The Orlando Magic’s
Magic’s injured starting center says he loves Orlando
Nikola Vucevic is focused on rehab efforts for his left hand, he says, and not trade rumors.
If you run into Nikola Vucevic these days, you might see him reaching into a rice bucket, playing a video game called “Football Manager” or dribbling a basketball, attempting layups and taking jump shots with assistant coach Corliss Williamson.
All of it — the rice bucket forays, the video games and the individual basketball drills — share something in common. Each activity strengthens his left hand, which he fractured on Dec. 23 and underwent surgery on Dec. 26.
“It’s very tough to sit on the sidelines,” Vucevic said Thursday. “For me, it’s never been this long. Just watching the game each time, it’s like, ‘Ugh, I want to be there.’ You want to compete out there with the guys. Being on the sideline and doing stuff on your own while they’re competing doing all the fun stuff together is very hard. It’s not easy. In a way, it takes a toll on you mentally.” It could be worse. Although Vucevic is not used to lengthy injury layoffs, he is accustomed to something else that occurs every year at this time. His name often surfaces in the weeks leading up to the NBA trade deadline. And with the Magic struggling, mired in yet another disastrous season, his name likely will emerge again before this season’s
deadline expires on Feb. 8, even if the rumors have no basis in fact.
Vucevic is the Magic’s longest-tenured player. Acquired when the franchise traded Dwight Howard in August 2012, Vucevic has been the one on-court constant throughout the franchise’s long, frustrating rebuild. Nobody on the roster has endured as many losses as he’s endured — 311 total and counting — over the last 5½ seasons.
And yet, Vucevic made something clear Thursday: He has no desire to be traded.
“I love it here,” he answered when he was asked whether he’d like to remain with the team. “I’m just disappointed that I haven’t been able to bring more wins and more joy to this franchise, to these fans. That’s the biggest disappointment for me. But other than that, everything’s been great for me here as far as how the organization treated me, how the fans treated me, my role on the team, how I’ve been able to perform. All that’s been great.
“I think if only we could get some wins, get some joy around here, it would be so much better. I always think we’re not that far away. I always think it’s like a couple of things that need to change, a couple of things that we could do to make it better. That’s why I try to stay positive. It’s not easy. A lot times when we have a bad loss, when we get a couple of losses in a row and all that, it takes a toll. You get very frustrated. But it’s never gotten to a point where I felt like I should ask to be moved.”
Vucevic tries not to pay attention to rumors, especially after last season, when it seemed to him as if he was rumored to go to “every team in the NBA.”
He said trade talk is “part of the business” he chose.
Vucevic turned 27 years old in October, and his teamfriendly contract will expire after he’s paid $12.8 million for the 2018-19 season.
His expiring contract and versatility on offense could make him an attractive trade candidate for other teams. But he stressed Thursday that worrying about being traded isn’t productive.
He has plenty to focus on, anyway, as he rehabilitates his surgically repaired left hand. Nine screws hold the metacarpal bone of his index finger together. He can dribble and catch a basketball, but he still has a bit of trouble gripping the ball with his left hand.
Making fists in a rice bucket, playing video games and on-court work have helped him make progress.
His surgeon has cleared him only to do individual drills, but Vucevic hopes to graduate to full-contact drills soon.
“Each day it’s getting better,” he said. “I’m getting more and more confident. So I think it’s going good.” jrobbins@ orlandosentinel.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/ magicblog and follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.
“I think if only we could get some wins, get some joy around here, it would be so much better. I always think we’re not that far away.” Injured Magic center Nikola Vucevic