By John DentonOct. 4, 2015
ORLANDO – If the young and impressionable Orlando Magic didn’t realize that expectations were about to change following a week’s worth of training camp practices, the message was rammed home with authority late Saturday night at the Amway Center.
New head coach Scott Skiles, a no-nonsense veteran coach who was hired by the Magic to change the culture around the team, backed up his talk of accountability with some bold actions and some pointed words following the Magic’s 106-100 loss to Charlotte in the preseason opener.
``If we had really, really high-level winning habits we wouldn’t have won 25 games,’’ Skiles said on Sunday, referring to the Magic’s poor 2014-15 season. ``There are a lot of habits that we have to change and the good thing is the guys are welcome. … We just have to understand that when we have a decent first quarter and the other team is in the mid-30s percent (shooting) that that’s not the time to get the pompons out; it’s time to stay with that and I’m confident that we will.’’
The Magic did get a bit of good news of Sunday as multi-talented guard Evan Fournier practiced after missing the first week of training camp with an ankle sprain. Fournier spent much of his summer training with the Magic Strength and Conditioning coach Bill Burgos and playing for the French National Team. He thinks that the time off with the sore ankle actually could benefit him over the course of the NBA’s marathon season.
``It felt great being back on the court (on Sunday), but I felt that I needed a break, to be honest,’’ said Fournier, who averaged a career-best 12 points a game last season and vowed that he will be ready to play on Wednesday when the Magic (0-1) face the Miami Heat in Louisville, Ky. ``Playing all summer was hard and it was very disappointing not winning the EuroBasket and I had to get my mind right. Just being in better shape mentally and physically, I think this week off was great and I’m ready to go now.’’
Fournier and his Magic teammates have likely already realized that gone are the days when the team had to search for positives in lopsided losses. Also, lulls in play were often treated as teaching lessons for a youth-filled roster.
These days, Skiles has ripped off the kid gloves and he has preached that the script needs to be flipped on the way that the Magic look at winning and losing – even in the NBA’s mostly meaningless preseason. Following his May 29th hiring as the Magic’s head coach, Skiles went back and reviewed footage of last season and he said that too often he noticed there being a sense of joy when the team had success and a nonchalant, ho-hum demeanor following losses. That approach bothers the ultra-competitive Skiles and he wants a Magic team that has mostly struggled to find any reliable footing the past three years to expect to win and to be upset following bad performances.
``You can’t win if you don’t expect to win and you can’t win if you don’t work hard, know your job and have confidence,’’ said Skiles, who showed his team video footage on Sunday that included 65 cut-up plays from Saturday’s game. ``(Change) is not going to happen in a week. … (Saturday night’s performance) wasn’t about playing Charlotte at home in the first exhibition game and saying, `Well, it was OK for an exhibition game, guys.’ It’s about, `how are we going to win a Game 5 in the playoffs on the road?’ We did a lot of things last night that would have lost us a Game 5, but they were OK for an exhibition game.’’
Skiles didn’t bother hiding how upset he was following Saturday’s uneven performance by the Magic. The 51-year-old coach cared very little that Victor Oladipo and Tobias Harris shot the ball exceptionally well and that point guard Elfrid Payton was at his do-everything best by cramming the stat sheet full of production. He didn’t care that Orlando was without key pieces Nikola Vucevic (mild shoulder strain), Aaron Gordon (jaw fracture) and Fournier (ankle sprain) because of injuries. And it mattered very little to the new head coach that rookie Mario Hezonja showed the moxie of a veteran by drilling his first 3-point shot, ramming home a dunk in transition and confidently stroking two more jumpers.
All of those players found themselves on the bench by the midpoint of the third quarter when the Magic slogged through the start of the second half. Allowing 12 points in the first four minutes of the third period – when Skiles had talked to his team about playing with urgency and defensive toughness at halftime – was unforgivable. So the coach pulled the entire starting five and did the same with Hezonja, forcing them all to look on as Charlotte scored 37 points in the third period and pulled away for the win.
Considering what the team has gone through the past three seasons while winning just 20, 23 and 25 games, Harris said the Magic should welcome the accountability brought by Skiles and be willing to make changes. Harris played for Skiles previously in Milwaukee and he knew already the high standards that the coach holds his players to. He said that if a culture change is needed – even if it’s a shock to the system of some of the players – that Skiles will do what’s necessary to make the Magic winners.
``You have to know that can’t make a mistake over and over again and there be no consequences,’’ said Harris, who made four of his five shots and had nine points and five rebounds in 18 minutes. ``We didn’t start that third quarter well and coach took us out. He basically taught us that if you aren’t going to play the right way and have energy, you’re not going to help our team. That’s what his point was. In that third quarter, we gave us 37 points and that’s unacceptable if you want to be a winning team.’’
Added Payton, who had six points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals in 17 minutes: ``You can see that if you’re not doing your job, you’re coming out and (Skiles) is not wasting any time. I think guys will be more alert and in the right position. (Skiles) is very disciplined and when you’re not doing your job, he’s going to let you know and you’re going to come out. Guys know that and I think it will make us a better team.’’
Magic power forward Jason Smith, who has played previously with the 76ers, Hornets/Pelicans and Knicks, has been through scenarios where coaches have tried making culture changes to break teams out of their losing ways. While it might make things uncomfortable at times, Smith feels that Skiles’ changes could be very good for the Magic.
``It can be a shock for people who are into doing things the same way over and over,’’ said Smith, who played well with 10 points and four rebounds in 22 minutes of action on Saturday night. ``To have someone (like Skiles) come in and do things different and mix things up, that can be a shock. But it depends if it’s a shock for the good or a shock for the bad. This is a shock for the good.’’