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Orlando Magic Daily Podcast Episode 80: Rock Bottom with Chris Barnewall of CBS Sports

By Philip Rossman-Reich

From left, the Orlando Magic's Mario Hezonja (8), Marreese Speights (5), D.J. Augustin (14), Arron Afflalo (4), and Wes Iwundu (25) return to the court after a timeout in action against the Detroit Pistons at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017. The Magic won, 102-89. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel/TNS via Getty Images)
From left, the Orlando Magic's Mario Hezonja (8), Marreese Speights (5), D.J. Augustin (14), Arron Afflalo (4), and Wes Iwundu (25) return to the court after a timeout in action against the Detroit Pistons at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017. The Magic won, 102-89. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel/TNS via Getty Images) /
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The Orlando Magic hit rock bottom last week, falling to last place in many power rankings. We chatted about rock bottom with CBS Sports’ Chris Barnewall.

The 2017 calendar year did not end with the Orlando Magic in a good spot.

There is no getting around it, the Magic struggled in 2017. They won just 26 games in the entire calendar year, marking the fourth worst record in a calendar year in franchise history. The team’s 8-4 start is way behind them in the rearview mirror and the Magic have sunk deeper and deeper to the bottom.

Things only got worse last week to end the year. CBS Sports’ Chris Barnewall ranked the Magic last in his weekly power rankings. Talk about a lump of coal.

The return of Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier got them moved up a spot this week. They are at least a competitive team again and they have played competitively since Nikola Vucevic‘s injury. But it is also hard to see the team making another crazy run to reach the Playoffs. It is seemingly out of reach.

Entering Tuesday’s games, the Magic are 12-26, 7.5 games out of the final Playoff spot and one game ahead of the top spot in the NBA Draft Lottery. If you want to watch Tankathon as the season nears its midpoint, no one could blame you.

Still, it is shocking to have all these indications suggest the Magic are the worst team in the league. That might be the most disappointing thing this season to realize. The team should be better and has more talent. The wins are simply not following.

Of course, that is probably what is not most important to president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman. He is using the year to evaluate the roster in full. And then the team will begin making decisions on how to build the team up in the future.

There will be big decisions to make.

So how did we get here? And how can the Magic make the most of this season? Those were some of the questions I had as I invited Chris Barnewall of CBS Sports onto the Orlando Magic Daily Podcast to recap where we are at in the Orlando Magic season.

We recorded this episode before the Orlando Magic’s streak-busting win over the Detroit Pistons:

On This Episode:

  • Why the Orlando Magic are the worst team in the power rankings?
  • What impact did Evan Fournier’s return have on the team?
  • Does any of this matter if this is a mulligan season?
  • Who can the Orlando Magic move at the trade deadline? What are the short-term deals the Magic can make?
  • What do we think of the Orlando Magic’s City Edition jersey?
  • What works and does not work with the Orlando Magic’s City Edition jersey?

Be sure to follow Chris Barnewall on Twitter @ChrisBarnewall and check out his Power Rankings on CBS Sports every Monday or Tuesday.

Next: 2018 will be a year of change for the Orlando Magic

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