Orlando Magic

Jonathan Isaac's season was deemed over in January after he suffered a posterolateral corner injury and a medial bone contusion. But with the season halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic and potentially restarting at the end of July, Isaac could play for the Orlando Magic as they fight for a playoff berth. 

"As of right now, I'm going to the bubble," he told Justin Warmoth of The Weekly on ClickOrlando.com. "Will I be able to play? I can't put my finger on it now. I'm going to continue to work every single day like I'm going for it, so hopefully, that crosses paths the right way and is able to happen."

It's probably still a long shot that Isaac will play, however. Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel reported on June 8 that Isaac "most likely will not be healthy enough to return."

And president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said the team was waiting to see how Isaac and injured forward Al-Farouq Aminu were coming along in their respective recoveries before making any decisions about their return:

Isaac, 22, was in the midst of an excellent third season, averaging career highs in points (12.0), rebounds (6.9), blocks (2.4) and steals (1.4). His defensive impact is palpable, though his perimeter shooting (33.0 percent from three) remains a work in progress. 

He would help the Magic if he plays. But given the long layoff, it wouldn't be surprising if the Magic played it safe and kept him sidelined. 

Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba said Tuesday he's successfully added nearly 30 pounds to his previously lanky seven-foot, 231-pound frame during the coronavirus pandemic.

"I've worked my tail off during this quarantine," Bamba said in a virtual Q&A with fans. "I've taken this as an opportunity to really put on weight, really recover as far as getting rest and changing up my diet. I've been able to get a chef in and he drops off food occasionally. That's probably the biggest thing that helped me put on a lot of weight."

The 22-year-old New York City native is trying to turn a corner in his development after struggling to make an impact since the Magic selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft.

"This is going to sound weird, but I put on probably about 28 pounds since quarantine (started)," Bamba said with a laugh. "We did the whole body (composition) testing when we got back in (the practice facility) and I've only added about 2.5 percent body fat. So, a lot of it is muscle, and I can't wait to get back out there and work."

The University of Texas product averaged 5.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks across 60 appearances off the bench before the 2019-20 season was halted by the pandemic. He was playing just 14.5 minutes per game behind Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic in the team's frontcourt rotation.

Bamba ranked 60th out of 70 qualified centers in ESPN's Real Plus-Minus.

His body composition has been part of the problem at the NBA level. He didn't have the raw size to contend with old-school centers in the paint and his offensive game was limited in the new world of stretch 4s.

He's making a concerted effort to turn things around, though. Along with the added weight, he's increased his three-point shooting by 5.6 percentage points (30.0 to 35.6) over his first two years. He's knocked down 37 threes so far this season.

Meanwhile, the Magic were picking up steam before play was suspended. They'd won three straight games to push their record to 30-35, putting them 5.5 games ahead of the Washington Wizards for the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, and they ranked first in scoring since the All-Star break.

"We were hot. We had the No. 1 offense and our defense was getting back close to where we were last year," Bamba said. "We're all looking forward to getting back and we know what we're capable of. We know what we have to do to get back to that. We're not sure how they're going to do the format, but we're eager to play."

The NBA hasn't announced return-to-play plans, but its Board of Governors are set to meet Friday to discuss a wide range of health considerations, playoff ideas and roster guidelines should a deal get reached to restart play in a single host city, likely the Disney World complex in Orlando, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

If play does resume, Bamba figures to remain a deep reserve on the Magic depth chart, especially if Jonathan Isaac returns from a knee injury for the playoff run.

He's making the necessary adjustments to become a bigger piece of Orlando's puzzle in the future, though.

Despite growing up in the era when Michael Jordan dominated the NBA, Tracy McGrady was captivated by another superstar guard in the mid-1990s.

Appearing on the All the Smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, McGrady called Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway "my Michael Jordan growing up."

Hardaway's first season in the NBA coincided with Jordan's first retirement from the Chicago Bulls (1993-94). Penny had some characteristics of Jordan's style of play early in his career. He averaged 19.7 points, 6.7 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game with a 48.7 field-goal percentage in his first four seasons.

The Orlando Magic teams led by Hardaway and Shaquille O'Neal won at least 50 games in three straight seasons and played in the 1995 NBA Finals. The duo broke up after the 1995-96 campaign when O'Neal signed with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent.

Hardaway's career was derailed by injuries starting in the 1996-97 season, but he made the All-Star team four straight times from 1995 to 1998.

McGrady wore No. 1 throughout his Hall of Fame career except in 2009-10 when he switched to No. 3 with the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks. He averaged 28.1 points per game in four seasons with the Magic from 2000 to 2004 while wearing Hardaway's former number.

The course of NBA history could have been forever changed in 2000 when the Orlando Magic believed they were going to sign Tim Duncan. 

Speaking to TNT's Ernie Johnson on NBA Together, then-Magic head coach Doc Rivers said Duncan told him he was "pretty sure that I'm actually coming to" Orlando as a free agent, but the center wanted to give the San Antonio Spurs the courtesy of a final meeting (starting at 24:30). 

There have been a number of stories over the years about what happened with the Magic that ultimately led to Duncan re-signing with San Antonio. 

Grant Hill said on ESPN's The Jump in 2018 that Duncan didn't want to join Orlando because of Rivers' rule about spouses not being allowed on the team plane: "Someone in Tim's entourage asked Doc, 'Can significant others travel on the plane?' And Doc said 'no.'"

Rivers cleared up the confusion around that by telling Johnson "the story is not told correctly" because "I told (Tim) that families can fly every once in a while."

In a 2010 article on NBA.com (h/t CBS Sports' Matt Moore), Duncan said he "came close to leaving" the Spurs for Orlando. 

"It was hell," Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said in the article. "You get close to a player and you don't want to see him leave. I never let myself believe he was going to stay. I was just getting myself prepared, for sanity reasons. It's no fun."

Duncan had a six-year, $67.5 million offer from Orlando but turned it down to re-sign with San Antonio for $32.6 million over three years.

The Spurs went on to win four championships after Duncan's free-agency saga in 2000 and have been a model of consistency for two decades. 

The Magic have had intermittent success over the past two decades, including reaching the NBA Finals in 2009, but the franchise is still chasing its first championship. 

The Aaron Gordon Experience featured in the All In Challenge sold for $11,000 on Thursday.

In his package, the 24-year-old offered up all Orlando, Florida, has to offer, with the winning bidder getting tickets to sit courtside at an Orlando Magic home game, as well as his game-worn jersey, an autographed basketball from all the participants in the 2020 NBA Dunk Contest and tickets to Disney World.

Additionally, all travel accommodations are included, so there would be no need to worry about booking flights or a hotel. 

"I hope everybody is staying healthy, staying safe," Gordon said when announcing his items for auction. "... This is a beautiful opportunity to come to Orlando. ... I'm all in. I challenge everybody else to be all in with me. Let's come together, and let's really make an impact."

Previously sold items for the All In Challenge include a Monday Night Football experience with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, dinner and field access with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay and private putting lessons with Tiger Woods. 

All funds raised will go toward providing food to kids, the elderly and frontline workers responding to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The All In Challenge has partnered with No Kid Hungry, America's Food Fund, World Central Kitchen and Feeding America to ensure its mission is carried out. 

The Orlando Magic are back in the gym, albeit in unusual fashion amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

After opening their practice facility, the Magic shared video of voluntary workouts that shows nobody within six feet of each other and non-players wearing gloves and a mask. Nikola Vucevic can be seen on the free-throw line and practicing his low-post moves with passes coming from far away.

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press noted the Magic became the 11th NBA team to open its facilities for limited practice sessions on Thursday.

Adrian Wojnarowski reported the NBA hopes 22 of its 30 teams will have open facilities by Monday.

"It felt good to be back here and get some work in," Vucevic said, per Reynolds. "But I still want you guys to stay safe, be smart, listen to the experts. It's still a dangerous time for everybody. But be safe, listen to the experts and I'll see you soon."

If the season does return, the Magic are in playoff position with the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference at 30-35. They are 5.5 games ahead of the ninth-seeded Washington Wizards, although there has not been a final decision about whether the league will go straight into the playoffs or finish the regular season if it does return.

According to  Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, commissioner Adam Silver is "targeting" a two-to-four week timetable for making a decision on whether the league will complete the 2019-20 season that has been suspended since March 11.

Wojnarowski reported Silver held a call with the board of governors Tuesday, and those who participated "left the virtual meeting feeling increasingly positive about the league's momentum toward a resumption of play this season."

However, returning to play would also mean the league and teams would need to be "comfortable" knowing a positive COVID-19 test would not lead to another long-term pause in play.

Now in his third NBA season, Jonathan Isaac has taken a step forward for the Orlando Magic even though questions about his ceiling remain.  

Per The Athletic's Josh Robbins, one anonymous NBA scout believes one of the biggest problems for Isaac remains his offensive capabilities:

"His scoring and shooting still is problematic. He's not a No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 (option on offense), and that's what they drafted him to be at sixth in the draft. He's another guy who was somewhat over-drafted. He's young and all that, but to me, you've got to have a scoring and shooting component."

Another concern the scout had about Isaac is durability. The 22-year-old only played 27 games as a rookie in 2017-18, though he did take a step forward with 75 appearances last season. 

This season saw the injury bug bite Isaac again, as he had to be stretchered off the court because of a knee injury suffered in the first quarter of Orlando's 122-101 win over the Washington Wizards on Jan. 1. He was ruled out indefinitely with a PCL injury and medial bone contusion. 

Prior to his knee injury, Isaac was averaging a career-high 12 points and 6.9 rebounds per game with a 46.3 shooting percentage. 

Leading up to the 2017 NBA Draft, B/R's Jonathan Wasserman ranked Isaac as the No. 4 prospect in large part because of his offensive potential: "Unique with 6'10" size, face-up ball skills and shooting touch, Isaac jumps off the screen and court through offensive versatility."

The Magic selected Isaac sixth overall, likely with the expectation he would develop into a foundation piece. It hasn't happened yet, though his age and progress this season does offer at least a glimmer of hope there is another level he can reach. 

Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon confirmed Wednesday he's "serious" about not competing in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend in the future.

Gordon appeared on ESPN's First Take and was asked about comments following this year's dunk contest when he said he'd instead like to try the Three-Point Contest or Skills Challenge. He responded:

"Yeah, I was serious about that. And I agree with you, I feel like between Zach [LaVine] and I it was a toss-up [in 2016]. I feel like I got this last one. I don't think I'm going to do it again. We only got to the playoffs one time. We got gentleman's swept. That was the most exciting basketball I've ever played. That was like the ultimate joy for me. That's the focus. To be in the big game and win for Orlando. It takes a lot of energy to do the dunk contest. I'm going to shift my focus."

Gordon reached the finals of this year's competition against Derrick Jones Jr. of the Miami Heat.

He delivered six straight perfect scores of 50 throughout the event before losing in the third tiebreaker round because of apparent confusion between the judges, who wanted to set up a tie:

Gordon created a diss track, "9 OUT OF 10," which was aimed at Heat legend Dwyane Wade, one of the three judges who didn't give him a perfect score on the final dunk.

"People would ask me for it, so I just gave the people what they wanted, just my perspective," he said Tuesday on SportsCenter. "I had to talk a lot about my opinion and my perspective on the dunk contest, so I thought this was a fun, creative, expressive, uplifting way to voice my opinion and tell the world what I was going through and what I was seeing on that day."

The 24-year-old California native also reached the finals in the 2016 event before losing to LaVine in the second tiebreaker round. He was eliminated in the first round of 2017 contest.

Gordon has a legitimate argument that he could be a two-time dunk champion, but it sounds like instead he'll end his career in the event without a title.

Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon is downplaying any potential feud with Dwyane Wade stemming from the Slam Dunk Contest. 

In the wake of releasing a diss track titled "9 OUT OF 10," Gordon followed up with a message on Instagram that tagged Wade: "It ain’t that deep tho lol. im just having fun expressing myself. Hope everyone is staying safe during these chaotic times. I SEE YOU YOUNG OG the wine was a 10/10. @dwadecellars Thanks legend... ALBUM ON THE WAY"

Wade commented on the post, saying "(love) my guy!!" with a heart emoji. He also presented Gordon with a marketing idea:

The title of the track is a reference to three judges—Wade, among them—giving Gordon's final dunk in the 2020 Slam Dunk Contest a score of nine for a total score of 47, one less than what Derrick Jones Jr. scored on his attempt. 

Conspiracy theorists suggested Wade purposefully avoided giving Gordon a 10 because Jones plays for the Miami Heat. 

Common, who also served as a judge for the contest, told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne all of the judges thought there was going to be a tie, but "somebody didn't do it right."

Gordon was forced to settle for second place despite posting six straight dunks that received scores of 50 leading up to the final. 

"Even Adam Silver told me I deserve the gold."

To hear Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon tell it on his new song "9 Out of 10," even the NBA Commissioner believes he should have won the 2020 Slam Dunk Contest over Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr.

Instead, Jones won in a contest that needed two tiebreaker dunks.

Jones' final dunk was a windmill from just inside the free-throw line, while Gordon dunked over Boston Celtics big man Tacko Fall. Jones received a combined score of 48 from judges Dwyane Wade, Common, Candace Parker, Scottie Pippen and Chadwick Boseman, while Gordon received a 47.

"Paint me as a villain, I jumped over the biggest dude in the building," Gordon rapped.

Wade, Pippen and Boseman all gave Gordon a nine on the final dunk, and the result was not without controversy. An ESPN report noted Common and Parker both said the judges had planned on it being a tie, but that did not happen.

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry recently joined Wade—who mentioned he gets spammed with "nine out 10" comments—on video chat and said Gordon should have won as well:

Safe to say, Gordon hasn't gotten over it. But interestingly enough, Wade dropped a like on House of Highlight's repost of Gordon's music video.