The Close Up – Optimism for the Magic’s Future with Steve Ceruti

The Close Up – Optimism for the Magic’s Future with Steve Ceruti

[Music] [Music] all right all right all right welcome to another episode of the closeup magic part of the Orlando Magic HQ Network what’s going on I’m your stepen Cameron and today we got a really fun show we got my friend Steve Cudi from the ringer um he is like The Man Behind the Scenes he works with Ryan rillo Bill Simmons um you know when they want to talk magic they bring him on uh you might have heard him on a lot of the soccer content with the the ringer soccer show going on right now um but he joins me for a really fun conversation we didn’t really have anything planned we just like let’s just hop on a call and just start talking about the magic their offseason kind of like think a little bit about last year let’s look a little bit about next year um we talk a little bit about like some media perspective stuff given his role with the ringer um it it was a really fun conversation Steve is a great guy um you know he lives up in Connecticut he’s not a local magic fan but he is a true magic fan and knows more about this magic team than than quite a few people so I think you all are going to be really entertained with this conversation um um it’s really fun it’s really really fun make sure you go give Steve a follow on um on Twitter and uh yeah but before we get into the conversation with Steve I want to talk to you guys a little bit about what’s been going on this summer with us right so with Orlando Magic HQ um we’re still putting out content if you’re not tuning in we we are putting up constantly we’re uploading new custom stuff just for YouTube um you know we talk about you know the recent drafted players interest in Silva um we covered free agency super deeply we’re going to be covering summer league um you know we got Brett James he’s been going our our our senior reporter he’s been going to um you know some of the summer league practices and media sessions around on that in Orlando which has been really great um so make sure you’re tapping into that we got Allan Anthony still doing there uh the flagship Orlando Magic HQ show we’re we’re pumping some stuff out and we got some great plans for the future so um stay tuned in to all things Orlando Magic HQ um and then before we get to the to the conversation I just want to remind you all that we are part of the believe podcast Network and this podcast is presented by bet online bet online is your number one source for all sports betting needs this season from baseball golf soccer right all up to top fights in the UFC and MMA and boxing bet online is the place to be every stat every matchup and even live ODS and spreads while the games are being played are updated on bed online constantly and they’re it’s it’s very easy to read too um when the game’s over you head over to the online casinos and you can even get in on a game of blackjack and poker and unwind with some of the slot machines they have they have 150 slot games digitally that you can play on on BET online it’s pretty pretty neat if you enjoy gambling uh do it responsibly um head over to the website today to get in on the action use promo code believe that’s B A V believe for your 50% Free Bet credit on your first deposit up to $250 bet online the game starts here um cool that that just about touches all the the pre-con conversation topics I’m not going to drag this on too long um let’s get into the conversation with Steven Cudi all right Magic fans like I told you we got the ringer Zone Steve Cudi what’s going on Steve thanks for joining me today absolutely good to be back you know exciting times fron extension you we’ll see what happens with Suggs and we’ve been talking there’s been a lot of magic articles on the ringer recently Michael Pina who writes for us has been a big uh big magic believer so it’s good to see yeah that article definitely made its way around the community the last couple of days uh I enjoyed reading that um yeah it was great he also just uh did a segment with one of our partners Brandon Kravitz um today which was really cool I’m looking forward to like checking out that segment later um Steve before we get too into it I got a little bit of an icebreaker question for us all right okay um in about 10 months what are you and I going to be doing to celebrate the Orlando Magic champions of 2025 how do we celebrate see I’m I I’ve been accused of being like too patient of a fan and so my expectations just like aren’t like my expectations are high but they’re not that high uh I do think there’s a really good chance it’s like hey this team could they be the second best team in the East like I think everybody’s talking about the Knicks everybody’s talking about the Sixers and I don’t really fully believe in either of those teams so I I I do think there’s a case to be like hey could they be in the Eastern Conference Finals I’ll take that next year in a heartbeat no doubt about it I’ll take a playoff win I’ll take all that stuff but uh but listen I a title A finals appearance I I’ll take that too but I’m I’m not next year is like again little baby steps I’m not trying to get let the C get ahead of the horse a little bit too much you haven’t started the celebration plans like I’m already looking at flights to Orlando to to you know go to the parade might might take a flight in between Orlando and California to Vegas to pop some champagne with with C Codwell Pope and some of the guys you know I just he knows yeah he knows how he does he knows how to celebrate I’m like I feel like I got to get ahead of this now so flights are and hotels are the cheapest they’ll be before then so well the good news is the good news is you could just transfer your hotels to I mean it’s a vacation place too right so somebody will just take your hotel not if it doesn’t you know it’s it’s an easy transferable thing um I’m thinking more I’m thinking give me two years give me 20 2027 in that range really everybody’s kind of like hitting their Prime maybe we get a point guard in here I don’t know who knows maybe sugs takes that turn to be the main guy that could run the offense but uh give me give me two years before I I I really get the excitement levels up next year so everybody was like this year I remember we were talking before about like I think the Magic’s over under was what 37 and a half and I felt felt pretty good about that I felt pretty good about that I was like listen would I take a 41 41 season yeah and then I had some people being like 40 like that 500 what do you mean like blah blah blah blah like they should be better than this and there’s so many other people who were like oh they need to sign somebody or or you know just sort of speed up I guess the process a little bit I’m patient man I’m we were bad for 12 years I’m G to just enjoy this team as it is so I hope they can get there but I’ll take listen I’ll take I’ll take it I’ll take an Eastern Conor from Finals series in a heartbeat I think most magic fans would as well but Hey listen if we can get to the finals I’ll take that too I got the 95 Eastern Conference F finals had on so um I’m I’m primed I’m ready to go I I mean okay to get a little bit you know more serious into it you before we dive into some of the other stuff like I’m I’m the same way like when you look at fandom right now and where we’ve been as a fan base and people who follow and cover this team um it’s been a long 12 years it’s it’s been a very long time and last year as a fan was one of the most fun years we’ve ever had because expectations were very like they were they were raised a little bit but they weren’t super high we were like let’s just make the playin at the beginning of the year and then we adjusted Midway through and let’s just not be embarrassed in the playoffs and then we pushed it to seven and we saw Paulo be a superstar in the play and have you know Superstar moments in the playoffs and you know France had a couple moments uh within the series you know overall I think he wished he performed better but like you know we we it was just so much fun to see this team succeed have big wins versus really good teams and have you know you know areas that are clear that need to be improved but it’s like you change the DNA of the roster too much and then all of a sudden expectations get higher for us as fans and it’s easier for us to get disappointed with with different results like you know hypothetically speaking if we changed the the plan and signed Paul George and we only make the second round we as a fan base are going to be so upset but right now if we don’t get make this past the second round we’re still G to be thrilled and excited so like that’s one way to think about like being okay with not making a big splashy move this summer um I’m not sure exactly how you feel about all the moves we made yet we’ll we’ll get into that but I was thinking about that a lot like it’s only going to be harder as fans going forward because we’re going to expect more from this team is that something you feel as well yeah I mean I feel like this you know steady playoff team year and year out at least for the next couple years feels like it’s the the low bar which yeah you know is tough because it’s still a young team the East is you know you never know like the East is still we were going through it the other day I mean obviously Boston’s on top you got the Knicks you’ve got the Sixers you’ve got the Bucks who are still kind of lingering there there’s four teams that you know I think we all think are pretty good and certainly have like superstars on their team and obviously we think we have one and we do have one with Paulo you know then you’ve got a Pacer team that made the Eastern Conference Finals I don’t particularly like love the team and I’m not I I just I’d rather be us than them but they’re still obviously in the mix then you talk about the Cavs who we obviously lost to in the playoff session who who have a significantly better head coach in my opinion right now than they did last year pretty much I mean they they have some parts that don’t really fit together but I think that’s you know maybe that’ll get sorted out I don’t know how long Al Allen and uh and I think I mean Mobi I think will be there but you know obviously you have Mitchell signs the extension there’s always rumors about him wanting to ask out and Garland’s a guy that I’ve always been on the trade machine trying to figure out how we get him on the magic but that’s another team again so that’s that’s what what I just name like six seven teams like there actually are a good amount of teams in the Eastern Conference that you’re going to have to compete with and you know who knows like maybe the Hawks have a bounce back year I don’t think so but you never know uh so like there are it is a little bit congested in there but I do like them I think our ceiling you know probably below Boston you know it I I don’t think it’s ridiculous to think because because young teams typically still they they play hard in the regular season right they care about the regular season like I don’t know that the Bucks are going to care about the regular season next year so is it ridiculous for us to potentially try to get a two seed I mean I think home court would be phenomenal that’ be a phenomenal goal in the first round we almost had it this year which would have been pretty ridiculous totally considering so I think that’s the goal and you’re right like the expectations are as a double-edged sword because you know obviously like you want this but it’s like if you know the higher you reach then the more I guess you know disappointed you’re setting yourself up to be but I don’t know like I don’t I I I don’t know it would take a lot for me to be disappointed in them next year you know like even like a even a first round exit it depends on what it would look like you know who are we playing what seed is it how how how healthy are we so like you just don’t know but yeah like I think you know clearly we’re trending upwards but that’s the that’s the thing too and Priscilla and I always talk about this is you know whenever we talk about young teams or young players we just assume that that the gra that the graph is always going straight up and to the right right and it doesn’t usually work that way that’s usually up and down and bumpy and you hope it generally goes up but it’s not always just straight up on the samea trajectory so I’m excited I’m I’m I’m optimistic as I’ve ever been um and you know but you just don’t know you don’t know so maybe you know maybe maybe the Knicks who knows there could be an injury in the East two that helps us out or hurts us so um I think steady playoff team and then pushing for a top four seed is what next year’s goal should be yeah I I think I overall agree with with that you know like we I joked in the beginning about you know Championship I don’t actually think that um I I would love to just be like a really like we’re in a playoff position the entire regular season we get to fight for standings towards the end and be in that playoff a bit Yeah and then you know like cool let’s have an awesome first round um ideally it’s a matchup that that we do well and we get to the second round and that’s a success right you know if for some reason we we just have an awful matchup we have some injuries going on and and we get out of the first round like or don’t make it past the first round that like that would be a bummer but like depending on the variables of of the matchup and maybe what injuries the magic might be dealing with it might be a little easier to to to comment compartment can’t say that word but easier to deal withal it’s a tough one that’s the word thank you yeah it’s is a tough one I’m in a heat wave over here too so my r a little melty um yeah it’s going to be it’s going to be a fun season I look at the offseason moves they made and a lot of them make sense they gave themselves a lot of flexibility but before we go like into like specifics on that going into the offseason Steve what were you kind of hoping and thinking was gonna happen the Paul George thing for me was never like I was I never really allowed myself to believe in it even though the Stars kind of did align with some some of the moves they made you know obviously the the mo Vagner and was it I forget folz there was a couple moves that they made that sort of opened it up and allowed it to be possible and you know I remember just kind of tweeting out like the the open eyes emoji but I I never really allowed myself to truly believe that it was going to happen yeah and honestly like you know you know Bill Simmons he he he would he would roast me for this but I kind of didn’t really want it to happen deep down like I wouldn’t have been mad about it because clearly it raises your ceiling and I think he actually is a pretty good fit with the rest you know with the rest of the squad as like kind of like that second maybe third guy at a different night behind Paulo but I am I have just enjoyed watching this team this young team get drafted together for whatever you know trades moves and just like all young guys kind of build and grow up together so if you’re going to go all in on a move I just don’t know that I that’s that’s the and you’re maybe there’s no ideal fit like nothing’s perfect there’s no perfect fits typically um you just try to you know acquire talent and get better and improve the the the you know the the floor of your roster so I I get that but I don’t know I would have been a little bit bummed out because I just I don’t know I like I think it would have taken away from fron I think it would have taken away from Suggs and you know it would be intered to see how it would have worked with with Paulo and it would have taken away from some of the guys that we’ve watched for so long that I still have hope and I’m still optimistic of the levels that they can reach so I feel like next year is still kind of you know it’s it’s not like we’re title or bust like why not just try to let these guys grow more like we don’t know how good some of these guys can be so and when you make that all in move then the pressure is on everybody then it kind of changes how the fans feel at the front office feels the players probably feel more pressure so I I’m cool with how everything went down I like the kcp signing for sure I mean is it like the sexiest signing in the world of course not is he overpaid probably do I care no because he’s a good fit on the team and like he’s a he’s a he’s the guy he’s the kind of guy that you need I mean you could argue okay yeah he didn’t have a great shooting uh play offs and he certainly was the fifth option on a Denver team now a title winning Denver team he certainly does disappear at times on offense but you know like he’s a veteran guy who can knock down big shots and plays excellent defense and that’s the mo of this team so you know I I think overall it’s a good fit I don’t really care what the money is and it still allows us to be flexible going in the future so I don’t I don’t think you know the only thing I would have I would have wanted to add and I don’t know exactly who that is I mean I know a lot of people have talked about tus Jones but that just doesn’t seem like what this front office’s MO is like they they don’t like small guards who can’t defend um but is is somebody who like a real true point guard that’s why I was like you know would you kick the tires on on Chris Paul before he signed with San Antonio as like a sort of like a one-year guy to like Elevate the IQ level of the rest of this team and the young guys and maybe run the second unit or even in crunch times when you need him you know not relying so much on fron and Paulo uh I don’t know who another guy out like that is out there that’s the only critique that I would have liked to add to the roster but how could you not like it I mean the team is better than it was last year yeah I mean there there’s there’s a lot of that that is like absolutely on point and I you know kcp you know you we look at how this team operated last year with Gary Harris and yeah there was definitely some times where we needed a table setter on on the floor or at least on the roster like a second unit guy that could come in and and kind of slow things down a little bit um and and kind of you know let Paulo play a little bit more off Ball but it really sounds everything the front office has been talking about is that like they trust Suggs to continue to grow as a playmaker and it sounds like they really pushed someone like Anthony black to grow as a playmaker this off season um which again like right now it’s even murky how he’s gonna fit into the rotation next year um with you know them bringing back Gary Harris but I want to play more last year yeah oh God I would have loved to have seen him get some more run in the playoffs too like he didn’t really get to play much down the end of the the stretch as the team got healthy but you know I I think they really just believe that one of those two guys is going to grow into that playmaker that will be good enough to allow Paulo to play a little bit more off ball I think ultimately they’re going to want Paulo to have the ball in his hands pretty regularly but it’s like you just need someone like 15% of the time uh that he h like remove his usage a little bit 15% like on ball to kind of alleviate that let him go get up in the post and then get fed things like that um I was never on on tus Jones I know magic fans were like loving the idea of him but to me like the only way you go get tyus Jones is if you move off Cole Anthony and and I look at those two players and I’m like I don’t know if I’m moving Cole Anthony just for tyus Jones like that Cole Anthony didn’t have the greatest season last year and he might just be who he is he might just be an up and down streaky six-man player um but at the same point he like is so important to this team’s chemistry and locker room and you know he does play hard um and I I’m just like I don’t know if they’re ready to give that up for a guy like tyus Jones who probably doesn’t want to come off the bench and probably wants double what Jaylen s or uh Co Cole Anthony is making and like I just don’t know if I like ever got behind that plus he’s small and you know doesn’t defend very good as much as people want to try and sell me that he does defend like he he’s like six foot no I’m with you I’m with you I I I you know Cole had a good start to the year and then you know just I don’t know just it just didn’t click for the second half and even into the playoffs a little bit I I I don’t think it’s impossible that he could still be like a really good spark plug off the bench and be like a reliable like playoff caliber scorer at some point yeah he’s small but you know if you need him to just like carry you for a quarter in a playoff game like I don’t I don’t think not carry you but like at least give you like a good spark I I don’t I’m I don’t think the door is closed on that for me at all so and it just it just gets back to like if it’s not a clear upgrade why are we screwing with the Vibes of the team and that’s kind of that’s kind of how I felt about really anything and that’s the cool thing about the kcp signing is it doesn’t really screw anything up if I mean you know I know there was like a lot of uh you know disagreements or debates about like how valuable Gary Harris was last year I was I was not anti- Gary Harris but I I the playoffs to me like you got to hit shots man like you got you got to knock down and he had so many open shots and like I know the defense was there I’m not saying he like he doesn’t play good defense he does but that’s you know can we just get rounded out a little bit more can we not like that just that’s the difference in a series if Gary Harris potentially makes some shots so I don’t know I yeah if it’s you know clearly to me kcp is a clear upgrade over him and it’s cool that we kept Gary who knows like maybe he’s trade bait in the middle of the season I don’t know it seems like there’s a lot of guys on the roster that could potentially be tradable assets but like kcp is just a straight up upgrade over our other over our two guard last year and all right cool there you go done and done and the rest of and everybody’s role is still kind of the same yeah it’s it’s really fun because we did see a like we did see plenty of regular season success with Gary Harris next to jayen Suggs um you know obviously on the defensive side it worked and then there were some nights where they were both hitting shots and it was it was really great but you know I feel like when you look at someone like Gary Harris and you look at someone like uh kcp it’s you know Gary Harris will have like one game where like one or two games where he’s hitting 45% from three and then I’ll have like four games where he’s hitting like 30% from three um where it’s just like the shooting is just like when it’s good it’s great but when it’s not good it’s awful and I’m not saying calwell Pope’s never goingon to have a bad shooting night but like you’re probably not gonna have a a like a long stretch of bad shooting nights you know where there were we were hammering our fists into walls like a week or two at a time with like dude Gary hit a shot it’s been like two weeks now what’s going on um where it’s like you know Pope will have ups and downs but they’re not going to be like big up and downs like we saw with Gary Harris and then you think okay this team needed shooting right so they got a more consistent shooter who will hit bigger shots we’ve known it we’ve seen it with Pope and then they take their starting shooting guard and move him to the bench it’s just like oh interesting so just more connectivity more depth because they’re both really good Shooters you know I mean they’re both good Shooters they have different levels of consistency within their shooting um but they’re both shooters and it’s just like okay the team is not they didn’t address the shooting with like a high volume Klay Thompson buddy heel Gary Trent Jr those guys all take like eight nine attempts per game um but they just added more consistency within guys in those in those roles which is really nice you know like you think about Joe Eng Les who was a 41% shooter last year for the magic but he only took one a game cool you’re kind of taking that guy out and you’re putting in Gary Harris who’s GNA take at least four and I can confidently say that’s roughly the number because Gary was never a guy playing big starter minutes he was never pushing like 35 minutes a game he was always kind of closer to a high end bench players minutes rotation in that like 28 minutes per game roughly around there and I just think like we’re just adding more depth with the shooting in that capacity and then you know the draft like they drafted Tristan D Silva who’s like a 38% three-point shooter in college the last couple of years you know another big body who in theory should be able to hit shots when when he’s in the game um you know obviously we need to see it translate but in theory like they have started to address the shooting I don’t know if it’s enough to make us a top 10 shooting team in the league I really don’t think so unless like France takes a huge step which we all hope he does but like they could probably be at least League average now to an extent I take League average yeah listen because with the defense that some of these guys play collectively League average is you’re that put you into a whole different level of team I mean if you’re a top five defense in a league average shooting team or a league league average offensive team like that’s pretty damn good uh especially come playoff time when like you know defense obviously ratches ratches up and and it’s you know it’s just kind of a different level of basketball so I’m with you there I mean the interesting thing too about Gary Harris coming off the bench is you know he’s obviously going to be playing more against second unit guys too so like you know you’d imagine that his productivity would be better as well um I but I’m I don’t know I’m I’m interested in like I I’d be interested to know like what you think about we talked about Anthony black I mean jet Howard’s obviously out there as well like I’m just a little more optimistic of like get those guys some playing time in the regular season like do I want do I would I actually rather see some of those guys playing more than more meds than Gary Harris because like in the long run that will be better uh I don’t know who like this is one of those things where like you know the magic drafted G uh uh Jed Howard like of course they’re only going to say good things about him and like so I don’t know who knows but like we have only heard like oh wow like the magic really like him and they think he’s going to be good and you know the year last year in the G League like did him some did him some good because he kind of figured some things out and was able to play consistently which he wouldn’t have obviously if he was at the NBA level I’d just like to see what what what what we have in him you know and I don’t I think a lot of magic fans would and like I know what we have in Gary Harris like right like are we willing to take the gamble of saying hey we might not win as many games this year but for the long run we might be better if we actually give Jets a minutes or you know Jed or Anthony some more minutes because that’s the future of at least hopefully the future of what our team looks like I look at Gary Harris and I do yeah I mean he is a Blocker in a sense in the rotation to those younger guys but I also look at Gary Harris who’s probably gonna miss 25 games um they’re probably gonna have to load manage him and you know if Anthony black takes a step in his shooting defensively he’s already probably as good if not better than Gary Harris I’ll say he’s better than Gary Harris as a Defender he’s got bigger size thought he was going to be too I yeah you know super low volume last year was like one one a shot per game you know but like you know he was he was hitting them at like I think he ended the season like 38% or something like that which was really nice if if he ends up you know confidently nailing shots in practice and training camp you know when he does get called up to play starts hitting shots getting more aggressive on and off ball um there I don’t think Gary is going to be a complete like he’s not a player that’s going to like the management is going to say like no you can’t outbeat him like I think they will allow the young players to outbeat him but I think they’re going to make the young players earn it and like kind of prove it when they do get an opportunity Fair they probably start Gary at the start of the season but like I wouldn’t be surprised if by Christmas time like he’s kind of being somewhat in and out of the rotation because Anthony black is just stepping in and when his numbers called like doing well um I do feel for jet black like or jet Howard like he could it’s I I see I think he could be good in theory um but it’s like how is he going to get on the floor um I even wonder a little bit where Tristan D Silva gets minutes and he’s you know he’s 30 or 23 uh you know pretty experienced college player should be like pretty NBA ready um you know I think D Silva probably takes Joe Engles minutes you know Gary probably takes Markel fultz minutes and then you just kind of got to like figure some things out I guess the one silver lining Steve is like coach likes to play an 11 man rotation pretty D darn long into the season so they’ll we’ll probably see a decent a bit of that kind of stuff going on um ji will miss some time from here and there so that’ll like cause some things to you know some rotation decisions you know they could go kind of small in the second unit with running like Mo at the five Tristan D Silva at the four um you know little things like that so it’ll be interesting what did what did you think about bringing back guys like Mo Vagner and uh I think Goa kind of like I don’t think it was super shocking but I also think a lot of us were expecting he’d get poached from another team potentially or maybe even go overseas what were your thoughts around uh bringing those two back on the you know pretty Team friendly contracts yeah I was I don’t know I I feel like Mo I was we needed to bring him back I mean unless you were going to go out and sign somebody who was going to take up his his salary or his role but I I think most magic fans like he’s a valuable bench guy I there he was like a literal game changer at times on offense when he would come in totally with his energy and his scoring and his rebounding so and obviously you know his brother plays on the team like there’s there’s just again it’s another one of those like don’t screw with the Good Vibes things I think he’s such a fan favorite and it’s not just like a fake thing like he actually brings value to the team that I think it’s a no-brainer and then with googa yeah I I didn’t really care really one way or the other I feel like but the fact that he’s back I’m not mad about it I’m happy and you know what is it the you know where the magic are essentially paying their three centers what you know the what OKC is paying for hartenstein Alone um so I like that that’s great I mean I would have been interested in hartenstein depending on what the what the situation was but I I I love Mo I think he’s like he’s just like a kind of guy who you need you need like kind of crazy guys on your team a couple of them and he’s crazy like he’ll just kind of fight anybody at any given time or he just like he’s not afraid to beat his chest after he like you know gets two rebounds and a layup in a row and just getting somebody’s face and kind of change the the emotions of a game you know because I don’t know fron isn’t really that way right which is obviously funny because it’s his brother uh you know Jaylen is that way um Paulo I don’t think is that he’s not fron lowlevel like excitement but he’s not I don’t know he’s just not like a Beaty chest like kind of thing he’s like more I’m going to let my play do the talking I just I think you need guys like that that are a little bit wild cards on the team and I I just I love him um and so I I was very happy with that uh for sure so you know I especially because you know they they’re contracts that also I you don’t want to you hate to say this but like obviously they contracts that could be traded and you know there’s somebody who you know like a like a Darius Garland or I don’t know name the name who’s out there and we you know anybody other than OKC we probably have the assets to make a deal or to get a deal done although San Antonio’s got a lot now too as well um maybe not exactly in the in the young player department but at least in the draft picks department but you know you feel like if somebody pops up like that that’s available we have the salaries and the picks and the the current young players to potentially make a move so from all levels I mean it was a no-brainer to me yeah I I have mixed feelings about Mo um I mean he does bring a lot of intang yeah I mean he brings a lot of intangibles and you always do need a guy who’s going to give it 100% on both ends of the floor even if he’s not always effective on both ends on the floor um like I don’t think he’s a particularly good Defender and I know a lot of people yeah he’s just kind of he’s he’s not very good people get love his charges and they’re fun to watch but like that’s kind of all he’s got um you know he’s okay more like the energy and the rebounding and like he he does in like five minute stints can like really change a game and I and I as a as a you know I think a lot of fans of the M or a lot of fans who are not magic fans that watch Magic games they’re like w MO is awesome and you’re like yeah like you know he’s he’s got his flaws but like I think there you know I think I think I think he provides something that is not always easy to come by right and uh so like so like to bring him back to me I I don’t know like yeah he’s not a perfect player by any means he’s not a I don’t think he is a good Defender at all but you’re also not really asking him to do that like he’s you know he’s backup big like he has his role and he’s going to play in certain games and series and he’s not going to play others and there’s a reason for that so I that’s why I’m just like you know for the money it was it was it two years as the second year of team option too I so like like what’s the what you know no harm no foul here I’m definitely not upset about bringing him back and I’m definitely not upset at the contract you know the the front office did an amazing job giving them a lot of flexibility with these role players um you know Gary Harris uh and mo both have Team options I think the third year on googa is a team option he’s guaranteed I think for the next two though um but I think with me like specifically with Mo um yes you need to bring a back for chemistry you need to bring him back for ENC Court energy and just kind of those like intangibles we’ve been talking about but offensively last year he actually was pretty darn good and we saw him kind of become this more consistent finisher at the basket um you know just just more consistent in general with a lot of his offensive skills but I really truly believe a lot of that was connected to Joe Eng Les being a connector with him um you know a lot of Mo buckets were made because Joe was just finding him like feeding him into the right cut um you know creating like like basically you would see him certain nights like literally tell Mo where he wants him to go and he goes there he gives him the ball and he you know makes the shot or you know makes the drive or something like that and so I’m hoping that whoever fills into that like Joe Eng Les ball handler role for the second unit can also continue to find that connectivity with with Mo because if not then he’s gonna go back to that player he was before Joe which was a very inconsistent offensive player as far as scoring goes but he’s also that guy you can bring him in for five minutes and he’ll put up 10 points um because he just goes hard every time so um I’m not mad at it I’m just one of those guys that’s like I don’t love Mo but I’m I see his value to the team um and like I probably wish he was the third string Center not the second but that’s okay um yeah and like the contract’s great the contract’s great obviously you know give him a bonus like he’s probably not worth the annual money if it was like four years but like it doesn’t matter we had to spend the money and it’s team controlled and like you said a tradeable contract if it’s harder to find centers though in the league than you than you would think it is or it used to be so like the fact that we have three like you know decent centers is I don’t think a lot of teams have like one decent Center I mean what New Orleans has no centers so like like I I don’t know like I yeah and obviously OKC spent what they spend on hartenstein cuz they desperately needed that uh to crying that we resigned Goa yeah Nick fans really wanted him yeah I don’t blame I don’t blame him I mean because Mitchell Robinson gets hurt all the time so although his Instagram account claims that he didn’t but I don’t know the the numbers tell differently um so yeah like the fact that we’ve got three like playable centers is pretty I don’t know kind of rare in the NBA it feels like did you pay attention to the draft at all were you like diving into it and like researching players or did you do what I did and literally research the guy we drafted the day we drafted him I didn’t go deep enough to like know a ton about dilva uh I did get several texts from people who are like I like this guy you know right after the draft so I’m like okay that’s cool like that’s great and you know he’s he fit he fit the Magic’s like you know bad you know uh uh background and like body type so you know the only thing that was different is like he actually could shoot we finally drafted a guy who long and lanky who actually shoot a decent three-point percentage I’m kind of with you I don’t have any idea what his role is going to be because I just don’t there’s just too many we have too many guys we just have too many players you know he’s one of the guys where like if he went to I hate to say this but like you know you go to the heat he he’d probably play right away and PR play well I don’t know what he would look like for us I don’t know what he’s going to look like for us I don’t know if we even need him to play I guess time will tell uh he’ll be competing I guess with a few guys for for whatever minutes he is as you said 23 so hopefully he’s like on the more finished product end and it’s kind of like you know what you get when you you put him in so but but as far as the overall draft I mean I really I I really liked um I really liked Cole connect I mean I think everybody kind of did and when he slipped um I’m I’m almost like happy that he was drafted right before us because I don’t think we would have taken him because it’s just again it’s just not it’s not who the magic are as a front office in an organization so maybe that like made it easier that like we weren’t even if we had passed on him and he was still there like I think I’d be pissed but he got drafted before I mean he and McCain like I both you know both those guys you know you like because they’re Shooters and you know obviously you know them because they played in the tournament and um you know obviously one playing for Duke and one playing for Tennessee so in in a way it was like kind of good that they got drafted before us because then it’s like all right I have no expectations for this pick nobody that I really really want is even on the board uh so that’s kind of how I felt I mean as far as like the top of the draft I don’t know like I’m I’m from Connecticut uh I live not a far actually I live in the same town as Dan Hurley does I live very close to where Donovan kingan grew up my wife went to UK I did not so like I knew the Yukon kids like pretty well yeah I just didn’t I knew there was no way we were getting either of them so it didn’t really matter but I do like kinging although it’s kind of a weird fit I feel like in Portland with they already have you know two eighton who I don’t really like and Rob Williams is always heard so maybe he will play way more and probably should and then Castle I think is a very you know it’s a perfect setup in for the Spurs like I think he’s an excellent player but again we are never getting any of these guys so you know though like dying ham was another guy like it was mostly just like the big name guys at the top of the draft I didn’t I didn’t once we got to like our pick I didn’t really know most of or I hadn’t really watched most of the guys that were there I I kind of took the season off uh for prepar for preparing for the draft I like was going to have one draft expert on but we had a hard time like connecting schedule-wise it just didn’t work out I listen to some of the episodes from you know some of the other content creators that are doing draft stuff you know some of the stuff you guys do um with um Kyle uh K Kyle yeah KOC Kevin oconor and Kyle man um I got to listen to some of that stuff yeah they do they do a great job but I just in general was less interested this year just cuz like oh we got pick draft Yeah a boring a boring draft too that too yeah not a lot of high-end like big names um and so I just kind of like checked out like I knew a couple of names I knew of D Silva uh but I couldn’t exactly say like I knew much about him but I knew he was like from what I listened to like you know Philip Rossman like on locked on Magic he brought his name up a lot I like if he likes him he’s probably decent fit um and so yeah I was like pretty psyched once I read up on him like cool 68 guy can defend um not super explosive but you know has some offensive ability to score a little bit definitely can shoot like make smart passes high IQ so like checks a lot of boxes for this front office size IQ and you know the ability to defend and you know shoot they actually grabbed a shooter so can’t really complain too much but yeah it’ll be interesting to see how he fits into the rot I guess like if you’re going Cole Gary at you know the one and two and then you have ji and mo um you know in the big spots that kind of leaves like the three open and I guess it’s like a tossup like do Anthony black get it does um you know does d Silva get it uh does JED Howard somehow get it like I’m not really sure who kind of fills that backup three spot unless I’m just like not thinking of someone maybe I’m forgetting someone um but yeah I guess there’s some like opportunity there and like that like kind of like small forward role for for some of these guys to like fight for for minutes there um with with the departure of Folts like I mean technically the magic have 14 spots there’s one open roster and a bunch of two-way spots available p folz is a very polarizing name for magic fans and and the magic community and just like you know the NBA community in general um he was a very beloved player here a very beloved teammate um you know he very hard worker like there’s really outside of like some onc court stuff like there’s really not a whole lot of negatives you can say about him as a person um and as a player we wish he was healthier um but were you surprised that you know it’s pretty clear in my opinion they’re not bringing them back are you surprised that that is how things happened a little bit but I almost wonder like two years ago what was it two years ago when it was when the like people I think first started like kind of noticing that the magic were all right and had some Talent it was like even probably yeah it was preo like folz was a very important player for this team like you know there and there was he missed a bunch of time in one of the seasons and like there was like night and oh it was a season we started like five and 20 right and we didn’t have fults uh Paul’s rookie year Paul’s rookie year yeah so it was terrible and then f comes into the mix and just kind of like stabilizes the team cuz you’re asking Paulo rookie and fron a seconde team player to like run the offense and it’s like that’s going to be a disaster as soon as fultz comes back you’re like oh like this looks like an like an actual team now and they play well and everybody has their roles and so I was like okay is this a thing or is this just like a one-year kind of all right this is what the team need in this year like he’s kind of nothing more than you know for at least a building piece for the future and I think that’s kind of how it turned out like he just I don’t think it really I don’t think it he really mattered and would have mattered bringing him back this year like I we talk about the need for a point guard but I just don’t think it’s it’s the kind of guy like fults like you need somebody who’s gonna make shots if you’re gonna have yeah you know uh the certain team setup that you have and he just he just doesn’t do that I was extremely happy for him I always liked watching him as you said he played hard like seemed like a really good dude I also wonder like I don’t know if he’s that I i’ heard some rumors about him in an injury situation just like not really being fully healthy and like if that was going to be like a a career problem as well and I think you know we’ve just seen it like he’s just he’s had a lot of things in his career healthwise and obviously early on and you know even some his time with the magic and this past year so I think taking all that in consideration like again it’s another situation I’d rather just give those minutes to a younger guy then yeah maybe our maybe win a couple more games if we have a guy like fol in there but you’re going to be better for the long term if you just kind of see what you have in the couple young guys that I think I’d like to see play more um even if they’re going to make mistakes out there yeah I I agree with that a lot um you know I personally have like again nothing against him as a player I’ve just questioned the onc court fit with the lack of shooting and and his health issues for quite a few years now um and I’m like yeah it’s it’s not a happy ending with him and that sucks and that’s what I think is the bummer here like it’s not like he went out like killing it you know he did okay in the playoffs he had some good moments um but I all think I think we a lot of Us wish it was like a little bit more of a happier ending there and like to see him like he’s still a free agent you know and it’s like well that kind of sucks like he’s like I don’t know I just feel like the story is is it’s not it wasn’t the ending a lot of us wanted um but you know I think he had his time in his place and the magic gave him every opportunity to to you know get healthy and you know they’ve they worked with him so much on and with patience and stuff like that and you know for him that trade I mean it was a no-brainer the magic clearly won that with the Sixers trade and you know like it was cool that he was able to sort of like become a solid NBA player again totally after people were like this guy’s done you know he’s worth nothing and uh the magic were I think it was a perfect marriage for each other when it happened and it just I just don’t it just to me it just doesn’t make any sense anymore unfortunately and I think he’ll get picked up by somebody I mean you know Milwaukee who knows like they need they need guys like there’s plenty like I mean even uh I don’t know the Suns I feel like there’s so many rosters that like our roster OKC New Orleans where they have like a million players that I feel like are like NBA ready players are good and then there’s the teams like the Suns and the Sixers and a few others that Milwaukee even that like have like a couple really good players and then like nothing else so he’ll I assume he’ll get picked up somewhere he’ll get a look and if he could play he could play so I I yeah but I just I just don’t think it made any sense for us anymore yeah I agree with that um Steve so I want to talk a little bit like less specific about the team for this SEC for a moment and take a media perspective on it you know you and I both work in media to an extent I cover the team on a local level with the Orlando Magic HQ you you know you’re a senior producer person I don’t know your exact title off the off my off my matter uh I I I forgot your title shortly after you told me and I but like you’re deep into the ringer and and all that and um you know you see it from like a little bit more of a national perspective in in some aspects and you know we have seen the magic get a little bit more conversation like be involved in the conversations they’ve um you know from the guy from the content you guys have been doing you know literally we just mentioned at the start of the show The the really nice article that Michael Pina put out um yesterday morning um but like how do you think the magic are going to be viewed um on the bigger stage and like respect it like we’re always the fan base is going to have that Underdog mentality and it’s never going to be enough but like what are you kind of expecting from that standpoint with the Magic’s reputation what they did last year like you know what are you expecting more National games or do you think they’ll get more stuff yeah like like just talk me through some your thoughts with the magic regarding like the national media and the bigger stage like spotlights I think last year did went a long way and just like legitimizing a lot of the things that people like myself and you and whoever were saying about you know some of the guys on this team like hey this team’s like pretty good we’ve got some Talent um you know I I remember saying I forget if it was on Bill’s pod I said I don’t even why we were talking about this but I I said that I thought like Jonathan Isaac could potentially be a defensive player of the year can this was before last year and the amount of people that are like you are such an idiot dude like that guy can’t even stay on the on the on the the court like he’s not that good what are you talking about and I just I don’t know like you know I’ve certainly got many takes wrong too but like it’s good to like all right yeah I was right the guy’s freaking awesome like he’s he’s and for and Bill you know obviously I do pods with him and I I’m around him a lot and he started to like watch a lot more magic games he was like this guy’s like The Reincarnation of Bill Russell like you were right you know and it’s like it just kind of it’s cool to see like guys have the same National guys have the same opinions of things that we had been seeing for a long time because I don’t like I’m not one of those guys who goes around and blames the national Media or just like your average League Pass NBA fan for not watching the magic we weren’t that interesting for like a long time so like when it’s like oh dude you don’t even watch our games it’s like yeah of course not we stink like why would you watch you know I wouldn’t want to watch our games sometimes if I was you know unless I have to and that’s kind of what it was like for for like the last decade or so um but it it it is cool the best thing that happened to this team was you know I I tell people like remember remember like it was a year or two after Isaac got drafted in the team I think they made the play it was one of the years they had made the playoffs and you’re like you know Isaac is like our future like right he’s the franchise player if he could just do this and to think of where that was and how depressing that seems now that we actually have like several franchise cornerstones and Isaac can just be this like Jack of all trades Bill Russell clone like it’s it’s just really cool and I think a lot of people who like the NBA who are fans or covered or whatever like they saw the magic this last season like that team like yeah they’re flawed and whatever and they don’t their offense is kind of clunky at times but man like those guys are cool and they all like each other and they play really hard and that’s why it was like one of the most the most enjoyable season since the the the finals run season in ‘ 09 so like I I I do like it I mean I get a lot of the thing is I I’m in a weird spot because and I’m not looking for like sympathy or anything but like I I feel like I’m a very levelheaded fan like I don’t I don’t really dip into like the the I don’t I don’t get too dramatic or the hyperbole or whatever and like I look at the team and I will call out flaws or like be concerned about things openly I’m not just like a blind fan who only thinks that good things are going to happen or that our team is the best or our player is the most valuable so I I remember I there’s a lot of magic accounts that didn’t like me or or just like whatever because I wasn’t like raw Rah enough when I talk on Bill and Ryan’s podcasts about like frons or whatever or like this the future of the team or like legitimate concerns that I have about roster construction so it is a little bit weird for me sometimes to like you know cuz I I don’t like when people are like I’m not the only person that I’m not the only person who’s opinion on the magic matters like I it shouldn’t be like there’s plenty of people who do that but sometime because I’m talking on Bill’s pod or Ryan’s pod they just think that’s that’s what magic fans think that’s not always true but I also am not going to just say like hey shut up like I’m don’t be concerned about fron and his shooting percentage like it’s a I’m concerned like I why would I not be concerned I think it’s going to be okay I think he’ll figure it out but I don’t know like I think it’s a very weird place to be uh following this team that kind of has come out of nowhere a little bit and it’s almost like the WNBA in a little bit where like you know Caitlyn CLK goes into the league and all of a sudden they get way more eyeballs and people like don’t like the way that they’re talking about it it’s it’s kind the magic are kind of the same way because they’re like why I’ve been watching this team when they were bad for 10 years like you know I I have more of a right to to think this way than you do and that’s not necessarily true so it I get it like it can be a little annoying when like media members or fans hop on your team’s bandwagon and they don’t watch or know as much as you do but I don’t know that’s that to me that’s a good thing that means your team’s good and relevant and again to your point like hopefully we get some more National Television games and you’re you’re in front of fans eyes more often so they could actually see but I just I don’t know if you’re if I trust the guys nationally who I know watch games like pina watches games man like he that he he knows that this is like he’s not just like riding he’s not doing First Take where he’s just like looking for a good segment he’s he believe he truly believes this stuff and same thing with like you know our guys like KOC and Jay C man and rillo and Bill like all those guys like watched the magic and genuinely enjoyed watching them and I think that’s a great sign for things to come you know yeah I I’m it I feel like I’m similar to you like I feel like I can like be levelheaded with my my opinions on the team granted like I just bashed a lot of people’s favorite player on the magic and mo Vagner so controversial I can say that yeah I I’ll get hate for it I do it pretty regularly uh I’ve got over the years for not liking faults on the roster and stuff like that I just hate I just don’t like the fan like I don’t know maybe guys are going to get mad about this but like the fans that like think that the team and the players can never do anything wrong is like what are you like I know that’s technically that’s fanaticism right that you’re being a true fan but sure I don’t know like you gota you have to look at it with a critical and realistic eye like if you don’t if you see something that you don’t think is right or or you have questions about it’s it’s okay to still love the magic and not really be sure about something that’s happening or a player that’s playing yeah I the the fan base and it’s understandable has a very um strong like grip around the emotions around this team which every fan base does but I think like even more so for the magic to an extent because like they were so irrelevant for the longest time and it’s like oh they’re good like pay attention notice us please please notice us but only say good things but only say good things don’t like don’t let the first thing you say out of out of your mouth be something bad like you know don’t you know and that’s just not how it works like I work in media outside of this like this show that I do as well uh in a different aspect of of the world but um it’s just like that’s just not how things work like you got to like earn some legitimacy which they did last year they really did like the little 500 run they had the year before Paulo’s rookie year like that that wasn’t really enough now yes should Paulo probably have had a national televised game before like he probably should have had one or two more cuz he won rookie of the year the Year prior like given us one or two of those like uh wemy games or something like that like that would have been a little nice but historically historically number one picks like they get they get National TV games matter how bad the team is like and and it was an outlier that he did not get that you know so that I think that’s a fair gripe to me he was like one of the most underhyped like first round pick in a very outside of maybe this draft class class in a really long time um which was really weird like I think everyone just like kind of like hugged on to the chat story because he’s you know everyone loves a really really skinny tall dude who can shoot the ball from three like let’s let’s not kid ourselves we we saw it with Chad we saw it with Wy we’ve seen it with a lot you know we saw it with christops porzingis where the the Unicorn right and so like I kind of get why he became under the shadows but it’s like oh you would have expected he we would have gotten maybe a couple more games last year with him winning Rookie of the Year um you know maybe flexed into another spot or two once he became an Allstar um so that was disappointing and like hopefully like I expect a good amount more next year I don’t know if we’re going to like crack the 10 mark But like you know should they get seven or eight games probably like that seems like a good number like four or five of those on NB like on on TNT and ESPN and the other ones on you know some of the other streaming services that are going to be provided or whatever like Shaq Shaq kind of jumped on the bandwagon after he got his jersey retired he started talking about him more on TNT and Dwight jumped back on the bandwagon after coming to that play game sort of not that he means anything even Barkley just talking about how hard they play um and then I think you know a lot of like the nerd media guys like kind of latched on and we like oh this you know this this team like defensively is insane like Suggs is is just like that’s that was one of the things too is I think one of the most fun parts of the magic team was just watching Jaylen sugs play hard every night you know he was so many people who who like you know watch or cover League or whatever just hitting me up being like dude suxs is such a fun guy to watch and he like you know the offense is whatever and his offense obviously improved last year again which is great but it’s just like there’s that Toronto game which I always remember where I think it was like right at the beginning he had like a steel and then like he saves the ball and then it gets passed up to fron hits a three and he’s pumping up the crowd it’s the timeout it was like literally like three minutes into the game I think or something and you’re like this guy is so pumped to just like be playing basketball and that’s what watching the magic were like they’re like they just they and you can see like the halftime interviews like they’re all clowning on each other or whatever like or postgame interviews with Dante and all those guys like they’re they clearly just like there’s such a great Vibe around this team and they’re young uh you know and I think you know fans get carried away cuz then you’re like oh like we our young core is just as good as OKC and you’re like well I could be realistic and say it’s probably not OKC was the one seed in the west this year like might doesn’t mean it can’t be better but but yeah like I you know I I think the good news is uh it’s it’s a really likable team and Apollo is like a top 10 15ish player which I think he’s capable of being in the next few years like the all that Media stuff that’ll take care of itself if anything it’s going to be like the expectation are going to go through the roof and it’s going to be like hey lay off our guy because he hasn’t won enough yet you know that’s that’s that’s sometimes becomes the concern so I think I think the team’s in a great spot you know I think obviously I know nobody wants to hear this I’m not from Orlando so like I don’t mean to be rude or anything but like it’s just like it’s one of the markets that’s just tough it’s a tough sell you know like it’s it’s even though I think the fan we have great fans and we have great fans support the arena is awesome when when especially last year when things are going well um it’s just you know it’s for the league to like not put the magic on national TV it’s not it’s not a hard choice for them you know it’s like it’s not like it’s not even like you know it’s not like the Lakers or the Celtics or whatever like it’s not even really the middle ground like the Sixers or whoever like we have to prove to the rest of the league that we are worthy of that which is unfair but it is the way it is yeah and like that’s okay it can be okay you know because as they um you know I have a friend uh Philip Rossman Reich I’ll shout him out again he he says this all the time the he’s the host of lock on Magic and Orlando Magic daily editor um he says it’s everything all the time winning cures everything the more we win the more relevant the team’s going to be in every Spotlight so like last year the team won right they granted you know they didn’t win everything but like they got to the first round played a really respectable um you know regular season a really respectable playoff series that’s going to gain them more attention from you know Outlets like the ringer to you know national televised games and things like that and granted think the ringer did awesome last year with the with the magic there was like seemed like every other week there was a couple there was a couple blips there was a couple of BPS and that’s okay but like you know like you know Bill and and rilla were were pretty would like talk it wouldn’t be surprising to have them be a small you know segment on the show like oh we got to talk about you know the magic for a second they’ve been on a little bit of a run here or something like that and there was we’re going to continue to see that there was one game against New Orleans where you’re like gonna tape Bill like after the games that night or whatever and he was watching the magic Pelicans game and it was like I think it was I for I think it was like the game when Isaac just went nuts and won the game paa looked great and he was L like dude I need you I need to have you on the show like after this game is over and I was like oh this is like this is it then we’ve kind of made it like you know if that’s and then he starts talking about you guys can get the two seed and we’re like oh man like this we have really kind of Hit the mainstream which is great uh so I I love that I I embrace it and the cool thing too was you know like the first two games obviously the playoff series were really rough for I think all magic fans it was not fun you know we got our asses kicked pretty badly yeah and I was like kind of quietly like we’re gonna be fine for a lot of reasons one of which I didn’t really fully trust Cleveland but I’m also like I don’t know like we’re not we we were kind of in both these games even though they were really sloppy and we had arguably like the two worst offensive performances in the history of the playoffs so like It could only go up from here and then it was it was just a you know obviously losing game seven sucks but turning that thing around like if we had gotten swept I think there’d be a lot of different conversations this offseason about like what this magic team is but the fact that they did they did come back and they for and they were up what 20 in a game seven um you know I think I think that does help their perception of like oh they didn’t just just run over in the playoffs they actually fought back forc to game seven and that was maybe the most entertaining series of the first round I was at game um I flew home for a wedding it just so happened to be like the day in between the wedding rehearsal and the wedding itself was the Magic game six game uh so I got to go and it was one of the best best magic games I’ve ever been to hands down um and one of the best games I’ve ever been to in general and that’s with me going to Golden State Warriors games you know almost every season for the last 10 years since I live in the bay um you know I’ve seen Steph go off for 50 and and stuff like that and and in the old Oracle and it’s it that was so so fun so special and like they definitely they’ve definitely accomplished and overachieved every goal that they they set for themselves last year at least that I set for them and you know they say they’re not satisfied and I love that answer from them um and you know again they’re so young it’s crazy it’s crazy to think that we’re going to be able to enjoy this team um as long as sugs doesn’t get a Max contract because then Paulo will get a Max contract and things will get really really complicated but Suggs is not getting a Max contract but but you know what I’m saying like unless something really weird happens like the the core of this team’s G to be together for a good amount of more years and uh we should be like a playoff team you know for the foreseeable future which is gonna be really fun and then you know hopefully in another couple years like true contenders um yeah not next year it’s probably not going to happen I wouldn’t be surprised like you if they made it the Eastern Conference Finals um that’s not my expectation by any means but like I wouldn’t be shocked if it somehow worked out that way we just saw the Pacers make it that way and that team is I’m gonna be nice I’m not going to talk too much about them right now um good team obviously they made the playoffs but like major flaws on that team too um totally where I think the magic have rounded some of our big flaws out to an extent um you know with just like adding a guy who’s missed like 20 games in the last six seasons total with uh with G with Caldwell Pope which is a huge upgrade with health and you know you we would expect frons to take a step forward and find a middle ground with his shooting again next year like I don’t expect him to be a 40% shooter but can he get back to that like 36% from three like that would do wonders you know um you know one of these younger guys with Anthony black jet Howard or D Sila like clicks and becomes a really nice contributor like great another good thing there so it’s like we just have a lot of things to be really excited about um you know as fans we’re going to have a good team on the floor next year um you know as as people that work in media and enjoy listening to to Media like we’re gonna get the magic team are going to get talked about a lot more um they’re gonna have more National telis games it won’t be enough but uh we’ll have more so I’m I’m just really looking forward to it man um Steve we’ve been talking for an hour so what I think this is proba a good space to wrap it up but I really appreciate you coming on the show it’s been a minute um since since we’ve done this I think we had you on pretty early on in last season um I’m sure we’ll touch base again soon I’m sure we’ll get you on this show when it gets a little bit closer to the season time or maybe when season’s actually in play again um but I just appreciate it thank you for all the work that you do at the ringer and your guys’ coverage tell them to cover the magic more like if you have any influence like Bill we need a 20 minute segment once a week like something like that would be great or a dedicated show just for the magic if you can pull that weight you know like let us know we’ll help you work on the details with that too or something like that but uh um appreciate it Steve um if you want go ahead and plug where people can find you on Twitter and uh yeah yeah I’m at cudy uh not sir Rudy uh like a night of the round table like some people think c r u TI uh you know obviously Bill’s pod Ryan’s pod uh popping up here and there I’m doing a lot of soccer actually recently a lot of big I’m a big soccer guy so the euros and the Copa have been going on so we’ve been doing a lot of pods in the in the for the ringer soccer show which has been fun so um so yeah as always I appreciate you having me on it’s always good to talk magic I know it’s like it’s it’s cool because you know I I like being the guy who like non-magic fans would be like hey like what what’s this or what who’s this guy or how what do you think about this but I I don’t really you know other than like my text thread with Kevin Clark I don’t really get too many like you know one-on-one magic conversations that are going on so this is good it’s always good to pop on I love it I love it yeah anytime man uh if you ever want to nerd out and talk magic hit me up but obviously I’ll probably hit you up as well so um magic fans thanks for tuning in to the show um you’ll hear me again in two weeks with the current offseason schedule of the show where my show is alternating every other week with um Allan Anthony the flagship uh Orlando Magic HQ show um so I’ll talk to you soon until then let’s go magic peace [Music]

The conversation with Steve Ceruti revolves around the Orlando Magic and their upcoming season.

We discuss our expectations for the team, potential celebrations for future successes, and the importance of patience as the team continues to develop. They also analyze the off-season moves, including the re-signing of players like Moe Wagner and Goga Bitadze, and the addition of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

The conversation covers various topics including the NBA draft, the departure of Markelle Fultz, and the team’s perception in the media. We also discuss the role of media in shaping the narrative around the team.

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