So the mid-range jump shot that Howard so desperately wants to add to his offensive arsenal was put on hold while he mostly set picks for the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. And the jump-hook shots and counter moves in the post that Howard still needs to refine will get attention only after Howard recovers from the grind of the Olympics and the 19-hour flight from Beijing, China to Central Florida.
Still, the Olympic experience will certainly prove to be a good one for Orlando’s franchise player, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said.``I really liked the way he played, staying in his role and playing to his strengths,’’ Van Gundy said. ``No, he didn’t spend his summer working on the weaknesses in his offensive game because he really didn’t get the ball much with Team USA, but he did all he could in the role he had.
``Him being there was important to Dwight and important to USA Basketball, and really this is so much bigger than any one individual or one specific NBA team. Dwight will gain so many other positives from that experience. And what you hope now is with Dwight being around such a great group of players that he will decide that he wants to be better than any of those players on that team.’’
Jameer On Dwight & Retreat
Magic point guard Jameer Nelson, a co-captain along with Howard, communicated with his closest friend on the team following USA’s defeat of Spain in the gold medal game. Nelson said his emotions swelled with pride while seeing Howard and the other Team USA members receive their medals.
``I was text (messaging) with Dwight all night (Sunday) and he was so happy and excited about winning the gold,’’ Nelson said by cell phone on Monday from his summer home in suburban Philadelphia. ``I actually got chills watching them play. They played so hard and played together. Nobody was worried about stats and they just kept their eyes on the prize. It was awesome to see.’’
Nelson just completed the weeklong team retreat that he organized in Philadelphia. He paid for the flights and lodging for 10 of his teammates. The group worked on conditioning and basketball drills for five days and also mixed in bowling, paintball and casino junkets to enhance the team’s already tight chemistry. Nelson, who greatly values his role as a team leader, said the event helped returning team members get to know new point guard Anthony Johnson and rookie shooting guard Courtney Lee.
Stan Wants Dwight To Rest
Van Gundy said that he will encourage Howard, 22, to take the next two weeks off to rest up following the Olympics. While most of his teammates will start ramping up the intensity of their offseason workouts following the Labor Day holiday, Howard likely won’t rejoin the Magic until mid-September. In the time between then and the Sept. 30 opening of training camp Howard will work with assistant coach Patrick Ewing on his jump shot and moves in the low post, Van Gundy said.
``By training camp he will have been back five weeks and he’ll go through a normal training camp with us,’’ Van Gundy said. ``I really want Dwight to take the next two weeks to do what he needs to do to rest up and refresh himself. Then, he can get back in the gym and get to work.’’
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