Penny & Pops Podcast - Orlando Magic Basketball

The Magic are 5-17. That’s bad enough for the worst record in the NBA. We’ve lost 6 consecutive games. Orlando is 2-8 in its last 10 contests. The losing isn’t anything new, but the lack of effort in some of these blowout losses is. If these types of games continue popping up where the Magic are not bringing the effort, Head Coach Jamahl Mosley is in trouble. Because Jeff Weltman and John Hammond...

The Magic are 4-11. We’re a game above the worst teams in the league Detroit and Houston. It’s been a roller coaster November. We’re not even to Thanksgiving yet and the Magic have often been short bodies due to a combination of injuries and tanking. Funny how WeltHamm haven’t applied for any hardship help from the league. We’re for the 3rd consecutive season leading the NBA in man games lost due...

The Magic are 0-5. Worst record in the league. The only winless team in the East. We’re leading the league again in man games lost due to injury. It’s maddening. Worse, Head Coach Jamahl Mosley has us playing badly with some intriguing coaching decisions. And it appears some players are either struggling or have regressed. If not for Paolo Banchero having a historically amazing first 5 games to hi...

The Magic concluded the preseason 4-1. You shouldn’t care so much about the record, be happy Orlando did not go winless and showed nice stretches of play. Now the regular season is here, it starts Wednesday in Detroit. Unfortunately, the Magic waived Devin Cannady to cut the roster down to 15 NBA contracts and 2 two-way contracts. Jalen Suggs hurt his knee but is already active and available for t...

It’s here, Magic preseason begins. No more waiting around. FIBA Franz Wagner got his bronze medal for Germany at EuroBasket and that covered a lot of the NBA offseason gap. Central Floridians are currently in recovery mode following Hurricane Ian’s impacts on the state. There are still communities flooded and without power. The Magic lost 2 practice days which doesn’t help their preparation. We’re...

Not only did Franz Wagner play in Germany’s Quarterfinals meeting with Greece on Tuesday, but FIBA Franz started and starred in a big upset win over Giannis Antetokounmpo. I imagine that right ankle feels fine right now. Germany is on to the Semifinals where on Friday they’ll host Spain. Does Franz actually have a chance to win EuroBasket MVP? #LetsGoMagic Warning: Adult Language

Germany beat Montenegro to advance to the EuroBasket quarterfinals. FIBA Franz Wagner sprained his right ankle in the third period of that game and didn’t come back. Since then, his MRI came back clean, and he was practicing on Monday. Franz is a game-time decision for their Tuesday game against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece. I think Wagner will play, and I certainly hope he does. #LetsGoMagic...

FIBA Franz Wagner and Germany ended their time in Cologne 4-1 in EuroBasket Group B play. Good enough to take 2nd place in the group and proceed to the knockout stage. All Round of 16 teams now head to Berlin, which is the Wagner brothers’ home city. Germany hosts Montenegro Saturday September 10th. It’s win or go home from here on out. Franz is still having a very impressive tournament, and he’s...

I told you Franz Wagner was dropping a 30-point game. An efficient 32 points against Lithuania on Sunday. Never did I think Germany would be 3-0 in Group B EuroBasket play. Nor that they would’ve punched their ticket to the Round of 16 knockout stage so soon. But they’ve handed losses to France, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Lithuania so far. That’s super impressive, France and Lithuania were viewed as...

It’s another Franz Wagner German National Team pod update as EuroBasket is here. The 24-team European championship starts Thursday. Franz, who is coming off a 2-0 World Cup qualifying window which included an impressive performance over Luka Doncic and Slovenia over the weekend, will be entering it in good form. FIBA Franz v. FIBA Fournier! #LetsGoMagic Warning: Adult Language

The NBA released the schedule for the upcoming season. Instead of just going over it, we pick out away games Magic fans could attend as fun trips. Plus: The Magic roster is currently too big, an NBA executive-leaked Jordan Poole rumor, Paolo Banchero avoided injury in Seattle, and more! #LetsGoMagic Warning: Adult Language

This episode is about the Wagner brothers. Specifically, FIBA Franz since brother Moritz hurt his ankle and won’t be playing any German national team games after all this summer. We’re approaching what will be a month-long stretch of high stakes FIBA basketball. Why should you care as a Magic fan? Because Franz could make a huge leap as a player by participating in these FIBA World Cup qualifiers...

Just as we’re awaiting the NBA schedule release, the Magic to move into the AdventHealth Training Center, and the Wagner brothers getting into FIBA play, out of nowhere comes new Atlanta Hawks guard and All-Star Dejounte Murray starting a beef with our rookie Paolo Banchero at a Seattle pro-am of all places. Maybe the 25-year-old Murray is already worried about facing the 19-year-old, 6’10”, 250-p...

Assuming a trade for Donovan Mitchell or Kevin Durant isn’t coming, the Magic were not ambitious during free agency. WeltHamm were basically like: ‘We’ve got Paolo Banchero and Caleb Houstan, we’re good’. On the one hand, no one got ridiculously overpaid. The Magic front office went the easy route. The Magic are very young, having lost another important vet. in Robin Lopez. Terrence Ross is the ol...

The Orlando Magic selected Paolo Banchero #1 and most people seem thrilled. Paolo is a 19-year-old beast who most likely will be Orlando’s alpha go-to scorer for years to come. Paolo shined brightest on a Duke team with heavy NBA talent. When they were making their deep NCAA tourney run, his teammates and Coach K in his last season relied on Paolo when they needed buckets. Paolo is really mobile f...

As we continue basking in the glory of the Magic finally bucking their bad lottery luck and earning the #1 pick in the upcoming June 23rd NBA Draft, we’re switching focus to what the WeltHamm front office should actually do now that we have all of this power. We’re 3-for-3 historically on #1 picks. Shaq in ‘92. We took Webber in ‘93 but wisely flipped him for Penny and 3 future first round picks....

It’s just a few days until the May 17th NBA Draft Lottery. The Magic finished the 2022 season with a 22-60 record. Good enough for worst in the East, and second worst in the league. Orlando rolls into the Draft Lottery in the 2nd position, however we could be picking as high as 1st or as low as 6th when that Tuesday evening concludes. We’re going to look back on some of our season predictions and...

The Magic are 20-58 as of this recording, tied for the worst record in the NBA. It won’t be the worst win-loss record in franchise history as the 18-win inaugural season team can pop champagne, but it’s going to be down there with the 20-win season in 2013, and three other 21-win seasons. This will be the Magic’s seventh 20-something win season in the past decade. That’s rough for any NBA fan base...

Terrence Ross, Mo Bamba, and Gary Harris are all still members of the Magic after the 2022 NBA trade deadline came and went. The Magic acquired Bol Bol and P.J. Dozier from the Boston Celtics. Why waiving Michael Carter-Williams and E’Twaun Moore could present a veteran problem for the franchise. Will the front office share when Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac will finally see the floor? Is 2023...

The Magic appear to have gotten through all the COVID-19 positive tests picked up by the roster and coaching staff, it doesn’t look like there will be any further hardship exemption signings. Still no sign of Isaac or Fultz returning, and the Magic’s accumulation of injuries isn’t subsiding. The Magic had won 4 out of 6 games recently (our best stretch of this season by far), before being bludgeon...

We’re 2 months into this NBA campaign. Due to COVID-19 positive tests with the team and across the league, the Magic’s December 20th game in Toronto has been postponed. The first Magic game impacted this season. I’d say likely not the last the way the omicron variant is spreading like wildfire around the world. Now’s a good a time as any for a progress report pod. The Magic are 6-25 with the secon...

The games start counting now. The Magic finished 1-3 in their preseason campaign thanks to a Jeff Dowtin Jr. winner in the final exhibition game. Wendell Carter Jr. got a 4-year $50 million contract extension, which seems like solid value. With Chuma Okeke, Markelle Fultz, and Jonathan Isaac not on the court yet, is the tanking plan already in play? Could this 2021-2022 Orlando team finish with it...

A new Magic campaign is upon us. 2021-2022. There’s excitement in the air, but also apparent red flags that hint at rough times ahead. And it’s not just COVID-19 related. The Magic legitimately need these 4 upcoming preseason games just to give the fans an idea of what the new offense and defense might look like when the games count, let alone evaluating this young roster. Also, a Ben Simmons trad...

Discussing the NBA Draft party at Amway Center. The fan reaction may have been louder for when Scottie Barnes was selected 4th by the Toronto Raptors than when the Magic picked Jalen Suggs 5th. Hot Take: Pops is not happy that the team drafted Jalen Suggs over Jonathan Kuminga and Franz Wagner over Moses Moody. At least most Magic fans seem thrilled with how the draft night played out. Why Jeff We...

If you don’t know already, Jamahl Mosley is the latest Orlando Magic Head Coach. More importantly, the NBA Draft is less than a week away and free agency is right around the corner. The Magic can take positive news from the Milwaukee Bucks being crowned champions. Looking at the Magic’s depth chart and getting an idea of how lackluster 2021 free agency likely will be. It’s still very possible the...