Former Orlando Magic center Mario Kasun discusses his career
Mario Kasun made little impact for the Orlando Magic in the early years of the Dwight Howard era. He believes he could have done more if given the chance.
Mario Kasun was something of an afterthought for two seasons with the Orlando Magic in the mid-2000s.
The second round pick from the LA Clippers came to Orlando in a draft day trade in 2002 and took two years to step onto a NBA court. The 7-foot-1, 260-pound Croatian big man, was not the most nimble player. But he did have some athleticism and touch around the basket. This was a different time in the mid-2000s when the league was still seemingly earthbound.
Kasun had his moments, but they were few and far between. By the time he made it to the U.S. and the Magic, the team was focused on developing a young center named Dwight Howard. And Kasun had other issues that short-circuited his career.
He sat down with Miles Schmidt-Schueber of EuroHoops.net and discussed his basketball career, including his time with the Magic. He appeared to express some regret that he did not remain patient and treat an injury, giving up an opportunity to play the backup role that eventually went to Marcin Gortat.
"“I Think that I had some bad luck coming when Dwight Howard was there,” Kasun said. “They didn’t want to have two young guys in the starting lineup. It was a great experience. The reason that I didn’t have a big NBA career was because before the NBA, I was making no money and I my parents were very poor and I played the whole 2005-2006 season with a broken foot and was wearing a cast off the court. I was too impatient to sit out and wait and get healthy again.”"
Kasun played 73 games in two seasons averaging 2.7 points per game and 2.6 rebounds per game. Kasun did not have great skill, but he was a big body who could protect the rim.
If he played the 2006 season with a broken foot — he played in only 28 games that year and he was buried behind Darko Milicic and Dwight Howard on the depth chart — then that certainly slowed down any development for the young center. The 2006 season proved to be Kasun’s final with the Magic.
In looking back at his long career, Kasun said he became frustrated with the culture around the sport. He admitted he likely trusted the wrong people. That is a common story in the NBA. And clearly playing through injury in his short time in the NBA did not help.
Orlando Magic
Kasun said he is still in touch with Howard. He remembered his naivete as a young player and, of course, his smile. Kasun agreed Howard’s back injury has certainly slowed his career and kept him from reaching his full potential after his strong Orlando career.
After the Magic let him go in 2006, Kasun played for FC Barcelona and FS Pilsen before returning to Croatia to play. He played his last season in 2014 for a team in Bulgaria. Kasun is now doing real estate and working on motorcycles in Croatia. He won a Spanish Cup with Barcelona in 2007, the year after leaving the Magic, and three titles with Pilsen in Turkey.
The NBA is definitely a different animal. But Kasun was clearly someone who could have found a role in the right situation. He very well could have played that role Gortat play for the team. Gortat would join the Magic in 2007 — one year after Kasun’s departure.
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Kasun missed his opportunity for success pretty narrowly. Ultimately, his time in the NBA just did not work out. But it is good to hear Kasun is doing well after finishing up his basketball career.