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Practice Report: Stan Van Gundy Speaks in Praise, Dwight Howard Comments On His Free-Throw Shooting, and More

erivera7 — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:57:35 -0000

A new day of training camp came praise from head coach Stan Van Gundy, as he pointed out the good play, after the first few days, of the point guards for the Orlando Magic and Dwight Howard (of course) after the morning session was over.

I was able to speak with Stan Van Gundy, Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, and Brandon Bass amongst the media after practice. Here's what they had to say:

Stan Van Gundy:

Vince stated that he played a little bit of the one, yesterday. What are some things you're looking for from him at that position?

We're not, really. I mean, not a whole lot. We may get to that point but it's just ... we got three point guards and two teams, and so somebody has got to play point guard on the other position. I mean, right now, our point guards are all playing very, very well and as far as a whole position of guys playing well, that's probably been our best position. All three guys have played well so right now, I don't have plans to play him at the point.

In terms of determining lineup combinations, what are some specific things you're looking for?

You know what, again, I'm not really even thinking in that regard right now. I'm just ... that's more speculation. I understand the interest in it, I do, but that's not where my mind is right now. My mind is on just getting our guys to all play well and to execute what we're doing on both ends of the floor. I'm not thinking about that right now.

How's Gortat looking? Have you seen improvement in his play?

Well, it's tough. It's tough to gauge him right now because the only guy he plays against in three scrimmages is Dwight [Howard]. Dwight is playing great right now and Dwight is certainly getting the best of that battle but that's a tough, tough matchup and a tough standard. I think March is fine. I think he's improved a great deal and I think he's better than a lot of centers in this league but to come out here, it's not the European championships.

How have Morris Almond and Linton Johnson looked so far?

Morris had a great, great scrimmage, today. He had four threes in the first half. He played very, very well today and Linton plays with great effort all the time so those guys have been playing well.

Do you like the fact that Brandon Bass shoots the mid-range jumper with efficiency?

Yeah, he's shot the ball very well. I mean, last year I thought for Dallas, in particularly on the baseline, and he has shot the ball well here in camp the same way.

How have the new players been adjusting to your defensive philosophy?

It's a process. It's three days, two and a half days, I mean, it takes a lot more time than that so we'll just keep working at it. It's going to take some time.

More after the jump.

Dwight Howard:

How was practice, Dwight?

How's practice? Oh, it's tough. We had a very long practice today so it was pretty tough.

How's Marcin looking? I know that he's been working on his game during the off-season. Have you seen improvement from him while you've been matched up with him?

He's been doing pretty good. Right now, he's trying to get the new guys into the offense so it's not a battle between me and March. There's no battling going on in practice, we're just trying to get better.

How have your new teammates been adjusting to Stan, overall?

I think pretty good. Stan is going to be Stan and those guys understand that we try to do a good job of talking and letting them know how Stan is before we start practice but it's different, throughout the summer when you have Stan, there's a calm Stan and as soon as Media Day hits, that's when the basketball Stan kicks in and there's a difference.

In terms of free throw shooting, Stan thinks that anything less than 70% from the line would be a disappointment. Do you have a set goal to get to that point?

I just have to shoot. You're going to miss free throws some days, and some days you're going to make them. I know yesterday in practice, we're scrimmaging, I shot the ball the same way and it was going in and out every time. I just kept shooting it and in today's scrimmage, I did the same so it happens. You're going to have good days and bad days, but the biggest thing is for me to stick with it.

Jameer Nelson:

How do you think the new guys have gotten accustomed to Stan's coaching style?

They're getting it, they're getting it. It's still going to take some time for those guys but even for the returning guys, I think it's a little different so we're all still learning things but the most important thing is to play hard and play aggressive.

What has J-Will's presence meant to the team, given that he's won a title?

He's bringing ... he leads by example. He's not a vocal leader right now. One of the things I've learned from him right now is he plays hard and practices hard.

How anxious are you to play your first pre-season game, just to get out there?

I'm anxious to play, period. No matter if it's pre-season, practice, whatever. I sat out more than half the year last year and unfortunately, it happens but I come back a little bit hungrier.

Would you like to get a hold of [Cleveland Cavaliers guard] Delonte West, just to offer him some support?

Yeah, definitely. He knows I'm here for him, he knows that I love him as a person and as a friend and I'm here for him and if he needs me, I'm here.

Do you have any difficulty trying to balance being a scorer and a passer?

No, I'm still a scorer. No matter who's on the team, no matter what the situation is, I play the game ... I play hard, defensively I try to play with toughness, and offensively I try to play to score. I'm a scorer.

In terms of the new players, has anybody stood out to you so far with their play?

Well, everybody ... one thing you got to recognize as a player is that Brandon Bass plays hard. We know that he's going to play hard and that's the way he's been playing throughout this training camp.

Did getting your first tattoo at 18 have any special meaning to you?

I just wanted a tattoo. *laughs*

Has there been some tattoos that you've wanted to get and some others that have meaning to you?

They all have meaning, they all have meaning. They may not mean anything to you but they make sense to me. *laughs*

Which one hurt the most?

The one on the back.

Brandon Bass:

Well, your first pre-season game is against the Mavericks [Brandon Bass' former team]. Do you have any anticipation for that game?

No, sir. It's just a normal, regular pre-season game. Just play hard, get better, and continue to get adjusted with the team, team chemistry, on the offensive end and the defensive end.

Any specific things that you want to work on in that game?

Just getting adjusted with our system on both ends of the court. That's all and continue to build on my endurance, get in shape, and figuring out ways to help out this team more.

Do you still keep in contact with some of the guys in Dallas?

Yeah, I still ... me and Dirk [Nowitzki] text each other once in a while.

How's practice been going so far, in terms of getting acclimated to Stan's defensive philosophy and all that?

It's getting better every day. Coach [Van Gundy] been telling me some of the things that I've been improving on, and that's all I really want to do is improve every day. If I can do that come the first game of the [regular] season, I'll be ready,

Do you use your wingspan to your advantage, in terms of guarding people?

My wingspan, for when I block shots and I play defense, I use my wingspan, my explosiveness, my quickness and all of that kind of helps me guard bigger guys and even point guards sometimes. Last year, I switched off on guards. All of that helped me being quick and being explosive and low to the ground.

Are you pumped for the LSU/Florida game?

Yeah, me and Jason Williams [former University of Florida player] ... we've been talking about it.

You talking a little trash with him?

We might put a little wager on it.

Well, you're in the middle of Gator Country so has he or anyone else been talking smack with you?

It's all good. I know where I'm at. They're going down there to Tiger land.

Have you ever been in LSU's stadium?

Oh, it's crazy. If you ever want to go a game, that's the best football game you can possibly go to.

How loud is it?

It's crazy, there are 100,000 people there every game.

Have you spoken with JaMarcus Russell [former LSU quarterback] or anyone else on the football team while you were there?

No, not since they've been in the league [NFL]. We kind of separated, but when we was on campus, JaMarcus would come into my room and chop it up.

Odds and Ends:

I turned off my digital recorder and I ended up chatting with Brandon Bass for 5-10 more minutes about Hip-Hop and music alongside writers from the Orlando Sentinel. One thing I've learned in speaking with him is once you get him on a topic that he likes talking about, Brandon a real easy person to have a conversation with. Out of all the Orlando Magic players that I've been able to speak to, Bass is quickly becoming an individual that I've gotten to know more and more in a short period of time. I do think fans will rapidly support him once they see him on the court, because Brandon is a player that's willing to do the dirty work for the team, willing to hustle, and willing to play defense. Bass is like Bo Outlaw, in that regard (defensively, of course; there's no doubt that Brandon is the better offensive player).

In my opinion, at least.

Orlando Magic News for August 20th: Examining Three-Pointers; Dwight Howard on SportsCenter

erivera7 — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:31:42 -0000

More photos » by Phelan M. Ebenhack - AP

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Nichols and Dime: Setting Up the Three: Which Shot Types Do the Best Job?
Jon Nichols of Hardwood Paroxysm takes a closer look at what might be the best strategies in setting up the three-point shot. A great and intriguing read.

Perhaps, the thinking goes, midrange shots are efficient not because of how often they are converted but because of how they improve the conversion rates of other shots, namely three-pointers. If you mix up your shot types, teams have to respect each one and can’t just prevent three-pointers. Therefore, midrange shots improve the efficiency of three-pointers.

Is this true?
Video of My Conversation with Jay Harris on SportsCenter
Dwight Howard posts on his official blog, last night, and shares a video of his appearance on SportsCenter. Check it out.
Hard day of work now going ...
Rashard Lewis checks in on Twitter and let's everyone know what he was up to, yesterday. It appears 'Building Magic' week has been going smoothly.

Hard day of work now going bowling with team mates.
Thanks to everyone in the community, so far, that has voted in the 'retired jerseys' poll. Barring a flood of votes for either Tracy McGrady or Bo Outlaw, looks like the final post in my mini-series will be on Scott Skiles.
Dwight Howard Making 'The Leap'
UPDATE: John Denton of HOOPSWORLD writes an excellent piece about Dwight Howard, early this morning. Give it a gander. (HT: O-Rena Oblivion)

A Second Opinion on Nick Anderson

Ben Q Rock — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:00:11 -0000

Earlier today, Eddy gave you his take on the possibility of the Orlando Magic retiring Nick Anderson's uniform number. He laid out the facts with a little help from Jon Nichols and Neil Paine. Now, using a slightly different approach, I'll take on the same subject.

Before we continue, a confession. Nick Anderson is absolutely one of my favorite Magic players, ever. A poster depicting him dunking adorned my wall as an eight-year-old, alongside one of Penny Hardaway, but I always liked Nick just a bit more. Although I'd like to keep sentiment outside this evaluation, it might find ways to creep in. And ultimately, would that be so bad? Jersey retirements are, by nature, sentimental events.

I'll have help in this process, as Eddy had in his. I've shamelessly lifted the "jersey retirement formula" Ben Golliver of Blazersedge devised over a year ago, which Eddy too has mentioned. But as Ben explains in the post, the "formula" uses only addition, and is wholly uncomplicated. Golliver awarded anywhere from 1 to 5 points in 5 distinct categories, for a possible maximum score of 25. After the jump, we'll see how Nick fares.

Criterion One: Connection with the Franchise

Ben explains:
To determine how closely a player is connected with a franchise, one generally assesses 4 conditions:
1. Did the player play his most important years with the team?
2. Did the player play the majority of his career with the team?
3. Was the player drafted by the team?
4. Did the player retire with the team?
So it's readily apparent that Anderson satisfies items 1, 2, and 3 on the list. Counting the playoffs, he played 736 of his 849 games with Orlando, which made him the first draft selection in franchise history. Because he did not retire with the team--which shipped him to Sacramento for Tariq Abdul-Wahad 10 years and 10 days ago--I cannot award him the maximum 5 points for this category. For meeting the other components here, however, he gets 4 points, and we move on.
Criterion Two: Success with the Franchise

From Ben:

Judging a player's relative success across generations can be tricky, but its clear two factors are important to consider: the maximum success his team's enjoyed and his role in creating that success.

Ask yourself, "Can the story of the franchise's glory days be told without mentioning this player?"

To weigh both the team's success and the player's role in that sucess, I gave 5 points to a star on a championship team, 5 points to a starter on championship team, 5 points to a star on a finalist team, 4 points to a role player on a finalist team and 4 points to a starter on a finalist team.

Even Anderson's harshest detractors--the ones who never forgave him for missing four crucial free throws in Game 1 of the 1995 NBA Finals--would concede it's impossible to omit Anderson's name from discussing that era in Magic history. Hardaway and Shaquille O'Neal were the superstars, but Anderson was arguably the next-most-important player. And if you're going to mention Dennis freakin' Scott in this conversation, you can't very well overlook Anderson.

The real question becomes, for our purposes, "was Anderson a 'star' or a 'role player'?" In the year Orlando made its first trip to the Finals, Anderson averaged 15.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.6 steals, while shooting 47.6% from the field and 41.5% from three-point range. All solid numbers, but not enough to justify the "star" label. Thus, for being a starter/role player on a finalist team, he gets 4 points in this category. Onto the next one.
Criterion Three: Statistical Body of Work

Golliver:

Ask yourself, "How dominant (and for how long) was this player?"

In assigning the points in this category, I took into account: league-leading tallies, franchise/league records, double-doubles, 10+ year careers, and anything else that truly jumps out of the box score/ stat sheet.

One can use any number of words to describe Anderson's playing career, but "dominant" is not one of them. In 10 seasons with the Magic, he averaged 15.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.5 steals, while shooting 45.4% from the field and 36.3% from three-point range. Again, not dominant, but also respectable.

And, in terms of totals--not averages--he's Orlando's franchise leader in games played, minutes played, points scored, field goals made, field goals attempted, and steals. We also must point out the negative: by virtue of his long tenure, he has the dubious distinction of leading the franchise in the turnovers and personal fouls categories, although Dwight Howard will most assuredly pass him in both early in the coming season.

So, what's it boil down to? How do we reconcile his modest (by jersey-retirement standards) averages with his franchise-best totals? We split the difference between the two: 3.5 points in this category for Anderson.
Criterion Four: Individual Awards

Golliver:

Ask, "What are the standout individual achievements on this player's resume and how do they compare to other franchise greats?"

We'll discuss this category briefly, and by necessity: it suffices to say that Anderson never won any individual honors during his career. About the best we can say for him on this score is that he was among the league-leaders in three-point field goals made during three separate seasons he spent with Orlando. But no All-Rookie appearances, no All-Star game appearances... nothing. No points for Nick here, sadly.
Criterion Five: The Intangibles

Golliver:

This section takes into account the player's personality, contributions to the community and investment in the organization.

Ask yourself, "Is the player a credit to the organization, the city and the league?"

[....]

While this category is certainly subjective, it is only 20% of the overall picture so haggling over a point up or down should not make or break a candidate's application.

Here, Anderson makes out like a bandit. He's the first draft pick in franchise history, a fan-favorite in his decade with the team, and still in its employ as a Community Ambassador. The list of Magic players Anderson's equal, in terms of popularity in the Central Florida community, is short, and includes Bo Outlaw (also a Community Ambassador), Scott Skiles, Horace Grant, Darrell Armstrong, Howard, and maybe Hedo Turkoglu. O'Neal and Hardaway were popular in their prime, but the decidedly less-than-amiable ways in which they parted with the franchise--O'Neal with his infamous "small pond" comments, Hardaway with his trade demands--have forever diminished their standing in the community.

Finally, in 1996, Anderson became the first winner of the Rich and Helen DeVos Community Enrichment award.

In short, Anderson earns the full 5 points here easily.

Conclusions:

Nick Anderson sustained a high--but not elite--level of play for a decade with the Orlando Magic. He was a key component of their first NBA finalist team, in the franchise's first truly successful stint.

Whether those credentials are enough to merit jersey retirement is up for interpretation. Some people, justifiably, believe that sports franchise should only retire jersey numbers of Hall-of-Fame players. My counter is that jersey retirement honors players for their contributions to a specific franchise, rather than to the sport as a whole; that last bit is the Hall of Fame's responsibility. And, when viewed in this light, Nick Anderson's number 25 jersey absolutely deserves to hang from the rafters of Amway Center when it opens in 2010.

Orlando Magic News for August 12th: Not Worried About Rashard Lewis; Checking In On Jason Williams

erivera7 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:20:14 -0000

More photos » by Tom Mihalek - AP

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Bouncin' Around: With This Schedule, Magic Won't Need Lewis To Start
Tim Povtak of NBA FanHouse states why the Orlando Magic aren't overly worried about Rashard Lewis' 10 game suspension.

There is a good reason the Orlando Magic don't seem too concerned over losing Rashard Lewis for the first 10 games of the regular season because of his suspension for violating the NBA's Anti-Drug Agreement.

They won't need him.

Of those 10 games, only two will be against teams with a record last season that was better than .500. Yes, it would have been great to have your best shooter in the lineup for that one ESPN game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they could beat New Jersey and Oklahoma City with Dwight Howard and four Summer League players.
Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis begin filming "Just Wright" with Queen Latifah and Common
Tania Ganguli reports that Dwight Howard is in New York at the moment, on the set of a movie involving Queen Latifah and Common.

Acting is something that interests Dwight Howard, and this summer he's involved with two projects in which he'll be playing himself.

We've already seen Howard fooling around on the set of Valentine's Day, a romantic comedy. He'll film for that one next month.

Right now he's on the set of Just Wright, a movie starring Queen Latifah and Common, the rapper turned actor. More from Variety on that movie. It's about a trainer who falls in love with a professional basketball player.

Howard tweeted a few minutes ago that Rashard Lewis is up there with him.
Jason Williams could rejoin Memphis Grizzlies
According to the Memphis Commercial-Appeal, Jason Williams may sign with the Grizz.
Memphis Isn't the Right Place for Jason Williams
Bethlehem Shoals of The Baseline states, however, why signing White Chocolate wouldn't be the right move for the Memphis Grizzlies.

I understand the usefulness of bringing in a vet to provide some sort of on-site mentoring for youngsters like Conley and Mayo and a bit of depth. But while Williams isn't nearly the sinkhole of form and function that Randolph is, and has been rehabilitated several times over, it's still wishful thinking. Bring him in, for nothing, just to hang out, come off the bench and help Conley blossom? [...]

The Knicks (who claimed Williams off waivers) and Orlando are still said to be interested in Williams, and both make more sense. He could have a blast as a backup pushing D'Antoni's offense, and with the Magic, could reprise his role on the Heat. Though maybe the Grizzlies are scrambling like mad to counteract or cancel out their recent signing of Marcus Williams. That, and not Zach Randolph, might be the most apparent sign that this young team is out to bring itself down.
Magic Keeping Wilks On Radar
UPDATE: Alex Kennedy of RealGM reports this update (HT: bandrewg08).

While Orlando is still weighing their options, they have been keeping an eye on Wilks' health and availability, sources tell RealGM's Alex Kennedy.

Orlando cannot offer more than a minimum contract and Wilks can likely be had for that price.
Adonal Foyle, Altruism and Happiness
UPDATE 2: Henry Abbott of TrueHoop with a fantastic piece about former Magic player, Adonal Foyle - a great human being and NBA ambassador.

The key to the camps he said, is to make it all about the kids, many of whom are commonly expected to be seen but not heard. "We are being of service to them," says Foyle. "A lot of people don't give them what they want."

The camps are thick with life lessons -- about HIV, about academics, about what it takes to succeed -- as well as basketball teaching from people like Bo Outlaw, Courtney Lee and Foyle himself. There are also tons of freebies, like jerseys, bags, books, notebooks, and meals.

The result is a series of camps that more than 1,200 kids will be part of officially, and even more unofficially.
Smith Told Pritchard Blazers 'Caught A Break' With Turkoglu
UPDATE 3: More rumblings coming from Orlando (HT: bandrewg08).

In a conversation with Blazers' general manager Kevin Pritchard, Smith told Pritchard that he had "caught a break" with Turkoglu signing elsewhere and made it clear the Blazers "weren't missing out on anything," sources tell RealGM's Alex Kennedy.

Smith didn't feel that Turkoglu was worth the five-year, $50 million Portland was ready to spend.

Orlando Magic Ranked #15 in John Hollinger's All-Time NBA Franchise Rankings

erivera7 — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:00:14 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

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Yesterday, John Hollinger of ESPN.com revealed his system for ranking every NBA franchise from best to worst in history. Here's how he went about ordering the teams ..

Intro to all-time NBA franchise rankings

.. and here's what Hollinger had to say about the Orlando Magic.

NBA Franchise Rankings: Orlando Magic No. 15 [ESPN Insider]

Orlando tends to see itself as a star-crossed franchise, and you could certainly make an argument for that. From Nick Anderson's four missed free throws in the 1995 Finals; to Shaquille O'Neal's shady free-agent departure; to the injury woes of Penny Hardaway and Grant Hill; to the bizarre Hockey Guy years; to, perhaps, the missed layup by Courtney Lee in Game 2 of the 2009 Finals, a common thread does seem to run through most of the franchise's history.

But to focus on that is to ignore the biggest story: The Magic have been the most consistently successful of the league's early-'90s expansion teams, and have done it while showcasing several of the game's biggest stars. Shaq, Penny, Tracy McGrady and Dwight Howard would be all-timers in most franchise's pantheons; Magic fans saw all four in a span of a dozen years.

Orlando won 31 games in its second season, was at .500 in its fourth thanks to Shaq, and was in the Finals by Year 6. That was when Anderson's four misses in the final seconds of Game 1 against Houston blew a game in which they had led by 22 points; the Magic never recovered, losing in four. What appeared to be a budding dynasty fizzled when Shaq fled for L.A. two years later and Penny's knees started troubling him, and as a result the Magic didn't get past the first round of the playoffs again until 2008.

They still won, though. Orlando has won at least 36 games in 16 of the past 17 years, and even managed to be decent when "Hockey Guy" John Weisbrod was mangling the roster with deals like trading McGrady for Steve Francis. And with the current edition in the Finals, Orlando seems well poised to move several rungs up the NBA franchise ladder in the near future.

I thought the ranking was fair. Middle-of-the-pack is where I would have placed the Orlando Magic, as well. Having followed the franchise since its inception, I consider myself blessed to experience the numerous peaks and valleys of the team.

Think about it. In 20 years, the Magic have had two franchise centers (Dwight Howard, Shaquille O'Neal), two exciting but troublesome wing players (Penny Hardaway, Tracy McGrady), a fallen superstar (Grant Hill), and more. Who can forget Orlando's first-ever draft pick Nick Anderson, most infamous for The Steal and The Four Missed Free Throws. Who can forget the Heart and Hustle group, led by Darrell Armstrong, Bo Outlaw, and others. Who can forget the plethora of draft picks gone wrong, like Johnny Taylor, Jerryl Sasser, Steven Hunter, and others.

From hitting the jackpot thrice to playing in the NBA Finals twice, it's been a fun and interesting ride for the Magic the past two decades. Usually, you have to experience failure before success in anything you do. Not the case with Orlando, who got to experience success early and often in the early-to-mid 90's, leading people to believe it could be too good to be true. Winning the NBA Draft lottery in back-to-back years? Playing in the NBA Finals during the franchise's sixth year in the league? It almost felt like people took things for granted. Who could blame them?

Good fortune seemed to have a permanent residence in the City Beautiful.

Then fate came to pay the city a visit.

Shaq and Penny left. Goodbye dynasty. Hello mediocrity. Credit former general manager John Gabriel for trying to "reboot" the team, shrewdly maneuvering the Magic roster to clear space for Tim Duncan, Tracy McGrady, and Grant Hill. Of course, Orlando could only have two of the three free agents and we all know the story there. Duncan stayed in San Antonio. McGrady came and Hill limped in. Talks of a dynasty being reborn were replaced quickly with talks of a franchise in despair. Things got so bad that the Magic were threatened with the possibility of being sold and moved to another city, Kansas City being the main threat to the franchise.

And then something happened. Orlando struck gold, again.

Dwight Howard happened. Jameer Nelson happened. Slowly but surely, the Magic were in the process of reinventing itself to be better, bigger, bolder. Then Billy Donovan happened. It seemed the process was ending before it was beginning. The process of regaining glory. The process of restoring order to the city. The process of bringing back Orlando to the forefront of the basketball world. It was all being compromised. Then something funny happened. Good fortune paid a visit again, in the body and name of Stan Van Gundy. An outcast, of sorts, from Miami.

.. then he went to work. Told Dwight Howard to defend and rebound. Placed Rashard Lewis at power forward and demanded he spaced the floor. Put Hedo Turkoglu at small forward and gave him free reign with the basketball to create for himself and for others. Played Russian Roulette at shooting guard, using Keith Bogans, Maurice Evans, Mickael Pietrus, and Courtney Lee at that spot. Oversaw the development of a point guard evolve from a role player into an All-Star .. Jameer Nelson. Let a Polish Hammer, Marcin Gortat, start as a worthless bench player to finish as a valuable role player (and possibly a starter elsewhere in the Association). Two years. Two division titles. One conference title .. and the sky's the limit with the Magic franchise.

All in all, that's one doozy of a quick look at a franchise 20 years old.

What does the community think about the ranking? Fair? Unfair?

Let your thoughts be known in the comments section below.