three top-five picks at that. It is about selecting the right player in the draft. That is why the focus is on the top three or four guys. Those players — Fultz, Ball, Jackson and Tatum — could eventually turn the Magic’s fortunes.
If the organization is smart, they would continue to accept the losing and try to get one of these talented draftees at the top of the board to ensure a bright future instead of trying to win pointless games. It is clear the roster is in need of change. There is not a ton to salvage without a player to build around.
Why not cut your losses, tank the season and rebuild around one of these franchise-changing caliber players from the Draft?
The Magic need to consider tanking the remainder of the year to guarantee a roster spot for a franchise player. The organization has been in the lottery the last four years. And Orlando still has not developed a player of this caliber.
One thing is for sure, if they do get their hands on one of these guys and still cannot make the Playoffs in the near future, it will be time to look at the player development staff instead of the head coach or the players they are drafting.
Next: Orlando Magic made their bet on defense at the wrong time
For now, the Magic can only put themselves in the best position to gain the talent they need to succeed.