Stan Van Gundy settles on starting lineup for the Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy has finally settled on a starting five for his club, seven games into the season. For Van Gundy, it was the small forward spot that he was having the
most trouble deciding on.
Now it will be Quentin Richardson occupying the spot for the foreseeable future.
“We’re going to actually stabilize what we’re doing,” Van Gundy told reporters. “We’re going to quit changing around here, and we’re going to go the same way at the start of every game.
It doesn’t mean we won’t use the different lineups. We will.”
The other four starters will be Jameer Nelson at point guard, Vince Carter at shooting guard, Rashard Lewis at power forward, and Dwight Howard at the centre position.
Brandon Bass, the first power forward off the bench, has had a consistent role and has performed well, averaging 9.3 points and 5.7 rebounds. Van Gundy believes the two to be related.
“I looked at the three and four spots, and we’ve got five guys there: Q [Richardson], M.P. [Mickael Pietrus],
Rashard, Ryan and Brandon,” he said. “And Brandon’s the only one who’s played well of the five guys in the seven games, and he’s also the only one who has stayed in a consistent role in all the games.”
Van Gundy believes his players will perform to their maximum potential if he keeps rotations and minutes consistent from game to game.
“It’s the four guys who have really been juggled around that are struggling a little bit,” he said. “That could be for any number of reasons, but I think as a coach, you have to look at
it and say, ‘OK, guys are not in a good comfort zone, and we need to change.’”
The Magic (5-2) had won four straight games before falling to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. They are considered to be one of the elite teams in the league, making the Conference Finals last
year and the NBA Finals two years ago.
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