Van Gundy Hopes Offseason Training Pays Off

Coach Stan Van Gundy has joked about his weight from time to time, but this offseason, he decided it was time to get down to business.  You've surely seen the articles, they've blown up all over the web.

"Slightly slimmer and more physically fit, Van Gundy is exercising on the elliptical machine and lifting weights. He's also trying to eat better, he said, and is scheduled to have another checkup in two weeks to find out exactly how much weight he's lost,"  the AP reports.

While we don't know the final tally after a summer of hard work, the visual results are stunning:

What can we reasonably expect from such a dramatic change?  Vince Carter says we've already gotten a glimpse.  

"Me sitting here and just trying to praise him for his hard work in the summer won't do it justice," Carter said. "The product that you're seeing on the court is a testament to what he's really put in this summer as far as his conditioning, his strength, his knowledge of the game."

Dwight Howard added, "He finally can wear shirts without a stretchy neck hole.  You saw the tie, didn't you?"

For those wondering whether or not the more movement-restrictive clothes will have an impact on Van Gundy's demonstrative sideline antics, he put those fears to rest.

"Is it harder to flail my arms with a shirt and tie than it was with a turtleneck?  Sure.  But I dropped my body fat percentage well over three percent, and my conditioning is much improved... and while I haven't caught up to Dwight on the bench press, I'm closing in.  That more than makes up for any problems the tie will give me.  In fact, you'll see moves from me that I haven't been able to pull off since my Wisconsin days."

Magic players are really gearing up for "Vintage" Van Gundy this season, but no one is more pumped than Jameer Nelson.

"We know his current moves: the furious pound on his chair, the disgusted arm cross, and the classic flail.  But with the work he put in this summer, the sky is the limit as to how animated he can get on the bench this year.  It has the chance to truly be a special season."

Only time will tell.