By John Denton Feb. 15, 2017
ORLANDO – An Orlando Magic team unable to string much of anything together the
past six weeks and too often on the receiving end of lopsided losses got the
shakeup that it badly needed on Tuesday with the trading of Serge Ibaka.
Whether the help that the Magic got in return in shooting guard Terrence Ross is
available to help them tonight against the rugged San Antonio Spurs is still
very much up in the air.
Ross, a wing player who combines plus 3-point shooting accuracy with explosive
leaping ability and defensive versatility, is in Orlando and will play tonight
if the remaining aspects of Tuesday’s trade are finalized by tipoff just after 7
p.m. Both Ross and Ibaka must pass physical examinations before the transaction
is completed and the two of them are cleared to play.
Regardless of whether Ross plays tonight against the Spurs (42-13) or isn’t
activated until after the break for the NBA All-Star Game, the Magic (21-36) and
head coach Frank Vogel are excited about the promise that his unique skill set
brings to the team.
“He’s someone who I have been very high on since he came into the league
because he has a skill set that really matches today’s NBA when you talk about
his speed, his athleticism and his 3-point shooting,” Vogel said. “He’s the
kind of guy that you need to play in today’s era of basketball. So we’re excited
to bring him aboard.”
Orlando will be trying to win consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 23
and Dec. 26 defeats of the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies. Orlando has
gone just 5-18 since then, leading to Tuesday’s transaction.
While any trade of a core player is jarring to a team, there have been rumblings
for weeks among Orlando’s players that the squad needed a shakeup. The on-court
chemistry hasn’t been good for some time and that manifested itself in the team
not sharing the ball offensively and being disjointed in defensive sets.
“I was surprised, but it’s part of the business that we’re in where trades
happen all the time,” said center Nikola Vucevic, the Magic’s longest-tenured
player. “While I’ve been here we’ve had a good amount of trades and signings
and stuff, so I’ve kind of gotten used to it. But obviously this is the
direction that management chose to go.”
With Ibaka no longer in the fray, the Magic figure to play Aaron Gordon and Jeff
Green more at small forward to allow the team to better match up against
“small-ball” squads loaded with 3-point shooting. Gordon played power forward
his first two years in the NBA, but was shifted to small forward this season
when the Magic acquired Ibaka in a draft-day deal in June.
Defensively, nothing changes for Gordon, who will still cover the opposition’s
best scorer – that being MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard tonight against the Spurs.
Offensively, Gordon is likely to spend less time on the perimeter where he has
struggled with his 3-point shot and more on the inside where he can use his
quickness and leaping ability at the rim and on the boards.
As for Ross, Vogel wants to get him integrated into the mix with the Magic as
soon as possible, meaning if he’s given clearance later today he will play
against the Spurs. The fifth-year guard has averaged 10.4 points and 2.6
rebounds in 54 games this season for Toronto. This season, he’s scored in double
digits 27 times and he’s accounted for 20-or-more points five times, including a
season-best 25 points on Dec. 12 in Milwaukee.
Ross is shooting a career-best 44.1 percent from the floor this season while
knocking down 37.5 percent of his 3-point shots. He has made at least one
3-pointer in 42 games this season and he’s drilled at least three in a game 16
times.
“With (Evan) Fournier, (Mario) Hezonja, Ross, Gordon and Jeff Green, you’ve got
five guys right there who can play the wing position in a spread lineup,” Vogel
said. “And the fact that he’s a career 38 percent 3-point shooter, he’s really
going to help us.
“I think there’s a chance that we could use him as a starter with Aaron Gordon
at the (power forward position),” Vogel added later. “There’s a chance we can
use him as a bench scorer and we’ll probably look at both options.”
Player: Terrence Ross
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