Orlando Magic Daily
Fansided

Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag Vol. 27: A new future for the Orlando Magic

By Philip Rossman-Reich

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 22: Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic goes for a lay up against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 22, 2017 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 22: Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic goes for a lay up against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 22, 2017 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 7
Next
Evan Fournier, Terrence Ross, Orlando Magic
PHOENIX, AZ – NOVEMBER 10: Aaron Gordon #00 (R) of the Orlando Magic high fives Nikola Vucevic #9, Terrence Ross #31 and Evan Fournier #10 after scoring against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of the NBA game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on November 10, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

From Johnny Allan, via comments

"Such a tough stretch of games coming up but what a statement if we come out .500 or better! I feel if we get a decent amount of wins the it will cement the teams belief in itself. Right now everyone’s talking about the hot start because deep down we think it may be a bit of a false dawn but surely if we perform over the next 10 games we have to say it’s for real?"

This 10-game stretch that started with the game against the Phoenix Suns last week was certainly revealing. I always use the first road trip of the season as a measuring stick for the team. Injuries have muddied the picture some for this team. Elfrid Payton is back but he is not healthy. And D.J. Augustin is back.

But the fact Orlando is 1-6 so far through this stretch is not encouraging at all. Orlando has fallen back into a lot of bad habits. Frustration is written all over their body language. And there is a bit of “woe is me” feeling as leads decrease or deficits grow.

Losing by 40 points at home to the Utah Jazz was simply inexcusable. Period. That was the kind of defeat that had to be weened out of the culture.

There is still a long way to go in the season. And the team can still recover. As Frank Vogel said, they built a little bit of a cushion with their hot start. So they could absorb some of this blow.

But as the Magic continue down this losing streak — now at six in a row and eight of the last 10 — the hot start looks more and more like a mirage. It looks more and more like a team who caught everyone in the league by surprise and cooled off. The team’s flaws that were expected at the beginning of the season still exist. And the team has become what everyone thought they could be.

Personally, I do not think the Magic’s start was a complete mirage. I think that team is who the Magic want to be and can be. They just need to get their rhythm back. And, more importantly, they need to get healthy.

I do not believe what we have seen the last 10 games is representative of who this Magic team is. But this team has never had a reason to keep its confidence. This group together has always had the other shoe drop and it usually drops hard on them. That has to be jarring thinking “here we go again” and not having the experience to get out of it.

Call that whatever you want to call it — culture feels like both the right and the wrong word to describe it. But this is the mindset the Magic have to fight against and eliminate. And it is really tough to do.

As conversations the last few weeks have turned toward the losing streak, I think it is clear what a lot of us knew already: The Magic need to refresh their core players some and mix up the roster. There has been too much continuity for a group that has accomplished fairly little.

That does not mean I have lost faith in this group to turn things around. I think the Magic can stay in the Playoff hunt and maybe make a run. I expected a losing stretch like this at some point in the season. The Magic can certainly recover (just look at the December schedule).

So it is not the time to throw in the towel or give up completely. But the Magic are clearly not as good as they showed early on in the season. And that rough 29-win team we saw last year is always bubbling beneath the surface.