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Darko Milicic: Orlando was a great period for me initially because I actually got to play. After a good stretch, the team actually offered me a $44 million contract over four years. I would have accepted it without even thinking about the money because I liked it there. But then, they suddenly pulled the offer. They said they were 'afraid' because my 'head wasn't stable.' They offered it and then they played with my head by taking it away. I stayed and played the next season quite well, and the coach told me at the exit meeting that the season wouldn't even start without me. But then he got fired, Stan Van Gundy came in, and he didn't want to see my face on a postage stamp. He wanted to 'exorcise' the gym because my name was on the roster. It’s fascinating how quickly a new coach can decide you have zero value.
Grady said the "Alien" nickname agreed with Wembanyama. But Van Gundy was quick to call for a change. "The only thing is, in the current political environment, you gotta watch that word, Michael Grady," Van Gundy said. "They deport those. We do not want Victor Wembanyama deported. Let's go with a different nickname." Grady laughed it off.
Fullcourt Pass: Stan Van Gundy on drafting Stanley Johnson over Devin Booker “If I had drafted him, I might still be coaching. Every time Devin Booker has a great game, I kick myself — physically kick myself— just to make sure I feel that pain.
Even as a center, while the Denver Nuggets man has achieved a lot, there are those with more accolades. He doesn’t have the hardware to compete with some of the truly great all-time legacies. But Van Gundy, a former NBA coach, thinks he could go all the way to the top. “Well, he might be the best player in the history of the NBA,” Van Gundy told Zach Lowe. “Here’s the thing… I understand the thought that you compare players to how well they did in the era they played in. “But the evolution of athletes… We can probably say that the best 20 basketball players in history have probably played in the last twenty years.”
Former Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy played a huge role in helping Howard reach those heights. In all five seasons he coached D12 in Orlando, the Magic made the playoffs, including two trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and one to the NBA Finals. “Because of you, I am in the Hall of Fame,” an emotional Howard explained during the ceremony. “As I’ve said before, there is no Dwight Howard without Stan Van Gundy. You taught me what it means to stay ready.” Howard was named an NBA All-Star six consecutive times from 2007-12, leading all vote-getters in both 2009 and 2012. He was NBA Player of the Month six times and NBA Player of the Week 18 times – both of which are the most in franchise history. Howard stands as the Orlando Magic’s all-time leader in points scored (11,435), rebounds (8,072), blocked shots (1,344), free throws made (3,366), free throws attempted (5,727) and minutes played (22,471). He also ranks among the franchise’s all-time leaders in games played (third, 621), field goals made (third, 4,034), steals (fourth, 626) and field goals attempted (fourth, 6,988). “A big thanks to my teammates on the Magic, (especially those) who reached The Finals in 2009,” said Howard, who went on to name many players on that very roster. “That was a magical run.”
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Barry Jackson: Amazon Prime's full NBA game announcing talent lineup is now set, as it prepares for its first season of coverage: Play by play: Ian Eagle, Kevin Harlan, Wolves TV voice Michael Grady, Hornets TV voice Eric Collins.. Analysts: Stan Van Gundy, Brent Barry, Dell Curry; D-Wade, Steve Nash, Candace Parker will split time between games and studio. (Eagle and Harlan obviously keep their CBS NFL and college basketball jobs as well.)
“So, next up on the list: the Knicks made a mistake by getting rid of Tom Thibodeau.” Stan Van Gundy “Yeah, they totally did. That was a big mistake. Tom Thibodeau—one of the best coaches in this league—did an unbelievable job with that team this year. Maximized virtually everyone on their roster. I mean, OG Anunoby—best year of his career. Karl-Anthony Towns—probably the best year of his career. Jalen Brunson, a guy who was what, a 15–16 point-a-game scorer in Dallas, has become a star. Josh Hart went from a backup to a triple-double-type of guy in New York. I mean, he just maximized this roster and took them places they hadn't been in a quarter of a century. And they make a coaching change? Made absolutely no sense to me.”
“LeBron’s gotten a little hate for a long time for a lot of different things,” Van Gundy said after Samson noted James has been criticized for taking his full player option with the Los Angeles Lakers. “Whether it was his decision to come to Miami that he announced on TV, whether it was bumping into Eric Spoelstra. Whatever it is, LeBron’s gotten a lot of hate for a guy who’s had the best career of any NBA player, ever. And we can argue who the best player has been in the NBA, but it’s hard to argue that anyone’s had a better career. “The most amazing thing to me is, this guy has been a national figure since he’s been in eighth grade, what’s the biggest off-court controversy you’ve got on this guy? This guy has done nothing except represent the game of basketball and the league well. And yet, there’s this hate for him,” Van Gundy continued. “I have never understood the negativity around him. I think a lot of it was there’s so many people out there who just revered Michael Jordan and the fact that people would question, ‘Is LeBron as good?’ led to a hatred of LeBron instead of an appreciation of what he’s done. And I think that’s unfortunate.”
For example, Stan Van Gundy had the most unique collection of ballots relative to his peers this year. His high Contrarian Score is largely driven by his Sixth Man of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Most Improved Player of the Year ballots. Here are some choices he made that stand out.
A few hours after he finished calling Game 1 of Knicks-Pacers, TNT’s Stan Van Gundy woke up in his New York hotel room and re-watched the tape. “I really was going back over every play because my impression coming out of it was that the Knicks’ defense was just soft and they had way too many mistakes and breakdowns. And when I watched it again, it was even clearer,” Van Gundy, the longtime TNT analyst, said.
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Does Van Gundy think the Knicks will let the loss impact them in Game 2? “They’ll look at the mistakes and pick themselves (up) and get ready to go. I don’t think (Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau) has to worry about (hangover from Wednesday’s loss) at this time of year,” Van Gundy said. “Their pick and roll defense to me, early on in the game, (Karl-Anthony) Towns was really back. (Myles) Turner was just getting wide-open shots. And then they had some miscommunications on perimeter screens; small-small (screens). Are we switching or not? They had breakdowns there. And then late in the game, they were really soft on their switches and (Aaron) Nesmith was hitting threes. To me, they’ve got to clean up their pick-and-roll coverages, being up and more aggressive. And their communication’s got to be a lot better on what they’re doing. “….There was not a hard three in that stretch (of Nesmith’s six threes late in the fourth quarter). It’s still hard to make six straight threes. But it wasn’t like the shot-clock ran down and someone had to throw one in. He got great looks. Nesmith, all five of his looks were great looks. And the one (Tyrese) Haliburton got, (Mikal) Bridges gave him a lot of space on that one, too. They got really good shots. I just thought the Knicks' defense in that stretch was very soft. And in the overtime, they had breakdowns on (Obi) Toppin’s dunk and (Andrew) Nembhard’s back cut. They just, defensively, didn’t get the job done.”
TNT’s Stan Van Gundy has been hired by Amazon Prime Video to be a game analyst for its forthcoming NBA coverage next season, sources briefed on the move told The Athletic. Van Gundy, 65, joins Ian Eagle on Prime Video’s game telecasts. While Prime has designated Eagle as its No. 1 play-by-play announcer, it plans on waiting to name its top game analysts.
TNT’s Stan Van Gundy has been hired by Amazon Prime Video to be a game analyst for its forthcoming NBA coverage next season, sources briefed on the move told The Athletic.
Van Gundy, 65, joins Ian Eagle on Prime Video’s game telecasts. While Prime has designated Eagle as its No. 1 play-by-play announcer, it plans on waiting to name its top game analysts. It has shown interest in Richard Jefferson, who was just promoted to ESPN’s No. 1 crew with Mike Breen and Doris Burke. Jefferson’s contract expires after he calls the NBA Finals for ABC in June.