Will Rookie Duo Spend Time Developing in D-League?
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By Dan Savage
August 16, 2010
ORLANDO – The Magic have used their D-League affiliate the past two seasons as much as I’ve used my winter wardrobe since moving down to Orlando.
They haven’t touched it at all.
In fact, the last time the Magic made a D-League transaction was when they recalled Marcin Gortat from the Anaheim Arsenal on Dec. 2, 2007.
Since that time they’ve been affiliated with three different squads – the Bakersfield Jam, Reno BigHorns and New Mexico Thunderbirds – and haven’t made a single move.
But that trend could change this season. With two raw rookies on its current roster – Daniel Orton and Stanley Robinson – Orlando could opt to give its young players some court time with the T-Birds.
“It’s more likely than it’s been the past few years,” said Magic President of Basketball Operations Otis Smith. “If we have four or five nights where we’re away then we might send them down for a couple games so they can get some games in.”
However, that’s far from a guarantee.
While Orton, the team’s first round pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, would clearly see more game action down in the minors, the organization believes he might be better served battling Dwight Howard and Gortat on a day-to-day basis in practice. Not only would Orton face a higher level of competition, but the sessions would also aid him in picking up Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy’s system.
“I’ve always found that practicing (with our team) and learning our system is the best,” said Smith. “Minor leagues for big guys are tough. It’s not very good for big guys. I’ve just never found it to be, so it’s kind of hard for me to send a big guy to the minor leagues where he’s not going to touch the ball and he’s not going to work on our stuff.”
There is also another obstacle blocking Orton’s potential path to some playing time in the D-League. Orlando believes that he still needs to build up his strength and spend time rehabbing his knee, which he injured during his senior year in high school.
“He’s a ways away physically,” Smith explained. “That’s the first hurdle with him. It’s not necessarily about going to play in the D-League; it’s about getting his knee back to 100 percent to where he never rehabbed it back from when he was with Kentucky. So we’re not going to be in a hurry to send him anywhere.”
While it appears that Orton won’t be D-League bound, at least for the foreseeable future, Robinson is a different story. The extremely athletic forward could benefit from the extra court time as he continues to develop his shot and advance his game to the NBA level.
“It could be more beneficial for him,” Smith admitted.
Still it’s unlikely that a trip to the D-League for either player would be on a long-term basis. Instead, the move down to the minor leagues would be based on the Magic’s practice and game schedule. The team would likely assign a player to the Thunderbirds during one of the Magic’s long road trips and recall them once the squad returns home.
“A lot of it depends on our practice time, practice schedule and our system,” Smith explained. “They still have to learn how we do things. Those guys get more work during practice than they do any other time.”
In other words, don’t expect the Magic to fill up the D-League’s transaction page any time soon.
Comment and ask questions to Dan Savage by following him on twitter at http://twitter.com/dan_savage.
August 16, 2010
ORLANDO – The Magic have used their D-League affiliate the past two seasons as much as I’ve used my winter wardrobe since moving down to Orlando.
They haven’t touched it at all.
In fact, the last time the Magic made a D-League transaction was when they recalled Marcin Gortat from the Anaheim Arsenal on Dec. 2, 2007.
Since that time they’ve been affiliated with three different squads – the Bakersfield Jam, Reno BigHorns and New Mexico Thunderbirds – and haven’t made a single move.
But that trend could change this season. With two raw rookies on its current roster – Daniel Orton and Stanley Robinson – Orlando could opt to give its young players some court time with the T-Birds.
“It’s more likely than it’s been the past few years,” said Magic President of Basketball Operations Otis Smith. “If we have four or five nights where we’re away then we might send them down for a couple games so they can get some games in.”
However, that’s far from a guarantee.
While Orton, the team’s first round pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, would clearly see more game action down in the minors, the organization believes he might be better served battling Dwight Howard and Gortat on a day-to-day basis in practice. Not only would Orton face a higher level of competition, but the sessions would also aid him in picking up Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy’s system.
“I’ve always found that practicing (with our team) and learning our system is the best,” said Smith. “Minor leagues for big guys are tough. It’s not very good for big guys. I’ve just never found it to be, so it’s kind of hard for me to send a big guy to the minor leagues where he’s not going to touch the ball and he’s not going to work on our stuff.”
There is also another obstacle blocking Orton’s potential path to some playing time in the D-League. Orlando believes that he still needs to build up his strength and spend time rehabbing his knee, which he injured during his senior year in high school.
“He’s a ways away physically,” Smith explained. “That’s the first hurdle with him. It’s not necessarily about going to play in the D-League; it’s about getting his knee back to 100 percent to where he never rehabbed it back from when he was with Kentucky. So we’re not going to be in a hurry to send him anywhere.”
While it appears that Orton won’t be D-League bound, at least for the foreseeable future, Robinson is a different story. The extremely athletic forward could benefit from the extra court time as he continues to develop his shot and advance his game to the NBA level.
“It could be more beneficial for him,” Smith admitted.
Still it’s unlikely that a trip to the D-League for either player would be on a long-term basis. Instead, the move down to the minor leagues would be based on the Magic’s practice and game schedule. The team would likely assign a player to the Thunderbirds during one of the Magic’s long road trips and recall them once the squad returns home.
“A lot of it depends on our practice time, practice schedule and our system,” Smith explained. “They still have to learn how we do things. Those guys get more work during practice than they do any other time.”
In other words, don’t expect the Magic to fill up the D-League’s transaction page any time soon.
Comment and ask questions to Dan Savage by following him on twitter at http://twitter.com/dan_savage.
