Denton: Magic-Nets Preview
By John Denton
October 30, 2009
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
ORLANDO – Vince Carter did the whole homecoming thing on Wednesday, scoring 15 points and hitting three 3-pointers in his first game with the Orlando Magic, the team he rooted for as a child while growing up in nearby Daytona Beach.
Now, for his next act: A reunion tour.
Orlando’s next two games are against New Jersey (tonight, 8 p.m.) and Toronto (Sunday, 1 p.m.), Carter’s two NBA homes for the past 11 seasons. Carter was a Raptor for the first 6 ½ seasons of his NBA career. He then spent the next 4 ½ seasons in New Jersey.
This will be his first trip back to New Jersey, where he fully expects to be warmly greeted. In Toronto, well, that’s a different story considering how Carter publicly stated his desire to get out of Canada back in 2005. Still, he’s looking forward to enduring the emotions that the next two road games will produce.
``It’s my tour week I guess, being back at home and then going back to the two places where I have played in the NBA,’’ he said. ``I get to go back to New Jersey, a place where I had a lot of friends and then back to Toronto, where it all started for me in the NBA. It should be fun.’’
Carter hopes the Magic have as much fun as they did in Wednesday’s 120-106 season-opening win against Philadelphia. Orland hit 55 percent of its field goals, made 16 3-pointers and once led the re-tooled Sixers by as many as 31 points. When the game was over, Carter looked around the Magic’s locker room and summed up his happiness with being in Orlando.
Gushed Vince: ``You’re surrounded by so many guys who can do so many things that it’s like heaven around here.’’
The two games ahead also feature a reunion of sorts for several other former Magic players. In order to get Carter and starting power forward Ryan Anderson, Orlando had to give up promising shooting guard Courtney Lee and veterans Rafer Alston and Tony Battie. All three were vital parts of the Magic getting to the Finals last season, and Magic coach Stan Van Gundy raved about the professionalism of that trio when they were mentioned late Wednesday night.
``Nothing but great, great respect and appreciation for those guys from my part,’’ Van Gundy said. ``Those guys did a lot for our team and for me as a coach. You get a lot of credit in this business when you are coaching guys like that.
``Courtney’s rookie year was clearly outstanding. Rafer what he did was amazing – to come in at midseason and blend in and push a team to the Finals was amazing. And Tony Battie is one of the most professional guys you’ll ever have and solid. There’s no way that we get to where we did last year without those guys.’’
It was at that point that Van Gundy grew wistful when talking about what it will be like seeing Lee, Alston and Battie across the way with the opposition. After all, it was just four short months ago that those players were taking the Magic further than the franchise ever had gone. For that, Van Gundy said, he’ll forever be grateful to the trio now playing for the Nets.
``It’ll be different seeing them on the other side. There’s a tendency to always see them as your guys. And in some sense they always will be,’’ Van Gundy said. ``Guys that put out that kind of effort for you, even if they are on the other side, you have a different sort of feeling for them. And then we’ll go to Toronto and it’ll be the same with (Hedo Turkoglu). They won a lot of games for us and I have great appreciation for them.’’
Carter said he still has an appreciation for the New Jersey organization and he deeply hopes that the reception he gets will be a warm one. He said several Nets fans sent him thankful messages after his trade to Orlando, and he even got a good luck text message recently from Nets president Rod Thorn.
``As difficult as it was the past two years I tried to lay it on the line,’’ Carter said of his Nets days. ``We were picked last in the East for two years and I tried to make sure that didn’t happen. It was a good feeling that the fans were not happy to see me traded. I see some of the encouraging letters through my website. My basketball camp there (this past summer) was very emotional, seeing those kids and parents. It was an emotional time.’’
And tonight, too, is expected to be an emotional game for many of the Magic and Nets players and coaches involved.
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Orlando Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard on ESPN 1080 AM on Thursday at 5:05 p.m. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
By John DentonOctober 30, 2009
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
ORLANDO – Vince Carter did the whole homecoming thing on Wednesday, scoring 15 points and hitting three 3-pointers in his first game with the Orlando Magic, the team he rooted for as a child while growing up in nearby Daytona Beach.
Now, for his next act: A reunion tour.
Orlando’s next two games are against New Jersey (tonight, 8 p.m.) and Toronto (Sunday, 1 p.m.), Carter’s two NBA homes for the past 11 seasons. Carter was a Raptor for the first 6 ½ seasons of his NBA career. He then spent the next 4 ½ seasons in New Jersey.
This will be his first trip back to New Jersey, where he fully expects to be warmly greeted. In Toronto, well, that’s a different story considering how Carter publicly stated his desire to get out of Canada back in 2005. Still, he’s looking forward to enduring the emotions that the next two road games will produce.
``It’s my tour week I guess, being back at home and then going back to the two places where I have played in the NBA,’’ he said. ``I get to go back to New Jersey, a place where I had a lot of friends and then back to Toronto, where it all started for me in the NBA. It should be fun.’’
Carter hopes the Magic have as much fun as they did in Wednesday’s 120-106 season-opening win against Philadelphia. Orland hit 55 percent of its field goals, made 16 3-pointers and once led the re-tooled Sixers by as many as 31 points. When the game was over, Carter looked around the Magic’s locker room and summed up his happiness with being in Orlando.
Gushed Vince: ``You’re surrounded by so many guys who can do so many things that it’s like heaven around here.’’
The two games ahead also feature a reunion of sorts for several other former Magic players. In order to get Carter and starting power forward Ryan Anderson, Orlando had to give up promising shooting guard Courtney Lee and veterans Rafer Alston and Tony Battie. All three were vital parts of the Magic getting to the Finals last season, and Magic coach Stan Van Gundy raved about the professionalism of that trio when they were mentioned late Wednesday night.
``Nothing but great, great respect and appreciation for those guys from my part,’’ Van Gundy said. ``Those guys did a lot for our team and for me as a coach. You get a lot of credit in this business when you are coaching guys like that.
``Courtney’s rookie year was clearly outstanding. Rafer what he did was amazing – to come in at midseason and blend in and push a team to the Finals was amazing. And Tony Battie is one of the most professional guys you’ll ever have and solid. There’s no way that we get to where we did last year without those guys.’’
It was at that point that Van Gundy grew wistful when talking about what it will be like seeing Lee, Alston and Battie across the way with the opposition. After all, it was just four short months ago that those players were taking the Magic further than the franchise ever had gone. For that, Van Gundy said, he’ll forever be grateful to the trio now playing for the Nets.
``It’ll be different seeing them on the other side. There’s a tendency to always see them as your guys. And in some sense they always will be,’’ Van Gundy said. ``Guys that put out that kind of effort for you, even if they are on the other side, you have a different sort of feeling for them. And then we’ll go to Toronto and it’ll be the same with (Hedo Turkoglu). They won a lot of games for us and I have great appreciation for them.’’
Carter said he still has an appreciation for the New Jersey organization and he deeply hopes that the reception he gets will be a warm one. He said several Nets fans sent him thankful messages after his trade to Orlando, and he even got a good luck text message recently from Nets president Rod Thorn.
``As difficult as it was the past two years I tried to lay it on the line,’’ Carter said of his Nets days. ``We were picked last in the East for two years and I tried to make sure that didn’t happen. It was a good feeling that the fans were not happy to see me traded. I see some of the encouraging letters through my website. My basketball camp there (this past summer) was very emotional, seeing those kids and parents. It was an emotional time.’’
And tonight, too, is expected to be an emotional game for many of the Magic and Nets players and coaches involved.
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Orlando Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard on ESPN 1080 AM on Thursday at 5:05 p.m. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
