Training Camp Underway
Posted by Glass Half Full, October 3, 2006, 11:22AM
Day 1 Training Camp Impressions
Here are some early impressions from Day One of training camp:
* Head Coach Brian Hill's attention to detail is alive and well. Employing a little-things-make-a-difference philosophy, Hill's constant chatter during practice encourages his team. "Contest every shot"..."Stay in your defensive stance"..."Move your feet, don't reach."..."In 2-on-1 you need a layup"..."Take good shots."
* During one three minute stretch during this morning's two-plus hour workout, Keyon Dooling, Grant Hill and Trevor Ariza all took charges. It's one of the most selfless plays in a basketball game, nevermind a practice. It's as if I asked you to stand straight up and then I slugged you in the stomach.
* Jameer Nelson and Carlos Arroyo are going to be fun to watch. They are battling each other, and making each other better.
* Darko Milicic has an air of confidence about him, no doubt a byproduct of his success in this past summer's World Championships. I love the way Darko and Dwight Howard complement each other, and it's even better with a little Tony Battie, blue collar, veteran leadership sprinkled in.
* J.J. Redick's back is just fine.
* Grant Hill and Hedo Turkoglu on the floor at the same time will provide a headache for opponents. They are just so versatile and really know how to play.
Training Camp Underway
FL Today: Recapture Magic
Sentinel: Magic Eager to Prove
N-J: New Faces Rare
Day 1 Training Camp Impressions
Here are some early impressions from Day One of training camp:
* Head Coach Brian Hill's attention to detail is alive and well. Employing a little-things-make-a-difference philosophy, Hill's constant chatter during practice encourages his team. "Contest every shot"..."Stay in your defensive stance"..."Move your feet, don't reach."..."In 2-on-1 you need a layup"..."Take good shots."
* During one three minute stretch during this morning's two-plus hour workout, Keyon Dooling, Grant Hill and Trevor Ariza all took charges. It's one of the most selfless plays in a basketball game, nevermind a practice. It's as if I asked you to stand straight up and then I slugged you in the stomach.
* Jameer Nelson and Carlos Arroyo are going to be fun to watch. They are battling each other, and making each other better.
* Darko Milicic has an air of confidence about him, no doubt a byproduct of his success in this past summer's World Championships. I love the way Darko and Dwight Howard complement each other, and it's even better with a little Tony Battie, blue collar, veteran leadership sprinkled in.
* J.J. Redick's back is just fine.
* Grant Hill and Hedo Turkoglu on the floor at the same time will provide a headache for opponents. They are just so versatile and really know how to play.
Training Camp Underway
FL Today: Recapture Magic
Sentinel: Magic Eager to Prove
N-J: New Faces Rare
posted by OVERWADED @ 12:45 PM
9 Comments:
At 1:06 PM,
OVERWADED said…
Below is a clip of one of the articles today. I found it interesting seeing we've been talking a lot about Darko lately.
The chiseled body of Darko Milicic has caught the attention of many. Milicic bulked up from 255 to 270 pounds this summer by lifting weights four times a day and playing basketball throughout the summer. He saw the benefit of the added strength in the World Championships, outplaying China's Yao Ming and Spain's Pau Gasol and averaging 16.2 points and 9.3 rebounds a game for Serbia and Montenegro.
Magic veteran Tony Battie will enter training camp as the starting power forward, but the Magic hope Milicic wins that job. The thought of seeing Howard and Milicic, two 20-year-old 7-footers, dominating in the paint is intriguing -- even to Battie.
"I call them the new millennium Twin Towers," Battie said. "One is a lefty, one is a right. One is power, one is finesse. I think they are the perfect complement to one another, and I can see them playing together for a lot of years to come."
At 2:50 PM,
Matt said…
I have been thinking for a while that Darko has the frame to bulk up to 280/285 easily. Would that make the center position for the Magic interchangeable between Darko and Dwight, and a lot more unpredictable for the opponents?
At 3:46 PM,
OVERWADED said…
There is no doubt in my mind that they will be interchangeable. I think we'll really see that utilized on the defensive end depending on match-ups and foul situations. On the offensive end, I see Dwight playing more the center role because he lacks ball handling and outside game. With that said, his jumper was looking really good at the RDV.
Still, I expect to see Darko down on the block from time to time, as his game is more polished offensively than Dwight's. Besides the jumper, he has an amazing touch around the basket. Now that he has a little more bulk, it's only going to make it that much easier for him.
I truly believe everyone is going to see why Darko was a #2 pick this year.
At 4:00 PM,
Big Figure said…
Intro your exactly right,on offense when darko gets the ball on the low block,dwight will be able to get tons of backside/weakside offensive rebounds,when dwight is in the post our guards will be able to sneak in and get offensive rebounds because darko will draw his man out of the lane,plus all the things you already mentioned,we all can see these guys are the perfect compliment for each other,and we saw that during the win streak last year,the added weight for darko and all the basketball they played over the summer is gonna give them even more confidence to start the season,BSH just has to get the line-up's right,i dont want to see pat at all,play augustine for crying out loud,and hopefully battie's days are numbered i might add,darko's probably outplaying him right now!
At 4:08 PM,
Big Figure said…
What happened to the days when magic pre-season game's were televised,thats a bunch of bull that sunsports/UPN65 wont pick up any of them anymore!!!!!!!
At 4:16 PM,
OVERWADED said…
Even last year the preseason game against the Heat was on TV. This year, with all the hype we don't even get 1 game?! I don't know why we can't get a small tease of a game on TV. It's not like they have much better to show on those stations.
They are broadcasting the team scrimmage on Oct. 7th at 6:00 PM off of orlandomagic.com. Or if you're anywhere near UNF Arena you can go watch it for free.
At 3:57 AM,
Mike from Illinois said…
Fantastic that Darko has bulked up to 270 lbs. with all the weightlifting he did over the summer. As you guys have pointed out, that will make Dwight and Darko interchangeable at PF/C, depending on matchups.
It's great that Battie has such a positive attitude and realizes how dominant that Darko and Dwight would be playing together on the court. I'm really happy the Magic re-signed Battie because he is an experienced veteran with a great attitude, and not a bad guy to have coming off the bench either.
It's a shame that none of the Magic pre-season games will be televised. Here in the Chicago area, the Bulls have around 4 or 5 pre-season games televised on cable.
I saw that the Magic will have 3 games on national TV this season. Bet that number will go up the second half of the season if the Magic can continue their outstanding play that they showed the last month of last season.
On a personal note, I'm leaving for a 3 week vacation to Las Vegas today, but will bring my laptop and check out our blog every day... don't want to miss what's going on with the Magic!
At 11:57 AM,
Matt said…
Have fun, Mike.
At 1:54 PM,
OVERWADED said…
Lucky! Have fun Mike!
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