Orlando Magic Blog – Page 31 – NBA Blog

Magic push past banged-up Timberwolves

The Timberwolves are going to miss the playoffs. With a 38-38 record, they are a full seven games behind the Phoenix Suns. Here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune reporting on the latest Wolves loss, which came with multiple key players missing:

Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio sat slumped at his locker after Saturday’s 100-92 loss at Orlando that in every conceivable way did not resemble a double-overtime victory at Miami the night before.

Two large ice bags covered his knees while he soaked his feet in ice. A smaller ice bag wrapped his right shooting hand.

Not him, too?

“Well,” he said, looking up, “It has been a long season.”

It grew noticeably longer for at least one evening when the Wolves on Saturday turned the clock back to a season ago and a time when they regularly played with as few as nine healthy players.

On Saturday, they began without starters Kevin Love, Kevin Martin and Nikola Pekovic — just their three leading scorers — as well as Shabazz Muhammad and then lost Chase Budinger a minute into the game when he turned his ankle after he was fouled on a dunk attempt.

Lakers beat Magic, who have now lost 9 straight games

Here’s the Los Angeles Times Blog reporting on the Lakers, who helped the Orlando Magic maintain their losing ways:

Jordan Hill had a career-high 28 points to help the Lakers end their four-game losing streak with a 103-94 victory over the Orlando Magic.

In an outcome that likely ended any hope the Lakers had for the third lottery position of the 2014 NBA draft, the Lakers gave Orlando their ninth straight loss.

Playing on the second night of back-to-back games, the Magic got a double-double from rookie Victor Oladipo (21 points, 10 assists). Orlando owned a 46-34 rebounding advantage but couldn’t overcome 20 turnovers.

Pau Gasol sat out the second half because of dizziness and nausea after scoring six points and getting two rebounds in 18 minutes in the first half.

Nick Young helped carry the offensive load for the Lakers. He finished with 26 points off the bench. Hill had 13 rebounds. Jodie Meeks also scored in double figures with 13 points and he had six steals.

Magic sign Dewayne Dedmon for rest of season

The Orlando Magic have signed center Dewayne Dedmon for the remainder of the regular season, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today. Dedmon originally signed his first of two 10-day contracts on Feb. 25.

Dedmon (#3, 7’0”, 255, 8/12/89) has appeared in three games with Orlando, averaging 2.3 ppg. and 1.0 rpg. in 2.0 minpg. He has played in 18 combined games this season with Golden State, Philadelphia and Orlando, averaging 2.5 ppg. and 2.9 rpg. in 9.0 minpg. He also appeared in 15 games with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League, averaging 15.2 ppg., 13.1 rpg., 1.3 apg., 2.33 blkpg. and 1.53 stlpg. in 33.7 minpg.

Not drafted by an NBA team in 2013, Dedmon played in 51 games (49 starts) during his two-year career at USC, averaging 7.1 ppg., 6.7 rpg. and 1.67 blkpg. In 2012-13 as a redshirt junior, he appeared in 31 games (29 starts), averaging 6.7 ppg., 7.0 rpg., 2.13 blkpg. and 1.10 stlpg. in 22.3 minpg. He led the Trojans in rebounding and blocked shots. Dedmon did not play organized basketball until his senior year of high school due to religious reasons and played one season at Antelope Valley College in his hometown of Lancaster, CA, before transferring to USC.

In addition, the second 10-day contract of guard-forward Adonis Thomas has expired. Thomas appeared in four games with Orlando, averaging 2.3 ppg. and 1.0 rpg. in 7.6 minpg.

Orlando’s roster now stands at 13 players.

Magic sign Dewayne Dedmon, Adonis Thomas to second 10-day contracts

The Orlando Magic have signed center Dewayne Dedmon and guard-forward Adonis Thomas each to a second 10-day contract, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today. Dedmon and Thomas both originally signed 10-day contracts on Feb. 25.

Dedmon (#3, 7’0”, 255, 8/12/89) has appeared in two games with Orlando, averaging 2.5 ppg. and 1.5 rpg. in 2.2 minpg. He has played in 17 combined games this season with Golden State, Philadelphia and Orlando, averaging 2.5 ppg. and 3.1 rpg. in 9.4 minpg. He also appeared in 15 games with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League, averaging 15.2 ppg., 13.1 rpg., 1.3 apg., 2.33 blkpg. and 1.53 stlpg. in 33.7 minpg.

Thomas (#8, 6’7”, 235, 3/25/93) has appeared in three games with Orlando, averaging 2.3 ppg. and 1.0 rpg. in 7.6 minpg. He played in 26 games (21 starts) with the Springfield Armor of the NBA Development League, averaging 16.2 ppg., 4.2 rpg. and 1.3 apg. in 35.1 minpg., while shooting .469 (38-81) from three-point range.

Also undrafted in 2013, Thomas played in 55 games (44 starts) during two years at the University of Memphis, averaging 10.7 ppg., 4.0 rpg. and 1.5 apg. in 27.5 minpg. He was named to the Conference USA All-Tournament Team in 2013.

Orlando’s roster stands at 14 players.

Magic sign Dewayne Dedmon, Adonis Thomas to 10-day contracts

The Orlando Magic have signed center Dewayne Dedmon and guard-forward Adonis Thomas to 10-day contracts, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today. Dedmon and Thomas are the 23rd and 24th “call-ups” of the 2013-14 NBA Development League season.

Dedmon (#3, 7’0”, 255, 8/12/89) has played in 15 combined games this season with Golden State and Philadelphia, averaging 2.5 ppg. and 3.3 rpg. in 10.4 minpg. He also appeared in 15 games with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League, averaging 15.2 ppg., 13.1 rpg., 1.3 apg., 2.33 blkpg. and 1.53 stlpg. in 33.7 minpg.

Thomas (#8, 6’7”, 235, 3/25/93) has played in 26 games (21 starts) with the Springfield Armor of the NBA Development League, averaging 16.2 ppg., 4.2 rpg. and 1.3 apg. in 35.1 minpg., while shooting .469 (38-81) from three-point range.

Orlando’s roster now stands at 14 players.

Orlando Magic and Glen Davis agree to contract buyout

The Orlando Magic and forward Glen Davis have mutually agreed to a contract buyout, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today. We’ll add some financial details to this page later today.

The Magic roster now stands at 12 players.

“As we continue to chart what we believe is the best course of action for our organization, maximizing the development of our young players remains of critical importance. This agreement allows us an opportunity to do just that,” said Hennigan. “We were able to reach a buyout agreement with Glen that was mutually beneficial, and we certainly wish Glen all the best as he continues his playing career. We thank him for his service and contributions to the organization and the Central Florida community.”

Davis has played in 45 games (43 starts) this season with Orlando, averaging 12.1 ppg., 6.3 rpg., 1.6 apg. and 1.02 stlpg. in 30.1 minpg. He has led (or tied) the team in scoring four times, in rebounding eight times and in assists twice. Davis has scored in double figures 29 times and had 20+ points four times, including a career-high 33 points on Dec. 3 @ Philadelphia.

Originally selected in the second round (35th overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft by Seattle, Davis has appeared in 417 regular season games during his NBA career with Boston and Orlando, averaging 8.9 ppg. and 4.8 rpg. in 23.1 minpg. He has also appeared in 64 career playoff outings, averaging 8.7 ppg. and 4.4 rpg. in 22.2 minpg. Davis helped Boston capture the 2007-08 NBA Championship.

Davis was acquired by Orlando along with Von Wafer in exchange for Brandon Bass on Dec. 12, 2011. He played in 138 regular season games (87 starts) with the Magic, averaging 11.7 ppg., 6.2 rpg. and 1.3 apg. in 27.7 minpg.

Some Orlando Magic trade considerations

Here’s the Orlando Sentinel blog reporting on the Magic, who with a 16-38 record are not in a position to be particularly competitive as the season continues:

The trade deadline, which arrives Thursday at 3 p.m., is the more pressing issue for the Magic, not that players can do anything about the approaching deadline, anyway.

Power forward Glen Davis and point guard Jameer Nelson continue to be mentioned most in trade rumors.

Davis would provide a contending team with an additional low-post presence on defense, while Nelson would give contending teams insurance at point guard. Davis and Nelson have extensive playoff experience.

Nelson wants to remain with the Magic for the long-term. He has said repeatedly that he and his family are happy in Central Florida, and he has not asked team officials for a trade.

Nelson arguably is the Magic’s most popular player, but the Magic traded J.J. Redick last season at the deadline, and at the time, Redick was perhaps the team’s most popular player.

Orlando Magic waive Solomon Jones

The Orlando Magic have waived forward-center Solomon Jones, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced tonight. Orlando’s roster now stands at 13 players.

Jones has appeared in 11 games this season with Orlando, averaging 1.3 ppg. and 1.5 rpg. in 7.7 minpg. He was signed by the Magic as a free agent prior to training camp on Sep. 27.

Originally selected in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft by Atlanta, Jones has played in 281 regular season games with Atlanta, Indiana, New Orleans, the L.A. Clippers, New York and Orlando, averaging 3.0 ppg. and 2.3 rpg. in 11.0 minpg.

Victor Oladipo received advice from Kevin Durant before the season

Here’s the Orlando Sentinel with a cool item about Magic rookie Victor Oladipo getting some useful career tips from someone who knows things:

Victor Oladipo admired Kevin Durant from afar for a long time, and now Oladipo is happy and honored to call Durant a friend.

They grew up in the Washington, D.C., area, so Oladipo always was attuned to Durant’s accomplishments. But since Oladipo is four years younger than Durant, they hadn’t met face-to-face until this past summer when Oladipo visited a basketball camp that Durant was running in Washington.

“For him to be able to talk to me and for him to give me advice was kind of crazy,” Oladipo said. “But at the same time, it definitely was humbling and definitely nice for him to do — a credit to him for doing that. He didn’t have to, but he did it anyway.”

Both Oladipo and Durant were selected second overall in the NBA Draft — Durant in 2007 and Oladipo in 2013.

To improve, Arron Afflalo studied video of Jordan and Kobe

The Orlando Magic are rebuilding, and a losing team, and in such a situation it tends to be easier for a player with talent to stand out more than he normally might on a better team. With that disclaimer out of the way, Magic guard Arron Afflalo is having a terrific season. Here’s OrlandoMagic.com with more:

Afflalo wanted to learn ways to create more space against one-on-one defenders, so he started studying two of the best pure scorers in NBA history in Jordan and Bryant.

“I watched a lot of film on (Bryant), and I always have since I was growing up in L.A.,’’ Afflalo said. “And everybody wants to be Michael Jordan when they are little, so I’ve watched a lot of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. They’re the two best in my era. So this summer I watched a lot of their isolation moves and footwork to see how to frame myself up better for shots.’’

The offseason work has paid enormous benefits for Afflalo and the Magic this season. He’s averaging career bests in scoring (22.6 ppg.), rebounds (4.6 rpg.), assists (4.2 apg.) and 3-point shooting (46.3 percent). He’s scored 30 points in a game four times this season, including a career-best 43 points on Tuesday in a double-overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Afflalo said the studying of Bryant and Jordan has taught him that sometimes it’s better to take comfortable mid-range jumps rather than driving into the teeth of the defense where shots can be much more difficult to launch.