For the record, Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy said there are more important things in life than Basketball. Thus, the workaholic son of a coach changed his team's practice schedule to accommodate all-star C Dwight Howard's trip to Washington, D.C., for Barack Obama's inauguration today.
Howard received an invitation from the Obama team and was expected to leave Orlando by private jet with his cousin. "There are actually some things bigger than Basketball," Van Gundy said Monday at RDV Sportsplex.
The 33-8 Magic returned early Sunday morning from a nine-day trip West. Normally, the drill for Van Gundy -- with four days off before a game on Thursday -- would have been to take off Sunday and Monday and practice Tuesday and Wednesday.
But Van Gundy relented after learning of Howard's desire to "see history," even with the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics being the opponent on Thursday.
Win at Denver surprises GM
Even GM Otis Smith said the Magic's end-of-the-trip victory Saturday night at Denver against the Nuggets "surprised" him, and he saluted the team's professionalism.
The Magic did not arrive in Denver until 5 a.m. after playing in Los Angeles and already had beaten the Lakers, Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs during the road trip. Tired but not satisfied, they fought through the high altitude to beat the Nuggets to complete a perfect road swing and improve their league-best road mark to 17-5.
"Some teams have a tendency to focus more on the road," Smith said. "It's that 'us versus the world' mentality."
Pietrus' cast off; return TBD
Van Gundy said SG Mickael Pietrus had his cast removed Monday, but the coach doesn't have a date for Pietrus' return to the court. He did not practice. Pietrus has missed the past 10 games after suffering a fractured right wrist.
"All he did was squeeze a tennis ball," Van Gundy said. "He'll see a doctor again after Thursday's game."
Pietrus missed 10 games after tearing a ligament in his right thumb in late November. He signed with the Magic as a free agent last summer but has played in just 20 games.
Pietrus had the starting role heading into the season, but rookie Courtney Lee has held the job now for seven consecutive starts. Van Gundy said he will re-evaluate the situation when Pietrus is healthy enough to play significant minutes.
