Magic Look Inside to Fill Nelson’s Void
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Feb 3, 2009
ORLANDO -- There were very few silver linings in Monday’s hard-fought home loss to the Mavericks.
The Magic could not find a defensive answer to Dirk Nowitzki. They came out flat in the second half after two straight contests of doing the exact opposite. And worst of all they could only watch as All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson took a hard spill to the floor in the third quarter, dislocating his right shoulder and possibly forcing him to miss a considerable amount of time.
As Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy put it after the game, “tonight (was) just a real, real tough one. You have some of them during the season.”
Orlando’s 105-95 home loss to Dallas is the easy the part to write off. The Magic had a matchup north of the border with the Raptors the day before and had trouble keeping pace with a high-tempo Mavericks team that was able to practice and rest in Orlando on Sunday.
Even Van Gundy was quick to note that “this team has been so good in being ready and being competitive every single night that I’m going to keep it in perspective and not make too much out of it.”
Yet, the difficult thing for everyone in and around the Magic organization to deal with is the severity of Nelson’s injury.
An MRI on Tuesday revealed a torn right labrum and although the course of treatment is still to be determined, the remainder of his season is clouded with uncertainty. With him likely missing a significant amount of time, it will be challenging for an Orlando roster already thin at the point guard position to make up for their All-Star’s production of 16.7 points and 5.4 assists per game.
Still Van Gundy and his players are steadfast in proclaiming that this won’t alter the course of the Magic’s season, which thus far has them at a Southeast Division leading 36-11 record.
“We’ve done it before so we’ll do whatever we have to do,” Orlando’s head coach stated after the game. “(Hedo) Turk(oglu) got a lot of minutes handling the ball tonight and (with) Turk and A.J. (Anthony Johnson) we’ll be ready to go.”
Rookie Courtney Lee shared his coach’s sentiment.
“You’ve got A.J. who can handle the ball, Turk who can handle the ball and I can handle the ball,” he pointed out after the contest. “Anybody can get the rebound and push the ball up the court. We’re accustomed to that. We had the earlier stretch where Jameer was injured, we just have to step up and do the same thing again.”
During the five-game span that Lee mentioned, the Magic went 4-1 while Nelson sat out with a strained hip flexor with their only loss coming at the hands of the Boston Celtics, owners of the NBA’s best record.
Johnson played a major role in that stretch, notching a 16-point effort against the Pacers and 12-assist performance in a victory over the Wizards. He’s well aware that Nelson’s absence could equate into bigger numbers and a bigger role for him.
“There is enough talent in this locker room to win night in and night out no matter who is in uniform,” the veteran point guard said. “We feel very good about going forward. It’s a great challenge and I’m looking forward to it. I’m going to step in and give it the best that I’ve got.”
It’s hard to believe that anyone in the Magic’s locker room can set the tone like Nelson does on a nightly basis. But if there is any player that has the respect of his teammates, it’s Johnson, a 12-year veteran of the NBA.
“I have a lot of confidence in Anthony,” All-Star center Dwight Howard said. “We know what he can do. He’s a veteran. He’s been in situations like this before. So we’re looking forward to it.”
But the burden won’t fall completely on Johnson. Along with Turkoglu taking on additional ball-handling duties, Howard expects J.J. Redick, Keith Bogans and Lee all to claim bigger roles with Nelson sidelined.
However, with the difficult task that awaits the Magic, there’s no doubt they will need to lean heavily on their veteran’s experience to guide them through.
