Vucevic’s preferred destination: Orlando
Nikola Vucevic just got back from hobnobbing with all of the other NBA All-Stars.
He probably heard the Brooklyn trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden gabbing about their latest acquisition — Blake Griffin — and how he will help the Nets’ inevitable run for an NBA championship.
Or maybe Vooch heard LeBron James and Kawhi Leonhard talking trash about which LA team — the Lakers or Clippers — will win the championship this year.
Or maybe he heard All-Star Game MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo talk about how his Milwaukee Bucks retooled themselves after last season and are poised to make a championship run this season.
Or maybe he heard Utah’s duo of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell warning their fellow All-Stars that the Jazz are for real, have the best record in the NBA and aren’t just some fluky pretenders who will fold up like a Kmart lawn chair when the playoffs begin.
Sadly, although Vooch is having his best statistical season with the Orlando Magic, he knows he is stuck on another losing, injury-ravaged team that has no chance of contending for a title this season. And, amazingly, he still says he’d rather continue to try to a build a championship team in Orlando rather than join a ready-made contender somewhere else.
Before he left for the All-Star game, I bluntly asked Vucevic if he is still happy in Orlando or does he wish he was playing for the Lakers, Nets or some other league powerhouse.
“I’m happy where I am,” Vucevic answered. “When I re-signed with the Magic, I knew it was going to be a process and I knew we weren’t going to turn into a championship team right away... It’s unfortunate we’ve had all of these injuries.
“I think we are headed in the right direction, but we have lost two very important players — Markelle [Fultz] and J.I. [Jonathan Isaac] — for the season. If we were healthier, our goals would be much different and we could
achieve much more.
“But that’s just part of the journey. Unexpected things are going to happen.”
You know what? I actually believe him. I actually believe Vooch when he says he’d rather stay in Orlando and try to help build one championship team rather than ride LeBron’s coattails to an umpteenth bought championship with the Lakers.
It’s one of the reasons Vucevic should go down as Orlando’s favorite professional athlete of all time. There’s no denying that all of the Magic’s other great players — Shaq, Dwight, Penny and T-Mac — forced their way out of town in some way, shape or form.
Granted, Vucevic has never been one of the league’s biggest superstars as those other four Magic greats were, but still he could easily force the Magic to trade him. In fact, it’s fairly easy for any disgruntled star player in the NBA to loaf his way to a better team (see James Harden quitting and eating his way out of Houston).
Vucevic, through nearly a decade of failed rebuilds, fired coaches, injured
teammates and interminable losing, has never publicly complained, never criticized management and never asked for a trade.
That’s quite the accomplishment for an All-Star who has never even been to the second round of the playoffs and has been a member of Magic teams with a collective record that is 193 games below
.500.
Vooch has made Orlando his home, has started a family here and says he remains grateful the Magic gave him a chance to blossom into an All-Star.
Does he get frustrated? Of course he does, but instead of being part of the problem he has decided to be part of the solution. Every offseason he has
worked diligently, silently and steadily to improve his game.
There are some Orlando fans and NBA analysts out there who believe the Magic, with the NBA trade deadline approaching at the end of March, should blow up their roster, deal Vucevic and start all over. Puh-leeze!
This would be a bad idea
— a very bad idea.
Yes, if the Magic can potentially upgrade their roster by trading Evan Fournier or Aaron Gordon, then by all means let’s make a deal.
But not Vooch. Don’t you dare trade Vooch.
First of all, it’s not like you’re going to get another All-Star in return for him because there is no other All-Star in the league who would be content getting shipped to a franchise that is on its way to an eighth losing record in the last nine seasons.
Vooch, after all these years, all these smears and all these crying-inhis-beers, still believes in Magic.
And for that he should be designated as a civic treasure.
“I love it here,” he says. Most All-Stars would have already marched into the front office and demanded a trade.
Inspiringly, it sounds like Nikola Vucevic is demanding to stay.