Magic Report: Vogel says he’s impressed by former team,
The Indiana Pacers have impressed their former coach, Frank Vogel.
The Pacers entered their game Monday night against Vogel’s Orlando Magic with a 9-8 record — far better than most experts predicted after Indiana traded perennial All-Star Paul George over the summer for Victor
Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
“I’m just impressed with how well they’re playing, the job that coach Nate [McMillan]’s doing,” Vogel said. “They’re playing extremely, extremely well. They’re playing like one of the best teams in the East right now.”
Larry Bird declined to re-sign Vogel after Vogel’s contract expired following a first-round playoff exit in 2016. Bird decided to elevate McMillan, the team’s associate head coach, to the headcoaching job.
Vogel and McMillan remain in touch, typically via text messages.
The team McMillan has this season doesn’t resemble the team Vogel had in Vogel’s final season as Indiana’s coach. The only major remaining player is third-year big man Myles Turner, who entered Monday averaging 14.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game.
Vogel said Turner is “coming into his own as just a big-time, big-time player in the pick-and-pop game. He makes great plays in the roll game. He scores in the post. His 3-point ability makes him unique at the five position [center].”
Turner would have led the league in blocks on Monday if he had met the league’s statistical qualification requirement of playing in at least 70 percent of his team’s games. But Turner has missed seven games due to a concussion and sore neck.
Rookies return
The Magic recalled rookie center Khem Birch and rookie swingman Wes
Iwundu from their Lakeland G-League affiliate on Monday.
In seven games with Lakeland, Birch averaged 12.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks.
In five games with Lakeland, Iwundu averaged 19.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists.
SVG’s lament
The Magic’s decision to end their annual summer league in 2018 and join the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas disappointed many people, including Stan Van Gundy.
Van Gundy liked the league when he coached the Magic and continued to like the league in his current role as the Detroit Pistons’ coach and president of basketball operations. Van Gundy has always thought the low-key venue was good to develop young players. In recent years, Van Gundy enjoyed spending time at his home in Seminole County.
“It’s disappointing,” Van Gundy told reporters Sunday night, as reported by the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News.
“I’ve always liked that league. [We] played in it at all three places that I’ve coached. Myself, I think it’s the best atmosphere for developing young players and everything else. So we’ll miss it. But it’s hardly a major issue, especially at this point. It is one that I’ll be disappointed in because I thought it was just a really good atmosphere.”
The Magic held their league in 14 different years since 2002, with 2005 and 2011 as the lone exceptions. The team played in Las Vegas in 2005, and an NBA lockout forced the Orlando league’s cancellation in 2011.
With the exception of just one game — LeBron James’ pro debut in 2003 — summer-league games in Orlando always were closed to the public. Magic fans now can attend the team’s exhibitions in Vegas, provided those fans make the trip to Nevada.
Ready to play
Magic center Nikola
Vucevic hurt his right knee when he banged knees with Utah’s Ricky Rubio on Saturday, and Vucevic was sore Sunday but felt better Monday.
“I guess he has really sharp knees, but it’s nothing bad,” Vucevic said.