Here’s a little of what I heard from Point Guard Anthony Johnson Monday.
On expectations for the season
"We fell a little bit short, three games short of winning a championship last season. So with that being said, the task for all over us here with the Magic organization is winning a championship. So we have high expectations but there are nobody’s expectations higher than anybody in that locker room so the task is to win a championship and that’s all that were focused on."
On being an underdog or the favorite
"Last season we snuck up on some people. We had a good record and we were a real good team but it’s different when you’re climbing your way up to the top. Now this year, we’ll probably start off at the top and we’re not going to be able to sneak up on anybody. A lot of people are going to expect us to play well and be a great a team. Sneaking up on guys is something this year"
On Boston Forward Paul Pierce saying that the Celtics are the team to beat
"He has a right to his opinion. I’m pretty sure if you go around 30 different teams, you’ll probably get 30 different answers, so he feels very confident with what they have in their locker room, adding Rasheed and possibly getting Kevin Garnett back. They’re a talented team that won the championship two years ago and I’m pretty sure that they feel, with a healthy roster, that they can make a push again."
On embracing the underdog role
"Yeah, of course. Any role doesn’t really matter to me because you got to go out and get it done between the lines. All that talk, you still gotta go and play in between the lines."
So underdog, favorite, it doesn’t matter?
"No, not at all. Just because if you’re favored, you’re suppose to go out and win and if you’re the underdog, you get a chance to shock some people so with that being said, you still got to get it done for 48 minutes, whether you’re underdog, whether you’re favored or not favored, you got to win the games."
On being able to get the ball to all of the talent on this team
"Man, you know, everybody on this team has the ability to shoot the ball. Everybody has had great success in the NBA. Not to say that everybody has a name but we all are proven players. Ryan is a young guy, but he’s shown that he can get it done offensively. With that being said, we have a talented group so we look forward to a lot of great offensive performances this season."
Going to have a pretty high assist total this year?
"Yeah, yeah. We have a lot of guys that like to share the ball and a lot of guys who can finish so as long as we play unselfishly and do something to help another player be successful, we’ll be good to go."
Speaking of finishing, are we going to see some more dunks from you this year?
"(Laughs) A little bit. I felt pretty good this summer. I dunked a few times this summer so I feel like there are a couple more dunks left in the tank so hopefully I’ll be able to pull them out this year."
AJ is just another veteran who is going to embrace whatever role he is given as long as it puts Orlando in the best position to win a title. He was a pretty solid player last year and should once again a good contributor off of the bench.
Up next: Another new member of the Magic, SG Vince Carter
(Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger. Subscribe to his RSS feed and add him on Twitter to follow him daily.)