Posts Tagged → Stan Van Gundy
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.
Friday’s Magic Word
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy has decided he’ll stick with the same quartet of Jameer Nelson, Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Brandon Bass to start alongside center Dwight Howard for tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But that doesn’t mean Van Gundy will keep those players in the game, especially if they play with the same low energy they displayed during Wednesday night’s frustrating loss to the Sacramento Kings. Van Gundy pledged won’t hesitate to use his entire active roster — even the guys who’ve been buried on the team’s bench — if he doesn’t like what he sees. Young forward Earl Clark, veteran wing Quentin Richardson and veteran point guard Chris Duhon might receive some playing time against the Thunder, especially if Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are scoring at will.”
- Dwight Howard hopes that his teammates heeded his words.
- John Cohen of OrlandoMagic.com evaluates the copious amount of trade deadline deals.
- Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated: “The Magic were thought to need more size in order to match up with Boston, but the Celtics traded away that advantage by sending Perkins to Oklahoma City.”
- More from Thomsen: “Will Perkins’ departure hurt Boston in the East? He was able to play one-on-one against Dwight Howard, but the Celtics have reason to be confident in a series against the newly reconstructed Magic, who have yet to develop title-worthy chemistry around their center. Neither Miami nor Chicago has a high scoring center to exploit Perkins’ absence, so perhaps the Celtics are acting on a gamble that they can make it back to the Finals without him.”
Thursday’s Magic Word
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “All 13 players on the Magic roster attended the team meeting. Point guard Jameer Nelson, who was not the subject of any trade rumors, was asked if it would be a relief if no one was traded before the deadline arrived. ‘It probably would be a relief for a lot of guys,’ Nelson said. ‘I mean, you see crazy things happen in this league. Guys get traded and not even know about it. So nothing surprises me. Hopefully, I’ll be here at 3:01.’ Nelson was half-joking, of course, but he is indeed still with the [Orlando] Magic. Orlando’s most obvious roster need still is at center, where the team has relied on power forwards Brandon Bass and Ryan Anderson to serve as Dwight Howard‘s backups. The Magic have been linked in news reports to 6-foot-11 veteran Troy Murphy, who has been traded to the Golden State Warriors and most likely will receive a buyout from Golden State. But there’s no guarantee that Murphy would sign with the Magic, even though he and [Otis] Smith go back to their days with the Warriors back in the early 2000s.”
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “Howard and the Magic have to feel like they are standing outside a great party without an invitation. When somebody like Williams — a member of Howard’s 2012 free-agent draft class — is dealt by Utah this early, it’s another option that could elude the Magic. Williams still needs to sign an extension with New Jersey. Paul could be the lone ’12 free-agent star left for Howard to recruit, though. Derrick Rose is a lock to re-sign with his hometown Chicago Bulls. Howard was shocked that Williams was dealt. More shocking was that Smith conceded he was caught off guard by the trade and did not make an offer. Williams was disgruntled long before Jerry Sloan quit the Jazz. Howard sounded disgruntled Wednesday night, one of those nights he can circle as evidence the Magic aren’t matching him, stride for stride.”
- Dwight Howard is not happy right now.
- John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com: “A day after superstar center Dwight Howard said the Orlando Magic had done enough talking and needed to do more executing, the team didn’t practice so that it could have a team-wide discussion about everything that ills it. Basically, there was plenty of talking by coaches and players. It will be determined if actions back up those words to avoid another disastrous loss like the one the Magic suffered Wednesday night to the woeful Sacramento Kings.”
- More on Howard’s unhappiness with his teammates.
- Zach Lowe of The Point Forward: “Over All-Star weekend in Los Angeles, Dwight Howard told me – rather emphatically — that the Magic did not have to make any trades in order to win the title. Last night, after a shocking Sacramento win in Orlando, Howard called out unnamed teammates for failing to play hard.”
- Eric Freeman of Ball Don’t Lie speaks the truth about Howard’s frustration.
- Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk isn’t a believer in the Magic’s talent pool: “Howard is wrong about something though — he thinks this team has the talent to win an NBA title if they just played hard. No, they really don’t. They are good, but not elite. Stan Van Gundy uses Hedo Turkoglu better than any coach in the league, he puts him in good positions as a pick-and-roll ball handler, but Turkoglu is average. Gilbert Arenas is average at best. Those are two guys the Magic gave up a lot for, two guys with massive contracts that limit what the Magic can do for years to come, and they are not guys who make your team elite.”
- Howard shares his thoughts: “I´m not singling or calling anybody out, but as a team if we don´t play hard then we are going to lose every night. If guys don´t want to play then they need to sit down. We just can´t have guys out there not playing hard. We´re professional athletes and this is what we do for a living. If we can´t get out there and go hard for two hours, then we shouldn´t be playing.”
- Matt Moore of CBSSports.com: “The timing is particularly poor for the Magic, as Howard, a free agent in 2012, watched Deron Williams be sent to New Jersey and Carmelo Anthony win in his debut in New York. Even though the Magic are the better team of those three, it’s another step in the direction of the door, providing Howard another excuse for leaving the Magic high and dry. Howard did everything he should and could last night to help the Magic win. It wasn’t enough.”
Recap: Sacramento Kings 111, Orlando Magic 105
AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
Kicking off life after the All-Star break, the Sacramento Kings were able to defeat the Orlando Magic by the score of 111-105. Despite not having Tyreke Evans due to an injury and newly-acquired Marcus Thornton still in the process of making his debut with the Kings after being dealt for Carl Landry, while playing a road game on a back-to-back, the visitors won. A team with a record of 14-40 entering the night and, on paper, having no business winning a game against — supposedly — one of the better teams in the NBA, well, did just that. Win. Right now, the Magic should be embarrassed because even though anything can happen on a given night in the league, these are the games they’re supposed to come away victorious. It’s as simple as that, yet Orlando is incapable of doing the right things to win games and make chase to the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference for the No. 3 seed. If the Magic’s victory against the Los Angeles Lakers was the best of the season, this loss is the worst. Sacramento was led by a balanced attack, as five players scored in double-figures. But the two players that sparked the win for the Kings were Beno Udrih and Jermaine Taylor (former University of Central Florida star). Urdih played superbly, finishing with 18 points, 10 assists, and three steals. Taylor played well in front of his hometown, chipping in with 21 points and five rebounds. As for Orlando, Dwight Howard did his job and finished with 31 points, 17 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Even though players like Hedo Turkoglu played well statistically (19 points on 7-of-10 shooting with eight assists and two steals), Howard was the only player for the Magic that gave a crap on both ends of the floor.
“Inside the Magic: Coaching Staff” premieres tonight on Fox Sports Florida
Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
Via Fox Sports Florida:
“Inside the Magic: Coaching Staff” premieres Wednesday, February 23, at 10:00pm immediately following the Kings @ Magic game on FOX Sports Florida.
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO SNEAK PEEK
The fifth 2010-11 episode of “Inside the Magic” profiles the six men who comprise the Orlando Magic coaching staff. Fans will get an inside look at an Orlando Magic practice as the team and coaches prepare for a game.
Viewers will see exclusive conversations with Orlando Magic president of basketball operations & general manager Otis Smith, head coach Stan Van Gundy and assistant coaches Bob Beyer, Steve Clifford, Patrick Ewing and Brendan Malone. The staff will share their championship philosophy and detail their individual journeys to Orlando.
Dwight Howard, J.J. Redick and Hedo Turkoglu give fans additional perspective on the team’s coaches in candid interviews. Additionally, Michael Malone, Brendan Malone’s son and current New Orleans Hornets assistant coach, will offer insight into his father’s coaching style.
“Inside the Magic: Coaching Staff” is hosted by Megan Clementi.
Remembering Rashard Lewis, Part I
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Rashard Lewis, now a member of the Washington Wizards, didn’t play against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday due to a sore right knee. It’s a shame because, given that the Wizards have exhausted their two road games against the Magic this season, that means Lewis won’t be returning to the Amway Center as a visitor until next season. And that means Lewis will have to wait until he can receive a proper standing ovation from the fans in Orlando — something that he deserves more than any other Magic player in recent years because, it can be argued, that he is the reason they became an elite team and championship contender.
Contract notwithstanding, Lewis defined the Orlando teams of recent years because he was the player that was asked to spread the floor for Dwight Howard and be the primary scorer from the perimeter. As a stretch four, Lewis was a matchup problem for nearly every team in the NBA because not many power forwards are accustomed to defending someone that shoots proficiently from three-point range and makes their living far away from the basket. Lewis’ transition from small forward, when he was with the Seattle SuperSonics, to power forward was a seamless one and created a unique identity for the Magic.
Although Lewis struggled in the 2010 NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics and his production offensively fell off a cliff this year, Lewis’ legacy — if that’s the proper word to use — will forever be etched in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals and in the minds of Cleveland Cavaliers fans for eternity. That’s where Lewis embodied everything that general manager Otis Smith saw in him when he brought him in as a free agent during the offseason in 2008. Lewis was a nightmare for the Cavaliers in that series and the memories he had will live on. For Orlando, Game 1 was where it all started for Lewis. That’s Lewis’ legend in a nutshell.
Let’s go back in time.
Second Look: Orlando Magic 101, Washington Wizards 76
AP Photo/Reinhold Matay
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “If nothing else, Wednesday night’s matchup between the Orlando Magic and the Washington Wizards can serve as Exhibit No. 1 for anyone who argues that the NBA regular season is too long. The Magic did exactly what they were expected to do: They clobbered a rebuilding Wizards team that cannot win on the road even with a completely healthy lineup, let alone a lineup that lacked a pair of injured starters. At least Magic players will enter the all-star break with a little added confidence. An easy 101-76 pasting of an opponent — even an opponent as hapless as the Wizards — will do that. Orlando recovered from a sluggish start and salted this one away early in the third quarter behind a dominant performance by Dwight Howard.”
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “The correct way to get the Magic into any game is to feed Dwight Howard 2.0. What we’re witnessing now is the Howard we’ve waited to see for six seasons. His offense was finally arrived, near full bloom and I say [Stan] Van Gundy can’t get him enough shot attempts. Howard is so good right now that he wasn’t distracted by the Wizards (32 points) or his growing A-list status. In fact, he’s turned playboy party-planner, holding the biggest all-star bash in L.A. A website bills the Saturday night affair as ‘LARGER THAN LIFE’ (uh, larger than Orlando, Dwight?) and continues to read, ‘Hosted by Dwight Howard, his celebrity friends and models.’ The gorgeous models are shown in various states of undress. So Dwight needs no prodding. The rest of the Magic had to find something to get them going — and they found Howard, who scored 12 in a tell-tale second period.”
- John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com: “At the conclusion of Tuesday’s Orlando Magic practice, head coach Stan Van Gundy gathered his team around him and issued a cryptic question that also doubled as a stern challenge. ’Are we a team that can do it night after night or was that just a one-night thing?’’ Van Gundy asked his squad, referring to the Magic’s thrilling throttling of the Los Angeles Lakers last Sunday. The Magic, led of course by the continued excellence of superstar center Dwight Howard, answered that question in resounding fashion on Wednesday night, thumping the hapless Washington Wizards 101-76 at Amway Center. Howard, the Eastern Conference’s reigning Player of the Week, gashed the Wizards inside with 32 points and 10 rebounds in just three quarters of work. He made 12 of 15 shots – most of them with ease – meaning he made 25 of 31 shots in the Magic’s last two victories against the Lakers and Wizards.”
- Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post: “The game didn’t start great for the hosts, though, who clearly looked as though they had mentally checked out for All-Star Weekend. Two turnovers on inbounds passes, and a 9-point scoring outburst for backup combo guard Kirk Hinrich, lowlighted Orlando’s first 18 minutes. A three-point play from Hinrich gave the Wizards a 31-28 lead at the 6:13 mark of the second period, but Orlando responded by scoring 10 straight points and never trailed again. It took a 5-point advantage into halftime, a lead it pushed to 21 after only three more minutes, shutting the door on the Wizards, who simply couldn’t get a basket from anyone apart from Wall. You’d rather the Magic show up and dominate from tip to horn, but they corrected their mistakes reasonably early and coasted after halftime. On a night when the two-time defending champion L.A. Lakers lost to the NBA-worst Cleveland Cavaliers, you like to see that.”
- Michael Lee of The Washington Post: “The Wizards haven’t lost every game – although they needed 26 games to finally break through away from Verizon Center. They arrived at Amway Center on Wednesday a much different team since their inauspicious opener. But with limited options offensively, and no one capable of providing any resistance to Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, the Wizards lost, 101-76. Rashard Lewis, a focal point of the Wizards’ biggest change from opening night – the Dec. 18 trade that shipped the former face of the franchise, Gilbert Arenas, to the Magic – was forced to miss his return to Orlando with a right knee injury that sidelined him for the past three games. The Wizards were also without leading scorer Nick Young, who sat out with a bruised left knee suffered in the previous victory in Cleveland. It didn’t help that center JaVale McGee arrived with a sore left back.
Earl Clark slowly making a name for himself
AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
As seen on Hoopdata.
As the Orlando Magic continue their up-and-down season, especially after two blockbuster trades on December 18 that brought aboard well-known players like Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson, and Hedo Turkoglu, another player acquired in the deals is slowly making a name for himself. His name?
Earl Clark.
Long compared to Lamar Odom because of his ability to handle the basketball with proficiency as a 6-foot-10 power forward with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, Clark didn’t find too much success — or playing time — when he was with the Phoenix Suns for a season and a half. However, after getting traded to the Magic, Clark has gotten opportunities to make an impact when he’s on the floor.
Part of it is because Orlando is lacking for big men at the moment. Part of it is because Brandon Bass, the Magic’s starting power forward, sprained his right ankle on January 31 against the Memphis Grizzlies and sat out six games, thus allowing Clark a chance to get consistent minutes in head coach Stan Van Gundy‘s rotation. But most of it is because Clark has been one of the few players for Orlando to put in the energy and effort on defense — something that Van Gundy demands from everyone on the roster. Because of Clark’s willingness to work hard defensively, Van Gundy has rewarded him for it. Still, even though Clark has been able to improve on the defensive side of the ball and rebound at a better clip after gaining 10 points of muscle since arriving to the Magic, there’s a lot of refinement that’s needed from him on offense.
The good news is that Clark is showing signs of improvement already.
For starters, Clark’s at rim percentage has leaped from 45.5 percent on 0.6 shot attempts per game with Phoenix to 75.0 percent on 2.1 shot attempts per game with Orlando this season (league average is 64.1 percent). It remains to be seen if Clark can keep that percentage up but if he can, that’ll go a long way into him becoming a more efficient player offensively. Considering that a plethora of NBA players of all varying positions sit around that percentage, the odds for sustainability from Clark are good. That added muscle has helped Clark in that regard.
If there’s a specific area where Clark still needs to improve on offense, it’s his ability to hit shots from 16-23 feet. Right now, Clark’s percentage sits at 33.0 percent on 1.8 shot attempts per game (league average is 39.4). When watching Clark shoot the basketball, the form on his jumpshot is fine. The consistency isn’t there yet, though, which is something Clark will need to work on in the offseason if he wants to be a more dynamic threat offensively. Clark extending his range to three-point territory isn’t out of the question, but progress needs to be taken one step at a time.
Although Clark’s True Shooting percentage in the last five games is 52.1 percent, which is below the league average, the elements are there for improvement in the long-term. For the Magic, that much is encouraging.
Recap: New Orleans Hornets 99, Orlando Magic 93
AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
The New Orleans Hornets were able to defeat the Orlando Magic by the score of 99-93 in an odd game where the leading scorer was, wait for it, Willie Green with 24 points. Ultimately, the deciding factor in the loss for the Magic was an inability to execute in late-game situations. Orlando had a multitude of chances of winning the game, yet were unable to do so because they either missed a shot or turned the basketball over on 11 of their last 12 possessions in the fourth quarter. That’s pretty embarrassing, especially when it should be noted that the Magic had an advantage with Dwight Howard being guarded by Aaron Gray during that timeframe. Orlando should have given the ball to Howard on every possession, yet they did the exact opposite. There’s a multitude of things that went wrong for the Magic but those are some of the key items of note. The Hornets were led by a balanced attack, as six players scored in double-figures. Aside from Green lighting up Orlando, David West was able to put together an impressive outing with 17 points, 17 rebounds, and four assists. Chris Paul, a candidate for MVP, didn’t look entirely like himself on the court, finishing with 15 points and seven assists. Howard led the way for the Magic with 20 points, 17 rebounds, and three blocks but his stat-line should have been much better, considering the circumstances.
Friday’s Magic Word
- Zach McCann of the Orlando Sentinel: “The relationship between a coach and an NBA superstar is not a simple one. The coach, by definition, is supposed to be the authority, the loudest voice in the organization and a leader to the team. But in many NBA cities, where a larger-than-life superstar plays basketball, the team’s best player holds more power than anyone else in the organization besides, maybe, the owner. For better or worse, that’s how it is. But Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, who’s coached megastars Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard in his career, says he’s never been big-timed or pushed around by a superstar. [...] Of course, the elephant in the room is Van Gundy being pushed out of the Miami Heat job in 2005 while coaching Wade and O’Neal, but this conversation wasn’t really about that. It was about Jerry Sloan’s abrupt resignation on Thursday, a move that some believe was because Sloan couldn’t get along with Jazz star point guard Deron Williams.”
- Brandon Bass could return to play against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
- Fran Vazquez is considering the NBA more seriously.
- A Hedo Turkoglu flowchart.
- Head coach Stan Van Gundy provides his take on Jerry Sloan’s departure.
- Scott Carefoot of The Basketball Jones: “You see that picture of smiling Dwight at the top of this post? That wasn’t hard to find. Dwight smiles all the time. He’s a fun-loving guy who loves to tell jokes and do funny impressions of his coach and other players. I wish he would start saving his smiling and joking for when he’s off the court and get serious about leading his team to a championship. As great as he is, I wonder if he’ll ever take the game seriously enough to try to do what’s best for the team all the time instead of just trying to have fun out on the court.”
