Posts Tagged → LeBron James
Earl Clark’s limitless potential on defense
AP Photo/John Raoux
Via Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel:
Four months ago, Earl Clark reached a troubling career crossroads. The Phoenix Suns declined to pick up their $2 million option to keep him for the 2011-12 season, an unconventional move that ensured Clark will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Two months ago, the Suns severed their ties with Clark by including him in the blockbuster trade that sent Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu to the Orlando Magic for Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat and Mickael Pietrus.
These days, much has changed for the young, 6-foot-10 forward.
A few months from now, at playoff time, the Magic might ask Clark to guard power forwards such as Chris Bosh and Kevin Garnett or small forwards such as Carmelo Anthony, Luol Deng, LeBron James and Paul Pierce.
“He doesn’t have the experience of having seen every NBA situation,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said.
“But I think his potential as a defensive player and as a defensive impact guy is unlimited if he can get down some better team defensive principles and focus and if he can truly understand that his route to being a special player in this league lies at the defensive end.”
The final month and a half will be crucial for Clark, who has played in only 19 games for the Magic and played a total of just 60 regular-season games for the Suns.
From now until mid-April, he can prove to his coaches that he can be counted on in crucial situations.
Given that head coach Stan Van Gundy has entrusted Earl Clark to defend the likes of Kevin Durant, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Carmelo Anthony in recent games, this is something to keep an eye on — especially with the playoffs steadily approaching.
Tuesday’s Magic Word
- Zach McCann of the Orlando Sentinel: “What are the odds we see a technical foul when the Orlando Magic host the New York Knicks tonight? Pretty good, considering all the tech-magnets that’ll be suiting up for the Magic and Knicks. Orlando’s Dwight Howard and New York’s Amar’e Stoudemire are tied for the league lead in technical fouls with 15 apiece, with both of them receiving their most recent technical in the past week. Howard has had four techs rescinded; Stoudemire, two. But it’s not just the two big men, always willing to express their frustration to the refs after contact near the rim, who have a propensity to receive techs. Denver’s two newest members, Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, each have 10 technicals apiece. Anthony’s had three rescinded. If there was ever a night to feel sorry for the officials, it’s tonight. The officials will be Jason Phillips, Curtis Blair and David Jones.”
- Should the Orlando Magic pursue Corey Brewer in free agency?
- Hedo Turkoglu will have a difficult task slowing down Carmelo Anthony in tonight’s game.
- The Magic’s defense will be tested against the New York Knicks.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “The matchup against the Knicks starts a stretch against four teams with winning records. After the Magic complete that gauntlet Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers, they’ll hit the road for a rough five-game road trip to the West Coast and Milwaukee. Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy trotted out a time-honored cliché as he looked ahead, saying that he and his players ‘simply need to take it day-by-day, and we need to really focus on getting better every time out, no matter who we’re playing.’ But as much as the Magic need to improve, they’ll have a chance to make a statement to themselves and to some of the league’s biggest superstars. Anthony and Stoudemire will be on the court tonight. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh loom on Thursday. And Derrick Rose — perhaps James’ and Dwight Howard’s toughest challenger for league MVP honors — awaits on Friday. The Bulls beat the Magic 99-90 on Jan. 28 in Chicago. The Heat have won two of three games against the Magic this season.”
- Josh Cohen of OrlandoMagic.com previews possible first round matchups for Orlando.
- The Magic are going to learn a lot about themselves this week.
- Dwight Howard is perilously close to getting suspended by the NBA.
- Trey Kerby of The Basketball Jones: “Here’s the conundrum — the Magic have had a tough time beating elite teams. So, if they beat the Knicks, does that make the Knicks a non-elite team? And if the Knicks win, what does that mean? That the Magic aren’t elite and it’s a meaningless win for New York? So confusing.”
- Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don’t Lie reminisces on Horace Grant’s career: “Perhaps the Orlando Magic overrated the All-Star in seeking Grant out in the summer of 1994, but his play (the play that didn’t get him a chance at the Dream Team) was exactly what Orlando needed. A guy who wouldn’t use up too many possessions, who wouldn’t stop ball movement, and would only stick jumpers (and as the Bulls found out in the 1995 playoffs, jumper after jumper after jumper) when all other options fell. While scurrying all over the floor defensively, and crashing the boards. And after signing a middle-of-the-road starter deal in Orlando with the wink-wink promise that more contracts were in the offing, Grant became one of the first NBA players to make eight figures in a year in 1996.”
- Matt Moore of Hardwood Paroxysm: “Howard has joined the legion of players who I become physically angry at when they fail to surprise me. That one-pause hesitation, right-to-left sweeping side-hook thing he does, it makes me actually physically, visibly angry because it’s so dependent on the defense not anticipating, so dependent on how the ball rolls on the rim, so dependent on everything going right without the slightest moment of improvisation.”
- Britt Robson of Sports Illustrated: “Remember last year’s first-round playoff series against Charlotte, when early foul trouble limited Howard to under 30 minutes in each of the four games? Well, there is no Marcin Gortat to the rescue if a similar scenario arises this season. With the trade deadline passed, the options for a quality backup center are much diminished, leaving Orlando vulnerable. Coach Stan Van Gundy briefly deployed a large front line of Brandon Bass, Earl Clark and Ryan Anderson against Charlotte on Saturday, and at least one or two of those guys would have to come up big (literally) in Howard’s absence during the postseason.”
Orlando’s Dwight Howard named NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week
AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
Via the Orlando Magic:
The Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, Feb. 21, through Sunday, Feb. 27. It marks the fifth time this season, which is an NBA-high (LeBron James-4), and the 16th time of his career that Howard has earned the league’s top weekly honor.
Howard led the Magic to a 2-1 week, averaging a league-high 30.3 points on .673 shooting (33-of-49). His 14.0 rebounds and 3.3 blocks were tops in the Eastern Conference. On Feb 25, Howard scored 40 points, hauled in 15 rebounds and blocked six shots in Orlando’s win over Oklahoma City. He’s recorded 10 straight games with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, which is the longest streak of his career. Howard has 200 career 20/10 games and 37 this season.
Here is a recap of the week for Howard:
Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
Feb. 23 vs. Sacramento: Posted 31 points and 17 rebounds in a 111-105 loss to the Kings.
Feb. 25 vs. Oklahoma City: Poured in 40 points to go along with 15 rebounds, six blocks and two steals in a 111-88 win over the Thunder.
Feb. 27 vs. Charlotte: Tallied 20 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals in a 100-86 victory over the Bobcats.
Dwight Howard and the elusive MVP award
Photo by Fernando Medina
The MVP award is one of the hardest to define, and though usually it is given to a statistically dominant player, it occasionally goes to a guy whose stats don’t tell the whole story. Sometimes critics agree that a certain player is dominant even if other players have a statistical edge. Other times, the award seems to be given strictly for things outside the stat sheet.
“The best player in the league” is not technically the definition of the Most Valuable Player. Statistics are usually the starting point; LeBron James’ last two MVP awards bear “witness” (ouch) to the effect of eye-popping statistical totals (28 points per game, eight rebounds per game, and seven assists per game for his first MVP season. 30 points per game, seven rebounds per game, and nine assists per game in his second MVP season).
Without question there are times when the MVP is not statistically the best in the league, though. Steve Nash, for instance, took his second MVP in 2006, averaging 20 points and 10 assists per game. He was easily outscored Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, who averaged 35 and 31 points respectively in the same season. Both Kobe and LeBron put up impressive numbers in other categories as well, but lost out to Nash in the final vote.
Nash’s MVP victory shows that the award is not always directly related to statistical dominance. Intangibles are hard to define, but the award can be based on other more conceptual things like “effect on teammates,” “team success,” and “ability to take over a game.”
With that in mind, you can start to see potential MVP candidates outside the league leaders in scoring or triple-doubles. Dwight Howard may never be considered “the best player in the league” because he is strictly a back-to-the-basket player–that limits the amount of raw numbers he can produce. However, as his game continues to develop, he should be considered an MVP candidate right now.
Recap: Orlando Magic 111, Oklahoma City Thunder 88
AP Photo/John Raoux
In front of a nationally televised audience and sellout crowd at the Amway Center, the Orlando Magic were able to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder by the score of 111-88. The Thunder were without their newly-acquired players — Nate Robinson, Kendrick Perkins, and Nazr Mohammed — and the Magic took full advantage of the situation. Granted, it’s doubtful any three of those role players would have made a difference in the game but it’s worth pointing out. Dwight Howard continues his chase for the MVP award, finishing with 40 points, 15 rebounds, six blocks, and two steals. This is Howard’s fourth straight game of scoring 30 points or more, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that we are witnessing a player that is starting to play to his full potential. It’s hard to imagine Howard could play any better than he did against Oklahoma City, where he dominated on both ends of the floor. These are the type of performances reserved for players like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and others — Howard is starting to make them look routine. Likewise, it appears that Howard’s teammates heeded his word about playing hard. The energy and effort, especially on defense, was there. Jason Richardson chipped in with 17 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Jameer Nelson had 14 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. J.J. Redick contributed with 16 points and four rebounds.
Dwight Howard and the power of one
Photo by Fernando Medina
In case you haven’t seen, read, or heard, Carmelo Anthony has been traded to the New York Knicks and will be teaming up with Amar’e Stoudemire to form a dynamic duo that will surely make noise in the Eastern Conference. No, the Knicks won’t be contenders in the East — not yet — due to a lack of depth and defense, but they’ll be a pesky out in the 2011 NBA Playoffs without a doubt.
What does any of this have to do with the Orlando Magic?
Let’s get to that in a second.
One of the primary motivations for New York to acquire Anthony in a trade was to provide Stoudemire with a teammate that could help carry the load.
If it hasn’t become clear already, to win a championship in the NBA requires multiple stars to lead the way for their respective teams. It’s how the Boston Celtics won in 2008 with Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce. It’s how the Los Angeles Lakers won in 2009 and 2010 with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. It’s why LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh teamed up to play for the Miami Heat. It’s why Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, and Derrick Rose teamed up to play for the Chicago Bulls. With Anthony and Stoudemire, the Knicks are working towards that model of winning. In fact, the Eastern Conference is so loaded with stars and superstars, the Magic are quickly becoming the exception to the rule.
While their rivals trot out multiple great-to-elite players on a nightly basis, Orlando is buoyed by their lone ranger — Dwight Howard.
Monday’s Magic Word
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “Funny, I don’t recall Stern coming to Carmelo’s defense. In fact, deep inside, part of him has to love this ‘Melo-to-Knicks and ‘Melo-to-Nets media scrum. Keeps the NBA in the news, you know. Didn’t Stern and his fellow owners create a landscape inwhich ‘Melo is using to his advantage? Doesn’t he really want to play in New York where he can team up with Amare Stoudemire to form yet another super team? It’s all the rage, Mr. Stern. And isn’t this a landscape inwhich Stern and his fellow owners are trying to change with a possible NFL-type franchise tag place on superstars, such as ‘Melo? Instead, why didn’t Stern say that he hopes Poor Dwight Howard plays forever in Orlando like he did when the LeBron talk heated up and it would be ridiculous for him to leave a new arena?”
- Dwight Howard wouldn’t mind playing with Kobe Bryant.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “Howard has said that he’s ‘retired for life’ from the dunk contest. But the temptation to compete again might be too much for the Orlando Magic superstar to resist if the owners and players avoid a protracted lockout and All-Star Weekend is held as scheduled Feb. 24-26, 2012, at Orlando’s Amway Center. A dunk contest that features both Howard and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin would be the most widely anticipated dunk contest since Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins faced-off against each other in 1988.”
- Howard is focused on winning a championship with the Orlando Magic.
- It appears that Troy Murphy may soon become the newest member of the Magic.
- Howard had fun at All-Star weekend: “Well, I’m back in sunny Orlando after a tiring, but good time in LA for the All-Star Game. I went out there with the goal of having fun and that’s just what I did. The whole weekend is for the fans and I went out there with you guys in mind. Again, I want to thank each and every one of you who voted for me. I’m so blessed to have your support.”
- Howard gets graded for his performance in the 2011 NBA All-Star Game.
- Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated: “They need size, and Murphy would be an excellent fit because he is a rebounder whose three-point shooting would replicate the contributions of Rashard Lewis. But after completing a pair of big trades in December, GM Otis Smith has been insisting that the Magic need to worry less about adding more pieces and focus more on galvanizing their existing resources.”
- The Basketball Jones ask Howard a random question.
- John Krolik of ProBasketballTalk: “Howard played 21 minutes on Sunday, but you’d be hard-pressed to remember any of them. Howard showed little interest in playing offense or defense, didn’t block a single shot, and half of his four field goal attempts were from beyond the arc. That’s not what you want to see from Dwight Howard.”
Dwight Howard’s star shines bright at All-Star weekend
Jesse D. Garrabrant, NBAE/Getty Images
Via the Orlando Magic:
For those that normally don’t get the opportunity to watch Dwight Howard on a regular basis, the 2011 All-Star Game was another inimitable showcase for NBA enthusiasts across the world.
While it’s customary for the participants of All-Star Games to dazzle fans with a variety of spectacular acts and creative plays, Howard has a tendency to find a way to stand out amongst the other elite competitors in the NBA. Not just because of stature and size, but also because of his innate talent and freakish athleticism to inspire a crowd with just about anything he attempts to do on the court.
Just like he has done this entire season with the Orlando Magic, D12 enjoyed the opportunity to showcase these abilities in front of a national audience. Although the East had no answer for MVP Kobe Bryant, who erupted for 37 points and 14 rebounds, Howard shared the spotlight with the rest of the NBA’s elite to share in a memorable night.
Howard, in spite of not getting too many shot attempts, flabbergasted those in attendance at STAPLES Center with a couple of thunderous slam-dunks, including a breathtaking two-handed flush in the first quarter off an alley-oop pass from Amar’e Stoudemire.
The five-time All-Star even teamed up with familiar foes such as the Miami Heat’s LeBron James, who notched a triple-double, and Dwyane Wade to accomplish some of the game’s most electrifying plays.
Dwight finished with five points, seven rebounds and one assist. Big men generally do not post big stats in All-Star Games largely because the ball is mostly in the hands of the wing players.
Perhaps the most bizarre stretch of action was when Howard was on the floor alongside four members of the detested Boston Celtics in the first quarter, including Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo.
The most hilarious moment from the night had to be right before tip-off when James was joined by the rest of the East’s starting lineup, Howard, Stoudemire, Wade and Derrick Rose, in doing the notorious pregame powder toss.
Friday’s Magic Word
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “The season is winding down, meaning every game is big when you are chasing the leaders and jockeying for playoff positions. With 25 games left, the [Orlando] Magic are hunters instead of the hunted this season. Circle March 3 and 4 on your calendar. It’s likely a tell-tale back-to-back. The Magic are at Miami on March 3 and then home to host the Bulls March 4. They currently are chasing them both in the Eastern Conference race, trailing co-leader Miami by 5.5 games and Chicago by three games. We’re at the point of the season where head-to-head battles are critical. The Magic can take care of business themselves, not having to rely on help from others. But losses would increase the deficit, and in the case against Miami, give the Heat the season series 3-1 and playoff tiebreaker. Oh, and state bragging rights. A loss to the Bulls would put the Magic behind them 2-1 in the season series, perhaps forcing them to beat Chicago in Orlando on April 10 to salvage a tie in the four-game season series. While it looks as if the Magic are a long-shot to catch the Heat, who basically share the top spot with Boston, you never know, especially since injuries can change things quickly.”
- Dwight Howard is going to be busy during All-Star weekend, but he won’t be the other one. Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel explains: “Point guard Jameer Nelson said he’ll spend time with family. Power forward Ryan Anderson expects to go on a trip with his brother-in-law and a few friends. Point guard Gilbert Arenas wants to lose six pounds and get down to 210 by playing pickup games.“
- The Orlando Magic and the city of Orlando are prepping for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game.
- Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post: “With that said, I think Simmons is fair to rate Howard behind James. Most sane fans would do the same, to to claim Howard is “underrated,” and not “properly rated,” is, on some level, tantamount to saying Howard should top Simmons’ list. That’s not what I’m getting at, though, because I agree with Simmons that James is terribly underrated despite the exposure the media give him, in addition to the exposure he brings upon himself. My point is that James and Howard are so far away from the proverbial field, at least in terms of affecting basketball games, that no one really stands a chance of challenging them. [...] We ought to be able to agree, like most reasonable folks, that James and Howard are, in some order, the league’s top two players, and that it’s not close. My hope here is that we’ve at least got a better appreciation for how truly great Howard is, particularly as a low-post scorer.”
- A look at where the Magic stand compared to the rest of the NBA.
- David Stern wished the media didn’t speculate about Howard’s future.
- Is Orlando still a title contender?
- A sneak peak at the shoes Howard will be wearing for the All-Star Game on Sunday.
Getting a grip on the Magic’s future
Photo by Fernando Medina
If I pay a whole lot of attention to what’s been said and written recently, joining the MBN community right now is sort of like moving into a mansion that was just built on an active fault line. That is, the features are fantastic–there’s an MVP candidate playing out of his mind, a perennial fifty-win team still coached by one of the league’s best, nightly entertaining performances by Gilbert and the Stretch Fours–but everybody is treading lightly, anxious about the disaster that might be on its way. Everything happening right now is in the shadow of Dwight’s free agency, the latest addition to a litany of plagues that will descend upon us all and end the world in 2012. The sky will rain blood, locusts will descend upon fields, and ESPN will run constant speculative pieces punning on Superman. Every time Gilbert bricks a pull-up or Otis Smith says something short-sighted, the summer of 2012 looms as the unspoken consequence, that time when the franchise will be called upon to pay the price for its mistakes or reap its successes. And it’s still fifteen months away.
Last week’s trade deadline, of course, is a huge reason for the anxiety. As the story goes, this is the time of year where Dwight gets to watch other A-list talents shape their own futures while he’s wondering aloud whether he should be tweeting about his teammates’ hustle. For the most part, free agency for the past year has been an arms race in the East, and the thinking is that Howard must look around and see Carlos Boozer getting open looks from Derrick Rose drives, or hear that Amar’e loves New York’s “1, 1A punch,” all while wondering if there is going to be anybody left to help form his own Justice League in Orlando. To a large extent, this is totally understandable. Gone are the diluted early 00s where Allen Iverson could drag a team to the Finals. Ours is an era flush with real talent, where great teams have multiple weapons and more than one A-list player. Eddy demonstrated this just a few days ago here at MBN, illustrating the extent to which the rest of the East elite has real star production at multiple and complementary positions. Of course, it can’t be said that the Magic can match their competition in marquee names, and it seems like management may be losing its grip on ever changing that.
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