Power Forward Brandon Bass had an excellent outing for the second game in a row and this time. Bass had 11 points and 3 rebounds just 2 days after going for 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks. This time, Ryan Anderson joined the party, scoring a team-high 16 points in his Magic debut. Might the Magic consider starting one of these players and moving Rashard Lewis back to Small Forward?
Lewis has been extremely effective as a Power Forward with Orlando so Stan Van Gundy may opt to keep him there but I’m sure Lewis will see much more time at Small Forward than he did last year when he saw limited minutes at the position.
Josh Robbins noticed this as well.
"Anderson, a lanky 6-foot-10 sharpshooter, showed some muscle on the boards. Bass, a muscular 6-foot-8 bruiser, displayed a feathery touch on midrange jumpers.“I thought they played well,” Van Gundy said. “I think they’re both good players. Plus, we give you two totally different looks. Brandon’s in there and he’s banging around inside, and then we go to the bench, and Ryan’s stretching the floor.”"
See the full story here.
Check out Alex Kennedy’s courtside blog from the game last night.
Click here to see Dwight Howard’s thoughts on his new ESPN the magazine cover for their “body” issue.
Here’s Tania Ganguli’s morning buzz.She has several links to story around the league, including some articles from Miami’s perspective. Interesting stuff.
Dwight Howard has vowed to honor his commitment to Team USA even if that means playing in the 2010 World Championships in Turkey.
"“I wouldn’t back down from a commitment,” Howard said. “I understand their reasoning for doing it. But for me, I would love to play in the Olympics again. It was a great experience the first time, and I’m pretty sure going [in 2012] to London, a place I’ve never been, would be great.”"
Robbins has this story and some other Magic notes here.
Brian Schmitz has a story about JJ Redick and how much improvement he has shown in every area of his game, except one – shooting.
"“No question the guy has answered a lot of the questions everybody had about him. He’s answered pretty well,” Coach Stan Van Gundy said.Van Gundy says Redick has become a defender “you can trust,” a deft passer and a heady player who is “a guy other people can play well with.”J.J. showed some of those traits against the Heat, relieving a foul-plagued Carter early. He found Dwight Howard under the basket for an assist and buried a 3-pointer. He finished with 13 points and just one turnover in nearly 20 minutes on a night when the Magic recorded an unsightly 23 turnovers."
See the full story here.
I like the way JJ is playing all over the court. He is making smart decisions on offense and hustling on defense. He needs to just keep this up because I believe his shot will come.
Eddy Rivera has some interesting quotes from post-game last night.
Here are some of my thoughts and analysis from the game last night.
Check out Howard the Dunk tomorrow night because I will be tweeting live from Amway Arena when the Magic take on the Houston Rockets at 7:00 PM EST. Once again, the game will not be televised in Central Florida so I will do my best to keep you informed.
Stories from around the league
A Royal Pain shares their thoughts on the Blazers-Kings game.
Pippen Ain’t Easy has video of James Johnson’s buzzer beater to beat the Jazz in London. He wonders if the Bulls found their new go-to guy when they need a game-winner now that Ben Gordon’s in Detroit.
Rip City Project has you covered if you’re looking for an Atlantic Division preview.
Check out the Always Miller Time rumor mill.
King James Gospel asks, Is LeBron behind the Braylon Edwards trade?
Just in case you missed the big story in the NBA last night, here is Lakers Guard Shannon Brown’s dunk on Warriors Forward Mikki Moore.
Around the Network
Check out Fansided’s newest feature, Everything Power Rankings. It’s hilarious and definitely worth a read.
Pacman Jonesin’ lists 10 reasons why Brett Favre is doing so well.
Rum Bunter is already ready for the Pirates to start next season and he even has their slogan: fear.
What will Rush Limbaugh do if he does buy the Rams?
Check out the newest edition of Suicide Drills.
(Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger. Subscribe to his RSS feed and add him on Twitter to follow him daily.)