<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">[IMGL]http://www.nba.com/media/magic/05tc_howard371.jpg[/IMGL] At roughly 9:30AM this morning, the Orlando Magic's 2006-07 season officially got underway. Head coach Brian Hill brought all 17 players on the roster to half court to kick things off as they all loudly clapped to celebrate finally be back together as a team. Most of the team was out on the court shooting around well before 9:00, eagerly anticipating their first day of camp. Each player arrived on court wearing the team's new practice gear by adidas, who replaces Reebok this season as the official apparel supplier of NBA. Coach Hill split the squad into three colored jerseys - black, white and orange. The black squad was composed of Dwight Howard, Grant Hill, Jameer Nelson, Tony Battie and Hedo Turkoglu. Wearing the white were Carlos Arroyo, Darko Milicic, Keyon Dooling, Trevor Ariza, Pat Garrity and Kasib Powell. Finally, Jackie Manuel, Travis Diener, James Augustine, J.J. Redick, Keith Bogans and Bo Outlaw sported the orange jerseys. After receiving some opening instructions from Coach Hill and doing some stretches to get loose, work got underway. A variety of drills were run in the opening hour, including work on staying with the ball handler on defense, sprinting back down the court and getting into position to properly stop the offense, along with a number of 3-on-2 and 2-on-1 fast break drills. The players wrapped up practice with a few minutes of 5-on-5 before finishing up the first session with some free throws. A few player observations after the first round of practices this week... Some were questioning whether the World Championships would deflate Dwight, Carlos and Darko a bit entering camp. I think after this week is over and the season begins, we'll see no signs of fatigue from these guys and instead start talking about how well conditioned they are after playing in Japan. Both Dwight and Darko look like they've bulked up a bit and Carlos was, well, Carlos - going at it 100 percent the entire time... By the way, it's quite a joy watching Dwight and Darko match up with one another in practice. There's good reason other teams are drooling at the young duo we'll have inside the paint this season. Last week, Dwight joked with the media that he didn't think rookie J.J. Redick had missed a shot during the team's voluntary workouts. And while J.J. assured everyone at Media Day that he had indeed missed some shots, it's easy to see how this guy is so dangerous. He makes shooting the outside shot seem so flawless and looked really good from outside in a number of drills. Another player who looked solid from the outside - Travis Diener? Yes, folks. Grant Hill was present at the first day of camp and participated the entire time. Were there any signs of Grant holding back or not going at it 100 percent? None. Grant looked like the same All-Star calibur player we've seen over the years and went at it full steam. Should Grant sit out the evening session this week, I wouldn't read much into it. It's better to take the preventative approach now than regret it down the road. But all signs point to a healthy Grant Hill on the floor right now, which could mean great things for the team this season. </div> Source
More from Day 1: <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Day 1 Training Camp Impressions Here are some early impressions from Day One of training camp: * Head Coach Brian Hill's attention to detail is alive and well. Employing a little-things-make-a-difference philosophy, Hill's constant chatter during practice encourages his team. "Contest every shot"..."Stay in your defensive stance"..."Move your feet, don't reach."..."In 2-on-1 you need a layup"..."Take good shots." * During one three minute stretch during this morning's two-plus hour workout, Keyon Dooling, Grant Hill and Trevor Ariza all took charges. It's one of the most selfless plays in a basketball game, nevermind a practice. It's as if I asked you to stand straight up and then I slugged you in the stomach. * Jameer Nelson and Carlos Arroyo are going to be fun to watch. They are battling each other, and making each other better. * Darko Milicic has an air of confidence about him, no doubt a byproduct of his success in this past summer's World Championships. I love the way Darko and Dwight Howard complement each other, and it's even better with a little Tony Battie, blue collar, veteran leadership sprinkled in. * J.J. Redick's back is just fine. * Grant Hill and Hedo Turkoglu on the floor at the same time will provide a headache for opponents. They are just so versatile and really know how to play.</div> Source
reading this makes me 1000x more excited about even the pre-season opener, let alone the entire season
I'm getting psyched for the new season. We've got a really great young team put together. I will hopefully get to see the Magic in the playoffs for the first time this year. The season is almost here too, preseason starts a week from today!
Some notes from Day 2. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">[IMGL]http://www.nba.com/media/magic/06tcd2_milicicoutlaw.jpg[/IMGL]Morning Session - Day 2 By Matthew Gardner | October 4, 2006 After an intense first day of practice, the team was back out on the floor Wednesday morning - a little over 13 hours after Tuesday evening's session came to a close. If there were any signs of fatigue after Day 1, they weren't too visible in the early stages of practice as the intensity and hustle of the first practice seemed to carry over well to Day 2. In fact, in the first hour, Trevor Ariza and Carlos Arroyo went through a couple intense battles during one-on-one drills, Darko Milicic and J.J. Redick both went to the floor hustling after the ball and Grant Hill had to be treated for a bloody nose after taking a hard hit to the face. But for each player that went to the floor after hustling for the ball, there were three teammates at his feet ready to pick him up. And while some are challenging for a spot in the starting rotation and everyone is competing for playing time, it's those little things that demonstrate this team's desire to win and play as one. Augustine Visitors: Rookie James Augustine has seen a couple familiar faces watching over his first days of NBA training camp. On Monday, Jacksonville Jaguars defensive back Nick Sorensen - who also happens to be Augustine's cousin - watched a bit of the morning session. On Tuesday morning, Bruce Weber - Augustine's coach at Illinois - stopped in to watch some practice. Dwight Finishing Strong: One of the most impressive things I've seen in the first couple days of training camp is how well Dwight is playing close to the basket. Perhaps all that summer training against Elton Brand, Chris Bosh and company really paid off. There doesn't seem to be any hesitation from Dwight on putting the ball on the floor, making a quick move and then getting to the rim. Dwight has had some stellar post moves against Darko Milcic, Tony Battie and Bo Outlaw in the first couple of days. Hedo Feeling Ill: Forward Hedo Turkoglu was not with the team for the morning session while feeling a little under the weather. Turkoglu is battling a case of the stomach flu at the moment. Bogans on D: One major hole the Magic will have to fill this season will be the defensive presence left by DeShawn Stevenson, who signed this summer with the Washington Wizards. Look for free agent acquisition Keith Bogans to play a large role in filling that void. While a member of the Magic during his previous stint with the team, along with his time in Charlotte and Houston, Bogans has proven his ability to play tight defense and has looked good in camp - regardless of who he is defending. He also has a solid shot and should be able to contribute just as much as Stevenson did on the offensive side of the ball. </div> Source
what do you guys think of Augustine? Does he have a significant role on this team this season? If not is he someone that we plan to keep and use later?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting MickyEyez:</div><div class="quote_post">what do you guys think of Augustine? Does he have a significant role on this team this season? If not is he someone that we plan to keep and use later?</div> Honestly, I hope he doesn't have a significant role on the team, because that would mean that at least one of Dwight, Darko, Battie, and Bo are out with injury. I think he will be similar to Travis Diener. Give him a couple of mop up minutes here and there, but not really be anything.
