Besides all the talk going on at Orlando Magic media day about Dwight Howard possibly leaving the team, some other talking points were about how players used the extended offseason to get ready for the 2011-2012 season.
So far, the players have had seven full months off from basketball due to the 160-day lockout. The lockout gave the players more time than usual to get prepared for the NBA season, but it leaves teams with shortened training camps. The Orlando Magic started training camp two days ago, which gives them a week and a half to get ready for their preseason opener vs. the Heat on Dec. 18 in Miami.
The players are just excited to have the season back, and are looking to show how they’ve improved during the offseason.
Magic veteran J.J. Redick had an abdominal injury towards the end of last season. He had to have surgery in May to repair two abdominal-muscle tears. First, he had to go through rehab, and once he was done with that, he got back to work.
“I think that I’ve worked more this offseason than any offseason in my career,” said Redick at the Magic’s annual media day. “Part of that was because I had to because of my injury and my surgery at the end of the season. I had to do a lot of rehab and a lot of strengthening.”
Redick acknowledged that his offseason was somewhat boring, and there was nothing else to do but train.
“Working on my game, I had a lot of time. I probably shot more jumpers and worked on my skills more than any offseason that I’ve ever had in the NBA,” said Redick.
The Magic’s 2010 first round draft pick, 21-year-old center Daniel Orton, is just ready to get the season started and get some minutes after not appearing in any games last season.
“Consistency in shooting and just performing my role better,” Orton said about his offseason focus. “I’m just excited to start playing again.”
Orton will see some time in the preseason games against the Heat, but his playing time in the regular season depends on what the Magic do with Howard.
It was a different kind of training this offseason for the newly acquired Glen “Big Baby” Davis. The Magic acquired Davis in a trade this past week that sent Brandon Bass to the Celtics in exchange for Von Wafer and Davis.
“Believe it or not, the extended offseason has been a big growth period for me,” said Davis. “I’ve been working on the mental aspect of the game because a lot of players don’t work on that type of stuff. Just making sure that I can handle anything that comes my way mentally. I know physically I can, but mentally is the key.”
Last season with Boston was Davis’ best season as a pro. He averaged career-highs with 20 minutes per game, 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Davis is looking to bring his hard-nosed play and championship experience to this Magic squad.
The Magic will play a home-and-home series against the Miami Heat for their two preseason games, and then open the season in Oklahoma City against the Thunder at 8 p.m. on Christmas Day.
