SB Nation - Keyon Dooling

Orlando Magic News for December 10th: Dwight Howard and Vince Carter Could Start in the All-Star Game

Ben Q Rock — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:00:25 -0000

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Kobe in West, D-Wade in East take lead in All-Star voting
The NBA released the first returns in its All-Star balloting and the Orlando Magic have done well so far. Center Dwight Howard, who set a record for total votes received last year, is again in line to start this year; he leads Shaquille O'Neal, his next closest competitor, by more than 400,000 votes. Meanwhile, Vince Carter is in line to start at guard, second at the position only to the Heat's Dwyane Wade, who leads all vote-getters in the Eastern Conference. Carter leads Gilbert Arenas is big, but not insurmountable, at just under 80,000 votes.

Rashard Lewis ranks 10th among Eastern forwards. Jameer Nelson, the other Magic player on the ballot, did not appear in the early results. Naturally, none of this damages their chances of actually playing in the game...
Chat: John Hollinger
...because as John Hollinger explains, the coaches--who select the reserves--tend to reward good teams by allotting more roster spots to their players.

Likely East All-Star team is Wade, [Chris] Bosh, LeBron [James] and nine players from the Celtics, Magic and Hawks.
Denton: Lack of Respect Motivates Magic
I enjoyed J.J. Redick's perspective on the Magic's lack of respect, which has become a fairly tired subject.

"Around the league I think we’re well respected, especially among players and coaches who know the game of basketball," Magic reserve guard J.J. Redick said. "We have three legitimate superstars and four really when Jameer (Nelson) is healthy. But we’re a small market and we’re not L.A., we’re not New York and we don’t have LeBron James.

"We’re starting to get some attention, but we don’t set out for that. We just want to win," Redick continued. "I think we’d rather be called the best team in June than the best team on Dec. 9th."
#13 Orlando Magic
Forbes.com rates the Magic as the NBA's 13th-most-valuable franchise. I found this fact particularly interesting:

This [sic] Magic's run to the finals last season, where they were defeated by the Lakers, boosted their bottom line by $5 million. The extra loot from the postseason will come in handy as the team awaits its new building, the Amway Center, scheduled to open in the fall of 2010.

It's also nice to see that the franchise has increased in value each year since 2002, and in revenue since 2004.
Stephen Jackson fits in with Bobcats, Larry Brown
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated writes about Magic backup point guard Jason Williams, pushed into starting duty due to Nelson's knee injury. Williams came out of a year-long retirement to sign with Orlando in August.

"Sometimes when you have a long career you like it and you appreciate it, but I think it goes to another level when you have a year off," said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. "He really wanted to come back. The thing we liked with him, which is a lot like what we liked with Rafer [Alston] last year, is that we had a pretty good confidence level that if needed, he could play big minutes. He just always had one of those motors that he could go a long time."
Rafer Alston rips New Jersey Nets, winning streak halted at one as Golden State Warriors romp
Alston is not happy with his teammates in New Jersey, to which Orlando dealt him in a package to obtain Carter and Ryan Anderson. In short order, Alston went from starting for an NBA Finalist to backing up the worst team in the league.

After the Nets took a 105-89 pounding from the Warriors last night at the Meadowlands, Nets reserve Rafer Alston blasted his teammates for not sticking together through the tough times.

[....] But what especially rankled Alston last night was seeing teammates fail to pull for each other before an announced crowd of 10,005 at the Meadowlands.

Alston would not have been happy here backing up Nelson, but clearly he's unhappy in New Jersey as well. The middle ground would be for the Nets to trade him to a team that needs a point guard, most obviously Alston's hometown New York Knicks. But because Devin Harris and Keyon Dooling, the Nets' other point guards, have nagging injuries, the Nets will likely hang on to Alston's expiring deal.
Fun With Numbers and Venn Diagrams
UPDATE: Ryan Schwan of Hornets 247 attempts to categorize point guards using a series of Venn Diagrams. It's interesting to see where Nelson (the scorer) and Williams (the distributor) land here.

Knicks 106, Nets 97

Seth — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:11:22 -0000

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Like many Knicks games this season, tonight's win over the Nets was a tale of two halves. Thankfully, the opponent was helpless enough to render New York's own mood swings less than fatal. In the first half, we saw the familiar Knicks. They actually scored pretty effectively, but gave the Nets absolutely anything they wanted on the other end. The first two quarters today comprised the Nets' best half of the season. They league's worst team scored 61 points in the opening periods, keyed by Devin Harris, who drove to the rim and pulled-up from midrange pretty much unimpeded. In the second half? 36. The Knicks tightened up their defense and (aided slightly by the Nets' natural instincts to implode) turned a losing effort into a decisive win.

Notes, after the jump...

- Danilo Gallinari was back in uniform tonight (with a shooter's sleeve!), but Mike D'Antoni opted to ride the hot hand and keep Al Harrington in the starting lineup, which paid off nicely. From the outset, Al recognized the speed advantage he had over Josh Boone and exploited it mercilessly. Harrington's spin move is deadly, and he utilized it early and often to blow past Boone and finish at the rim. On the game, Al limited himself to only three threes, and did most of his work around the basket. He didn't just score either, finishing with a superb 24 points (10-18), 14 boards, and 5 assists in 40 minutes. Al's a hell of a player, and if he was always this motivated, nobody would be in favor of trading him.

- Just to emphasize that the quality of Harrington's dominant performance was a welcome departure from the usual, Clyde reacted to a gorgeous pass thrown Al to David Lee with "where did that come from!?".

- David Lee couldn't do much to stop Brook Lopez on offense (as Clyde said, "size matters"), but give credit to both Lee and Harrington for superb box-outs throughout the game. Lopez was muscled out of a number of rebounds, and finished with only 6 of his own. Lee and Harrington had 9 and 14 boards respectively, and worked hard for them.

- Lee also had his offense going, and kept Lopez honest by nailing his mid-range jumpers. That opened up the paint for Lee and others, as big Brookie had to step out to contest the J. That's an under-rated weapon, and it was a pleasure to see Dave score confidently from outside.

- Chris Duhon started attacking the rim, but just couldn't get a roll. He ended up 2-12, but I will say that he was, for the most part, missing the kinds of shots we'd like to see him take. There were more quick drives to the rim and less out-of-rhythm threes. That counts for something, I think. Not a great game, though.

- Danilo Gallinari made a relatively brief appearance today, probably owing to both his still-injured forearm and the recent resurgence of Al Harrington. Gallo was able to make an impact in his 21 minutes, though, with 3 three-pointers and 4 rebounds to his name.

- The Knicks were at their very worst in the second quarter, and it was a little disarming. One would like to think that the main advantage the Knicks have over a team like the Nets is their second unit, but Kiki Vandeweghe's bench thrived against the second-string Knicks. Rafer Alston (3-11) didn't shoot well, but had an easy team finding teammates like Keyon Dooling (4-7) for open shots. The pace quickened in the second, which you would think of as Knick-friendly, but New Jersey actually opened up a double-digit lead for part of the quarter.

- Chris Douglas-Roberts is very talented, very cool, and makes Joey look very wise. I love Gallo and wouldn't change a thing about that draft, but...damn.

- I'm disappointed in Clyde for not rhyming "Dooling" with something.

- This game was especially well mic'd, and we got to hear a lot of the on-court banter, including Al Harrington, after taking a hard fast break foul from Devin Harris, grumbling "I'm never gonna try and dunk again" while being peeled off the floor.

- Mike D'Antoni wielded his zone defense a few times, including in that second quarter in order to stifle the Nets' run. It worked pretty nicely for stretches, as Jared Jeffries or Wilson Chandler was able to roam the middle and help out on Brook Lopez to limit his touches and force other Nets to create offense.

- Al Trautwig casually snuck in a pretty ominous line during the halftime show: "The Knicks are what Chris Duhon is". Yikes.

- The young Garden audience (it was a noon start) spent much of the second half huffing and puffing at Mike D'Antoni's doghouse, begging for Nate Robinson. Chants of "we want Nate!" rained down even as the Knicks pulled away for the win, which leads me to conclude that the majority of New York-area youth don't do what Toney Douglas do just yet. This disappoints me. Weren't you little brats listening?

- In the third quarter, it was Larry Hughes of all people that keyed the run that eventually became the win. Hughes scored 12 in the period, including a personal stretch of 8 straight, and the Nets could never recover. Can't blame them. I've only just recovered.

- The guy who initiates that "I SAY D, YOU SAY FENSE!" chant sounds a lot like Xzibit to me. Since I haven't been to a game in a while, I'm gonna go ahead and assume that the Garden hype guy actually is Xzibit, since that's not at all out of the question, given his other work.

The Knicks have now won three of their last four, and look to add to their recent success tomorrow night against the Blazers. I have to be in class for pretty much the duration of the game (I know, right?), so I'll be in the market for a guest-recapper if anybody's interested. Let me know.

Finally, a Win For the Former Orlando Magic Players in New Jersey

Ben Q Rock — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:34:50 -0000

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After their 97-91 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats, the New Jersey Nets' long nightmare is over. New Jersey has its first win on the season, improving to 1-18 tonight after setting an NBA record for most losses to start a season, with 18. Brook Lopez--an All-Star in the making--tallied 31 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots in the win.

The Nets have four former Orlando Magic players, which is why I'm mentioning their win on a Magic-centric site. Rafer Alston, Tony Battie, Keyon Dooling, and Courtney Lee played a combined 600 regular-season games for Orlando. Lee played a big role in New Jersey's win tonight, with a career-high 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including connecting on 3 of his 4 attempts from three-point range. He added 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals for good measure. Battie played his first-ever game as a Net, only recording a missed field goal in 6 minutes. Keyon Dooling also made his season debut, and scored 2 points on 1-of-4 shooting. De to a sore left knee, Alston did not play.

The Magic sent Alston, Battie, and Lee to New Jersey in June in the deal headlined by eight-time Vince Carter coming to Orlando; Ryan Anderson, a 21-year-old power forward, also went to Orlando in that transaction. Dooling arrived in New Jersey as part of a sign-and-trade transaction in 2008, after the Magic were unwilling to go above the luxury-tax threshold in order to meet his salary demands.

Congratulations to Rafer, Tony, Keyon, Courtney, and the rest of the New Jersey Nets.

UPDATE: Here's Chris Sheridan's game story for TrueHoop, which includes this bit about Lee, speaking about the last time he won an NBA game:

For Lee, it had been 156 days since he won a meaningful game. "I remember, I dunked on Derek Fisher and had 13 in that game," Lee said, showing memory skills not quite up to par with his basketball skills (he scored only 4 points in that Game 3 victory over the L.A. Lakers during the finals, which he followed up with a 4-point performance in Game 4 -- part of the reason that he is no longer with the Orlando Magic).

Is Sheridan suggesting the Magic would not have traded Lee had he played better in the Finals?

Lawrence Frank gets Bzdelik'd...

Andrew Feinstein — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:59:02 -0000

For his second franchise in a row, Kiki Vandeweghe has firebombed the roster, sacked a decent coach with the carnage and prayed for some luck with the draft and free agency. It worked for the Nuggets, but will it work for the Nets in New Jersey/Brooklyn?

Let's take a quick trip back to 2002. The Nuggets are floundering with a losing record, a coach/team president that calls a Hispanic fan a "Mexican piece of shit" and an expensive, relatively worthless roster featuring the likes of draft busts Raef LaFrentz and Tariq "Don't Call Me Olivier St. Jean" Abdul-Wahad, the mercurial Nick Van Exel and the grossly overpaid Avery Johnson. In comes Kiki Vandeweghe - a former Nuggets star who had been mentored by the Nelsons in the Mavericks front office - as the new G.M. Vandeweghe's first act, a bold and swift one, is to deal away LaFrentz, Abdul-Wahad, Van Exel and Johnson to his former team, take back some expiring contracts, suck for a season-and-a-half and hope for the best with free agency and the draft.

The huge - and in my opinion, unforgivable - misstep of drafting all-time bust (and Denver Stiffs Hall of Famer) Nikoloz Tskitishvili aside, Vandeweghe's gamble worked. As part of the plan, Vandeweghe brought in a young, hard-working coach in Jeff Bzdelik to change the culture on the floor and the Nuggets remarkably won 17 more games than they should have in the 2002-03 season. 17 wins was low enough, however, for the Nuggets to score Carmelo Anthony in the 2003 draft and by parting with those heavy contracts, the Nuggets had enough cap room to sign Voshon Lenard, Andre Miller and my all-time favorite one-season Nugget, Jon Barry.

Years later and in a new geographical location, Vandeweghe is doing very similar things in New Jersey under the tutelage of Rod Thorn (who in the ironies or ironies swindled Vandeweghe into trading three number one picks for Kenyon Martin in 2004). Hired in late 2007 as a "Special Assistant" to Thorn, Vandeweghe became the Nets G.M. in May of 2008.

During Vandeweghe's tenure with the Nets, the franchise has dealt the aging, overpaid Jason Kidd to Dallas for Devin Harris and several soon-to-be-expiring contracts including Trenton Hassell's, sent the overpaid Richard Jefferson to Milwaukee for Yi Jianlin and Bobby Simmons' soon-to-be-expiring contract and recently traded another max player, Vince Carter, to Orlando for the expiring contracts of Rafer Alston and Tony Battie.

Left in the wake of all these deals is the 26th lowest payroll in the NBA with the salaries of Simmons, Alston, Battie, Hassell, Keyon Dooling and Jarvis Hayes coming off the books in 2010. Plus, the Nets have one of the better young point guards in the NBA in Devin Harris, a solid center in Brook Lopez (even though my Uncle Marty claims he's a Stiff after watching him up close against the Nuggets last week), a good swingman in Chris Douglas-Roberts and even Yi was playing well before going down with another injury. Oh, and the Nets have their own lottery pick plus the Mavericks' first round pick in 2010.

But also left in the wake is a lost season that head coach Lawrence Frank - whom Vandeweghe inherited - is about to take the fall for. Saddled with a gutted-out, injury-riddled roster Frank is being Bzdelik'd. And it's not fair. Lest we forget that Frank won his first 13 games in a row when he took over the Nets for Byron Scott several seasons ago. But life's not fair (Frank does make - gasp - $4 million a year, so I don't feel that bad for him) and unlike Bzdelik's amazing performance in 2002-03, Frank's team is losing all the games they're supposed to lose.

Similar to the situation for Bzdelik in Denver, Vandeweghe won't stand up for Frank (even though this is clearly Vandeweghe's plan) and is just buying time before he can hire a big name coach to right the ship when LeBron James and/or other free agents and a top draft pick join the franchise next summer. Different from what happened in Denver, though, is that Vandeweghe is rumored to take over as head coach. I guess the bottom line is that when you lose your first 16 games (about to be 18), no matter how bad your roster/injury situation is your job isn't salvageable. Good bye, Lawrence Frank.

How's this for a far-fetched prediction moving forward? Vandeweghe takes over as coach for the remainder of the season and - a la Kevin McHale in Minnesota - the Nets beat up on some equally bad teams en route to winning about 15-18 games with a spirited effort on the floor. Then, the Nets score LeBron in the 2010 free agent sweepstakes (I really don't think LBJ is leaving Cleveland, but if he does it's to the Nets who have the best surrounding cast plus cap space to offer him) and none other than current Nuggets coach George Karl takes over as head coach when the Nuggets fail to offer Karl an extension. (On a side note, I used to think that Karl was imposed on Vandeweghe by Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke in 2005 but have since learned that Karl and Vandeweghe have a friendly relationship and get along great, so I'm just connecting the dots here.)

With Karl overseeing a roster featuring Harris at point guard, Courtney Lee or CDR at shooting guard, LBJ at small forward, (enter free agent here) at power forward and Lopez at center, the Nets move into their shiny, new Brooklyn confines in 2011 with the support of their Russian billionaire owner as a championship contender.

Frank might be getting Bzdelik'd right before our eyes, but sunny days are ahead for the Nets and Kiki knows it.

Photo courtesy of AP Photos: Bill Kostroun

Post-Game Media Availability: Winning With Defense

erivera7 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:04:43 -0000

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Although the Orlando Magic played a depleted New Jersey Nets squad that was without the services of several players, notably Keyon Dooling, Devin Harris, Yi Jianlian, and Courtney Lee, among others, the team was able to win because of defense. Stan Van Gundy said it best during his presser, "I don't care who you're playing in this league, to hold them to 30 [second-half] points is good."

I was able to ask a few questions to Van Gundy amongst the media, as well as speak with Matt Barnes, Vince Carter, and Dwight Howard. Here's what they had to say:

Stan Van Gundy:

Could you talk about Matt Barnes' performance? It seemed like he was able to do a lot of the little things tonight - forcing jump balls, tipping some passes, etc.

Yeah, I thought he was very active. Again, I thought he and Dwight [Howard] on the defensive end sort of keyed everything and I thought his rebounding, more than anything, was important but he had some good cuts, some good drives on the offensive end. 5 assists, getting the ball down into Dwight in the post. He did a lot of little things, actually, not even little, they're big things when you rebound and making passes, it really, really helped us tonight.

With Rashard Lewis and Ryan Anderson, who hasn't played in a couple of games, does this game show important the stretch four is for your offense?

Well, I think for us, with Dwight and the room we want on pick and rolls with Jameer [Nelson] or Vince [Carter], we can spread the floor out better. We have guys that can do it, we just got some guys who are not shooting the ball, right now, as well as they're capable of shooting and so that's hurting us a little bit. But over the long haul, that tends to even out. I know about where Matt Barnes is going to end up, he's going to shoot in the mid-30's from three. He does that every year. That's what he's going to do. You know J.J. [Redick] is going to be around 40, he's had a couple of tough games. You know M.P. is going to be in the mid-to-upper 30's and than Rashard will be around 40, Vince will be around 40, and Jameer will be around 40, and J-Will will be in the low-to-mid 30's. It'll all even out, it's just right now, we've had a stretch where we're not making shots.

More after the jump.

Matt Barnes;

It seemed like you were able to do a lot of the little things tonight. Could you talk about that?

Yeah, I got to find something to do since I can't shoot the ball anymore. It's tough, I just have to find some way to be effective out there. We're short-handed so we know our margin is a lot smaller so I'm just out there trying to rebound, hustle, play defense, and create for my teammates.

Could you talk about the team's defensive performance tonight? I know that's something that Stan Van Gundy has addressed with the team.

In the first half, it wasn't there. Definitely in the second half, as a team, we slowed them down, made them take more jump shots, we got the ball off the glass, and we were out running so I think that's the key to our team, the key to our offense, is our defense and I think we held them to 28 or 30 points, and that really helped us keep going I think.

How excited is the team to finally have Rashard on Monday and Ryan will probably be back, too?

I think we're very excited, just to see what kind of team we have. We saw it in the pre-season, we played very well, we've seen it in practice, but we've yet to see it in a game so like you said, we get an All-Star forward back on Monday, Ryan should be back sometime next week, and hopefully Brandon's flu will subside so we can get him back so we haven't been at full strength yet but I think everyone is looking forward to that.

Does it seem a little frustrating with how players are in & out of the lineup and there doesn't seem to be any continuity with lineups and rotations?

It's hard. There's so much expected of this team. We definitely shouldn't have three losses by now but it's just the way it goes sometimes. We can't make excuses, with some guys out, it gives other guys opportunities to play, and for the most part we have to take advantage of that but I think I can speak for everyone when we say we're excited to have our full team back.

VInce Carter:

With the defense, is this a type of game that you guys can build on?

Of course. That's just been our goal, to just step it up on the defensive end and when we get stops, it's not the offense. We're going to have rough shooting nights in quarters and halves, but we're so good, we have so many guys that can put the ball in the hole, we'll shoot our way back into rhythm. It's more so on the defensive end, just shutting guys down, and getting them into more bad shots.

What's the team's mentality going to be like, with Rashard coming back?

It's the same. Our mentality is come out and win.

Do you think it's going to be a seamless transition for Lewis?

I mean, he's still been at practice and doing his thing. I mean, like I said, just getting into game shape, getting into the rhythm of the game, more so than the rhythm of practice. It's a little different, there's a break here and there, of course coach [Stan Van Gundy] is always yelling and what not, so he breaks the practice up, but getting him back on the floor, I'm sure he's going to be a kid in a candy store.

Defensively, what do you think he's going to bring? Offensively, everyone knows what he does but perhaps his experience with Stan's schemes?

Exactly, just his experience. He knows what's expected out of that position. He's going to spread the floor, plain and simple.

With your familiarity with New Jersey, did that help at all in terms of helping our your teammates figure out the tendencies of the Nets?

Somewhat, they watched a lot of film with me and the coaches. When we were in our individual meetings, I tried to tell them as much as I know, but I think most of the guys in this locker room has played against these guys so they know what's going on. I tried to share, more so, what they're trying to get out of the play.

We already played them once so I said my two cents the first time so it didn't really matter what I said the second time. *laughs*

Dwight Howard:

How important is a game like this, when shots aren't falling, to be able to hold a team to 72 points and be able to get them out of their rhythm offensively?

Well, I think in the first half we were letting them get some easy buckets. In the second half, we came out, played a lot better defense, and I think we held them to 30 points for the half, which is real good, and we just got to continue to do that. I think for the team to get better, the more and more we teach the new guys the schemes, but it's going to start with me and Jameer.

What's the biggest adjustment that the team has had to go through, defensively, for the first 10 games?

Defensively, the new guys ... sometimes, they're out there and they don't know when to rotate, when to be in certain spots on the floor, and me and Jameer really have to teach a lot of those guys where we have to be. It's going to take a while. Our offense comes natural, which is easy for us. It's just the defensive end, the way coach wants us to rotate and be here and be there, it's new for a lot of guys. When M.P. came here, he didn't understand the schemes and it took him a while to get used to it, and now he's playing a lot better defense so it's going to take the new guys a while to learn how we play defense but one of the things, as a team, that we got to get to is working hard, go all out for the 48 minutes, and doing that is going to cover up some of the mistakes on defense. Once we do that, when we get real good at just playing hard, just going after it for 48 minutes, especially on the defensive end, our team is going to be a lot better.

How beneficial will Rashard's return be for you guys, defensively?

Well, he knows where to be, he knows the spots playing the four position, so we'll have that guy back but the main thing is getting those new guys into position, knowing where to be, but also me and Jameer, I want to say that again, we have to lead and I have to do a better job of erasing all the mistakes so for me, it's just me being there for my teammates.

Rafer Alston had a triple-double tonight. Could you talk about his performance?

He looked good out there. I didn't know he had 10 rebounds, which is excellent for a guard. He put up some Jason Kidd numbers so that was real good and I was happy to see him healthy and playing the way he's been playing. We miss him here but we understand the business, but he did look real good.

Schmitz: Hedo Turkoglu "Upset" with the Orlando Magic after "Unsatisfactory" Contract Offer

Ben Q Rock — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:25:35 -0000

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Hedo Turkoglu played his last game as a member of the Orlando Magic on June 14th, 2009; he was, for all intents and purposes, out the door a mere 11 days later, when the Magic acquired Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson from the New Jersey Nets. Turkoglu moved on to the Toronto Raptors in a sign-and-trade deal the Magic were happy to facilitate. Now, just before Turkoglu's first game against the Magic since joining Toronto, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel provides more details on Turk's departure. Of particular note are the contract terms the Magic offered him.

Turkoglu was upset with the Magic after what he called an "awkward" meeting with the front office following the season.

He said the Magic made an unsatisfactory offer — four years for $34 million, with the Magic insisting on holding the option on a fourth season — and some communication issues.

Turkoglu said he first got the impression he might become a former Magic player after he met with General Manager Otis Smith and Coach Stan Van Gundy.

"They said I had a good year, it's a good market for you and we hope you get some money," Turkoglu said. "It was awkward. After that, my agent [Lon Babby] looked into other teams. Then they [the Magic] didn't return our calls. They made some kind of offer. ... It was frustrating."

Turk's experience mirrors those of other former Orlando players who felt the Magic disrespected them in free-agency, namely Keyon Dooling, Maurice Evans, and (most famously) Darko Milicic. Yet I believe in Hedo's case, every party got what he wanted: Hedo got his money (5 years and $53 million from the Raptors), the Magic got a trade exception (worth $6,864,200), and the Raptors got the perimeter scoring/playmaking they so desired. Turk certainly doesn't harbor any ill will toward his former Magic teammates--he refers to the Magic as "all my friends" in Schmitz's report--so there shouldn't be any animosity on the floor. But if Turk has an extra spring in his step, if it looks like he's quite driven to stick it to the Magic, it's probably because he feels the operations side of the team slighted him.

Mizzou Links, 10-29-09

Bill C. — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:52:51 -0000

MU-CU Links!

The Trib (Dave Matter): Behind the Numbers: Missouri-Colorado

The matchup across the line of scrimmage doesn’t figure to be as challenging this week, though it all depends on which Colorado defense shows up on Saturday. Some of the statistical disparity the Buffs’ run D has produced this season is simply baffling. To wit, here are some of the yards-per-carry averages opponents have produced against the Buffs: Toledo, 7.1; West Virginia, 6.1; Texas, 1.8; Kansas, (minus-0.4); Kansas State, 4.9.

Colorado smothered Kansas’ running game, holding a hobbled Jake Sharp to 29 yards on 13 carries and turned the Longhorns one-dimensional, keeping Cody Johnson to just 20 yards on nine carries. But then there are these big running performances against the Buffs:
* DaJuane Collins, Toledo: 20 carries-160 yards
* Noel Devine, West Virginia: 22-220
* Daniel Thomas, Kansas State: 20-145

Colorado’s ability to defend the run appears to be a common thread in its two wins this season. In their two victories, the Buffs held Wyoming and Kansas to 1.2 yards per carry and 34.0 yards per game; in their five losses, those averages inflate to 5.0 and 196.0, respectively.
The Trib: Hawkins vows to fight on at Colorado
The Trib: Behind the Stripes Webcast: Episode 12, Pt. 1
Post-Dispatch: Colorado searches for consistency
KC Star: Mizzou faces a Colorado team in disarray
PowerMizzou: Powered Up: The most important game
Atomic Teeth: Swapping horses midstream
Boulder Daily Camera: Stubborn streak still big problem for Buffaloes (gee, sounds familiar)
Boulder Daily Camera: Tyler Hansen eager to put pressure on his shoulders

Then, he was the wet-behind-the-ears rookie, the kid who was looking for answers, not providing them. He knew the plays -- but he didn`t know how to react. He found himself walking to the sidelines when the offense left the field, soliciting advice and support.

Now the dynamic has changed. After leading the Buffs to a win over Kansas -- and even after last weekend`s disappointing loss at Kansas State -- the difference isnoticeable. Now, Hansen`s teammates listen when he speaks. His voice has command in the huddle and he no longer finds himself caught up in the whirlwind.

Now he belongs, and now, his teammates listen. They know what he`s capable of producing, they have confidence in his abilities and they look to him for leadership.

"It`s changed a lot," Hansen allowed. "Now, guys are asking me what to do. They`re asking me about the game, asking me about the week, asking me what to expect.

"It`s a lot different than last year, that`s for sure."
Boulder Daily Camera: Mizzou still boasts weapons on offense
Boulder Daily Camera: CU football players hold meeting

Orlando Magic 2009/2010 Season Preview

Ben Q Rock — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:04:31 -0000

Team Name: Orlando Magic

Last Year's Record: 59-23

Key Losses: point guard Rafer Alston (via trade with New Jersey), power forward Tony Battie (via trade with New Jersey), shooting guard Courtney Lee (via trade with New Jersey), point guard Tyronn Lue (via free agency; not re-signed), small forward Jeremy Richardson (via free agency to Aris Thessaloniki), and small forward Hedo Turkoglu (via sign-and-trade with Toronto)

Key Additions: power forward Ryan Anderson (via trade with New Jersey), combo forward Matt Barnes (via fee agency from Phoenix), forward/center Brandon Bass (via free agency from Dallas), shooting guard Vince Carter (via trade with New Jersey), and Jason Williams (via free agency from retirement)

What significant moves were made during the offseason?

Gosh, where to start with this question?

The Magic showed the door to Alston, Lee, and Turkoglu--three-fifths of the Magic's starting lineup in the NBA Finals--in large part to make room for Carter and Bass, the team's most significant short-term additions. Basketball observers appear to be split on the Magic's decision to essentially swap Turkoglu--their go-to scorer in the clutch, and their secondary playmaker--for Carter, who has not enjoyed playoff success or media acclaim in recent years. Nevermind the fact that Turkoglu had one borderline All-Star-caliber season before bottoming out in 2009, or that Carter might one day find himself enshrined in the Hall of Fame; who needs logic or statistics when we can rely on a few nationally televised games and abstract notions like "chemistry"?

We should not overlook the other additions, although Carter understandably looms largest. Bass, an undersized, powerful, bowling-ball of a frontcourt player in the Jason Maxiell mold, does everything Tony Battie did, but better; and, at 24, he may not have reached his peak. I think we tend to overstate Barnes' reputation as a defender just a tad--there's no way he's as talented as Mickael Pietrus on that end--but he's still well above-average, and can handle the ball some offensively. If nothing else, Williams is an upgrade over incumbent backup point guard Anthony Johnson due to his speed and superior court vision, although we suspect his lackluster defense might cause his grip on the position to loosen as the season progresses. Neither player gives the Magic an upgrade over the departed Alston, which sounds worrisome until one realizes that Alston never would have been happy backing up Nelson this year. That the Magic dealt him to a team with a rotation featuring an All-Star (Devin Harris) and an underrated sixth-man (Keyon Dooling) at the position is a small irony.

Anderson? He's the wild card. For all we know, he'll start at power forward during Rashard Lewis' 10-game suspension... then vanish from the rotation completely upon Lewis' return. If he can stop getting his shot swatted inside, and if he can keep his three-point shooting high, he could prove quite the secret weapon for Orlando. I mean that. He didn't turn 21 until the middle of the playoffs, he's 6'10", he can rebound at a rate comparable to the more imposing Bass, and he can shoot the three-ball. There's a lot to like about him. Then again, there's a lot to like about Lewis and Bass as well, and there are only so many minutes (48!) available at power forward. This coaching problem for Stan Van Gundy is one plenty of other helmsmen would love to have.

A lot of coaches would love to have Lee, just 24, on their team, too, given his selfless play and immediate ability to contribute as a rookie. In New Jersey, he'll have more offensive responsibilities, and will often be the best perimeter defender on the floor at any given time. The stage would be set for him to take over the Nets' starting two-guard job for the next decade if it weren't for the presence of second-year man Chris Douglas-Roberts and rookie Terrence Williams to challenge him. I understand that Magic fans are upset to see Lee go, but I can't help but think that we've overrated him--he's only a three-point shooter and fast-break finisher on offense--while simultaneously underrating the younger Anderson, who had a higher Player Efficiency Rating than Lee did last year, albeit at a much different position.

The Magic won't miss Lue or Richardson much, as they only played a combined 222 minutes over 26 games last season. That they replaced their spots at the back end of the rotation with Williams (28 minutes per game in 2007/08, his most recent NBA season) and Anderson (20 minutes per game last season) speaks volumes about Orlando's--please permit me this adjective this one time--silly depth.

What are the team's biggest strengths?

With four recent All-Stars starting, as well as a bench featuring two of the league's best frontcourt reserves, and specialists, depth is absolutely Orlando's forte. Their projected second string of Williams, J.J. Redick, Mickael Pietrus, Bass, and Marcin Gortat could probably give bottom-feeding teams' starting lineups a run for their money. Last year's team was three wins away from a championship: now envision that team with a healthy Nelson replacing Alston, the more efficient Carter using Turkoglu's possessions, and the more dynamic Bass filling in for Battie. Upgrades across the board.

Indeed, as I alluded to earlier, Orlando's offense--which rated a surprisingly mediocre 11th in efficiency a year ago--should be much more potent this year. Carter is much more efficient than Turkoglu, although he's prone to the occasional awful game from time-to-time as well. Nelson likely won't duplicate his amazing shooting from last year (50% from the field, 45% from three-point range), but Carter's improvement over Turkoglu should mitigate any minor drop-off in Nelson's percentages. And with Carter the second option on offense behind Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis' usage rate could decline, which could lead to an increase in efficiency if Nelson and Carter can get him the ball in the right place.

Defense might be another story, as no one has ever revered Carter for his work at that end of the floor. Then again, Lewis had a reputation as a sieve during his days with the Seattle SuperSonics, but developed into an above-average defender at power forward since joining the Magic; Carter, playing for a championship in his hometown, and under the guidance of the defensive ace Van Gundy, and with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year behind him, could see an improvement along the lines of Lewis'. Nonetheless, we expect Orlando's defense to regress slightly this year, which isn't so bad; the Magic lead the league in defensive efficiency a year ago, so a modest decline would still have them in the top 5.

A top-5 offense with a top-5 defense? Holy smokes, what potential this team has! Of course, Boston, Cleveland, the L.A. Lakers, and the San Antonio Spurs can all make similar claims about their respective proficiencies on both side of the ball. We are in for quite the season, aren't we?

What are the team's biggest weaknesses?

Saying "none" would be hubris of the highest order. But with a potential to rate in the upper echelon of the league on both sides of the ball, well, it's hard to point to anything really specific with this team. Magic detractors say that Carter will sink the Magic's chemistry, or that the new additions Boston and Cleveland made trump the Magic's. Is other teams having equally good summers a weakness? If so, that might be the Magic's.

Another perceived weakness, one into which I do not put much stock, is that the Magic's best player (Howard) is not a proven leader, and that all championship teams' best players happen to be leaders: Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, and Dwyane Wade hold this distinction. Howard, perhaps due to a recent Sports Illustrated cover story, is not seen as intimidating or particularly serious on the court. But due to Nelson's leadership as co-captain--a duty he shares with Howard--the Magic aren't wanting for guidance. Van Gundy, too, sees himself as a leader.

What are the goals for this team?

The easiest question to answer: it's a championship. No one expected the Magic to be among the last two teams standing last year, especially not after falling into a 2-1 hole to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs. After their surprising run to the Finals, GM Otis Smith made several aggressive maneuvers (as outlined above) and team ownership signed off to pay the luxury tax.

They did not go through all this trouble to merely win a playoff series or two this year. The obvious, unambiguous goal is to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy at season's end.

Predicted Record: 63-19.

Orlando Magic News for October 20th: Sporting News Previews the Orlando Magic; Thumbs Up on Chemistry

erivera7 — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:45:24 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

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NBA Countdown: No. 8 Orlando Magic
Tim Povtak previews the Orlando Magic on behalf of Sporting News.

View from the other bench
(an opponent breaks down the Magic)
"For a team that went to the Finals, these were not small changes they made. If they don't get back there, or if the team has a drop-off in the regular season, there is certain going to be some second-guessing. Getting Vince Carter certainly is no drop-off from letting Hedo Turkoglu leave, but they are different, really different players, different in what they do best. Vince is capable of creating something when there is nothing out there. But Turkoglu was a much more willing passer, and a lot of times he created for his teammates."
Then why does Vince Carter have a higher assist percentage than Hedo Turkoglu this past season (and a lower turnover percentage, to boot)?
The 5 Obstacles To The Orlando Magic’s Championship Run
Gerald Narciso of Dime Magazine takes a look at the five obstacles in the way of a championship run for Orlando. Here's one of them:

A lot has been made about Dwight Howard’s one dimensional game. His lack of post moves and inability to make free throws makes him a liability come crunch time. He insisted that he worked on both those areas over the summer, but so far in the preseason, he has been inconsistent from the line. Superman is destined for another monster season and deserves MVP consideration, but if you’re a franchise player and can’t be a factor in the game’s final minutes, than you can’t win championships.
Oh, like Wilt Chamberlain or Shaquille O'Neal? ed. note: I'm also a fan of the incorrect go-to phrase, "lack of post moves", when referring to Dwight Howard.
Game Notes: Magic at Bulls
Bryan Crawford of SLAM ONLINE shares his observations of last night's game between the Orlando Magic & the Chicago Bulls. An excerpt from his write-up:

From what I saw last night on the make-up of the Orlando Magic and the camaraderie they all seemed to share in the locker room after the game as they gorged themselves on a buffet of barbecued ribs and watched Monday Night Football together, you can almost certainly expect the Orlando Van Gundy’s to make another deep run into the playoffs, possibly repeating as Eastern Conference champions and making it to the NBA Finals again. Especially with the addition of Vince Carter and a healthy Jameer Nelson. There’s something to be said for a team that gets along and who genuinely like each other. This year’s Magic team certainly seems to have that going for them.
Orlando Magic turnovers, defensive lapses irk Stan Van Gundy
Tania Ganguli notes how head coach Stan Van Gundy was not pleased with the game, yesterday. As expected, defense and turnovers were the issues.

The Magic committed 12 turnovers in the first half of their 101-98 win over the Chicago Bulls. They had 18 by the end of the game. So... at least it got better?

But that didn't stop Stan Van Gundy from replying with a, "No, not even close. Awful." When asked if he was pretty pleased with his team's performance. (It wasn't me, I promise)
The Baseline Sees All: Orlando Magic
UPDATE: Bethlehem Shoals of The Baseline eloquently questions why so many people are questioning that the Magic are still for real.

What am I missing here? Is Vince Carter still so loathed or resented that he must taint any team he comes to? Is everyone still worried about their offense, specifically Howard's role in it, when they'll have their second-best player back healthy and have added an elite scorer? This team should win a championship and it's absurd that anyone's lukewarm or less than bullish about them. We should be falling at their feet and wondering how even the Lakers can match their depth.
Lets Not Forget About Keyon
UPDATE 2: Sebastian Pruiti of NetsAreScorching takes a look at a former Orlando point guard, Keyon Dooling, and tries to decipher which position is best for him with New Jersey.
Sources: NBA, referees getting closer to agreement
UPDATE 3: It appears that replacement refs are no more.

The NBA's locked out referees appear to be inching close to a return to work after an unexpected meeting Tuesday in New York between commissioner David Stern and Lamell McMorris of the referees' union, ESPN.com has learned.
NBA Preview: Orlando Magic expert predictions
UPDATE 4: ESPN.com writers offer their respective predictions on how the Orlando Magic will fare in the 2009-2010 season. Check it out.

Practice Report: Stan Van Gundy Wants To See More Effort On Defense; J.J. Redick Talks About Being A Pro

erivera7 — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:29:56 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

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Effort.

That's what Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy said was needed, after practice was over early in the afternoon, for the Magic to improve on the defensive side of the ball. It'll be interesting to see if Orlando will bring more energy and intensity on defense when it treks on the road for back-to-back games against the Memphis Grizzlies and the New Orleans Hornets (in Wichita, Kansas), respectively.

I was able to speak with Van Gundy amongst the media and J.J. Redick one-on-one. Here's what they had to say:

Stan Van Gundy:

What does Rashard Lewis need to do adjust defensively at the three?

Well, I mean, it's a whole different deal for him. I mean, it's a whole different situation, it's basically being further away from the basket a lot and chasing people through screens and stuff and that's something he has not done a lot of, at least since he's been here.

In terms of Marcin Gortat's play last night, do you think that's an example of him being worth of the contract he received?

Well, I don't think there's any question he's worth the contract. I think that's why Otis [Smith] and Bob [Vander Weide] decided to match. I mean, we think he's worth that and I think what happened last night is he really got into the game well into the second half. Now, the tough part for him is to get ... which he's always been very good at but he's got to get himself going quicker because he's normally not going to get 35 minutes so he's got to get going into the flow of what's going on quicker but he did a great job last night.

Recently, the NBA released it's GM survey and not one person voted the Orlando Magic as the best defensive team. What do you think about that?

Maybe they watched our game last night. *laughs*

No, I don't care what anyone votes. The numbers say what they say so ... but right now, we're certainly not with the way we played last night so that was a big emphasis today. Part of it is repetition and watching film and making sure everybody is on the same page learning our system, there's no question about that. We showed some things today that were mistakes, mistakes are not ... we can work on those, a lot of the things we saw were correctable but our effort has got to go up, it's go to go up, and a lot of the things we did wrong last night would have been cured just by making a better effort.

How does the offense change having Gortat on the floor instead of Dwight Howard? Are there more pick & rolls?

Yeah, I think that Marcin's strength is to ... constant movement and energy, getting into pick & rolls and making them [opposing defenses] defend that and with Dwight, we post up more so that's the main difference.

When you have a full roster ready to go when Rashard Lewis gets back from suspension, how big will your rotation be?

I don't know. I just don't know. We'll see how everybody is playing. Eight, nine, or ten [players], I don't know. It certainly can't be more than ten and ten is a lot. Eight or nine? A back-up point, a back-up center, and two of those other guys at most and that's it. Probably. It'll be hard, we could go ten for a while I guess and just have a back-up at every spot but I don't know, we'll have to see how everybody is playing and what we think we're getting not only with our starting lineup but with our second unit. This group will be a little harder to figure out, as it has been in the past but all the options are good options so it's certainly not a complaint.

How do coaches figure that out? In terms of figuring out a rotation, is that based on personnel, talent, what?

Well, what we think will work. We'll obviously want to see much of them as we can in the pre-season and then you find things you like and don't like and how guys who fit together. I mean, I think there are some guys that maybe are very good players who work themselves more to say being go-to guys with the second unit than really guys who can fit in and be complimentary guys in the first unit so it's not just putting your five best players on the floor to start because I think with those first four guys (Nelson, Carter, Lewis, Howard), the guys I know I'm going to start when Rashard comes back, that fifth guy has got to be a guy that helps those four guys the most in some way and then we got to find a second unit where at least one of our main guys is still in it playing with them but a second unit that operates pretty well and find what they can do. That'll be more what we're trying to figure out probably in those last three exhibition games. Use these first five to sort out, come up with some possibilities, and then try to use the last three to try to narrow it down and get fixed on something.

Do a lot of players do that, to organize what Jameer Nelson does during the off-season?

No, I haven't heard of very many at all. They may get together in groups of them in the off-season but not try to bring a whole team together. I've never heard of that before.

More after the jump.

J.J. Redick:

I know yesterday you were able to create off the dribble. Is that something you're trying to do more of?

It's not something I'm necessarily looking to do. I mean, I know that one of the things as part of my role is just giving energy offensively off the bench so [assistant coach] Bob Beyer and I have talked a lot about just having an aggressive mentality and an attacking mindset when I'm out there. If people are going to play me a certain way off screens or off pick & rolls, allow me to take it to the basket and create off the dribble then I'll always do that.

Stan talked about you getting into a rhythm when you get into the game because he doesn't know how many minutes you'll see coming off the bench. How tough is that to get in a game and get hot really quick?

It is tough, it is tough, and that's why I can't work myself into games. I have to come out aggressive, I have to come out with a scorer's mentality because I mean, realistically, I played 20 minutes last night [20:48, to be exact] but I played 9 straight minutes in the first half and 12 straight minutes in the second half. In the regular season, I probably won't get the opportunity just because Vince is going to play so much so whether it's a five minute or eight minute stretch, I got to be aggressive.

What do you have to do to get yourself prepared, so when you come into a game, you're ready to go right away?

The preparation comes before the game. I mean, everything that I do before and after practice and the work I do before a game, I mean, once the game starts when you're on the bench, I just got to prepare mentality but physically, all the work is done prior to.

On your site, you talked about learning how to be a professional. Is there anyone on the team that's taken you under their wing and taught you what it's like to be a pro in the NBA?

Yeah, certain guys have and some of the stuff I've had to learn on my own. I talk a lot about my first couple years in the league, just kind of getting knocked in the mouth a little bit. It really was kind of having a wake-up call. I think that was good for me. One of the guys, who's not here anymore, one of the guys that taught me a lot was Keyon Dooling. Keyon kind of went through the same thing that I went through, he didn't play a lot in his first few years in L.A. with the Clippers, and he had a coach who told him he wasn't an NBA player and Keyon learned how to be a pro. He's someone that I looked to and admire because he put in the work, he carries himself like a professional.

Do you still keep in contact with him, even though he's in New Jersey right now?

Yeah, we actually kept in contact all of last year, texting occasionally and over the summers. I haven't talked to him since the season has started, though.

Odds and Ends:

I was able to speak with a source associated with the team's plans and he stated to me that the Orlando Magic are currently scouting (usually it's one person who charts plays, patterns, tendencies, etc.) their future pre-season opponents, in preparation for when the team faces off against them in the next coming weeks.