J.J. Redick...Cheered?

It's been a long time since I attended an Orlando Magic game. Needless to say, last night was the first time that I got to see J.J. Redick take the court for the Magic since he entered the NBA. I know some people weren't thrilled when Orlando selected him with the 11th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. A few of them might have even been in New York, and booed the selection firsthand.

JJ Redick Drafted by Magic!


Now, those boos weren't surprising to me. I had heard Redick get some pretty tough treatment by opposing fans on numerous occasions. By the time he became the ACC's career leading scorer he had fostered a pretty good love-hate relationship with many of the people that watched him outside the confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium. For the most part, I always shared the feeling that The Mighty MJD did, that when you're the best player at a school as hated as Duke you're going to catch a lot of heat. Pretty much all of it is going to be misguided, but it's still going to happen and how you handle it on and off the court will be the true test. I always thought Redick handled it fairly well, though that didn't keep me from getting caught offguard a bit by the cheers he received during last night's game.

That's right, J.J. Redick, at one point the posterboy of douchiness for college basketball fans everywhere, was receiving praise somewhere other than on the campus of Duke University. Like I said, this is the first time that I've been to a Magic game with Redick on the roster so it may have been this way since day one. However, I had grown accustomed to hearing a chorus of boos whenever he had a night like last night, 18 points on 7-14 shooting and 4-8 from three point range. It was a little strange at first, but eventually I was even rooting for him to knock down his shots. And at one point, I probably contributed to the hating on him. Sometimes it's weird how things end up playing out.

Look Out NBA Fans, J.J. Could Be Heading To Your Favorite Team!

Somewhere along the way, J.J. Reddick became a target of jokes and ridicule. However, for the past year and a half he's been stowed away on the Orlando Magic's bench, unable to flourish on the court and draw jeers from NBA fans across the country. But have no fear, that could soon change!

Magic General Manager Otis Smith said that J.J. Redick's agent, Arn Tellem, has suggested the club trade their top 2006 pick, who is frustrated over his lack of playing time for a second straight season.

"I told him what I tell everybody else," Smith said. "Why would I do that before I've really seen him? So he can do something somewhere else? I think J.J. can play.

"He has to have patience. It's the worst thing for young guys, having patience. I know. I was that guy (when Smith played in the NBA)."

Redick, who seldom played last season under Brian Hill, is facing the same scenario under Coach Stan Van Gundy. He has played in just 20 games, averaging only 8.3 minutes and 3.7 points.

Van Gundy said he's already had a sit-down with Redick. He told him there wasn't much hope for him getting off the bench the rest of this season.

He's not playing because the Magic need defense and rebounding at his shooting-guard spot. Van Gundy says that Maurice Evans and Keith Bogans are simply better at those tasks than one of the most prolific shooters in college basketball lore.

It doesn't sound like Reddick is going anywhere anytime soon, but basketball is a business so I doubt that the Magic would turn down a good offer if it came along. But who cares about that? Where should we want J.J. to go?

Of course it's gotta be the Knicks. Starbury's ankle "problems" are keeping him off of the court, and out of the spotlight that's focused firmly on New York's mediocrity. Even if he doesn't improve the team that much, Reddick could take some of the heat off of Isiah if just for a short time. And that sounds like a match made in heaven. Reddick leading on the court, and Thomas leading from the bench. If nothing else, it would provide bloggers with something to write about almost every day.

J.J. Redick Destroys NBA Superstar Jeff Burton In A Game Of "Horse"

Oh, you haven't heard of the NBA superstar Jeff Burton? Maybe that's because he drives a car in the NASCAR series. Though, that didn't stop Orlando guard J.J. Redick from throwing down on him in a game of "horse".

Actually, the game of "horse" was modified into a game of "DAYTONA" since it was part of a promotion(press release here) for the upcoming Pepsi 400 race at Daytona International Speedway. By all accounts Redick unsurprisingly beat Burton, though Burton did manage to give Redick a "D". However, it seems that Redick took this game pretty seriously as he was dunking as part of his shot selection.

"When Redick dunked or nailed a deep three-pointer, Burton wisely surrendered his option to Magic community-relations ambassador Nick Anderson."

Ok, I can understand shooting three-pointers, but dunking? Come on, Burton is a 5'7" NASCAR driver. You can see the difference in height between him and the 6'4" Redick in these photos of the event.

Though, with the limited minutes he played during his rookie season I guess Redick's got to showcase his skills at all times. As long as they were keeping him from drinking some white wine spritzers, and climbing behind the wheel of one of those NASCARs I would consider this promotion a success. And, as always, welcome to Orlando J.J.!