Penny & Pops Podcast - Magicbasketballonline.com

The Orlando Magic went from a tumbleweed trade deadline. To a Shaq jersey retirement that was almost perfect. To the All-Star Break where Paolo Banchero pulled off a tripleheader of Indianapolis participation. To Mac McClung and Trevelin Queen bringing back hardware for the Osceola Magic. To now, here we go, the Orlando Magic are 30-25 entering this sprint of a 27-game regular season finish where the Magic are 8th in the East, but are only 3 games back of the 4th seed. All of that and more! #LetsGoMagic Warning: Adult Language

The Orlando Magic are 27-24 after a disappointingly bad defeat in Miami to conclude a 3-2 road trip. That was the last game going into the Thursday February 8th NBA trade deadline. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner had amazing moments on this 5-game road trip, but there are pain points with this roster. Although the team appears to have a ‘death lineup’ it can rely on late in games. Are the Magic good enough to be top 8 in the East – which would guarantee two play-in games - without making a trade? What about top 6 and bypassing the play-in entirely for the playoffs? Do the playoffs matter to Jeff Weltman? What are the trade expectations of the Magic front office? And how it’s possible they differ plenty from what the fans want. The Magic got Gary Harris back during the trip and finally have all of their bodies back for now. Or do external moves need to be made to help with Paolo and Franz’s growth trajectory? Making a trade now instead of relying on free agency may be more prudent. Trade discussions, trade

The Orlando Magic are 25-23 after enduring the challenging month of January. Orlando is still over .500 as a new month and hopefully less difficult schedule enters the picture. The Magic are the 8th seed in the East, but can easily still surpass Miami and win the Southeast division title. 21-year-old Paolo Banchero, in his 2nd NBA season, just got selected by the coaches to his 1st All-Star Game! P5 is the ninth Magic player in franchise history to make an All-Star Game. The Magic are the only franchise in NBA history to have 4 All-Stars aged 21 or younger (Shaq, Tracy, Dwight, and now Paolo). No debate, this is fully deserved from the former #1 Draft pick and Rookie of the Year. 23 ppg, 7 rpg, 5 apg is impressive for a sophomore in the Association. And he didn’t need a single nationally televised game to receive respect. The trade deadline is next week, what needs do the Magic have? All of that and more! #LetsGoMagic Warning: Adult Language

The Orlando Magic are 22-18 after a thrilling comeback win in New York City inside Madison Square Garden on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Pops was there in person. The Mecca really is a phenomenal place to watch NBA basketball games. Describing the MSG experience. Paolo Banchero is still phenomenal. The Magic are getting some healthy bodies back finally, and it’s showing with the bench play. Also, trade rumors are stirring with the trade deadline around the corner. All of that and more! #LetsGoMagic Warning: Adult Language

The Orlando Magic are 20-15 and in the middle of a brutal portion of its schedule while being decimated by injuries and illness, but that’s OK because Paolo Banchero is a star. The 21-year-old is almost a lock to be an All-Star in February, and he just had back-to-back insane performances: A career-high 43-point game in a double overtime loss in Sacramento, and a 30-point triple-double (first of his career) in an insane victory in Denver against the defending NBA champion Nuggets. Paolo is a stud, and the rest of the world is finding out. Amway Center is now the Kia Center (‘Kill Center’). Injuries, particularly the loss of Franz Wagner for a few weeks will be painful, but which other Magic player injuries hurt more. Why Wendell Carter Jr. is currently not the best Magic center on the roster. The Magic have decided to retire player jerseys now. In its 35th season of existence, the franchise will raise the #32 of Shaquille O’Neal to the arena rafters. Should this be happening? What other Magic players will

This is arguably the best Magic fans have felt about their team since 2010-2011 before the Hawks upset Orlando in the first round of that playoffs. Magic are 15-7, protecting home court so far, and still are the 2nd seed in the East as of this recording. Orlando has two studs in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner each averaging 20.7 ppg. In our franchise’s history, we’ve only had multiple teammates averaging over 20 ppg in a single season twice: Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway in 1995, and Shaq and Penny again in 1996. Franz and Paolo are 22 and 21 years old. Penny and Shaq in 1994, their first season together, were basically 22 and 21 years old. That was the first Magic team in franchise history to make the playoffs. We were the 4th seed and lost in a brutally tight sweep to the 5th seed more experienced Indiana Pacers. This current Magic team can be viewed a bit like they’re the 2006-2007 team, but they may be closer to the 1993-1994 squad that went 50-32. Two beastly young talents potentially ready to t

The Orlando Magic are currently 11-5 with the second best record in the Eastern Conference after beating the defending champion Denver Nuggets and then the Boston Celtics in consecutive home games. Thank you, Celtics fans, for your revenue. This is the franchise’s best start to a season since the Dwight Howard era. This might be the best defensive team in Magic history. The Magic are on a 6-game wins streak. Much of this is being done without Wendell Carter Jr. and Markelle Fultz. The Magic have the best defense in the NBA, and likely also the best bench. Orlando concluded their first in-season tournament group stage 3-1 and await whether they have won East Group C, or if they sneak into the knockout quarterfinals as a wild card or not. The Magic didn’t make a lot of offseason acquisitions, but signing Joe Ingles and re-signing Moritz Wagner have been immense so far this season and played a role in this this Friday night victory over the Celtics. Jonathan Isaac and Jalen Suggs when healthy are All-Defensiv

In a pleasantly surprising announcement, Cole Anthony signed a 3-year, $39 million contract extension to remain in Orlando. No one thought the Magic would retain Cole for only $13 million per season. This episode is dedicated to 2023-2024 season predictions. Over/under 37.5 victories? How many wins? Will the Magic make the playoffs? Will Orlando have a player make the All-Star team? How many games will Jonathan Isaac play? Will the rookies spend time in Osceola? All of that and more! #LetsGoMagic Warning: Adult Language

The 2023 preseason concluded with the Orlando Magic going 3-1. The win-loss record doesn’t matter. It’s all about how players looked and any lingering problems with guys on the roster. Is there concern for the rookies? Is everything OK with Paolo Banchero? Should Jalen Suggs be starting over Gary Harris? Head Coach Jamahl Mosley begins an important 3rd season at the helm, and he’ll enter the 2023-2024 regular season without his lead assistant Nate Tibbetts. Tibbetts recently accepted the head coaching position of the Phoenix Mercury, in the process becoming the WNBA’s highest paid coach. Should the Magic promote from within the coaching staff, or will they need outside help? All of that and more! #LetsGoMagic Warning: Adult Language

In a current media atmosphere culture that wants to rank everything, it’s quite difficult to accomplish that in an NBA era where position-less basketball is becoming the norm. However, it is still possible to look at positions such as center. Is Wendell Carter Jr. a top 10 NBA center? Ignore the contract. Because if the contract was factored in, WCJ could be top 5. The Orlando Magic’s 24-year-old big man does not get enough praise as he should. Durability is the only thing that can hamper his ascension. Team USA would’ve benefited greatly had they had Wendell at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. #LetsGoMagic Warning: Adult Language

Media day and training camp are behind us. There are now 4 Orlando Magic preseason games to play before the 2023–2024 regular season begins. Talking about the main 15-man roster. Expectations. What we want to see? Lingering questions. Who starts at SG between Gary Harris and Jalen Suggs? How will Anthony Black and Jett Howard find minutes on the floor? Jonathan Isaac is actually healthy but are there any restrictions on him? Should the Magic trade for Buddy Hield? All of that and more! #LetsGoMagic Warning: Adult Language

Orlando Magic Media Day and training camp begin in two weeks. The team finally revealed their throwback blue stars jerseys. Great to see guys like Rashard Lewis and Ryan Anderson back in town for that event. Franz and Moritz Wagner are World Champions! They helped lead Germany to winning the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Why winning gold is the biggest basketball moment of their lives. It’s something Dirk Nowitzki never did. Paolo Banchero’s Team USA experience fizzled out in comparison to how it started at the World Cup. Why that’s OK both as a learning experience and because of all of the skills and info picked up from fellow coaches and players within the Team USA program. Does it matter if Paolo or Franz is designated as the #1 or #2 Magic star? Dwight Howard. Stan Van Gundy. All of that and more! #LetsGoMagic Warning: Adult Language

Team USA took care of Italy in the FIBA World Cup quarterfinals. Paolo Banchero got to squash some Italian beef in victory. The reigning Rookie of the Year award winner on Friday next gets to face Franz and Moritz Wagner in the semifinals as Germany remain the only undefeated team in the tournament by surviving and defeating Latvia on Wednesday. It’s what Magic fans were hoping the basketball globe would get to see, a showdown of its two best rising stars. Will Germany pull off the huge upset of Team USA? Is the US still favorites for gold? Predictions. Germany also earned their automatic Olympic qualification for Paris 2024. All of that and more! #LetsGoMagic Warning: Adult Language

Team USA and Paolo Banchero just suffered their first loss at the hands of Lithuania but are still moving onto the quarterfinals. The US also earned their automatic ticket into the 2024 Paris Olympics (as did Canada). We cannot get a Paolo v. Wagner brothers World Cup final, that dream died. The Wagner brothers are 5-0 heading into the quarterfinals knockout stage despite Franz missing the last four games. Moritz has been great off the bench for Germany. A USA v. Germany semifinals meeting is still in play. Paolo must deal with Italy first in the quarterfinals, and that is going to be a fascinating matchup for various reasons. Goga Bitadze and Joe Ingles are going home with Georgia and Australia crashing out of the second group stage phase. Georgia will be happy with Bitadze’s performances and the nation’s basketball progress. Georgia must play in next summer’s pre-Olympic qualification tournament if they want to play in Paris. Joe and the Aussies will be disappointed in not reaching the quarterfinals, but A

A 2023 FIBA World Cup update as all 5 Orlando Magic players advanced into the second phase. Paolo Banchero (USA), Franz and Moritz Wagner (Germany), Joe Ingles (Australia), and Goga Bitadze (Georgia) each are into the second group stage. The tournament has gone from 32 down to 16 teams. Four teams in 4 groups. Each team plays games September 1st and September 3rd. Every Magic player has played well overall. The biggest concern is Franz and his rolled ankle that he suffered late in the first game. Looking ahead to which teams can make the knockout quarterfinals. A USA-Germany final is still in play. All of that and more! #LetsGoMagic Warning: Adult Language

Going over the Orlando Magic’s 2023-2024 NBA schedule that was recently released. The in-season tournament wrinkle. Awful fan road trip opportunities. Then getting into the 2023 FIBA World Cup preview. The tournament is taking place in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia August 25-September 10. All games can be watched on ESPN+. The Magic have 5 players participating: Paolo Banchero for Team USA, Franz and Moritz Wagner for Germany, Joe Ingles for Australia, and Goga Bitadze for Georgia. How these players have done in FIBA friendlies as well as tournament predictions. A USA-Germany final? All of that and more! #LetsGoMagic Warning: Adult Language

Final Summer League thoughts. The Magic brought back Admiral Schofield. Orlando made a curious draft picks trade with the Phoenix Suns. Orlando will be heading to Mexico this season because the Magic on November 9th will play the Atlanta Hawks in Mexico City. The Pascal Siakam rumor is odd. The Magic have 5 players (Paolo Banchero, Franz and Moritz Wagner, Goga Bitadze, and Joe Ingles) participating in FIBA World Cup activities already. Keeping an eye on Donovan Mitchell’s Cavaliers future. The DeVos family using the Magic franchise in politics. Jonathan Isaac has his own shoe that he’ll wear on the court. All of that and more! #LetsGoMagic Warning: Adult Language

Considering that Joe Ingles was the only new free agent addition to Orlando, it’s been a pretty busy July for Magic fans already. Bol Bol, Michael Carter-Williams, and Admiral Schofield are gone. Moritz Wagner and Goga Bitadze are back. Our front office is going through some shuffling, and Summer League is ongoing. The Magic again demonstrate promoting from within as John Hammond steps aside. Anthony Parker and Pete D’Alessandro ascend. Orlando proving this free agency that 2023-2024 is looking like an evaluation season and how 2024 free agency and trying to trade for a disgruntled star seem to be the preference of the front office. The new NBA Cup mid-season tournament was unveiled. Summer League debuts of Anthony Black and Jett Howard. And more! #LetsGoMagic Warning: Adult Language

Observations from the 2023 NBA Draft Amway Center watch party. It did not go how we wanted it to for the Orlando Magic. We took Anthony Black with the 6th pick, then Jett Howard at 11. We are not happy, and a lot of Magic fans also are unhappy. Cam Whitmore and Taylor Hendricks were available at 6th. The 11th pick had other options like Whitmore, Jordan Hawkins, Dereck Lively, and more. WeltHamm again dumped a second round pick. These draft decisions have a large impact on Cole Anthony, Gary Harris, Jalen Suggs, Markelle Fultz and others. It’s OK to question Jeff Weltman and John Hammond. Time will tell who is correct. There’s not much time to dwell because there are now roster contract decisions and free agency around the corner. #LetsGoMagic Warning: Adult Language

Miami got denied the championship and now it’s NBA Draft week. Last year, the Orlando Magic had the #1 pick, we controlled the board. Now at 6, 11, and 36, on top of figuring out which players you like or which veterans you’d rather trade for, there’s this chess board dance of figuring out what the other teams should or are doing. There are already smokescreens galore. The Magic, because of their cap flexibility and draft picks are linked to everyone and everything. This is where the front office earns its money. Talking Aaron Gordon, trading up for Scoot Henderson, Paolo Banchero, Cam Whitmore, the 35th anniversary logo, Kristaps Porzingis, and a lot more. #LetsGoMagic Warning: Adult Language