Denton: Wednesday's Notebook
By John Denton
March 24, 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.
ATLANTA – Former NBA great Dikembe Mutombo is on Dwight Howard’s ``list’’ of players who have been dunked by the Orlando Magic’s superstar center and Howard does a hysterical impression of the former finger-waving shot-blocker.
But apparently the legendary shot-blocker didn’t hold a grudge when it came to his affinity for the 24-year-old Howard. In fact, it was Mutombo who helped inspire Howard into the player that he is today.
Howard ran into Mutombo early last season in Philadelphia when Mutombo was having dinner with Magic assistant coach Patrick Ewing, his former teammate at Georgetown University. Mutombo, the NBA’s first-ever four-time winner of the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award, told Howard that he needed to push himself to become the game’s elite defensive center and one who dominated games on both ends of the floor. Mutombo, an Atlanta resident, attended Wednesday’s Hawks-Magic game.
``He told me that I was playing great, but he challenged me to go beyond the limits of what I thought I could do defensively. He told me with the way that I can move and jump that I should be the Defensive Player of the Year every year until I get old,’’ Howard remembered. ``He wanted me to challenge myself to become great. He told me to take advantage of all my talent and skills now and not wait until I’m older. He said I should do everything I could try to and win and be great now.’’
Howard said he went back to his hotel room that night and reflected on himself as a player and made a vow to himself that it was time for him to fully blossom into the game’s most dominant low post player. Thusly, he became just the fifth player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounding and blocked shots in the same season. And because he’s on pace to repeat the feat, Howard would be the first in league history to lead the league in both categories in consecutive seasons.
``I just had to dedicate myself to the game and dedicate myself to all the things that I could be,’’ said Howard, who entered Wednesday’s game in Atlanta averaging 18.5 points, 13.1 rebounds and 2.72 blocks. ``People like Dikembe see things in me and they want me to be the best player I can be. We still talk a lot and we did a lot of stuff together in Africa last summer (with the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program). He’s an inspiration to a lot of us on and off the court.’’
COLLEGE VS. NBA: Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said he’s a big fan of the NCAA Tournament, calling it ``one of the greatest sporting events in our country.’’ But he said that it’s laughable when some fans and analysts compare college basketball to the NBA.
For the record, Van Gundy was a long-time college coach at Castleton State (Vt.), UMass-Lowell and the University of Wisconsin. But clearly he says there’s no comparison between the skill level of the NBA and the college kids.
``(College basketball) is not to this level. The basketball is very, very good. It’s just not to this level,’’ Van Gundy said. ``When you have the best players in world, you’re going to see better plays and better basketball. When you watch the NBA all the time and watch a college game, that’s when you really notice the difference.
Van Gundy agreed that college basketball was the equivalent of Double-A baseball if the NBA is the equivalent of the Major Leagues.
``Double-A is a good analogy. Double-A baseball players are good, but not they’re major leaguers. It doesn’t make it bad at all,’’ he said. ``But most guys who are so-called stars in the NCAA tourney aren’t going to do much or play at our level. That’s just the way that it is.’’
ETC: Magic small forward Matt Barnes took a dare from his teammates and did a belly flop across the ice of Philips Arena on Tuesday as workers were preparing for that night’s Thrashers-Bruins hockey game. The Magic were working out at the adjacent practice facility. Barnes got a running start and slid 50 feet or so on his belly. ``Man, that was cold,’’ Barnes said. ``But it was fun, too.’’ … Van Gundy had some harsh words for the highest level of college basketball, saying that if he ever went back to coaching in college he’d prefer to do it at the lower levels. Said Van Gundy: ``I mean, those people throw out that they are really into academics and all that. There may be four or five schools that that’s true of. I don’t know of coaches getting fired winning 20-25 games a year and kids aren’t graduating. I don’t see people who are keeping their jobs that aren’t winning and are graduating. It’s about the same stuff. Here, (in the NBA) it’s just more honest. We all know what it’s all about. You don’t have to pay lip service to things. This is the best basketball in the world.’’ … The Magic are back home for games against the Minnesota Timberwolves (Friday) and Denver (Sunday).
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 DentonMarch 24, 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.
ATLANTA – Former NBA great Dikembe Mutombo is on Dwight Howard’s ``list’’ of players who have been dunked by the Orlando Magic’s superstar center and Howard does a hysterical impression of the former finger-waving shot-blocker.
But apparently the legendary shot-blocker didn’t hold a grudge when it came to his affinity for the 24-year-old Howard. In fact, it was Mutombo who helped inspire Howard into the player that he is today.
Howard ran into Mutombo early last season in Philadelphia when Mutombo was having dinner with Magic assistant coach Patrick Ewing, his former teammate at Georgetown University. Mutombo, the NBA’s first-ever four-time winner of the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award, told Howard that he needed to push himself to become the game’s elite defensive center and one who dominated games on both ends of the floor. Mutombo, an Atlanta resident, attended Wednesday’s Hawks-Magic game.
``He told me that I was playing great, but he challenged me to go beyond the limits of what I thought I could do defensively. He told me with the way that I can move and jump that I should be the Defensive Player of the Year every year until I get old,’’ Howard remembered. ``He wanted me to challenge myself to become great. He told me to take advantage of all my talent and skills now and not wait until I’m older. He said I should do everything I could try to and win and be great now.’’
Howard said he went back to his hotel room that night and reflected on himself as a player and made a vow to himself that it was time for him to fully blossom into the game’s most dominant low post player. Thusly, he became just the fifth player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounding and blocked shots in the same season. And because he’s on pace to repeat the feat, Howard would be the first in league history to lead the league in both categories in consecutive seasons.
``I just had to dedicate myself to the game and dedicate myself to all the things that I could be,’’ said Howard, who entered Wednesday’s game in Atlanta averaging 18.5 points, 13.1 rebounds and 2.72 blocks. ``People like Dikembe see things in me and they want me to be the best player I can be. We still talk a lot and we did a lot of stuff together in Africa last summer (with the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program). He’s an inspiration to a lot of us on and off the court.’’
COLLEGE VS. NBA: Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said he’s a big fan of the NCAA Tournament, calling it ``one of the greatest sporting events in our country.’’ But he said that it’s laughable when some fans and analysts compare college basketball to the NBA.
For the record, Van Gundy was a long-time college coach at Castleton State (Vt.), UMass-Lowell and the University of Wisconsin. But clearly he says there’s no comparison between the skill level of the NBA and the college kids.
``(College basketball) is not to this level. The basketball is very, very good. It’s just not to this level,’’ Van Gundy said. ``When you have the best players in world, you’re going to see better plays and better basketball. When you watch the NBA all the time and watch a college game, that’s when you really notice the difference.
Van Gundy agreed that college basketball was the equivalent of Double-A baseball if the NBA is the equivalent of the Major Leagues.
``Double-A is a good analogy. Double-A baseball players are good, but not they’re major leaguers. It doesn’t make it bad at all,’’ he said. ``But most guys who are so-called stars in the NCAA tourney aren’t going to do much or play at our level. That’s just the way that it is.’’
ETC: Magic small forward Matt Barnes took a dare from his teammates and did a belly flop across the ice of Philips Arena on Tuesday as workers were preparing for that night’s Thrashers-Bruins hockey game. The Magic were working out at the adjacent practice facility. Barnes got a running start and slid 50 feet or so on his belly. ``Man, that was cold,’’ Barnes said. ``But it was fun, too.’’ … Van Gundy had some harsh words for the highest level of college basketball, saying that if he ever went back to coaching in college he’d prefer to do it at the lower levels. Said Van Gundy: ``I mean, those people throw out that they are really into academics and all that. There may be four or five schools that that’s true of. I don’t know of coaches getting fired winning 20-25 games a year and kids aren’t graduating. I don’t see people who are keeping their jobs that aren’t winning and are graduating. It’s about the same stuff. Here, (in the NBA) it’s just more honest. We all know what it’s all about. You don’t have to pay lip service to things. This is the best basketball in the world.’’ … The Magic are back home for games against the Minnesota Timberwolves (Friday) and Denver (Sunday).
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.
