On this edition of Orlando Magic Pod Squad, Dote Marcitelli, Jake Chapman catch up with the Orlando Magic Executive Vice President of Basketball Operation, Pete dallas Sandro.
He's been in the NBA for now twenty years. He's got an incredible story, and we get into that, certainly something that you're going to enjoin on this edition of Magic Pod Squad, which has brought you by the Florida Department of Transportation, reminds you that bands don't let bands drive drunk. If you've been drinking, don't get behind the wheel. Instead, find a sober driver or get your ride service. Remember, drive sober or get pulled over, Have a great night,
and drive safe. Pete gets into this recent trade.
Deadline stuff, well, what was the decision for the Orlando Magic to stand pat And then we get into his basketball journey growing up in New York, what made him want to get into basketball, his career path, ultimately graduating from Saint John's and then Chris Mullet, the former Saint Johnny bringing him into the NBA with the Golden State Warriors and tells an unbelievable story that he had not shared before about how that we believed.
Teeth the six oh seventeen that was an eight seed that beat the Dallas Mavericks. Oh, that team almost never happened, and it came down to the final minute of the trade deadline that year. And it is a remarkable story. He's got some good ones. He's a great storyteller and you're gonna enjoy this edition of Magic Pod Squad with Pete Delasandra. So, these fawns of long Enough the Orlando Magic.
This is col Anthony, Missus, Jenni Suggs, this is Paulo man Carroll, the Orlando Magic, and you're listening to the Pod Squad.
Hey, welcome to another edition of Orlando Magic Pod Squad. Dot de Marco, Telly, Jake Chapman here with you, and it is my pleasure to introduce Orlando Magic Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Pete Deleasandro kind enough to join us. Pete, I'm excited about this because I've known you for a while. You've been in Orlando for what I think this is your seventh season now here right to Orlando Magic. But I don't know that I've had a chance to get
too much into your background. You know what got you into this whole thing and kind of what what made you want to get into the NBA excited to kind of learn a little bit about you and and talk about this season and what lies ahead for the Orlando Magic. But first off, it's all star break.
Man.
Are you getting a chance to relax a little bit or no?
Yeah?
Absolutely absolutely. I'm actually back here in Colorado right now, where my son was born and my daughter and my whole family lived for a little while when I was working for the Nuggets. And they're getting up on the ski stops. I listened, they're better than me. Now, man, They're like on the black diamonds. And I'm like diet back. Yes, So now we're enjoying it. We're enjoying it.
Well, glad you get a chance to do that. I'm a I'm a big deal call at the clubhouse. I'm a big lodge guy. Everybody else going yeah, like right now, exactly perfect. Hey, So let's go back to Obviously, you grew up in New York, right you're you're a New York guy. I end up going to Saint John's. But did you play basketball? Was your were you a basketball
player growing up? Did you have dreams of being in the NBA, and uh, it would kind of take us through your your basketball journey a little bit before you got to the league.
Yeah, I know, zoom makes me look a lot bigger, but he's six with my five nine, non athletic. For people, it was like, how did you get in basketball? It's a it's a great question. I loved it right as a as a young My first game back with my dad is a teacher on Long Island and uh, I think I was five years old and it was the Long Island Nets and I think it was doctor Jay's first year. I think it was his rookie year there.
I remember they had like they had like a sponsor with doctor Pepper or something, the soft drink, and I remember I called him doctor Pepper. But I was like blown away, like I was, you know, five years olds, and there was a like the Long Island Arena I think it was called. Were on these hard benches watching these games. It might have been like a thousand people there. I'm watching one of the greatest players ever played. That's my first experience, right, and that's like turned me onto
the game. Listen, Like I had great people along the way. I had a guy his couch in eighth grade name Guy Della Cave who played for Luke Carseca. And I always kept close foot with mister Delicate of his past and he's like had such a meaningful impact in my life. Like you talk about people that impact your life, and you know, and you guys know, people come to you all the time, and it's so hard to like take everyone's call and to help everyone kind of get in
the industry and what we do. But I always think back to to mister Delicate because he did that right, and so I always try to, like when I when I think I don't have time, I try to make time because of people like him. He put me in touch with Luke Carnoseca my freshman year in college. Anything I played tenth grade basketball right eleventh grade. I wanted to I wanted to take money. I was on the bench and I was so I just worked like three. I was always working, something I always wanted to do,
and I did that instead. But like watch as many NBA games as I could and as many COPS teams like, and there I was in like Luke Carnseca's office. I'll never forget I was just like he was like an Idoley had just come through the Final four with like you know that Chris moll and t and that was like the early Big East. And I just can't believe he said to me, cause back then, like now, you
look at these managers staffs. They're real staffs, like for these college teams, but they had like one or two managers. And he looked at me and said, you had to work one of the ease And he shows me like a video recorder and I'm like, hey, he goes, you got to cut film and dude, I had no idea
what that even meant. And I'm like, yeah, you do, and he is like, because I got a guy who's a senior who's doing it now, and you could come in and learn under him, and you could be Look, it's got to be quiet because you're gonna be friends with the players, but you're gonna be coaches meetings, you're
gonna be breaking down film with this crew. And I'm like it, it's like my first stop is I went to a local video store and was like, how do I bring literally because there was no vide internet, Right, that's awesome?
Why do I do this? How do I do this?
And uh, yeah, so we're like, it's really collectial cables, really really you know, like putting them together, and ultimately I got an editing board was like this piece of plastic. At the time, it was a meeting. And so where we are now when I see our video rooms and these staffs, I'm like, oh my god. But like my education came from you know, going to class, but really spending mornings with Luke Carseco, which to me, I I just can't just feel so blessed.
That, right, think about that, getting that opportunity, and then you you would cross paths with Chris Mallen in your NBA career, which is absolutely fantastic. But where was your takeaway from Luke?
You know, coach had He was like a really hard like a lot like a lot of coaching you, very hard on his guys, right, and I was one of his guys because we had a very small staff, right, and he had extra high expectations. But I'll tell you what, man, the man had your back no matter what I had. Like I led the entire school in parking tickets Saint John. There's a commuter school that's impressive.
That's so that's something to do with Jacabbage comment, that's.
Pete, pete, you were doing statistical analysis back then. You had you had the parking tickets on an Excel spreadsheet. That's good stuff here, it's a good So I get called it my card booted. I had no money, like literally, I think my parents got I love my parent They give us like what they had right with like twenty bucks a week for me and my sister. So we did right and it was everything. But like I didn't
have money pay the tickets. And I was the reason I have all tickets because coaches always saying be here at seven thirty. Dude, I got to, you know, running around for coach breathing and uh.
And so I go into the guy who ran was a former like New York City police sergeant or something. He ran the security. He was like a retired guy. He was a tough Irish guy from New York. And he called me in I'm trying not to use the words. He cussed me out, like I never cuss that. Who do you think you are just because you think you work for guy? I said, you know I'm doing it for I work for coach. I'm trying to I don't care.
I mean, he up and down like I I'm oh, I'm in tears, Like I'm like, how do I not cry? This guy like tear me up. He's like, you're not going to get your grades. I'm not releasing the boot that's it. Leave until you come back here with the money. I'm like the money creaming money was like a chicken should had no chance. I'm not thinking. I'm just down in the dumps. I go went to coaches office and break it down. Film it couched, like what's wrong with do you someone to see right now? I didn't want
to tell him right because yeah, sure Paris. And secondly, I'm afraid he's gonna curss me out too, So I'm like by they tell him and he goes, all right, what are your class? I come back later on the boots off. He gives me a special parking stick or
lets me park anywhere on the whole campus anytime. Nice and and he tells me like he kind of gives me this pep talk about appreciating my work and and you know, like how would your would your work ethic will bring you in and like you know, it was always that it was literally turning it into a lesson for you. And I don't think I've told that story ever, but I but, uh, that's who Coach is, right, Like he was one of those guys he like was always I was a hard driver, but he was molding. He
was molding young men. And even if you were just like a loading mastager which we kind of wore, like you run around getting coffee and breaking out film, but he treated you every bit as much like you were like one of his players. And to this day I see him. He's just a wonderful human being.
That's great. CJ.
Couple ninety nine, ninety nine nine in generary is nine.
Wow, that's good stuff.
Pee.
What is your advice to two young people? Obviously the business has changed quite a bit since those days. But when the young people come to you and they say, you know, whether or not they want to get into basketball operations or just the business of basketball in general, what are a few kind of general pieces of advices that you give them?
You know, I always try to say, you know, try to make yourself useful, Like, don't just like everyone wants a job, everyone wants to get in, figure out a way to make yourself useful. Like when I was I was trying to break in. You know, I coach corner Seca I reached out to. I had gone to law school and everything, and I was working in politics and I was but I really wanted to be basketball with my love, you know. And coach said there really wasn't anything,
but he put me in touch with an agent. And so at the time, this is like the early part of the internet, right, and so I was like, what can I do for this guy? Like what can I bring to him? No one really followed the cap, like even the agents back then. They would if the league said you could do it or couldn't. And you know, there was one guy in the Union, Ron Klubny is still with them, who was a wonderful guy who was so knowledgeable and he was the date a lot of
them to call him and chok with him. But I realized there was, like, you know, a need there for more information for agencies, and so I just started sending him memos on, hey, I know you have a negotiation for Bill Wennington coming up. Here's some comps that I found on the web. And by the way, comps, you know, and now we have all these we he would be
like flying the Dallas Morning News article. It was a little that the guy made this and I cobbled it all together and kind of yeah yeah, later it off and I think, like, I think there's something to do with that today. I don't know what it is, but like, as a young person, you need to say I would, And I did that enough that the guy finally when I told him I would answer his phones, he had his secretary left, and you know, I'd already was practicing law and thing, and he said, well, I have a
job answering the phones. I'm like, I'm in and fire me. If I don't answer those phones a while, you could fire me tomorrow and no questions asked. I will be the best phone answer ever. And I tell God, that's how I got in. And I think you just have to be willing and be willing to work.
How incredible was that it? And how important was it for your career path because again you're getting your law degree. You'd eventually get to the NBA, but it was about six or seven years working for an agency to learn that side of things, Pete, how much did that help you in your career?
Amazing? You know, I think it so many people like me become like kind of the guy like the names on the board aren't real people, right, And to me, like I lived with our players, their family members calling checking in like their personal issue. People talk about mental health issues now, right, they were always existed players. Like there's a lot of pressure. They're young men with a lot of pressure. And I was a young man when
I got in there, so there was a lot of connection. Like, there's a lot of connection and I would try to, you know, be there for our guys. And I to this day, I have a long relationships with a lot of our guys that we had back in at that time. And I just think like it gave me that perspective, like the human perspective. So it's not just salary camp, you know, dealing with our analytics team and strategy and
talking to the coaches. It's these got the like these are human beings, like they have right, has feelings like all of us, the coaches do. The pressure the coaches are under, you know, to have to walk them off the court after a loss and have the spotlight on you and try to talk about that loss. Right, and we just something that we're even like we're under the spotlight,
but it's not that instantaneous. You have turned the process those things, and I think like the agency part of it really helped me naturally just understand like this is a human business, a real human business, and I think it's really helped me that way.
They have to go back to that.
I was thinking about that, the idea of everybody becoming a value right like I would imagine twenty years in.
It's it can be easy to.
Dip into that, and so do you have to kind of pull yourself out every once in a while and remind yourself of that.
Yeah. I mean I think our organization and you guys know, like I think Jeff and Alex and they've done this great job of creating this like Toudges were family because we all work, we all but just like really I'm nurturing place right like so for us, it's a little to answer your question, it's a little bit easier because you know, I'm sitting down there having my breakfast or my lunch, and our players are there, our coaches are there, We're all kind of so, hey, did you see the
football game? That's stray And it's just like natural like personal kind of growth as a group that we've had. So it makes it a lot easier in this organization. I've been to a number of organizations, you guys know, and there's nothing like this in terms of like that feeling of connection that we all seem to have with each other, including us, right Like we all sit down, then I'll run into each other and I'll say, hey, what do you think about this? And we could talk
like confidentially about things. And we've done that, and I think it's like that with our players, and it's like that with our coaches, and it's just such a great like the whole atmosphere has been great, and even me greater with the Ava Health Staining Center in the way it's kind of like created that. So it's a great question. But I think like it's a lot easier these days than it was because when you are separated, and I've been in places, you have to make sure you remember that.
So you need is agree, you have to insert yourself into that. There's a lot of times I'm not around the team. I'm either out scouting or I'm up in my office. Yep. You know, with Stephen Mervis, the warder can get put together all the things that we're going to do, right, Like that's not like what we do. So it's it is something you need to remember. Well.
You know, people always ask, well, you know, it's you know, if you're you know, if it's a tough stretch and you've lost nine in a row and you know, we go on the telecast and they say, well, how are you staying positive? I and listen, it's it's we leve what we do. So it's easy to stay positive. But it's what you said. It's the behind the scene. You get to know them as people and they you root for them. You root for them and you want them
to wait. And it's easy to point out, Okay, yeah it's not going our way right now, but it's not for lack of effort. These guys are trying like crazy. We get to see it every day. I think back. So there you go. You're starting at at at Saint John's, you're with Luke Cornaseca, you go to a sports agency, but somewhere you know you you missed I think Chris
Mullen when you were there at Saint John's. But you get a relationship with him at some point and he brings you into the NBA and the Golden State Warriors. How does that happen? And now now you're in the league, Pete. Now you're working for the Warriors and you're working for Chris Mullen. That's pretty depressive.
Yeah, it's it was amazing. So hu credit go is to my wife and Molly is my wife. Is is just I mean something to brag about her. She's so smart and she had just finished georchown law and she was working, you know as a lobbyist for American Boutige for Age Research and you know, fighting a good fight and doing all these great things. And I come to her. I'm the d C. I'm at a DC agency where
Chris Bullen is one of our clients. And I come to and say it might be not petition tunity for us, and she's like great, you know, like what are you thinking, Like you're gonna leave agency. I'm like, yeah, there's little cat coming to San Francisco and your business is not here like louding in DC where we were.
Yeah. Sure.
We had a lot of whole long hard talks and you know, ultimately, as a family, we made the decision. It was the right decision. You know, we always said we do whatever it was that our passion was. And then wherever it took us. That's where it took us, and so we agreed this was the right move and we didn't have kids at the time. Chris was amazing, you know, because Chris was he is still to this day one of these people who's like, empowers you, like
you got it, Like I'm not just that. Like I'm getting text messages from Mark Cuban my first week on the job because we're trading Eric Dampier. I'm like, this is like you said thought. They're like, I'm sitting there going like I just went from who knows you know, that tenth grade basketball player and the short periods talking Now I'm like like, but it's like, there's pretty wild and Chris fantastic. He said I need I need someone
with your skill set. I don't even know if I had a tile At first, he was like, just come in and like the work will be there, and that's how we did it. And then I became director of Bops and assistant GM and we kind of took it from there. But he is like, what, you know, one of the greatest people I've ever been around my life. He's family and I can't thank him enough. I couldn't my career would not have gone where it's gone without him.
He was at a trend going from the agent side to the BoFs side. Do we know about you, We know about Lawn, we know about Bob Myers obviously, But did that happen a lot in the eighties and nineties before you guys, or was that something that started around that time, Jake, I.
Think it was more frowned upon, you know, I think there was a little bit of apprehension having an agent come to the team side. I'll say this, it was when you when I went to the team side. But the first team that were is with Chris. We had like three people, like the whole front office. It was like Rodhagan's unbelievable, like executive who it was there's most recent job was at the land Chris and me like that was in the office and we had a team
of scouts that were traveling around. I mean, I was like, where's the salary book. There's no salarybook. There was no you know, now to explain every team has we have these books of everything. We need to know everything for every team in the league at all times, so in a minute trade deadline we can know like well, what is that draft pick that they want to trade us, What are the encumbrances on things like and none of that. We didn't even know what draft picks we had. I don't.
I walked in, I'm calling the league going and you know, Michelle Leftwich was Anturney for the league and she now works for the Hawks. She was amazing and like she was so I said, an influential porter. I would call her all the time and Andy.
You had to so you had to call and ask her what your picks were, think about that, think about.
How much things and everything. Oh, it was crazy. Another executive from another team called me and said, we're so glad this trade deadline. We call you and you guys know you guys know what you have. And it was like that, And I give credit to Christy Chris, Like Chris walked in the office like where is everything. I'm like, well, let's go to work, let's figure it out. And we put it together. And you know, we had to put it together that we believe team, which was yess you did. Oh,
I got it was really fun. We hadn't been in the playoffs in like eleven years and it was one of the most It gets to the Star team. It's amazing. It was such a fun season. But it started with walking to the office with literally nothing and going all right, let me call the league and see, oh we got here. And I was an agent, so I hadn't come like if I were with another team, I would have walked in with my old salary book that I was my
own lot. You know, I was. I was everything players at that time, so it wasn't like I didn't have it with me. So yeah, the league was really that's it.
That's remarkable. You know, two things stand out to me about that, And then I wanted to get a couple of things on Golden State before we move on to Sacramento and Denver and everything. But as far as that, oh that we believe team right, So that's O six oh seven. You're the eight seed. He beat the number one seed Dallas Mavericks. And if I'm not mistaken, did you win forty eight games the next year missed the playoffs? Yeh,
that's that's unbelieved. I could believe that that would never happen ever again.
Chris Mall and I were just talking about this literally like last week. He reminded me of that. I first goes, dude, Remember we won forty eighth the next year and didn't make the playoffs, and then pretty much shoal n the door. I'm like, really, what believe it is crazy? But no, it was a forty eight win team and it was a it was amazing. We were a better team the next year and and never made.
That had to be that had to be an unbelievable run. I mean, the whole the whole world was captivated because that that that Met Dallas team was incredible. But that was when the league pass started becoming a little more readily available and people were staying up to watch West Coast games. I know I was certainly and everybody was just enighbored with that Warriors team and then to put it to them in the playoffs like that must must have been unbelieved.
Well, and the Bay Area like just blew up. I mean absolutely blow I mean it was. It was amazing, like and you knew it was coming because the basketball community there much like Orlando. Orlando's got a basket comunia, and it's just I don't know if we were how loud, people couldn't believe that loud. That area was aw right and and I like went on everyone. It was Yeah, I was like, oh, I'm gonna be on the team playing for these I went to every secret. It was
a fun one. But yeah, the funny part about that is like we just had trade deadline and not to segue into this a little bit, you talked about trade deadline and like like this year we didn't get anything done. But just to give a little like context, every team, every team, you do, you do a thousand trades during trade deadline. Just sometimes you get one done and sometimes you get non done. Something you get like a few years ago, you get four, three or four done, Like
you just never know what you're gonna get. But I think like that we believe team almost like almost like epitomizes like what the trade deadline looks like because we hadn't been the playoffs in like ten years. Chris was one year on the job, and we get to the trade that Chris had been working to deal with normalists to try to get Baron Davis, like we took in a recent All Star guy wanted out. We got word that he wanted to be he would He was a California kid, right, so he was made. He was for
LA and wanted to be with us. We're like, we can get Baron Davis. So like this is lural in our second season, we're like ten years without anyone really like we had a young team. We had like Jay Rich, we had a really good young player, but they weren't ready yet. But there was a problem. So as we're working the deal, there's a problem. He's a match contract. And by the way, at that time, I think a match was like thirteen million, which is almost an average player salary.
I think about that, right.
And so we're all stressed out because we're being told like by our I mean is whatever, like hey, to take Baron Davis's contract, you're going to have to move off money in the future because it's multiple years on this and we can't be a taxing We'm we haven't been the playoffs in ten years, right, fair enough, So like you can imagine at the front office where like we are comped with the whole league, we're how do we add water or not or a good player by
the way, so it's not like we're sending out a back yeah yeah, sure, sure, really good player. I mean a couple of teams interested and Mulley's working the phone, and I'm trying to with colds and rods work on the phones, and at the end of the day, it seems like there's only one real team there, potentially Denver, but wen I get the Baron Davis deel down without moving Naha as a separate deal. So we get to the deadline at the calling the entire league and we're like,
ten minutes before the deadline, it's silent. There is nothing right now. This is the point where every team at every deadline has the boards lined up. You're waiting for like the dominoes to fall right, and so like maybe something will happen, and Denver doesn't work out what the deal they want they so we're all kind of like sitting back, just waiting inside. I'll never forget. Like our head coach can walk it in and this was his first year coaching the NBA. I think it was his
first or second first year. He walks in and we had this office suite and we're all sitting on the couch literally like twila. Arkon's like, there's nothing else we can do. It's silent, and he's like nothing. I'm like, got nothing, coach, and he walks out. So we're like and we're just like bombed. So the ball's in Denver's hands. I get a call from the New Orleans GM. He called me, and I'm like, we'll wait. I gotta be
We'll wait. You don't try to tell them exactly what you're waiting on, because you're all everyone's like hiding the ball. We're getting close up now. I'm like, honestly like we're waiting on on on another team. And he's like, what team said? It's Denver and he's like five minutes to go now before deadline. I go, dude, I don't think i'll call you if it's gonna happen. He's like, no, no, just plete on holes. So really obviously whatever he had going on in there, and Baron's like sitting wait yeah
wait yeah, So I put it. I put him on hold in this sweet I'm like, I want to stay on hold. He's like why, I'm okay, cool. So I'm gonna say it is like maybe less than two minutes to go before deadline. Now we would sink our watches up with the league office. Back then He's like, yeah, what deadline said, because right now everything's on the phone right. But then it was I'm like, you got like like one forty five to go, and Mole's plumberings and I
think it was Kiky was some from Denver. They're gonna do the deal. He's like, you're gonna do the deal. Yeah, But now the way trades work is to get a deal done, you have to call the league office with all parties on the phone, and the deal has to beat. One person announces the deal to the league and it has to be blessed by the league that this deal would work. He would in fact for so they're crunching their numbers as they do it. Yeah, you gotta get it all in before this.
Oh god, you get a minute of forty five to do allver.
Some id less than it might even been. Like it was.
So I'm like rod get on the other phone. I got pick out New Orleans on this phone. She keep him. Then on the ball, call Michelle. I'm gonna call Andy, and then and we're running like it's insane, like literally, because it's at this big office suite the three officers with like a main office, and we're like the doors are open with and then all of a sudden, into the sweet walks out of coach.
Look on his feet. Does he hadn't see her where He's like, I'm screaming, you got him? I got We're going back a corner.
What's happening?
I'm good? And literally I get mine got in second. So you got the naharo in on one phone. I have the neurologym on the other phone. And I get in with another person in the league office and she tells me you made it with about tension. It's just fair like literally, that's how close it was. Or the we believe team doesn't even happen like that's how it is.
The thing happened remarkable, what any credible that's the and that and that's not that that happens every year something like that, right, or I mean that's not every every team. There's always a team that has some Yeah, something happens last minute shape always and.
They should just tell you, guys, it's on Friday and then and then now they should make it Friday, just give you an extra twenty four hours without do you even know it, because.
That just sounds I don't know, that just sounds stressful maybe even but as you know.
That guys make deals, right that wins make deals.
Oh, it was an amazing, Like it was really an amazing So I just I don't know, it was like that was of all in my trade deadlines, that's the one where I might have lost like years of my life.
Like literally, yes, doing the right is all right, that's awesome. You would go from Golden State, you have all that success where right with the we Believe team and and all that, and and you're able to become right realize what I imagine would be the dream at that point to become a general manager of your own running the Sacramento Case. I mean, how surreal was that? And you had some personalities on that team, there's no question about it.
But boy, uh, what's your takeaway from your time running the Sacramento Case?
Listen, So like unbelievable opportunity and I and I just every step of the way, I just I'm so appreciative for everything and for everything I had, and and even like with Denver to to work with Josh Kronky and Messiah, like I've I've had such great people, I really have. I feel like this path is just kind of unfolded
in front of me, and I feel so lucky. And I go to town like Sacramento but by the way, like you talk about another set great set of path like the sacrament of fans are unreal and and just stay like I just love love going back there and just and and being around that that were just great people. At least I've been to some of the best basketball communities. I really have. And and so I have to say, but to me, Sacramento, it's all about like these little stories, right,
Like I have a Shack story from Sacramento. I don't know if you gotta remember Shi was I'm an ority owner.
That's right, that's right.
You got a piece of it. Like I'm like this would say, like like I know, Shack, come on, man, but that Sacramento has worked it alone, right right, right? But I did. It was really in all serious seriousness, like have the opportunity to meet him and spend some time with him. And then he wasn't like I'm I musiately involved, but when I needed him, he was there.
And I remember one And I only bring this up because it's just I never told this story publicly, but I think it's time to tell it because it was just this amazing moment where I was on the road with the team. I wanted to talk to some players. Shack was in town. I said, Chack, can you come join me? They could be really helpful. And so we
get to this restaurant. They put us kind of like in the really quiet corner because you know, like everyone everyone would notice me, you know, I mean, it's shocked they he walks in the building, but he did the right thing. They put us in like this really quiet one where maybe we're not going to be seen. It's a little early for one and players not there yet. Shack and I just sort of like catching up on
like messaging and what we want to talk about. And this woman kind of must have seen him through like the corner or whatever, and she kind of really apprehensively sort of approaches him and she just says, you know, like hey, Chack, I'm sorry to bother you. Very polite, I'm sorry to bother you. Is there any way I can ask you to just sign something for my son?
She had the young son, So shaqby in Shack and you guys alp him never just like let me just sign Shack and say goodbye, like, oh, what's your son's name? And could go and tell them, And he writes this nice little person and doesn't give it to her, and you see her start to like well up with tears a little bit. And now it's a quite just really
the three of us. The restaurant's kind of around the corner and like this Quie a little moment and she was thanking so much kind of like walks out, like so she's getting towards the main area of the restaurant. He goes man and he called her back, and I'm like, no one's called her back, and this likes th shack, It's so impressive. He's like, is anything okay, I just just to ask that question?
Yeah, yeah, right right.
He like hesitates, and she finally like opens up and she talks about how she's just diagnosed with this terminal illness illness and she's given a certain amount of time to live, and I mean really heartbreaking, right, And she has his son and she's trying to collect mementos for him and give him something, and this is like just such a special moment, right, I'm like tongue tied, Like
I'm like I gotta walk my throat. I'm just like, yeah, I got like what And then I'm thinking, like how does shak respond Like something like she's opened up to him. This guy like as calmly as elegantly with this warmth, stands up. He hulks over her in ghost shirking his hug literally like I've never seen a person hug or stranger like this before, and like it's like kind of rocking her and just says, I'm not gonna do this
justice because I'm gonna try to. It's it was something like and he you know, shacks when he gets a low voice, and no, no person could ever tell you how long you're going to live. That's between every person in God. And uh, this woman just like was weeping in his arms. And then she just smiled and thanked him and thanked him and thanked him and and left.
And I said that I don't even know what I said, like I've I've literally I was holding back tears in this moment, and uh, you know, like it's fine, Like I think it's John Wooden. I think it's John Wooden CuO where he said something like your character, your character is defined by what you do when no one's looking. Dude, I was slyly on the wall. Shea didn't even know who was there. Like I got to see that man's character. I've never seen anything like it, and it was like
it stood with me to this day. Like it's those moments where I'm like, how like you don't realize it, Like we always look at these guys and say with them the pedestal and whatever, and they have a huge responsibility, right because no one's coming to me or to any average on the street and saying, let me tell you, like my life, like what I'm facing like right, because we're just like but that that happens to shat, right, And I don't know the week he deal with, I
just felt like it's a it's just as we as we retired as Jersey. I'm like kind of so happy for it and to be here. I am a member of the Mat and I'm so sad I wasn't there for that for that moment. But you know, this story pops in my head and it's always there.
You know, well, it's a great it's a great story. He did that when he came back. He's friends with obviously Brian heally played for and Brian Hill's daughter went through a surgical procedure and it kind of you know, coming out of it, and it's been difficult and and he heard that and he tells briancime your phone. You know, he recorded a message Kim, this big fellow thinking about it, and just there's just heartfelt message. I mean, right, so
along those same lines. See, that's that's a great story, Pete. I'm glad you that's the side of shack that we have finally got to see a lot more of here recently. But that's that's phenomenal. And it was a great night the other night. And I know you would love to love to have been here. But now as you look at this team that you're on now right here in Orlando and fast forward to where we're at, and you're the guy that handles all the numbers and the transactions,
and you're the guy that makes everything work. And you've got with great relationships and friendships and networking that helps these deals get done along the way as well. What kind of place is this magic team in As you kind of look long term and salary cap and where we're at, it seems like we have great flexibility. We can strike if we want to when we want to. I mean, it seems to be in a great spot moving forward.
Yeah, I think you know, credit to Jeff Wellman honestly, like I feel like you learn everywhere you go, and this has been, like you said, my seventh year. And I feel like I've actually learned so much from this from Jeff in particular and his decision making and kind of how he approaches things, and and and also like from the whole group that he's assembled, like David Bench you guys know, yes you say analytics, but he's our assistant GM now and I've done, had done like so much.
And Stephen Murvis who I mentioned earlier, who like the contributions, and Anthony Parker to bring like all of his knowledge and experiences, and we have this like group that we assemble and Tungi and we kind of sit around the table.
We beat things up, and we beat things up because Jeff is that like he is a guy that you don't miss a thing, and I love that, love that about him to a point where like we could sit there and stare at each other for forty minutes without seeing anything, and then all of a sudden something comes down. We're like, right, right, and that's why we do it.
So we spend hours doing this stuff and and and then we all leave tasked with doing this alone right here, and then we get back and so to Jeff's I really credit Jeff because I think his process oriented way has now set us up to this point where you know, everything that was done was done very deliberately and planned out, you know, planning out like what drafts we project to be the best drafts, Like you do that when you're thinking about doing a reboot, like okay, if you're gonna read,
but what year do you want to be? Not a good team?
Right?
Those those aren't. That's just not by chance. That happens because you have guys like David Bench and merv and Jeff and these guys to know and DP you know, the draft, and they sit around and say, hey, let's make an educated guess what is the time for that? And then you're looking forward like what we have all of our picks plusis right? We have flexibility these next couple of years in charms of them. So sometimes the
best move is no move, right. It is absolutely true when you're developing a team, and sometimes it's to make a move. And I think the great position that ran is we can do either. We can do either, and I know whatever the decision is, it's it's it's going to be the right decision and thought out and thought out correctly. And that's because you know, that's what Jeff demands of us, and and you know he's leading this thing. And I just feel great about being with a group
like this. It's like you talk about a team. I know, we talk about the locker room all the time, and it's almost like a locker room with that, right, Like we talked and got like to talk about like the personal stuff too. A lot of the conversation is about the relationships and our players and how they relate to each other, and like if you make a move, even a minor one, pull a player out, how does that
affect that? And if you add a player in. We might have a high talent level, but how does that effect that when you have what you consider high high town level young players emerging. So it's a very tricky thing. And I just think having the optionality that Jeff is kind of the deals he's made has given us, gives us at least a chance to make a decision whatever it is.
Well, that's some great stuff, Pete. We can't thank you enough. A terrific job here with this front office and We're very, very excited. I know Magic fans are too, for what lies ahead, not only this year, but for years to come with this Orlando Magic organization. That'll do it. For this edition of Magic Pod Squad with the Executive vice President of Basketball Operations Pete Dallas Sandro, we'll see you next
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