Jeff Gardenour's Orlando Magic fan blog

Guess Stan Gundy's benching of Dwight Howard following Orlando's loss to the Cavaliers worked some Magic after all. Howard, apparently motivated by being called out by Van Gundy for his lack of defensive prowess, went wild on Denver, posting 23 points and 24 boards in a 109-98 whipping at Amway Arena. He was an unstoppable force Wednesday night, blocking shots, rebounding at will and hammering Denver's weak front line with thunderous dunks. The Nuggets simply have no post player to match up with Howard, save for Kenyon Martin, who was ineffective against the 6-foot-10 tower of power. Next stop for Dwight: the NBA All-Star Game, where he will start at center for the first time. Rashard Lewis also played well, pouring in 25 points. But, he still needs to work on consistency.

Continue reading "Re: Magic, Howard throw-down Nuggets"

The Orlando Magic might want to check their stat sheet again today. Larry Hughes scored 40 points, yes, that's right, 40, to lead Cleveland to a 118-111 victory on Monday night. Larry who? Exactly. On a night when LeBron James scored a mere 29 points and dished out 10 assists for another double-double, the King was upstaged by Hughes, who poured in 23 points, alone, in the fourth quarter. You've got to be kidding me. This is like Tiger Woods losing to the world's 100th-ranked golfer, or the Miami Dolphins beating the New England Patriots. Pitiful. Orlando's defense, which played admirably in the early going, is a mere shell of its former self heading into the All-Star break. This is a team that can't rely on Dwight Howard all season long to make the playoffs, let alone win its division. Rashard Lewis missed open look after open look against the Cavs. He can be a 6-foot-10 waste of money, sometimes. Lewis needs to work on his stroke all night and all day to show fans he is worth his big contract. The Magic need more than Howard to win their division. Washington and Atlanta both are solid teams, and will hang around to the end. And, the Magic can ill afford another petty breakdown between coach Stan Van Gundy and Howard, who was benched for a period of time in the fourth quarter after a verbal confrontation upset the coaching staff. This is like Bill Belichick sitting Tom Brady. What? Wake up, people. This is the NBA, not high school or college. If you pay a man millions of dollars, play him, and talk to him about his shortcomings in private later. Stupid.

Continue reading "Larry Who? Faceless Cav sinks Magic"

The Magic battle LeBron and the Cavs tonight. Orlando must be on its toes, defensively, and can ill afford a bad shooting night. The key may be the Turk, who can be deadly when he's on. A win against the Cavs solidifies Orlando as a legitimate top 4 seed for the playoffs later this year. Watch for Turk, Lewis and Bogans to fire away on the Cavs.

Continue reading "Re: The King Comes to Orlando"

Boston fans might be getting a little ahead of themselves. We have seen how fragile this team is when Kevin Garnett is not in the lineup. The Celtics don't have the depth to win the whole thing. The only way Boston will win it is if all three of their stars -- KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce -- are healthy at the end when it counts. For all intents and purposes, the West seems to hold the next NBA champion -- again.

Continue reading "Celtics OVERRATED?"

He was the NCAA's best bomber of all time, canning a record 457 three-pointers while running the court for one of college basketball's top programs: the Duke Blue Devils.

Now, he's a bench-warmer, resigned to watching others shoot their way to NBA fame.

The Orlando Magic figure to eventually trade J.J. Redick, who has played in only three games this season. Although he was seen as an offensive juggernaut when he was drafted in the first round in 2006, he seems destined to ride the pine because of coach Stan Van Gundy's defensive philosophy. The Magic's signing of former Seattle SuperSonics superstar Rashard Lewis in the off-season, and hiring of Van Gundy, all but sealed Redick's fate this year.

Now, Redick watches and waits, wondering when his chance to shine will come. For NBA fans and Fantasy League players, they can pretty much count on him taking his stroke elsewhere in the near future. There is simply no room left on the bench for another shooting star, a rather strange and pointless truth for one of the nation's best all-time college players. But, it's safe to say that Redick's NBA career is not shot up just yet. He bombed too many opponents in college to just fade away on the pro scene.

Continue reading "J.J. Redick -- Former Duke star no longer the bomb"