Posts Tagged → Vince Carter
Orlando Magic acquire Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Via the Orlando Magic:
The Orlando Magic have acquired Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, Mickael Pietrus, a 2011 first round draft selection and cash considerations, President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Otis Smith announced today.
“We’re very excited to welcome these three players to our family,” said Smith. “Jason (Richardson) is a tremendous athlete who runs the floor, can shoot the ball and loves to compete. We’re obviously familiar with Hedo (Turkoglu). He is a great shooter and is a player that has flourished in our system. We liked Earl (Clark) in the draft a few years ago, and he will help fortify our frontcourt. Vince (Carter), Marcin (Gortat) and Mickael (Pietrus) did a lot for our organization and we wish them great success in the future.”
Second Look: Denver Nuggets 111, Orlando Magic 94
AP Photo/Jack Dempsey
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “Frustration oozed throughout the Orlando Magic locker room late Tuesday night. Stan Van Gundy dressed down his players after the final buzzer. Later, Jameer Nelson sat at his locker, read the postgame box score, crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it to the ground. In a postgame interview, Dwight Howard all but called out Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis by name for their terrible defense against Carmelo Anthony. The Orlando Magic had just concluded their dreadful West Coast road trip with a 111-94 loss to the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Magic performed just as poorly as they did in Portland, Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. [...] The Magic have lost five of their last six games, a freefall that has prompted their fans to call for a major trade and the players themselves unable to explain why their defensive intensity has dropped off so badly.”
- John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com: “Short-handed because of injuries at absolutely the worst position to have them on this night and dragging at the end of a long and frustrating roadtrip, the Orlando Magic suffered a fourth-quarter meltdown on Tuesday that likely could be felt from the Rocky Mountains all the way back to Florida. And when Denver’s 111-94 demolition of Orlando was complete late Tuesday night, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was irate and threatening changes, Jameer Nelson wadded up a stat sheet and fired it across the floor and disgusted star Dwight Howard fumed over his team’s defensive lapses and talked of just wanting to get back home again. When Orlando got outscored 32-16 in the final period – getting shredded defensively and coming unglued offensively — it undermined a career night from shooting guard J.J. Redick and a solid effort through three quarters by the team. And it left a Magic team that has openly talked about being on a championship-or-bust mission since training camp somewhat in shambles as far as their confidence is concerned. Orlando (16-9) limped back to its plane for Florida following a disappointing 1-3 record on this four-game, seven-day roadtrip. Orlando lost in Portland, Utah and Denver, but did enough to beat the Clippers in Los Angeles on Sunday night.”
- Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post: “Against a tough home team like Denver–which is now 11-1 at Pepsi Center–opponents already have a small margin for error. Orlando’s margin shrunk when it learned it would not have the services of [Mickael] Pietrus or [Quentin] Richardson this evening. Overcoming those deficits with only an eight-man rotation–Malik Allen and Chris Duhon did not play–would have been a tall task. The Magic’s performance through the first 36 minutes suggested they were up to it, but the Nuggets doubled them up, 32-16, in the fourth quarter. To fall so hard like that must sting, especially when Redick’s remarkable five-point play gave the Magic a one-point lead with 11:02 remaining. Smith senselessly fouled Redick on a made three-point basket, then earned a technical foul for protesting non-call that occurred on Denver’s previous possession. Redick drained both foul shots to complete the rare feat, but for the rest of the game, Denver stole the show, to the tune of 29-11.”
- Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post: “The postgame commotion Tuesday night had a something’s-going-down feel to it. After the news conferences, Nuggets executives Masai Ujiri and Josh Kroenke bounced from room to room in the bowels of the Pepsi Center searching for their star player. Carmelo Anthony emerged from an interview room with NBATV, and the trio disappeared into the Nuggets’ training room. [...] The vultures are circling. Anthony played as well as he has all season long in the Nuggets’ 111-94 win over Orlando, the team’s 10th straight home victory. His 35 points and 11 rebounds represented his sixth double- double of the season. And all anyone wondered is if his next double-double will come in a different uniform. [...] While the Nuggets were beating Orlando, the New Jersey Nets were making moves believed to be in anticipation of putting together a package strong enough to make another run at the Nuggets star. The impending three-team trade between themselves, Houston and the L.A. Lakers, which can be made official today, features draft picks that may be enticing to a Nuggets organization faced with the realization that Anthony is going to have to be moved or it risks losing him for nothing at the end of the season.”
Recap: Denver Nuggets 111, Orlando Magic 94
AP Photo/Jack Dempsey
When the Orlando Magic embarked on their four-game road trip to the West Coast, it was said that the players would learn a lot about themselves and as a whole, they’d figure out where they stand vis-a-vis the rest of the NBA elite — the Los Angeles Lakers, the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics, and the San Antonio Spurs.
After the Magic went 1-3 against the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, and Denver Nuggets, one thing has become clear.
Orlando isn’t an elite team or a championship contender.
Something is missing from the roster. Against the Blazers, the Magic couldn’t score if their lives depended on it. Against the Jazz, it was a lack of defense. Against the Clippers, after a brilliant first quarter against one of the worst teams in the league, complacency and consistency cropped up as ever-too-familiar issues.
Against the Nuggets? There was little to no defense present from Orlando but more importantly, there was a lack of mental toughness and fight that has plagued the roster since the season began. When the going got tough in the fourth quarter, the Magic wilted and displayed a body language that emitted negativity.
Denver was able to defeat Orlando by the score of 111-94 in a game that was close for 42 minutes. After Vince Carter made a three-pointer at the 6:05 mark of the fourth quarter to pull the Magic’s deficit to one point at 92-91, the Nuggets went on a 19-3 run to turn a competitive game into a blowout. Carmelo Anthony led the way for Denver, putting up 35 points and 11 rebounds. Anthony got plenty of support from his supporting cast, with five players for the Nuggets scoring in double-figures. Orlando was led by J.J. Redick, who had a career-high 29 points on 12 shots — an excellent performance. Dwight Howard finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks. Carter chipped in with 18 points. Unfortunately for the Magic, it was a three-man show offensively between Redick, Howard, and Carter. No one else for Orlando was able to make a significant impact on the game, at least on the offensive side of the ball. The defense?
That was a different story altogether.
Tuesday’s Magic Word
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “The next time the [Orlando] Magic see the Denver Nuggets, Carmelo Anthony will be wearing a New York Knicks uniform — or so the story goes. Could he be wearing a Magic jersey? Or another team’s gear? [...] Anthony faces the Magic tonight and likely won’t be with the Nuggets for the March rematch in Orlando. Or maybe he will. Approach any trade rumor with care. The Magic haven’t been in the rumor mill for ‘Melo’s services. But I’ve talked to their execs, and they aren’t backing away from trying to swing a deal, whether it’s for Melo, Chris Paul, Tayshaun Prince, Gilbert Arenas, Monta Ellis, Fill-In-The-Blank. Sam Smith of the Chicago Bulls’ website just tossed out a trade scenario involving Memphis and Orlando — involving Vince Carter and Brandon Bass and Zach Randolph and O.J. Mayo. Trade talk is bound to pick up because this summer’s players signed as free agents can be dealt starting Wednesday.”
- Head coach Stan Van Gundy jokingly suggests the Denver Nuggets should sit Carmelo Anthony in tonight’s game: “Well, I’m just concerned about his knee injury for the long term, and I really think more rest is what’s needed for him.”
- Brandon Bass will start at power forward against the Nuggets.
- Chauncey Billups may not play against the Orlando Magic later this evening.
- Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post: “The point here is that, from at least one standpoint, the current Magic team that seems like such a letdown to many of its fans is actually right on track with the 2008/09 squad, which is so beloved. Scoring margin isn’t everything, of course. I realize that. But the 2009 team went from “pretty good” to “freaking fantastic” once its three-point shooting corrected itself and the defense took it to antother gear, contending for a championship despite subbing the production of two mediocre point guards (Rafer Alston and Anthony Johnson) for one All-Star one (Jameer Nelson) in mid-February. There’s no reason why the current team can’t make a similar advance as the season goes along.”
- Britt Robson of Sports Illustrated: “A team with the best defender on the planet always merits respect. But with more than one-quarter of the season gone, a trademark of the Magic’s past success, three-point accuracy, is still missing. In the last six games, Orlando hasn’t shot better than 36 percent from behind the arc, and it ranks 17th overall at 35.5 percent. Then there is the team’s recent post-intermission blues: The Magic have outscored their opponents in just one of the past 10 second-half quarters over the last five games. After a relatively light week — at Denver on Tuesday and home against the Sixers on Saturday — the schedule ratchets up with a trip to Atlanta and home games against Dallas, San Antonio and Boston.”
- No more dunk contests for Dwight Howard.
- Zach Lowe of The Point Forward kicks around trade ideas: “The wing is crowded in Orlando, with [Quentin] Richardson, Vince Carter, [J.J.] Redick and Mickael Pietrus all fighting for minutes (and Rashard Lewis getting more time at small forward), and it wouldn’t shock me if the Magic somehow addressed the redundancy.”
- Eric Freeman of Ball Don’t Lie: “Howard’s path from dunk contest fun to retirement is a familiar one for superstars. Players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter stopped participating in dunk contests to focus on being serious. It didn’t work for all of them — VC will always be mostly fondly remembered for his 2000 victory in Oakland — but the best players around trade in dunk contest hardware for championship rings.”
- Chris Tomasson of NBA FanHouse opines on Rashard Lewis’ struggles offensively this year.
Monday’s Magic Word
- Zach McCann of the Orlando Sentinel: “Orlando Magic forward Mickael Pietrus is shooting 39.1 percent from three-point range this season, the second-highest percentage on the team and the best of his career. On a team where myriad players have struggled with deep shooting – J.J. Redick, Rashard Lewis, Quentin Richardson and Vince Carter are all shooting below their career three-point percentages – Pietrus’ consistency from the outside has been much-needed. The problem is, that’s all he’s contributing on offense. An absurd 75.6 percent of his field-goal attempts have been three-pointers this season, and out of 115 field-goal attempts, only nine of those shots have come at the rim.”
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “Yeah, the Magic’s four-game losing streak was hard for fans and not kind to Stan Van Gundy’s blood pressure. But fans better buckle in and brace themselves: The turbulence is far from over. Up ahead next week, and all in succession: Atlanta, Dallas, San Antonio and, on Christmas Day, Boston. The Spurs (20-3), Mavs (19-4) and Celtics (19-4) are the hottest teams in the league. You can look at it two ways, of course: 1) The Magic can continue to stagger or 2) they can regain some traction they lost during this recent slide by beating some of the best. Van Gundy said that this was the team’s toughest stretch of the year, beginning with the West trip. The Magic didn’t respond like he envisioned, and not just because they lost —but it was how they lost.”
- Dwight Howard provides some words of wisdom: “This is a long season. We’re going to have months where we don’t play well, and there’s no needing everybody, especially the captain of the team, after everybody’s yelling and going back and forth, trying to figure out what we need to do. We’ve just got to play. The more you talk, the more everybody’s just talking about what you’ve got to do, all the frustration just continues to build up. We’re gonna have bad games. I don’t think people understand that. You’re never gonna go 82-0. You’re going to have losing streaks. You’re going to have winning streaks. All that stuff is a part of playing in the NBA.”
- Howard has more to say on his official blog: “As the captain of this team, I’ve been looking for ways to get our team out of this little slump. We had a meeting the other night after the Portland lost, but I’ve found that it´s better to do less talking and lead with actions in times like these. I actually talked to a really good player on another team who I consider a mentor and he gave me that advice.“
- I wonder who he is?
- ‘O’ is for Orlando’s offensive woes. Rohan of Hardwood Paroxysm explains: “The primary culprits have actually been an increased tendency to turn the ball over and the slightly lower frequency with which they’ve gotten to the line. So far this year, the Magic have turned the ball over on 15.3% of their possessions, which is the second worst mark in the East and third in the league. And while Jameer Nelson has been turning it over a touch more than we’re used to, the real issue is the ball handling of Chris Duhon. Duhon has turned it over almost once every three possessions; toss in the fact that he’s playing more than 20 minutes a night, and the impact is readily noticeable. Of his 37 turnovers, 26 have come via stolen or bad passes.”
Recap: Portland Trail Blazers 97, Orlando Magic 83
AP Photo/Steve Dykes
The Portland Trail Blazers were able to defeat the Orlando Magic by the score of 97-83. For the Magic, they’re now on a three-game losing streak. An item of note is that this is the first time, in the Stan Van Gundy era, that Orlando has lost three games in a row without scoring more than 85 points in each game. Not sure if that anecdote carries any significance, but it’s something worth pointing out. The Blazers were led by Andre Miller, who flirted with a triple-double and finished with 22 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and two steals. Wesley Matthews continues his strong play in the starting lineup for Portland, finishing with 20 points and three steals. Nicolas Batum chipped in with 15 points and 10 rebounds. For the Magic, it was all Dwight Howard — 39 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks. Yes, four other players for Orlando scored in double-figures but they got their points when the game was no longer in contest.
Second Look: Atlanta Hawks 80, Orlando Magic 74
AP Photo/John Raoux
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “Stan Van Gundy wanted to find something positive about the way the Orlando Magic played against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night. He pored over the box score and pored over it and pored over it. But he found nothing encouraging. The Magic lost to the Hawks in a game every bit as ugly as the 80-74 final score indicated. Dwight Howard, Mickael Pietrus and J.J. Redick returned from a nasty stomach bug, but the entire team played with little energy and just as little sharpness. [...] Fatigue had something to do with it. Howard, Pietrus and Redick returned from the vicious stomach virus. And the guys who hadn’t been sick were finishing an exhausting stretch of five games in seven nights. Meanwhile, the Hawks left Amway Center feeling as though they had turned a corner. Until Monday, they had lost 11 of their last 12 regular-season and postseason games to the Magic.”
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “The question on Monday night was whether the Magic could hold down the Hawks — and their lunch. They successfully accomplished one of the duties without IV drips or air-sickness bags or calling for mommy. After all their short-handed heroics last week, this home loss to Atlanta was hard to stomach, too. If you follow the Magic — and I wouldn’t follow them too closely yet without a flu shot — you know that the team has been downsized by an industrial-strength bug. It’s, uh, bowl season for the Magic. They still weren’t whole against the Hawks as point guard Jameer Nelson was home on sick leave. Dwight Howard, J.J. Redick and Pietrus found enough strength and Maalox to play. You wouldn’t think a strain of anything could bring down Howard, but he crumbled in sections. Of course, no virus would even think about approaching Stan Van Gundy without a whip and chair, afraid of the yelling. Despite being laughably depleted, the Magic went on the road and won two of three with as few as eight players. And Vince Carter pushed them, leading with his chin.”
- John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com: “Not that they needed any provoking with a nasty virus that has already swept through the team, but Monday the Orlando Magic suffered the kind of loss that could make them sick for at least a couple of days. Needless to say, this one was hard for the Magic to stomach. Unable to get stops down the stretch and mired in an offensive funk most of the night, a tired and sickly Magic squad suffered another indignity Monday night with an unsightly 80-74 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at a sold-out Amway Center. The Magic (15-6) shot a dismal 37.8 percent, missed 18 of 22 3-point shots and turned the ball over 17 times because of too many three-second calls, offensive fouls and forced passes. And even when the Magic battled through a 4-minute stretch of the fourth quarter without a point and got back to being down just three points, they allowed a 3-point dagger from Mike Bibby to seal the defeat.”
- Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post: “Nights like this make one appreciate what Nelson can do for Orlando’s ballclub. Though Chris Duhon played one of his better games of the season filling in for Nelson, the Magic nonetheless had to use Carter to initiate much of their offense, which yielded unimpressive results. Carter wisely looked to attack Atlanta’s weak perimeter defenders in the pick-and-roll, but Horford and Smith provided expert help throughout the game. With the outside shots falling off the rim, the passing lanes open only briefly, and Jason Collins blanketing Howard inside, the Magic struggled to get good shot attempts. There’s very little good to say about that end of the floor tonight. Even without Nelson, Orlando’s capable of more offensively.”
- Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “In one night the Hawks finally figured out how to beat the Magic and win a tight game against a good opponent, and do both without injured All-Star Joe Johnson. The Hawks defeated the Magic 80-74 on Monday night at Amway Center to end a six-game losing streak in Orlando. The Hawks had lost 10 of their last 11 games against the Magic, who swept them in 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals by an NBA record margin of 101 points. Considering that ugly history, this was more than just a routine December road victory for the Hawks. [...] Atlanta led 62-55 with less than eight minutes to play, but Orlando quickly cut it to 64-62. After the teams traded baskets, the Hawks finally found a burst of scoring down the stretch. Smith made a fade-away jump shot and Josh Powell was fouled after rebounding his own miss. Powell made both free throws. Hawks guard Mike Bibby next pump-faked Chris Duhon and made a 3-pointer to cap the 7-0 run. The Magic had one last run at the Hawks. Rashard Lewis made a 3-pointer, after Atlanta’s Jamal Crawford answered with a driving score, Vince Carter scored on consecutive drives and completed a 3-point play on the second one to make it 73-67. That’s when Bibby delivered another clutch dagger. His high-arching 3-pointer from the middle of the court gave the Hawks a 76-72 lead and they finished off a rare victory over the Magic.”
- Bret LaGree of Hoopinion: “The Atlanta Hawks beat the Orlando Magic in Orlando without a single player having a good offensive game and it’s this uncharacteristic nature of the victory that gives it its power. The Hawks won without shooting well. They won without dominating the offensive glass. They won despite scoring just two fast break points. They won due to a combination of self-awareness, adaptability, and, yes, effort. It might be a one-off. That might not matter. There aren’t many teams as deep, as well-designed, and as well-coached as the Orlando Magic. Tonight, the Atlanta Hawks solved a difficult problem and that achievement should, in and of itself, be sufficient. No qualifications or caveats necessary.”
Recap: Atlanta Hawks 80, Orlando Magic 74
AP Photo/John Raoux
In a poorly played game on both sides, the Atlanta Hawks were able to defeat the Orlando Magic by the score of 80-74. The Magic welcomed back Dwight Howard, Mickael Pietrus, and J.J. Redick from a stomach virus that ravaged the team during their three-game road trip in the Midwest. Jameer Nelson sat out the game as he continues to recover from illness. The Hawks were led by Josh Smith, who had 19 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks and played one of his better games against Orlando in recent history. Al Horford finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks. Jamal Crawford chipped in with 15 points off the bench, albeit it took him 17 shots to get to that point total. Mike Bibby was the hero for Atlanta, scoring 11 points and making huge buckets down the stretch. The Magic were led by a balanced attack, as five players scored in double figures. Vince Carter was the lead man for Orlando, putting up 18 points and eight rebounds. Howard, shaking off the rust, had 14 points, 13 rebounds, two steals, three blocks but unfortunately for him, he also had six turnovers. Not good.
The Hawks do deserve credit for winning the game but boy, the Magic looked tired as they played their fourth game in five days. Apart from Chris Duhon‘s hustle play in the first quarter, in which he intercepted a pass from Smith that was intended for Crawford, then saved the basketball from going out-of-bounds while diving into the crowd and igniting a fast break that led to a layup for Redick, there was little energy or effort exhibited from Orlando. Atlanta didn’t look that much better, to be frank, but they made the necessary plays in the fourth quarter to pull out the victory on the road. James Naismith wouldn’t be proud of this performance if he were alive.
Recap: Orlando Magic 104, Detroit Pistons 91
AP Photo/Duane Burleson
No Dwight Howard. No Jameer Nelson. No J.J. Redick. No Mickael Pietrus. And after spraining his right foot literally seconds after checking into the game in the second quarter, no Ryan Anderson either. Guess what?
No problem.
Despite playing the basketball equivalent of a skeleton crew, the Orlando Magic were able to defeat the Detroit Pistons by the score of 104-91 to extend their winning streak to a season-high six games. Even though a stomach virus depleted the roster and forced the Magic to play with eight players, they performed like a more talented version of the “Heart and Hustle” team in 2000. Orlando has won a lot of games over the years but given the circumstances, this was one of the most impressive wins in franchise history. That’s not hyperbole. The Magic should be proud of this win because they played with tremendous energy and effort. It was a balanced attack for Orlando, as five players scored in double figures but the leaders of the game were Vince Carter and Brandon Bass. Carter, for one night, was the focal point of the Magic’s offense and superb in his role, finishing with 25 points, nine assists, and three steals. Bass was equally brilliant, scoring a career-high 27 points on 11-of-12 shooting and serving notice that he’s a legitimate Sixth Man of the Year candidate in the NBA. Marcin Gortat chipped in with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks. Quentin Richardson and Rashard Lewis each had 15 points at the forward positions.
