Orlando misses rookie Isaac
MINNEAPOLIS — There’s never a good time for a player to miss a game due to injury.
But for the Orlando Magic, missing was especially disconcerting on Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Isaac already has distinguished himself because of his versatility on defense, and the Magic expected to miss his height, agile feet and court awareness against the Timberwolves, a team with tall wing players and skilled post players.
“You hate to say you’re missing a 20-year-old rookie, but we are,” Magic coach
said. “He’s a dynamic player, especially on the defensive end, and he’s missed. But every single team in the league has got guys out.”
Isaac sprained his right ankle on Nov. 11 and now has missed five consecutive games.
Vogel said Isaac “potentially could return on this trip. That’s what we’re hopeful for.”
Isaac hasn’t done much on-court work since his injury — only free-throw shooting.
He still has some swelling in his ankle, and the joint hurts when he puts pressure on it or cuts side-to-side.
“Slowly but surely it’s been getting better every day,” Isaac said.
“The swelling’s been going down every day.”
Isaac also is hopeful he can play before the Magic’s four-game trip ends.
But he doesn’t know when.
“I tried to gauge [my return date] already,” he said with a smile. “I’m not going to try again.”
Vogel acknowledged he considered altering the Magic’s lineup Wednesday, but he continued to employ the usual starting five of
“[We’re] staying the course right now,” Vogel said. “I think we’re still dealing with not having been at full strength and we’re trying to keep guys in their roles while we try to achieve that.”
By “full strength,” Vogel was referring to Payton and fellow point guard
being out of rhythm following their long layoffs due to hamstring injuries.
Gordon and Timberwolves swingman
have played against each other ever since they played on the AAU circuit as teenagers.
“The first time I’d seen Andrew was on a little video mixtape almost,” Gordon said.
“I had no idea who he was because he’s from Canada. But he was the same age as me, doing the same things as me. So I was like, ‘Dang, this dude is crazy!’ He was dunking in the eighth grade. So he was such a talent, so skilled, such a good guy. I’m super happy for him, and I love how he competes and I love how he plays the game of basketball. So it’s just really cool that we can both be at the highest stage playing.”
Gordon played AAU ball for the Oakland Soldiers. Wiggins, who is from Toronto, played for CIA Bounce.
“Since we were back in high school, I played him a lot,” Wiggins said. “We were some of the top players in our class, so I got a chance to face him a lot, whether it was AAU or high school.”
“Every year, he’s gotten better,” Wiggins added. “He works hard. He has a good work ethic, so it doesn’t surprise me.” Vogel and
the Timberwolves’ coach and president of basketball operations, share some elements within their basketball backgrounds.
They worked as Boston Celtics assistant coaches, although their tenures never overlapped. And they faced each other four times every regular season when Vogel coached the Indiana Pacers and Thibodeau coached the Chicago Bulls.
On Nov. 10, Thibodeau attended the Magic’s game in Phoenix because Thibodeau’s Timberwolves were scheduled to play the Suns the next night.
Vogel texted Thibodeau as a joke, thanking Thibodeau for watching him coach.
Thibodeau smiled Wednesday morning when he was asked about Vogel’s text message.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for him,” Thibodeau said.