Orlando Magic News for November 15th: Courtney Lee's Defense is Getting Him Noticed

by Evan Dunlap on Nov 15, 2008 2:31 PM EST in News

Weekend edition!

Rookie Courtney Lee, who was the first shooting guard off the bench last night in Dallas, is impressing the right people with his play lately: coach Stan Van Gundy and general manager Otis Smith. They love his defense. I wonder what it means for J.J. Redick...
- On a related note, be sure to check out the 2008/2009 Orlando Magic Depth Chart, the latest special page on this website. I elevated Courtney Lee to the "rotation" level of the table after last night's win.
Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi thinks it's ridiculous that former Magic stars Grant Hill and Shaquille O'Neal, now teammates in Phoenix, have expressed an interest in buying the team when their playing days are over. Magic president Bob Vander Weide commented for the piece:
"There will not be any for-sale sign on the Orlando Magic," Magic President Bob Vander Weide definitively told me the other day. "Shaq and Grant are friends, and I appreciate the fact that they are looking ahead to their post-basketball careers, but we have just made a long-term commitment to the City of Orlando and are excited about the new venue and our team. We're not only excited about this season, we're excited about the many seasons we will have in Orlando. We want our kids to be involved with this team."

Take that.

J.J. Redick's newest blog entry expresses frustration with his lack of playing time, lists his favorite NBA arenas, and mentions the following factoid about Mickael Pietrus:
MP was yelling "shoooo-woooop" each time he shot a three in the second half. I’m not sure what "shoooo-woooop" means but it worked- he was on fire.
Nutty. Gotta love Mickael.
Here's Whit Watson's latest missive from the road trip.

Enjoy the weekend.

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Good read from JJ

I hope he get his chance somewhere.

I think the only way he gets another shot here is if we decide to trade Bogans, which could still happen I guess. Or there could be an injury (knock on wood).

I know what I saw in the preseason, and his defense did improve. If he can get to a point where he is not a sieve on the defensive end (like I just said, I think he is there, just not mentally???) than I think he’ll have real value for someone. I’m kinda pissed he chocked his 6th man spot away, how nice would that have been if it worked out? JJ raining three’s and ruining opposing defenses day….

'Coach, Dwight is a nice guy. Dwight don't hit anybody. But Superman will knock the crap out of you.' - D12

by Eyriq the Red on Nov 15, 2008 2:55 PM EST reply actions

Shaq cannot afford to buy the Magic.

Just sayin’.

by TheGiantSquid on Nov 15, 2008 2:59 PM EST reply actions

Maybe JJ needs to get a little of that “shoooo-woooop” mojo going on his shot.

by eltharion_doa on Nov 15, 2008 6:28 PM EST reply actions

JJ is frustrating for a fan

First he was lights out but a HUGE defensive liability. Now his defense has improved greatly but he can’t buy a bucket. It’s frustrating because you want a guy like that to play well.

by magic fanatic on Nov 16, 2008 1:12 PM EST reply actions