<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Orlando Magic rookie Courtney Lee scored more points during summer-league play in Orlando than all the college stars who were picked ahead of him, including Michael Beasley and Russell Westbrook. It was a promising development for the club's No. 22 pick. The Magic, however, have a stable of shooting guards and needed to see progress from a big man. Center Marcin Gortat represented significant progress, hardly resembling the player that the Magic sent home after just three summer-league games for more seasoning in 2005. Friday at RDV Sportsplex, Gortat finished as the leading rebounder and shot-blocker in the six-team developmental league. Gortat, 6-feet-11, 240 pounds, has continued to impress since he surprisingly took veteran Adonal Foyle's job during the playoffs last season as Dwight Howard's backup. He averaged 12.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks, sharing the starring role this summer with Lee. Lee scored 101 points in five games for a 20.2 average, justifying his reputation as a marquee shooter. He hit 31 of 71 3-pointers for 44 percent and made 31 of 34 free-throw attempts. Lee, the Magic's first-round draft pick out of Western Kentucky, scored 30 points in the club's 74-69 victory against the Miami Heat on Friday. "It was fun. It was everything I expected it to be," Lee said. "I definitely feel like I got a head start. You learn what they expect of you." Gortat added 16 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks. Forward James Augustine had six points and 12 rebounds to finish the week with 7.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. "I thought Marcin and Courtney had good weeks," Magic General Manager Otis Smith said. "James had some tough 4s to defend against, but I thought he did a good job." Smith couldn't have imagined Gortat earning such praise three years ago. The club didn't deem him good enough to even face free-agent wannabes, sending him back home to Poland. Asked about Gortat's improvement since he returned, Smith said, "Huge. He's 25 pounds heavier than he was, his footwork is better. He has grown immensely." Gortat, the son of an Olympic boxer, surely has that fighting spirit. He has a tattoo of his father, Janusz Gortat, who fought for Poland in two Olympics, on his chest. Marcin lifted his jersey to reveal the image of his dad and the words "Munich 1972" and "Montreal 1976." Janusz won two bronze medals in the light heavyweight division, and in 1976 lost in the semifinals to Leon Spinks. Marcin's passion was soccer and he became a very tall goalie before discovering basketball in his late teens. He dabbled in boxing, but he inherited his father's toughness and picked himself up after being floored by the Magic's initial rejection. "It's been a long road for me. I could not quit after I was cut after the third game. My feeling was the people made a decision too fast," Gortat said. "They thought it was better I get experience in Europe. "I was so mad. When I went to the gym [in Poland], I wanted to hurt every guy. It was hard for me, but now I'm a better player. I want to be the best Polish player in the history of basketball."</div> Source: Orlando Sentinel
