Submit Your Questions for Orlando Magic Media Day

I’ll try to think of some more…

Does VanGundy envision some “twin tower” action with Gortat and Howard?

Will the team crash the boards more this year or drop back into defensive mode as soon as the ball is shot and depend on Howard for offensive rebounds?

Should it be expected that every given team will have its injuries throughout a season and its playoffs? What kind of injuries do you expect and if serious, will you have the means and will to acquire a “Rafer Alston” again?

 The teams winning championships recently have consistently placed in the tops of team defensive ratings every season, and for SVG, he coaches a defense first philosophy. What has SVG said to you about your defense?

What does SVG look for when deciding who will be the first PF off the bench? (Alternately, what does he need to see from Bass and Anderson in order to determine who is the first off the bench?)

Will the backup PG position be battled out for in training camp? Will we see one backup basically eliminate the other’s time? Or will you employ AJ and J-Will at times per matchups and to keep both ready for the playoffs?

Are you worried that the Magic will likely lose some team defensive abilities in favor of offense? (If he even thinks they lost anything defensively.. bc I dont see it)

Alot of projected lineups and predictions say you will either start or be a big part of the team this coming season and recently SVG said you have a good chance to be the in-bounds passer for some very critical moments of games, just like Hedo Turkoglu did.

It seems the Magic are very high on your abilities as a player, particularly on the defensive end.

Whether you or MP starts this season, Do you think you two can be as effective defensively as say, the forward combo of Battier and Artest was last season for HOU, known as possibly the best 1-2 punch of defensive wing players in the league last season?

SVG: Do you plan on using Anderson strictly as a situation player or does he figure to be part of the main front court rotation?

Ryan: Besides stretching the floor with your 3-point shooting, in what other ways do you feel you can contribute to the team, offensively and defensively? (Translation: Are you more than just a stand-still 3pt shooting big?)

SVG: Will Gortat’s minutes depend strictly on Dwight’s foul status and/or giving him a breather? (pretty much his role last year) Or will he have a bigger role than last year’s, especially if he has shown improvement on offense (PF-like skills, mid range shot etc.)

Gortat: It’s no secret that you were excited about the opportunity to become the new starting center in Dallas and were a little surprised that the Magic matched. Will you be satisfied being Dwight’s backup for the next 5 years?

There seems to be a good chance that SVG will elect to play Rashard Lewis at PF after the suspension to keep the floor spaced out for Dwight with four 3pnt shooters. Thats not what they want from you however..
They seem set to play you as Tony Battie’s role from last season. He brought better defense, rebounding, and a midrange game for the team. However, Battie was in his mid 30’s and you seem better in every single aspect. I wouldn’t be surprised if you started some games this season or in the playoffs and increased the minutes per game he had last season. Have you watched some last season games to see what Battie was doing?

Along with many other Magic players, it seems you have already been working out and training alot of the summer here. How do you feel health and fitness wise? Wil this possibly be your healthiest season yet?
In terms of play, have you learned more Magic offense already since being signed, whether by playbook studying or video of previous games? The Magic offense also seems to take 3 point shooting and apply it 3 times more than a normal team, have you been practicing your 3pnt shooting and feel confident in taking that shot?

You missed playing with France this summer to help heal yourself fully.
What else have you done to keep yourself healthier this season, instead of doing all your damage in the playoffs? with a grin

Will you spend more time with the trainer staff this year also, even if for injury prevention only?

And in terms of play,
You were one of the best wing defenders in the playoffs and brought some impressive and clutch offensive production as well.
Do you think you can be as consistenly good as you were in the playoffs for this upcoming season and improve upon it?

On offense,
Do you see yourself playing face up more often? It seems you’ve become quite efficient and confident with the midrange jumper, and it’d give you more room for attacking the basket quickly.
You also seemed much more adept than usual at passing out of the post in the playoffs than you were in the regular season. Will we see that more now in this upcoming regular season?
Some people would say your best offensive ability is to simpy power through opponents for the slam and that you’ve gotten away from it alittle by overplaying the sweeping hook a little too much. Will we see more power plays and post plays in your offense this year?

On defense,
In terms of team defense, you are the anchor and focal point of it all, your blocking and presence have changed countless shots inside the paint, and statistically every team plays in the paint less than normal when they play the Magic because of you.
One year you said you would get the rebounding title and thus it happened that year.
Then you said you would get the blocking title and thus it happened also, along with the rebounding title again and your first DPOY award.
Will you drop defensively now that you have won the rebounding, blocking, and DPOY title, or will you keep holding those positions and improve upon them?

Like your former coach Lawrence Frank, Stan Van Gundy is a more vocal and pushing coach than the typical head coach of the NBA.

During round 2 of the Boston Celtics playoffs, the Magic found themselves down 3-2 in the series and Dwight made a public statement questioning a few moves by SVG. However, Dwight and SVG took a long talk together and by the following morning, we’re back to a good relationship and on the same page. As you obviously know, the Magic came through to win that series on their home floor later on.
Now hypothetically speaking, if SVG was yelling at you to play with more focus, or if you and SVG got in a dispute, how would you react?
Would you, like Dwight, be able to admit a mistake if it were to happen, or to quickly get the relationship back to a good level and move on, on the same page as the coach and team?

Compared to last season, will you bring more or less focus into team defense this season?