Orlando Magic Pod Squad: GM Anthony Parker

Orlando Magic Pod Squad: GM Anthony Parker

and welcome to another edition of Orlando Magic pod squad Dante marelli George galante Jake Chapman and Orlando Magic general manager Anthony Parker kind enough to join us and AP I want to be the first one to say it you’re about what one week away from a birthday you got coming up so happy early birthday AP do you what would be the ideal thing for you with all this madness you got going on with the draft and all that what would be the ideal birthday well you you understand this you just want to have a day that just yourself to not do anything you know just no dinner no nothing just lay around the house not do anything for me that’d be great that’s all I need that means his wife is going to play a big party big big event yes 200 people big event that’s it’s not a milestone but that one’s coming that one’s coming it’s coming for all of us it’s coming for us some of it has already happened some of us some of us already have it it’s not good it’s not good no it’s fun I’m looking forward to it are you you know the alternative well yeah I know some well some days some days that feels better some days depends on the mood depends on the mood well listen it’s been a couple of weeks as we know since the season ended but uh before we get into what you’re up to now just kind of give us your thoughts on on this past year 47 win season fifth in the East you go seven games with the Cleveland Cavaliers I mean it had to far surpass everyone’s expectations yeah I mean you know coming into the season um you know I think a lot of people wanted us to do some things in the off season and we kind of stood Pat you know we drafted jet and and Anthony black and then brought on Joe Engles and that was kind of all we did and um you know I I don’t know that I expected us to win 47 games uh but but I did expect for us to take a jump we had a young roster um a lot of built-in Improvement and uh you know the the previous season we had a lot of injuries but once we healed up you know we basically played 500 basketball and so you know I think we wanted to kind of see what that looked like another year and um we’re really happy with with the jump that our guys took they they put a lot of work into the off season and and we saw it during the season how tough is it to now after having the success that the team had this past season 47 wins Etc how hard is it to stay you know because you guys are looking not just in one year you’re looking two three four years down the road how hard is it to stay on that same path when maybe you had a jump that you didn’t expect to have or and looking at the landscape of the rest of the East too and and realizing well heck we were won two games away from being number two you know how hard is it to stay on that path or does the path change yeah I I I think you know if you go back a couple Seasons 22 wins 34 wins the next season 47 so I I think it’s that’s probably not sustainable 61 and 21’s not happening next year all right you here first that’s probably not sustainable um and also when you look at the East and the NBA in general like the parody like the margin of error is you know you’re we’re we’re fifth but we’re like two games from being eighth you know um and so you know just being realistic about it the margin erir is is very thin and and you know who knows what happens this summer with the other teams um but we can focus on us and and Jeff has always talked about you know step by step you know not skipping steps doing this the right way um but also being aggressive if the opportunity comes and so I think that’s where we are our greatest Improvement you know look our our three best scores our best players were were uh 22 and and younger so we still you know those guys have time to continue to grow and and we still don’t fully know what uh our team and our best players are going to look like and and I think um you know we’ll continue to try to do the right things be aggressive when it’s necessary uh but also not at the expense of of you know our ceiling and what we could ultimately ultimately be as a team kind of along those same lines AP as you as you approach the offseason with seven games in the postseason against the Cavaliers kind of in the rear view is it tempting to just dive into those seven games and sort of let it kind of I I guess overshadow the 82 Game season that preceded it um I would imagine as you look at the postseason appearance and you think about what’s moving forward it’s it it’s really tempting to say we got to beat the Cavs or we need to be better than we were for those seven games games whereas there’s a whole bunch of data that probably plays in as well no question I I I think you know you do learn a lot in the playoffs especially with that Cleveland team and and you know kind of our strength as a team was getting to the rim with our size and um our athleticism and they them them having those two big guys around the rim I think that was fun uh but at the same time you got to look at the the entire season and um it’s interesting to look at the playoffs now and as teams kind of progress you know so much depends on matchups and so a lot of it is just making sure that you have the versatility defensively and offensively to try to you know go against whatever matchup you might have and so that’s really the focus it’s not overreacting to to the Cleveland series it’s not overreacting to any one part of the season it’s just continuing to try to build this thing the right way now I think back to your your first postseason appearance right you’re with Toronto back in 08 you make it to the postseason what for these these guys on this team that never made it before like what opened your eyes and that those guys might be going through that you remember I I got to think there’s a burning hunger now to make you want to get back once you get there for the first time well our guys were hungry you know the previous season you know they they wanted to they wanted to make the playoffs and you know we’re we’re a little more cautious and we’re like hey you know one season one one thing at a time and but you know I think you realize before the playoffs that every season has a life of its own just like every game has a life of its own and so nothing you’ve done previously makes anything guaranteed going forward and so our guys are going to put in the work um but but I remember uh when I was with the Raptors walking into the arena and all the shirts are one color just you just have a different feel like it’s not regular season anymore you know it’s a little buzz in the air and I think our guys um experienced that in Cleveland as well you know it’s it’s a great fan base there great fans and and there’s a buzz in the building and I I just I think it was such a wonderful experience for our team to just go in there not only you know make the playoffs but experience a game seven you know and all that went into that uh so it it was a great experience for our guys and it is one of those things that’s like okay yeah like we got a taste of that we want more you know the other thing that everybody got to experience was on the flip side of it you know you’re saying that how they experienced things on the road and game one and holy crap well you know they experienced what the Kia Center can be like and this town can be like when when the team is doing well I mean what what were your thoughts of just the fans and everybody around town it was it was it was very exciting yeah and before you get to the playoffs all season it’s not a coincidence that one of the younger rosters in the league had one of the better records uh at home uh largely because of the fans and the support we got all year it was an amazing uh environment and and the fans were great and I I knew when we were in Cleveland I was looking around like okay you this is fun let’s see what we got and man when we came home like you could just see the energy of the players and and you know every play and just it was it was electric and and so it was something that you know I’ve been here for a couple years now and and was waiting to experience and I know our young team was too and you know hopefully hopefully uh you know teams start to look at us as like no that’s a tough place to win and I think um that’s the reputation we’re starting to get around the league yeah I didn’t think it could get as loud as it did I really I mean because we’ve been here for a while and I always have Affinity to the old building because I felt it was louder and the Aesthetics and everything else and I was like ah Kia Center can’t you know it’s loud but it’s not but that place was it was jumping it was really really something it was really something there’s a lot of pent up energy in that building is that what it is been building that’s what it ising that’s right for a while what’s the message to the guys obviously each guy has has a cater to message as they leave after that game seven but after surpassing expectations virtually all season um just kind of from 30,000 ft what you what you guys tell the guys as they left yeah no I think it’s it’s something that you have to enjoy I mean you know this thing goes so fast and you have to take time to enjoy all of the the winds along the way that being said again going back to the margin of err in the across the NBA but but in our conference as well nothing is guaranteed and so you know our guys know the work that they’re going to continue to put in coach Mosley and his staff have done an unbelievable job of just creating a culture of work and and and working every day and but also having fun you know if you watch our guys play they enjoy playing with each other they enjoy playing for each other they enjoy playing for the fans uh and mostly they enjoy playing for Coach Mosley and and so you see a group of guys that are tied together that come in here and work every day and we saw a lot of the results on the last season and but you know we’re still young and we still have a long way to go and that’s where I I think most of our Improvement is kind of baked in is is in our youth you said you’ve been here for a few years but this was your first year in this capacity right first full season as general manager what changed for you in this role and what was this year like for you personally oh it was was an unbelievable role um you know Jeff welman John Hammond and our whole group have been unbelievable to me it’s it’s a it’s a huge learning experience and and one that I’m grateful for um you know and it’s been fun like it’s a it’s good timing it’s good timing uh there’s the key to success there it was good job AP no U but but no it’s been it’s been great I I think you know my first year has been just kind of like getting lay of the land figuring out where I can help out at um and also you know a lot more traveling with the team uh exposure to you know the the higher you get the more you kind of deal with things further and further away from basketball and so you know Jeff has kind of given me a glimpse of of a lot of those things and and as I can take it and so he’s uh he’s been great do you like that do you like that the higher you get the further away you get from basketball or there things you you know give and take well I think it’s different for each person I enjoy it like I enjoy all that comes along with it um you know it’s just the opportunity to continue to grow and if you’re just a basketball person then maybe you won’t uh enjoy aspects of negotiation or you know budget or all of the things that come along with it um but but I I do enjoy it uh but it is a lot more than whatever you think goes into it is a lot more than that which I’ve learned where does this podcast fall in your duties and your general I mean right now right I mean he did it before it’s not like he’s strer to to the podcast hanging out with you guys like this should be a highlight I would think right should be should be baked in monthly at least now listen George and I watched enough summer league to know that some of these workouts can be tough during during the year but you got right but you’ve got a lot of guys that come in that everybody’s trying to make the NBA there’s not enough spots for everybody so what do just give us your assessment as you weigh who to bring in what you have them do while they’re here and kind of what the last three weeks have been like and what the next three weeks will be like leading up to the yeah well first of all the draft process is unlike any other process you’ll go through I remember going through it as a player and it is just it’s tough you’re like every other day you’re going to a new city you’re getting to learn a a new group of people and they’re putting you through their version of whatever their workouts their personality assessments like it’s tough and you got to be on the whole time so I I just enjoy meeting all of these young men representing themselves well like you know it’s it’s it’s really now that I have kids around their age right it’s even more remarkable yeah it’s even more remarkable um but for us it’s just another piece of the the the puzzle of getting to know uh a new class each year and it’s one of the most important times because for the first time you get to actually sit down talk with them meet them um and and put them through whatever you know uh each team decides to do but you know you also don’t want to overweigh this process versus what you’ve seen all season uh but but it is an important part and and you know credit to the coach and performance and everybody that goes into putting this thing on because it is a huge thing of you know all these puzzle pieces I mean it’s so hard to arrange these workouts and if you don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes you can kind of take that for granted how’s the process changed as far as from from a basketball operation standpoint with the international explosion I mean I don’t think anybody could speak better than you to where the game is where the talent’s coming from half of the top 10 could be International this year probably the second straight we’ve had an international top pick um just as you’ve had to expand your scope how has that changed from a basketball operation standpoint well first I think it speaks to the growth of the game around the world like you know I don’t know how many years ago it was kind of just a predominantly American Sport and the rest of the world was trying to catch up but now some of the best players in the world are coming from other parts of the world and so that’s amazing uh the game itself you know the the international game and the American game used to be kind of further apart and they’ve kind of come closer and closer together um which has kind of changed you know the type of players that you go after you know and and so that’s been exciting but but other than having more of an international presence and more scouting and maybe more trips overseas I think the process overall is is pretty much the same AP how will this draft be different than say last year or the year before knowing that we’re we’re 18 I mean that that’s obviously it’s different than having the number one pick number one you have the pick of the litter just is that just mean more hours in the room with your Scouts to determine all right this is our I mean how what’s the grouping you go into the draft with do you have to narrow it down to Five Guys when you’re at 18 do you narrow it down to 10 guys like what what do you do because there’s so much unknown before it gets to us at at 18 yeah there is a lot of unknown but but each year you know we we try to go in and and do the whole draft because you never know draft day you might make a trade you might move back you might move up so you have to be prepared for all of those different scenarios uh but it but it is a challenge not in that we meet longer or do anything more it’s more that we talked about the draft process we’re 18 now we’re a young team we you know we have a lot of young players at at a lot of different positions so uh a lot of players it’s tough to get more players to come in because of the success we’ve had and and maybe it’s harder for them to see a path uh on the roster so that’s probably been the biggest change from from previous years um but as far as the work you know you know Mr welman we’re going to do the work we’re going to look at it from every angle and and our our Scouts have done an amazing a lot of angles by the way a lot of angles a lot of angles Mr welman too I like that very nice well Mr welman you know anyway no but I but we we do the work and and all of That Remains the Same and oh by the way let’s mix in that you get free agency coming around the corner right I mean it’s all coming at you at once which has got to be kind of a crazy time of the year how do you view that obviously you’ve got decisions to make about players that you have been on the roster the last couple of years what you’re going to do outside of here I don’t fully don’t expect you to drop the names of who you’re going to sign but but how what’s your approach as you go into free agency not only with with your guys but who else might be if you want to drop the names go if if you want to we won’t stop you no I I think you know over over three seasons ago uh when we pushed the reset button you know the Hope was to try to build this into a place where players want to come you know and and and this is a free agency destination and I think you know we we’re doing that uh because of this amazing facility that we sit in right now because of the job coach Mosley and his staff have done and and and the success that our young team has had oh by the way the the amazing weather and the tax-free uh situation so I think we’ve done that and and and by and large I I I hope to be in a lot of conversations that that you know several years ago we weren’t uh able to be a part of are you hearing that is there a buzz from other teams and players about what you’ve done here we’re not only with the success on the court but the building and what what is what is happening here in Central Florida yeah I think you hear you know people that talk about the game uh whether they’re you know in other organizations or on TV talk about the growth of the team and and the exciting Direction uh obviously we know internally coach Mosley Jeff welman our our players would be the first to tell you we haven’t done what we want to do yet you know we haven’t arrived celebrating the progress and everything but you know we’re not done and and we want to continue to get better better and and and so we are all individually doing our work the players coaches and uh the front office staff as well I kind of wish free free agency in the draft was flip-flopped first I I kind of I would like to see what it looks like if free agency happened first and then and then you had your I mean I know it’s not going to happen this is just things I think about when I’m sitting sitting around mind well listen it starts with draft is two nights now so maybe next night we flip what do you think about that AP that the draft is two nights I have my opinion I know you have it’s thumbs down idea anything with change George just thumbs down I don’t an extra day of work during the summer that’s yeah you’re right that’s an extra day now I got to come in two days wear pants two days it’s kind of I would they pitch it as a mad scramble yeah in the second round and now maybe have time to collect yourself a little bit I I don’t know I want to experience it first before I say uh you know what I feel about it he doesn’t like it either no no I I I do see the posi yeah no I do see the positives um it’s an extra day sorry George but okay I do see the positives and and I just want to experience it I remember when I was uh with the g-league team and and they put in a rule where you’re only going to shoot one free throw that could be worth two points to try to Speed the game up right also dumb also dumb which I thought I was like this is a dumb but when you’re sitting there it’s pretty cool and I was like this actually makes sense like as as I experienced it like I get it and so I’m I’m taking the same approach with this you know it’s not dumb getting in and out of there in 90 minutes exactly that’s start also true that’s also true that’s very true I want to ask you about free agency and free agent destinations and kind of how it’s changed since you played it feels like back then there were three or four markets and everybody said this where everybody wants to go now if they got money and if there’s a chance they’re going to win it feels like 30 teams have a fair shot at in any given summer at a free agent has it have you seen kind of the destination and the idea of destination city has changed over the last 15 20 years yeah I think um there is some I mean it starts with winning right like most players we’re talking about like have a certain amount of money where that’s kind of all they can make right and so all of that is equal then it comes down to the other things but but even before you get to that you know free agency in and of itself has changed and it used to be where some of the Stars change teams and and now that’s mostly done through trades and so you know again going back to that we wanted to be one of those places where if a player says you know what my time’s you know pretty much done here and and here’s a list of of teams that I want to go to we wanted to be on that list of teams I would imagine you know as you go through this whole process you’ve got two guys that are going to be fighting for minutes to and Anthony black and Jet Howard that you drafted in the first round last year take us through this year what you saw growth from those two and what their role could be potentially moving forward yeah and and so the previous season we kind of moved out of the hey we’re just going to give our young guys a lot of minutes into the you know we’re playing winning basketball and and you have to earn it and you know those guys have come in and and they’ve continued to work card and and you know they have a lot of the things that that we want our team to be about positional size versatility IQ and um you know AB got his chance during the season when when we were we had some injuries and came in and did a really good job and and some of our best stretches were were when he was on the court and so you know you saw flashes of of what he could become a a and he got a glimpse of all the things that that he needs to get better at to get to where he wants to go so he’s in here working uh jet Howard same thing like he he played in Oola and we said hey here’s the things that we feel like uh you need to work on to become the player you want to be and to his credit he took on the challenge and you saw him get better over the course of the Season you saw his confidence grow um you saw how he played uh start to line up with with what we wanted to see from him and so we couldn’t be happier with with that part of the season and and you know those guys both know we’re going to have hard Summers and and you’re going to go out there and and they’re going to earn it and and they’re in here to their credit credit their bodies are starting to change their confidence is starting to grow and so we we hope that uh that this continues into next season but the good thing guys is right is we walked in today and and who’s downstairs Anthony black jet Howard I mean there’re the first two guys I saw when I walked in the building so I’m like all right it’s on it’s second day George has been here it is they’ve been here they’ve they’ve actually been here longer than I have this summer which is great they have which is great George but I would think that would be important with those two and then what was your message to I I mean we’ll start with France cuz I I don’t I can’t imagine anybody needs a break more than that guy right ever since he burst onto the international SE he’s been playing International tournaments he’s going to play in the Olympics coming up but he’s not going to get that because he’s going to he’s going to play in the Olympics what are you telling France and and he had an unbelievable season he’s going to play again and I know he can’t wait for next year as well no FR France is exciting I you know this whole thing I’ve I’ve come to learn is mostly bet about betting on people okay and and what they’re made up of and and how how they how hard they work all those things and like France is like the best example like he’s a person a player that you want to bet on because of all the things he’s made up of and he showed that last year he showed that uh during the season and and I’m sure on the biggest stage with the Olympics this summer he’ll get another opportunity to show it and so you don’t have to tell that guy much um you know he he knows what he has to do what he has to be about and a large part of that right now is just kind of making sure he’s taking care of his body and um so much that’s amazing about you know the players that play kind of this year round International and NBA is just how much of a toll it takes on you mentally and so it just shows how mentally tough he is that he can come in be ready and you forget during the season that he’s essentially playing year round basketball and he doesn’t want to miss he does not he does not want to miss I think for in large part every player in the NBA wants to be out there he does not want to miss right is that when you say betting on a player that’s part of it too is that that’s part of it that’s part of it and you see you know he kind tweaks his ankle or does something and he just walks it off you know and you forget the next quarter that I don’t look at him I don’t look at him I’m like yeah he’s fine fine he’s good everybody’s exactly right that’s exactly right y oh that’s great is there when you’re scouting players this is kind of a weird question you might have just answered it is do sometimes you see a guy and you’re like I don’t know what it is about him but I just like that guy is is there ever just sort of like I can’t quite put my finger on it but I I I like the way that guy plays or I like the way that guy does interviews or conversely that I dislike can’t put my finger on I’m like a lightning rod of nonsense way you’re sitting next to him you’re getting good question it would switch if he was over and part two are inevitably are they players who remind you of yourself well that’s exactly what I was going to say like most of the time when you have a uh something for a player and you’re like I don’t know what it is about that player but he’s like 66 and he like can shoot a little bit and I don’t know what it is you know Anthony Parker Yeah just something about him that guy’s good and so as a scout you kind of learn okay this is a bias I have and I have to like you know check it but and you do that and that’s that’s like a constant process like you’re always checking yourself and trying to to rewrite those PR for sure and and that goes a lot to like having the discussions in the rooms with with other guys and you know it’s funny you have this kind of season long conversation about certain players and and you know you might start out with a like I I don’t see what everybody sees in this guy and then by the time you get to mid-season like oh okay I get and then by the end you’re like yeah I don’t know what I see in this guy so it’s just a it’s a constant thing but um but it’s a fun process because it’s never the same you have to stay open-minded and and you are going to be wrong a lot of the time and just accept that try to learn from it and and move on but that’s why we have a group that’s why we have a group and it’s not you know any one individual I was going to say let’s go to the fan questions do we want to go to the fan questions yeah we can do that I want to ask one more question about that because since you mentioned yourself career 40% three-point shooter that’s pretty good we the three-point shooting I know is something that we’re addressing and it we want it to get better it can come internally you can attack it a number of different ways how critical is the three-point shooting and just taking a leap in that area I thought he was going to say can you give us like 12 minutes a night thought we were going there hey can you get in shape give us 12 minutes a night can you just give us 12 minutes the corner you might remember about a year and a half ago uh I I tried to go back on the court remember that and it didn’t work out so well that’s right I ended up in a boot for like a couple months so we don’t want that want that want want I know I don’t want that anymore no I you listen shoot shooting in today’s game is is super important but but so is a a lot of other things and certainly we want to address shooting you have to be able to shoot uh at to a certain level to to be competitive but we feel we can get there um and and we’re not going to overreact to just adding shooting because you know we have a team identity and we want to continue to build our team in that way and anybody you bring on the team you’re going to have to address certain things and you’re going to you know have to sacrifice others and it’s just like what can we sacrifice and where and how do we continue to move this roster forward so the shooting thing yes we’ll have some some level of internal growth uh you know you saw the the the jump that Paulo took that that that jayen took you know like there there’s going to be some some internal growth baked in uh but also we want to continue to to add to to how we play and and how we get our advantage night in and night out you mentioned betting on a player I mean Paulo and Jaylen you said it right there I mean you see the way they work and what those guys put into it you had to been happy with their second and third year with those two guys yes yes like you know again this was jaylen’s first summer that he really got to fully you know dedicate to to getting better you he’s going through injuries and everything and so you saw the result of that and and credit to him for putting in the work every day you know you saw Jet and ab uh when you walked in that was that was jayen last summer Paulo the same way you know he went through his rookie season and he’s like like okay you know there’s something about kind of getting in all these gyms and and playing against these guys for one time and understanding the schedule how rigorous it is and and how tough it is and how you need to take care of your body that second season you kind of go into knowing a little bit more about what you have to be about and and and Paulo was was great in the biggest moments and I think that’s what’s kind of separated him from from a lot of other people what do you think his summer looks like AP like obviously he’s not going to be on uh or I mean there’s a possib that couple of those guys drop off Team USA and maybe he gets added on but he’s going to have a summer to kind of sit back and and relax and just work on himself what do you think his summer is is going to look like yeah that’s that’s what it’s going to be about I I think I think Paulo is is you know you experienced the playoffs like that and you go to game seven and all of the things even you know the last regular season game against Milwaukee like all of the big moments that you can take from this year and and say okay you know that was great we want more and Paulo’s at the front of that line in terms of wanting more and wanting us to kind of take a step forward and and and see what what we can do next all right we got some fan questions we went to social media we got some hard-hitting fan questions you’ve already actually touched on a couple of themit a couple of them Jets or jet I like this first one because it comes from I don’t know if I’m saying or it comes from Dave bench is that how you say that it could be bench could how do you say like how is that yeah I think it’s he’s a fan at he wants to know at what age did Candace speed you went one on one oh that came from Dave is that really from Dave bench oh I love it I love it oh all right well I got one for him after yeah I got one for him no I I honestly I this is the most asked question I get from like so he’s really not oral he’s not original at all very predictable he pulled that right off a Reddit didn’t he very predictable so canis and I there’s 11 years difference between us and and so we never really played one-on-one and and it was always just kind of me working out or helping her work out and probably by Design on my part so L situation right let’s just do shooting drills yeah I beat her in pig but all right there you go no I’m kidding no but like we just never really uh got we played three on three on the same team and we’ve done some of that stuff but um and then I got to the age where like no this is it’s not very smart of me to get on the court you’re going to end up in a boot again end up on a boot or you know worse but career and I know she’s retiring I know you’re incredibly proud of your sister and everything that she accomplished Caitlyn Clark where are you on this I mean where sitting there not that we didn’t watch games before but we’re watching games in their entirety with my two daughters nine and 10 uh I don’t know if it’s a media cre but she’s unbelievable to watch and where you know where where are you come on what she’s brought to the league I I think it’s amazing uh you know any kind of way that that more fans can come to the game and and see how unbelievable uh these women are and and it is a it’s a big jump from the college to the NBA it’s even a bigger jump from women’s college to the WNBA um less teams more talented players like you you have women that are drafted 8 10 not making the roster you know right amazing and so it is extremely high level and and so anything that brings more fans to the game that that that you can witness that and uh come away and and and say okay you know like I get it now I think it’s great they loved watching some Parker too by the way for sure for sure sure she was okay all right she was all right all right this was a a fan question favorite part of your job that has nothing to do with basketball nothing to do with basketball nothing to do with basketball so as a person and and I imagine most people are like this I love to travel right I love going to new places and I love running into people that I have some level of history with whether I played with them some they’ve coached me or basketball is a small world and so to me I I love that part of of what I do is that I always get to travel I get to run into people that I know and and we end up in dinners or or whatever and reminiscing about old times and so that that’s that’s part of the the job that I love interesting so it’s not full staff meetings or podcast interviews spending time with no okay fair enough good probably a better answer um I I just snuck a peek and I wanted to ask this one before um when we were talking about apulo was there a moment early on maybe um in Paul’s rookie season or just in his career where you knew like wow this dude’s got something a little bit different maybe an extra gear or maybe it was even before you guys drafted him well so we interviewed him at the Chicago combine and you know we’d seen him play all year and he walked in the room and he was just huge like you just couldn’t see that I thought on the court like I walked in shook his hand I was like he’s huge like so to do all of the things he did Duke at 610 that was the first thing and then just you know having him in and having him um you know practices and working out uh but then also you know when lights camera action started that first game like you were like okay you know you see a little bit like this guy’s this guy jumped over that guy yes he did and and that continued throughout the year there were just moments of you know cuz I I don’t care who you are as a player coming in from college you never know where you quite stack up in the NBA until you get up against these guys in a regular season and and so I I’m sure for Paulo he answered a lot of questions very early on for himself he did I like this question because it give a chance to maybe do some x’s and o’s a little bit but uh that what makes Paulo in fron so dangerous as a Duo so you got two guys 610 that handle the basketball what what what is so unique about those two well what’s unique is number one their size right you know you’ve got two these two Jumbo forward guys that that play um the most coveted positions in the league because of the versatility that they offer and and they just I think they both have high IQs and and and good feel you know a lot of times you’ll see Star players that are good scorers and and maybe lack the feel or the vision or vice versa and and I think these these two both have it they have the guts um they’re they’re made up of the right stuff they both work hard and and they just process things quick you know so on the Fly they just they’re just learning and and I think um you know to have those two guys at that position and be able to play off each other and then you you look at the press conference and and when they’re talking about the other when the other had a good game how they talk about each other how happy they are for the other and and to me like that that says it all you can’t fake that guys I I think that’s what right which is most impressive I think about this roster you’ve put together right we’ve been around long enough correct to know when they are faking or that to to be able to I think discern that it is genuine and that it’s not always the case a lot of times the two best players on the team don’t like each see that on the court though too like you can that’s a lot there’s a lot one thing to do it in the press conference or in the locker room talking to the media or whatever it’s when we’re on the court and the other guy knows that you know player a knows that player B has it going or vice versa and they’re just like let’s go let’s go we’re going to we’re going to feed you till the till the wheels fall off like that to me is what shows that those guys get it yeah and and a lot of credit for that goes goes to both uh Jeff Waltman and and Coach Mosley um Jeff part of our drafting process to go back to that is trying to find the best people and of those which are the best basketball players and then the other part is coach Mosley putting together a culture of of of young players that’s really hard to do yeah really hard to do when all these players are trying to find their path and themselves and their game uh to cheer for the for the person next to them and you see that not just last season but even in in in a lot of the seasons prior where we weren’t uh getting a lot of the W’s uh you st you still saw it during those times George has one to end with yeah this is the last one they stuck me with this one by the way um from bench also who see how in tune with the team you are okay who has the best Aura of anyone on the team it’s a good word isn’t it I had to look up what Aura was yeah it’s like a new that and when you say Aura cuz I think first of all I don’t say it some fan said it okay I’m trying to figure out what they mean by or I assume they mean like the best Mojo pres yeah I me well throughout the year uh you guys see when players coming into the locker room they ask the players like who does this best or that they all have different answers so I’m sure they’d all have different answers this I personally would go with Gary Harris and I think he’s kind of has that quiet style like you know just a understated but like you know he kind of just carries himself a certain way and he’s been around the guys look at him is you know kind of a vet on the team and when he speaks people listen and so I I would go with G I was going to say Joe Eng Les Joe Engles taught me a lot of new words and phrases this year I bet he did I bet he did most of how many can you say now well most of them I had already heard just with a different accent actually to be honest just a let’s not yeah that guy is a great presence to this was great AP I really appreciate it thanks so much for taking time congrats on the First full year as GM and look forward to uh what we have moving moving forward here thank you guys so much for having me and the best part of my day is now over so I you know I don’t can I only come in on one day of the draft do you give me permission for that no you do whatever you want see you been here a lot longer than me why don’t you let why don’t you let them handle the pcks and you come Friday okay I’ll see you guys on Friday after the draft guys yeah if you need any help we’re around we’re around so you can just give us a call that’ll do it for this installment of magic pod squad

Listen in to the newest edition of Orlando Magic Pod Squad with special guest General Manager Anthony Parker as they discuss the 23-24 season, upcoming draft, free agency, and all thing Orlando Magic!

Subscribe to the Orlando Magic YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/NBAOrlandoMagic
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orlandomagic/
Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@orlandomagic?lang=e
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/OrlandoMagic
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OrlandoMagic/

Subscribe to STUFF’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/STUFFtheMagicMascot

#OrlandoMagic #NBA #ORLMagic