J.J. Redick dribbles the ball upcourt in his first career NBA start last night against Toronto. Redick's performance has captivated parts of the blogosphere.
Photo by Fernando Medina, NBAE/Getty Images
Lots of news today. The first four bullets are sort-of general, while the rest of them concern J.J. Redick. Just a warning for those of you who are sick of J.J.:
This story is now all over the blogosphere, so you may have seen it already, but I'll post it because I'm kinda in love with Marcin Gortat. Anyway, as Kyle Hightower reports, Gortat won a bet with Mickael Pietrus by dunking from the foul line after a recent practice. Dunking from that distance is impressive for anyone, but especially someone who is 7-feet tall. So congratulations, Marcin!
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Kevin Sawyer, in a guest post at Detroit Bad Boys, writes that the Orlando Magic aren't "for real", but "could be a real threat come playoff time."
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FRANCHISE of Raptors HQ offers his thoughts on Jameer Nelson in his recap of Orlando's victory over Toronto last night:
Nelson is a great example of a player who has done the most with his talent as he's turned himself from an undersized scoring point guard with a suspect jump shot, to a solid starter in the league who can now hit that mid-range shot with ease. He absolutely killed the Raptors last night coming off of high screens and hit 10 of his 15 shots on the night.
A fan of an opposing team respects Jameer Nelson. I never thought I'd see the day.
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Magic point guard Mike Wilks underwent surgery to repair his knee today. When asked his name after coming out of surgery, Wilks answered, "Barack Obama." Don't laugh. Wilks may have a point, as he and President-Elect Obama will play the same amount of minutes for the Magic this season: zero. Best wishes on a full recovery, Mike.
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Goathair of Hardwood Paroxysm reviews each first-round draft pick in four words. The verdict on Courtney Lee? "Outplayed by J.J. Redick."
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However, Magic beat writer Brian Schmitz believes that J.J. will once again find himself playing behind Lee and Keith Bogans once Mickael Pietrus is available again, which could be as soon as Friday against Indiana. From a career-high 34 minutes last night to a possible garbage-time cameo or DNP this Friday. Yup, that's J.J. Redick's career.
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In the same post linked in the previous bullet, Schmitz writes that either Redick--who appears to have backed off his trade request--or Keith Bogans "is going to get moved" this season. Brian Cook, who can't crack Orlando's rotation despite his great three-point shooting, may also find himself packing his bags sooner rather than later.
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For his part, John Denton believes that Redick and Lee will split minutes as the team's third shooting guard, behind Pietrus and Bogans, depending on the situation:
Most likely, [Magic coach Stan] Van Gundy will opt for Lee when the Magic need perimeter defense and Redick when Orlando is searching for shooting and scoring punch.
Then, Stan offers his comments on the situation:
"You just don't know because I like all of those (shooting guards)," Van Gundy said. "I just want our guys to understand that nobody is down for the count for the year. All those guys can help us and their time will come. J.J. keeps himself ready."
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Finally, you can find video of J.J.'s post-game interview with Sun Sports' Paul Kennedy on J.J.'s blog.
Tomorrow's Off-Day Open Thread, if there is one, will likely discuss Orlando's shooting guard situation. Unless, that is, you'd rather discuss something else; I don't blame you if you're sick of J.J. talk.