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By John Denton
March 7, 2016
OAKLAND, Calif. – As a child and later a teenager living in nearby San Jose, Aaron Gordon had one dream every time his parents would take him to a Golden State Warriors game.
``I remember dreaming about running out of the tunnel at Oracle (Arena), regardless of what team I was on, with those Double-zeroes on my back,’’ Gordon said breaking out into a big smile. ``Doing it now is totally a dream come true.’’
Gordon, who has worn No. 00 since being picked by the Orlando Magic with the fourth selection of the 2014 NBA Draft, saw his dreams materialize on Monday night. Gordon, 20, had to wait a year longer than expected to run onto the floor at Oracle Arena because of a fractured left foot that knocked him out of action for 31 games.
Gordon, 20, was a prep All-American at Archbishop Mitty High School and he was a collegiate All-American during his one season at the University of Arizona. Getting to this point – a starter in the NBA and key piece of the Magic’s building core – follows the script that Gordon wrote for himself several years back when he was a rising young player in San Jose.
``Obviously, there were some injuries along the way. Those are the only things that I would have written differently. But otherwise, it’s pretty much damn-near perfect,’’ said Gordon, who came into Monday’s game averaging 8.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists a game. ``I broke my foot and broke my jaw, but minus those two things, everything has gone according to plan.’’
Gordon figured to have 15-20 family and friends in attendance at Monday night’s game.
VOOCH AILING: Just as the Magic got guard Victor Oladipo back on Monday night, they lost their scoring, rebounding and shot-blocking leader, Nikola Vucevic.
Vucevic couldn’t make it through Monday morning’s practice with the Magic because of a sore right groin muscle. The injury kept him out of Monday night’s game against the Warriors and it puts his availability for Tuesday night’s game against the Lakers in Los Angeles in doubt.
``It’s been bothering me for awhile, like before the all-star break is when I first felt it,’’ Vucevic said. During the all-star break it went away a little bit, but each game I would do something to re-aggravate it. Each game and in the practices, it got to the point where I was really sore and it was painful (playing on it). Sometimes as I’d get warm, (the pain) would go away and it would be manageable, but now it’s really sharp pain.’’
Vucevic had been limited to 57 and 74 games the past two seasons because of concussion and ankle injuries. This season, he had played in all but the three games that he missed Nov. 6-9 because of a bone bruise in his right knee. For the season, Vucevic has averaged 17.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 blocks a game.
Jason Smith, Orlando’s most consistent and productive reserve all season, got his first start for the Magic. Dewayne Dedmon, an option to start, was used off the bench because Magic head coach Scott Skiles felt Smith’s pick-and-pop abilities were more helpful.
DEDMON GETTING IN EXTRA WORK: Vucevic’s injury created an opportunity for Dedmon, who coincidentally took action on Saturday night to keep himself ready in case needed. Because his playing time has been so sparse of late, Dedmon asked the Magic if he could go to the team’s Development League affiliate, the Erie (Pa.) Bayhawks, to sharpen his skills.
Dedmon made the most of the opportunity, scoring 17 points, grabbing 22 rebounds and blocking three shots in 34 minutes for the Bayhawks. Dedmon, who got his shot in the NBA after impressing scouts with his D-League play, left Orlando early Monday morning and flew to Buffalo. He then rode with a Bayhawks’ employee from Buffalo to Erie, Pa. On Sunday, the 7-foot Dedmon flew from Erie to Detroit and Detroit to San Francisco to rejoin his Magic teammates.
``I requested to go to the D-League so that I could get some playing time and play a little bit,’’ said Dedmon, who came into Monday averaging 10.2 minutes per minute per game. ``It was definitely a good experience because I just wanted to go down there and get a run in me. It’s kind of tough when you have a lot of people on the roster and you find yourself at the end. So I just wanted to play a little.’’
MEMORIES OF KOBE: When the Magic play the Lakers in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, it could the first time and the last time that many of Orlando’s players have faced future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant.
Because of Achilles’ tendon and shoulder injuries, Bryant has missed much of the past two seasons, including all four games against the Magic. Bryant has been battling bumps and bruises all season, but he did play and score 12 points on Sunday in the Lakers’ stunning win against the Warriors.
Oladipo’s oldest sister was a huge fan of Bryant’s, owning his shoes and his Lakers replica jersey when the superstar wore No. 8. Watching the superstar guard play so much helped Oladipo because a huge fan. Now, on Tuesday night, Oladipo could be tasked with guarding Bryant all over the floor.
``I’ve always tried to take his mentality, his approach to the game and mold that into my game,’’ Oladipo said. ``He had a remarkable belief in his own game no matter what. To be one of the best to have ever played the game and someone who missed the most shots ever, it shows how strong he is. If I can still anything from him, it would be that.’’
Though he grew up in San Jose and attended several Warriors games, Gordon actually considered himself a Lakers fan. Even though he was never really old enough to remember seeing Magic Johnson play, Gordon considered him his favorite player. That was, of course, until Bryant came along and evolved into one of the greatest competitors and shot-makers the NBA has ever seen. Gordon was on hand one night in Oakland when Bryant pulled off a 360-degree dunk in a game and he was forever hooked as a fan.
``I remember at Oracle (Arena) I was watching him play and he came down and did a 360,’’ Gordon said of the game from seven years ago. ``That was pretty cool and it hyped me up.’’