It's not all that fun being an Orlando Magic fan after the rough year they had last year. Is there hope for the future, or are we doomed for another lost season post-Dwight Howard? Zach Oliver and Cory Hutson from Orlando Pinstriped Post jump on to discuss the following topics:

What's the mood of the fan base in a word? Can they dig themselves out of this salary-cap hole they created?

Oh hey, it's been five years since the Dwight Howard trade. Total coincidence that we recorded this podcast on the anniversary. (We swear)

How much trust is there in the new front office of Jeff Weltman and John Hammond to take the organization out of cap hell?

Should the Magic have taken Dennis Smith Jr. instead of Jonathan Isaac?

Which second-half performance was more encouraging: Elfrid Payton's or Aaron Gordon's?

What happened down the stretch last season that the national media missed, whether good or bad?

We play Max/Hold/Trade (our version of Do/Marry/Kill) with Payton, Gordon, and Isaac.

What's the deal with Mario Hezonja anyway?

Would you rather have seen Shaq or Dwight Howard win a title in Orlando? Which era of great Magic basketball was closer to a title?

What's the ultimate Magic NBA Jam team — other than Penny/Shaq, of course.

Why won't the Magic retire anyone's number?

Who is on your all-time Magic banana boat, i.e. the three people you most want to hang out with on vacation?

You have to buy one player's jersey from this current team. Who is it and why?

Plus, predictions, best/worst case, and more. There's a scenario where Orlando slips into the playoffs! We swear!

(Apologies for the poor audio quality on my mic. I forgot to plug it in. I wish I had a better excuse).

This podcast was part of the Limited Upside podcast’s 2017-18 offseason series previewing all 30 NBA teams with members of SB Nation’s team communities and other friends of the show. We’ve spent the last two-and-a-half months gauging the temperature of every fan base heading into what should be a terrific NBA season. There’s no better way to understand what makes NBA fans in each market tick.

We began these in August and counted down worst-to-first leading up to the season. Here’s how to listen to them all:

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