Denton: Nelson Still the Starter Once Healthy
By John Denton
December 7, 2009
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
LOS ANGELES – Even though the Orlando Magic haven’t missed a beat with veterans Jason Williams and Anthony Johnson sharing the point guard duties, head coach Stan Van Gundy said Monday that he won’t hesitate to go back to Jameer Nelson as the starter once healthy.
Nelson, an all-star last season, underwent surgery to repair torn meniscus in his left knee on Nov. 18. Since then, the Magic have gone 8-1 overall and 6-0 on the road with the 34-year-old Williams and the 35-year-old Johnson at the point.
Nelson did not make the West Coast trip with the Magic, instead staying in Orlando to rehabilitate his knee. Magic general manager Otis Smith said Nelson is still likely two weeks away from playing.
But Van Gundy has already starting formulating his plan as to how he will re-incorporate Nelson into the rotation. And once Nelson is up to full speed, Van Gundy expects him to be the starter.
``It doesn’t change a whole lot, to be honest,’’ said Van Gundy, after the Magic (16-4) finished preparations on Monday for Tuesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers. ``(Nelson) is the starter and J-Will will go back to being the back-up and I don’t think that affects the other guys very much.
``It does affect play-calling a little bit. (Nelson) is another guy I feel very comfortable running plays for, so that makes it easier when we start rotating guys. You want to have at least one or two of those guys out there all the time. I don’t think there will be much adjustment for anybody other than (Williams and Johnson). You never know about the first game back, but as soon as he’s practiced and ready to go, Jameer will start.’’
Williams has played tremendous as a starter, averaging 10 points and 6.2 assists in the nine games since Nelson went down. He’s had just 11 turnovers in that stretch and he continues to lead the NBA in assist-to-turnover category (5-to-1) by a wide margin. Williams scored 25 against Miami, had 16 in a game in Toronto and added 12 in Saturday’s win in Golden State.
Johnson, who was bumped to third string last spring when Nelson returned for the NBA Finals and again this season when Williams was signed to a free-agent deal, has been solid as Williams backup. He carried Orlando to its Thanksgiving Day win in Atlanta, scoring 15 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter.
``Both of those guys know it’s not about speed and more about getting us into our sets and knowing what we do on both ends of the floor,’’ said Magic center Dwight Howard, who never misses a chance to tweak his point guards about their advanced age. ``Anthony Johnson has played with some of the best centers ever like Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Bob Lanier. He goes way back. Just to see him flourish throughout all these decades of basketball is amazing. He’s probably the only guy in the league who has played in every decade of the NBA.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Orlando Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard on ESPN 1080 AM on Thursday at 5:05 p.m. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
By John DentonDecember 7, 2009
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
LOS ANGELES – Even though the Orlando Magic haven’t missed a beat with veterans Jason Williams and Anthony Johnson sharing the point guard duties, head coach Stan Van Gundy said Monday that he won’t hesitate to go back to Jameer Nelson as the starter once healthy.
Nelson, an all-star last season, underwent surgery to repair torn meniscus in his left knee on Nov. 18. Since then, the Magic have gone 8-1 overall and 6-0 on the road with the 34-year-old Williams and the 35-year-old Johnson at the point.
Nelson did not make the West Coast trip with the Magic, instead staying in Orlando to rehabilitate his knee. Magic general manager Otis Smith said Nelson is still likely two weeks away from playing.
But Van Gundy has already starting formulating his plan as to how he will re-incorporate Nelson into the rotation. And once Nelson is up to full speed, Van Gundy expects him to be the starter.
``It doesn’t change a whole lot, to be honest,’’ said Van Gundy, after the Magic (16-4) finished preparations on Monday for Tuesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers. ``(Nelson) is the starter and J-Will will go back to being the back-up and I don’t think that affects the other guys very much.
``It does affect play-calling a little bit. (Nelson) is another guy I feel very comfortable running plays for, so that makes it easier when we start rotating guys. You want to have at least one or two of those guys out there all the time. I don’t think there will be much adjustment for anybody other than (Williams and Johnson). You never know about the first game back, but as soon as he’s practiced and ready to go, Jameer will start.’’
Williams has played tremendous as a starter, averaging 10 points and 6.2 assists in the nine games since Nelson went down. He’s had just 11 turnovers in that stretch and he continues to lead the NBA in assist-to-turnover category (5-to-1) by a wide margin. Williams scored 25 against Miami, had 16 in a game in Toronto and added 12 in Saturday’s win in Golden State.
Johnson, who was bumped to third string last spring when Nelson returned for the NBA Finals and again this season when Williams was signed to a free-agent deal, has been solid as Williams backup. He carried Orlando to its Thanksgiving Day win in Atlanta, scoring 15 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter.
``Both of those guys know it’s not about speed and more about getting us into our sets and knowing what we do on both ends of the floor,’’ said Magic center Dwight Howard, who never misses a chance to tweak his point guards about their advanced age. ``Anthony Johnson has played with some of the best centers ever like Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Bob Lanier. He goes way back. Just to see him flourish throughout all these decades of basketball is amazing. He’s probably the only guy in the league who has played in every decade of the NBA.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Orlando Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard on ESPN 1080 AM on Thursday at 5:05 p.m. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
