Four Foot Nuttin

Quickly before I get into the interview I want to make sure that you check out https://4thquarter17.wordpress.com. He was a pleasure to interview! 4th Quarter is an Orlando Magic fan. He is studying at BYU-Idaho and has been a sports fan his whole life, wanting to work in the sports world. He started the blog for a class project, where he was required to make a blog. I am glad he made the blog because I look forward to reading a new blog post every time one comes out. Lets get right into it!

 

Before the Draft:

Me: Who do you think the Magic should draft?

4th Quarter: I think they should draft Dennis Smith Jr. They need a scorer. They were terrible on offense last year, so Smith would give them a go to option.

 

After the Draft:

Me: How do you like drafting Johnathon Isaac?

4th Quarter:  I’m okay with the Isaac pick, but he’s not who I wanted. I wanted them to draft Dennis Smith Jr. because of his offense. They really need offense, but Isaac doesn’t really help them get better there. I think he’ll make an impact defensively, but if they can’t score then their defense won’t matter.

 

Me: Where do you see the Magic 5 years from now?

4th Quarter: Five years from now I see the Magic as a team that can barely make the playoffs. Maybe like a 6-8 seed. I don’t think they have any players who will develop into stars who can lead them to a championship.

 

Me: What do you think the Magic should accomplish before the beginning of next season?

4th Quarter: Before the season starts, Orlando needs to find some offense. They’re a terrible scoring team, but they didn’t really make any changes this off season so far. They need a consistent go to scorer.

 

Me: Why was there such inconsistency in your offense this season?

4th Quarter:  I think their inconsistency on offense is because they don’t have a lot of shooters. Elfrid Payton can’t shoot, Aaron Gordon can’t shoot. You have to have shooters.

 

Me: The Magic were rated 29th in Offensive Rating and 24th in Defensive Rating, why is that?

4th Quarter: Orlando doesn’t have players who fit today’s high scoring offense’s. They don’t shoot well. On defense, they don’t have players who match up well with some of the other stars in the league.

 

Me: How do you feel about the trades the Magic made, trading Oladipo for Ibaka and then trading Ibaka for Ross?

4th Quarter:  I didn’t like the trade of Oladipo. They got Ibaka because of his defense, but he’s not a player to build around. I though Oladipo was a nice young piece. What made it worse, is they got rid of Ibaka. They traded for a player they didn’t even keep. I think they’re trying too hard to find defense for Frank Vogel, but they just keep on messing up the team.

 

Me: Who do you think will be the biggest bust in this years Draft?

4th Quarter: I think Harry Giles will be a bust. I just don’t think he’s going to be very good in the NBA. With his injury history and college production, I wouldn’t have drafted him if I was an NBA GM.

 

Me: Who do you think will be the biggest steal from the draft?

4th Quarter:  I think the Raptors got a steal at pick 23 with OG Anunoby. I know he’s hurt right now, but if he returns to his pre injury form, the Raptors are getting a great defender.

 

Me: What are 3 words to describe the Magic?

4th Quarter: 

• Boring (They’re not exciting to watch right now)
• Incompatible (Their players don’t fit well together)
• Irrelevant (They’ve been trying to become relevant ever since Dwight Howard left).

 

Me: If you could choose one player in the NBA for the Magic, who would you choose?

4th Quarter:  If I could choose one player I’d choose LeBron James. If he was on the Magic, I know they’d be in contention for a championship every single year.

 

Me: Who is the most underrated player on the Magic?

4th Quarter: I think Elfrid Payton is underrated. Most people just focus on his lack of shooting ability, but he does a lot of other things well. It hasn’t translated to wins, but I think he gives a lot of effort each game. A lot of people don’t see that.

 

Me: Who is the most overrated player on the Magic?

4th Quarter: Bismack Biyombo is overrated. I was never a big fan of that signing. He can defend, but he can’t do anything else. I don’t think he should get as many minutes as he does.

 

Me: What are the future plans for you? Why do you plan to be when you grow up?

4th Quarter: I’ve always wanted to be a sports writer. I’m about to graduate from BYU-Idaho next month. I don’t have any solid plans right now, but I’ll be looking for jobs. I know I can’t be too picky about where I start out, but eventually I want to end up being a writer for a company like ESPN or Bleacher Report.

 

Me: Isaiah Thomas and Manute Bol vs Mugsy Bogues and Yao Ming. Who would win?

4th Quarter: I think Mugsy Bogues and Yao Ming would win. I think Yao would have more power on Bol and Bogues was more athletic than Thomas.

 

 

Takeaways: 

• The Magic really need a scorer
  • Draft a Star in Lottery
  • Get Someone Like J.J. Redick in FA
• Need to work on Elfrid Payton’s Shooting
• Magic Need to Get a ‘New’ Dwight
• Front Office Needs to Get Smarter
  • Don’t just Trade Players to Stay Active

 

Overall What I Learned:

The Magic really need to improve their offense by acquiring a star who can really lead the team. They need to really try and build offensive consistency through the draft.