Denton: Pietrus a Big Part of Orlando's Rise to the Top
By John Denton
December 3, 2009
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
ORLANDO – Leaving the Golden State Warriors, the team where Mickael Pietrus played his first five seasons in the NBA, was understandably difficult. But the decision to bolt wasn’t quite so hard once the Orlando Magic came calling, Pietrus stressed.
``When you get a call from the Orlando Magic you pick up the phone really, really quick,’’ Pietrus said with his usual Caribbean accent adding flair to the conversation. ``When you see it’s the Magic on the phone, you wait maybe one (ring) and then you say, `Yes, yes, yes! Please give me No. 20. I’m there.’
"Now," Pietrus continued, "I play for the best team in the league."
Pietrus has been a big part of the Magic’s ascent to the rarified air of the NBA’s elite, developing into a reliable shooter from the perimeter and a hard-nosed defender against some of the game’s best wing players. Pietrus returns to Golden State on Saturday night when the Magic (15-4) face the Warriors in what they hope will be the team’s seventh consecutive road victory, one that would tie an Orlando franchise record.
Orlando sought out Pietrus, a 6-foot-8, 220-pounder who can play either shooting guard or small forward, in the summer of 2008, feeling the free-agent guard could provide some of the toughness and size that the team needed on the perimeter.
And after struggling through an injury-plagued first season in Orlando, Pietrus’ promise exploded for the Magic in the playoffs last spring. He was especially big against Boston and Cleveland, averaging 12.1 and 13.8 points in those two playoff series. He topped it off with another 10.6 points per game in the NBA Finals against the Lakers, including a career playoff high of 18 points in the Magic’s Game 3 victory. In the 24 playoff games, he made 37 3-pointers and played his way into the hearts of Magic fans.
``That gave me a lot of confidence to know that I can do so much to help this team win,’’ Pietrus admitted. ``We have so many all-stars here and I just have to realize that some nights that playing my best game might be on defense instead of shooting the ball.’’
In a self-effacing way, Pietrus discounted his own role in Orlando’s offense. ``San Van Gundy has a playbook of about 400 pages and (the plays) for me are probably on page 398, but it’s all about winning,’’ he joked. ``But your turn (to score) might come tomorrow or it might not and you just have to be ready. But I just enjoy winning because I know that winning in this league is one of the hardest things to do.’’
Pietrus learned that the hard way in Golden State, where they had one stirring playoff run in 2007, but little else success to speak of. Pietrus was so won over by the Magic’s winning last season, he said he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win. Therefore, Pietrus adopted the goal this season of wanting to become a significantly better defender. Of late, he had solid defensive outings against Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant (four of 12), Charlotte’s Stephen Jackson (four of 14), Paul Pierce (seven of 19), Hedo Turkoglu (three of 11) and Dwyane Wade (six of 22).
``I want to be first-team All-Defense this season. That’s my number one goal,’’ Pietrus said. ``I want to be on the all-defense team with Superman.’’
Pietrus’ focus on defense is music to the ears of head coach Stan Van Gundy, who had something to do with planting the goal in Pietrus’ psyche. Van Gundy said that Pietrus has made huge strides defensively because he gambles less now and sticks more to the basic defensive fundamental principles.
``That’s a great goal for him (to be on All-Defensive team) because he has the size and athleticism to be a great defender,’’ Van Gundy said. ``He’s working hard at being more disciplined and not making as many mistakes. He’s not fouling as much and running through passing lanes and missing steals. He’s come a long way, but time will tell if he can do the job on a nightly basis. He’s really working toward it.’’
Van Gundy has also pushed for Pietrus to shoot the ball more, especially with his corner 3-point shot. Van Gundy feels that Pietrus doesn’t shoot enough – be it 3-pointers or hard drives to the hoop. Regardless, he wants Pietrus to stay locked in and aggressive while seeking out shots.
``He does want me shooting more, but we have so many weapons here already,’’ Pietrus said. ``Sometimes, I just sort of chill, but I have to stay aggressive. But I’m trying to do everything for this team like making shots, driving to the rim and playing defense.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Orlando Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard on ESPN 1080 AM on Thursday at 5:05 p.m. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
By John DentonDecember 3, 2009
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
ORLANDO – Leaving the Golden State Warriors, the team where Mickael Pietrus played his first five seasons in the NBA, was understandably difficult. But the decision to bolt wasn’t quite so hard once the Orlando Magic came calling, Pietrus stressed.
``When you get a call from the Orlando Magic you pick up the phone really, really quick,’’ Pietrus said with his usual Caribbean accent adding flair to the conversation. ``When you see it’s the Magic on the phone, you wait maybe one (ring) and then you say, `Yes, yes, yes! Please give me No. 20. I’m there.’
"Now," Pietrus continued, "I play for the best team in the league."
Pietrus has been a big part of the Magic’s ascent to the rarified air of the NBA’s elite, developing into a reliable shooter from the perimeter and a hard-nosed defender against some of the game’s best wing players. Pietrus returns to Golden State on Saturday night when the Magic (15-4) face the Warriors in what they hope will be the team’s seventh consecutive road victory, one that would tie an Orlando franchise record.
Orlando sought out Pietrus, a 6-foot-8, 220-pounder who can play either shooting guard or small forward, in the summer of 2008, feeling the free-agent guard could provide some of the toughness and size that the team needed on the perimeter.
And after struggling through an injury-plagued first season in Orlando, Pietrus’ promise exploded for the Magic in the playoffs last spring. He was especially big against Boston and Cleveland, averaging 12.1 and 13.8 points in those two playoff series. He topped it off with another 10.6 points per game in the NBA Finals against the Lakers, including a career playoff high of 18 points in the Magic’s Game 3 victory. In the 24 playoff games, he made 37 3-pointers and played his way into the hearts of Magic fans.
``That gave me a lot of confidence to know that I can do so much to help this team win,’’ Pietrus admitted. ``We have so many all-stars here and I just have to realize that some nights that playing my best game might be on defense instead of shooting the ball.’’
In a self-effacing way, Pietrus discounted his own role in Orlando’s offense. ``San Van Gundy has a playbook of about 400 pages and (the plays) for me are probably on page 398, but it’s all about winning,’’ he joked. ``But your turn (to score) might come tomorrow or it might not and you just have to be ready. But I just enjoy winning because I know that winning in this league is one of the hardest things to do.’’
Pietrus learned that the hard way in Golden State, where they had one stirring playoff run in 2007, but little else success to speak of. Pietrus was so won over by the Magic’s winning last season, he said he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win. Therefore, Pietrus adopted the goal this season of wanting to become a significantly better defender. Of late, he had solid defensive outings against Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant (four of 12), Charlotte’s Stephen Jackson (four of 14), Paul Pierce (seven of 19), Hedo Turkoglu (three of 11) and Dwyane Wade (six of 22).
``I want to be first-team All-Defense this season. That’s my number one goal,’’ Pietrus said. ``I want to be on the all-defense team with Superman.’’
Pietrus’ focus on defense is music to the ears of head coach Stan Van Gundy, who had something to do with planting the goal in Pietrus’ psyche. Van Gundy said that Pietrus has made huge strides defensively because he gambles less now and sticks more to the basic defensive fundamental principles.
``That’s a great goal for him (to be on All-Defensive team) because he has the size and athleticism to be a great defender,’’ Van Gundy said. ``He’s working hard at being more disciplined and not making as many mistakes. He’s not fouling as much and running through passing lanes and missing steals. He’s come a long way, but time will tell if he can do the job on a nightly basis. He’s really working toward it.’’
Van Gundy has also pushed for Pietrus to shoot the ball more, especially with his corner 3-point shot. Van Gundy feels that Pietrus doesn’t shoot enough – be it 3-pointers or hard drives to the hoop. Regardless, he wants Pietrus to stay locked in and aggressive while seeking out shots.
``He does want me shooting more, but we have so many weapons here already,’’ Pietrus said. ``Sometimes, I just sort of chill, but I have to stay aggressive. But I’m trying to do everything for this team like making shots, driving to the rim and playing defense.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Orlando Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard on ESPN 1080 AM on Thursday at 5:05 p.m. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
