Magic's Frye on moral victories: 'We're close to winning, but that's still f-----g losing'

Channing Frye had to know what he signed up for when he inked a four-year, $32 million deal with the upstart Orlando Magic this offseason. Not immediate success, but the promise of being able to help a young core improve and, toward the end of his contract, compete.

Through eight games, the Magic have played an exciting and encouraging brand of ball. Playing without sophomore Victor Oladipo, the Magic have gone 2-6 but generally stayed competitive. They've lost by double-digits just twice, and when adjusting for opponent quality they rank as the league's 23rd-best team.

That's probably about the best-case scenario for a rebuilding team without one of their core pieces. Frye has played well, rookies Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon have impressed, and Tobias Harris and Nikola Vucevic have continued to prove valuable pieces. There are a lot of positives to take from the team's start.

In the words of Jay-Z, though, moral victories are for minor league coaches. The NBA's about winning, and even if he had an idea what he was getting into, Frye already seems to have had enough of the silver linings talk.

"We're close to winning," Frye said Tuesday after the Magic choked away an 11-point fourth-quarter lead to the Toronto Raptors. "But that's still fucking losing."

Frye's right, in the strict measure of wins and losses in the standings, but it would be foolish to suggest the Magic shouldn't be taking anything from this start. They're closer than most would have guessed, especially considering Oladipo's absence, and most of the young players look effective.

-with h/t to SB Nation