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Denton: Redick Proved His Value This Season
By John Denton
June 1, 2010
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.
ORLANDO – Whereas some NBA players like to freelance with their lives away from basketball and function with a spur-of-the-moment mentality, Orlando Magic J.J. Redick could not be more opposite.
Structure rules his life. His wardrobe is carefully put together, with everything from his navy shoes matching his navy golf shirt. Redick doesn’t just enjoy cooking; he is somewhat of a chef in training, putting together elaborate four- and five-course meals. And there are times when he spends more time in front of a mirror than a supermodel, making sure every hair is in place and earning his ``Tom Cruise’’ nickname.
But uncertainty now reigns in Redick’s life what with the Magic having been beaten in the Eastern Conference Finals. He had long ago carefully planned out the summer months, hoping to help the Magic win a title in mid-June, marry his fiancé, Chelsea, in late June, honeymoon in Europe for two weeks and then sign a multi-year contract with the Magic in July.
But there will be no championship run for the Magic, and Redick has had to ponder his future with Orlando much sooner than he planned. It has, in some ways, upset the structure in Redick’s life, causing him to jar himself out of game mode and into the business aspect of the NBA much sooner than he had hoped.
``I’m a guy who processes things – every game, every play, every day and I’ll process the entire season too,’’ Redick said recently. ``But the free-agency thing isn’t on the horizon for me … yet.’’
Redick just enjoyed the best season of his four-year NBA career and proved himself in the playoffs to be a clutch, gritty competitor. He torched the Celtics for 12- and 14-point games in the Magic’s two wins in the East Finals, showing off his growth as a player and guts as a closer.
Redick also showed his value to other teams, and with shooting in the NBA being at a premium, he likely enhanced his value on the free-0agent market. He is a restricted free agent, meaning the Magic can match any offer he gets from another team. And all indications are that the Magic will do just that on any reasonable offer because they value Redick’s toughness, shooting and growth as a player.
He knows he could assuredly have a greater role elsewhere, likely even be a starter on most teams, but Redick said he hopes more than anything that his future continues to be in Orlando. The guard who will turn 26 years old wants the structure of knowing where his future will be. He decided to get married before free agency in case he had to uproot himself, but he hopes he’s still here come next season.
``Winning is the most important thing to me,’’ Redick said with conviction. ``I would rather have this role on a winning team with a great organization and in a great city than anything else. In my book, there is no substitute for winning.
``I just hope I’m back here,’’ he continued. ``This is where I want to be back. Obviously, there are a lot of factors, especially being a restricted free agent, so I don’t really know what to expect in July. We’ll see what happens.’’
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy is also very interested in seeing what happens with Redick. He stuck with his backup shooting guard late in games several times during the season and in the playoffs because he as a tremendous trust in Redick’s ability to make plays, knock down shots and fight defensively. Van Gundy’s belief in Redick grew immensely during the playoffs, so much so that he could see him eventually taking on a bigger role.
``It would depend on the personnel of the team, but yes he could be a starter in the NBA,’’ Van Gundy said. ``It would depend on the makeup of your team, but there’s just a trust there with him that he’s going to make the right play and fight his (butt) off.’’
Redick joked a couple of weeks ago that he will be the most sought after free agent this summer just behind LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. He purposely planned his honeymoon so that he would be out of the country when he the free-agent courting period begins on July 1. And if all things go as he’s planned then, he be back at the Magic’s headquarters working on his game by the middle of July.
``I think I’ve gotten better every year,’’ Redick said. ``Look, I’m a worker; I’m not a guy who’ll sign a deal and then take the rest of the summer off. I’m getting back from my honeymoon on July 17 and I’ll be in the gym July 18. I just hope it all works out for me.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard each week on ESPN 1080 AM. E-mail John at jd41898@aol.com.
By John Denton
June 1, 2010
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.
ORLANDO – Whereas some NBA players like to freelance with their lives away from basketball and function with a spur-of-the-moment mentality, Orlando Magic J.J. Redick could not be more opposite.
Structure rules his life. His wardrobe is carefully put together, with everything from his navy shoes matching his navy golf shirt. Redick doesn’t just enjoy cooking; he is somewhat of a chef in training, putting together elaborate four- and five-course meals. And there are times when he spends more time in front of a mirror than a supermodel, making sure every hair is in place and earning his ``Tom Cruise’’ nickname.
But uncertainty now reigns in Redick’s life what with the Magic having been beaten in the Eastern Conference Finals. He had long ago carefully planned out the summer months, hoping to help the Magic win a title in mid-June, marry his fiancé, Chelsea, in late June, honeymoon in Europe for two weeks and then sign a multi-year contract with the Magic in July.
But there will be no championship run for the Magic, and Redick has had to ponder his future with Orlando much sooner than he planned. It has, in some ways, upset the structure in Redick’s life, causing him to jar himself out of game mode and into the business aspect of the NBA much sooner than he had hoped.
``I’m a guy who processes things – every game, every play, every day and I’ll process the entire season too,’’ Redick said recently. ``But the free-agency thing isn’t on the horizon for me … yet.’’
Redick just enjoyed the best season of his four-year NBA career and proved himself in the playoffs to be a clutch, gritty competitor. He torched the Celtics for 12- and 14-point games in the Magic’s two wins in the East Finals, showing off his growth as a player and guts as a closer.
Redick also showed his value to other teams, and with shooting in the NBA being at a premium, he likely enhanced his value on the free-0agent market. He is a restricted free agent, meaning the Magic can match any offer he gets from another team. And all indications are that the Magic will do just that on any reasonable offer because they value Redick’s toughness, shooting and growth as a player.
He knows he could assuredly have a greater role elsewhere, likely even be a starter on most teams, but Redick said he hopes more than anything that his future continues to be in Orlando. The guard who will turn 26 years old wants the structure of knowing where his future will be. He decided to get married before free agency in case he had to uproot himself, but he hopes he’s still here come next season.
``Winning is the most important thing to me,’’ Redick said with conviction. ``I would rather have this role on a winning team with a great organization and in a great city than anything else. In my book, there is no substitute for winning.
``I just hope I’m back here,’’ he continued. ``This is where I want to be back. Obviously, there are a lot of factors, especially being a restricted free agent, so I don’t really know what to expect in July. We’ll see what happens.’’
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy is also very interested in seeing what happens with Redick. He stuck with his backup shooting guard late in games several times during the season and in the playoffs because he as a tremendous trust in Redick’s ability to make plays, knock down shots and fight defensively. Van Gundy’s belief in Redick grew immensely during the playoffs, so much so that he could see him eventually taking on a bigger role.
``It would depend on the personnel of the team, but yes he could be a starter in the NBA,’’ Van Gundy said. ``It would depend on the makeup of your team, but there’s just a trust there with him that he’s going to make the right play and fight his (butt) off.’’
Redick joked a couple of weeks ago that he will be the most sought after free agent this summer just behind LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. He purposely planned his honeymoon so that he would be out of the country when he the free-agent courting period begins on July 1. And if all things go as he’s planned then, he be back at the Magic’s headquarters working on his game by the middle of July.
``I think I’ve gotten better every year,’’ Redick said. ``Look, I’m a worker; I’m not a guy who’ll sign a deal and then take the rest of the summer off. I’m getting back from my honeymoon on July 17 and I’ll be in the gym July 18. I just hope it all works out for me.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard each week on ESPN 1080 AM. E-mail John at jd41898@aol.com.
