Stan Van Gundy Apologizes for Not Playing Starters

SVG tells the Orlando Sentinel that he feels terrible about not showcasing his stars last night, robbing Magic fans of the opportunity to watch their favorites: “No Dwight, Vince, Jameer, Rashard or Q in the lineup. The Magic trotted out Marcin Gortat, J.J. Redick, Chris Duhon, Ryan Anderson and Mickael Pietrus. This is like going to a Broadway show and finding out that the stand-in has replaced the lead actor … Immediately after the game, Van Gundy said he wanted to see his back-ups perform as a group, which is why he started them all. He also figured Thursday night ‘would be the least attended game of the four (home preseason games).’ The Magic called it a sell-out of 18,846. Fifteen minutes after I left Van Gundy, he called my cell. ‘It’s been bugging me,’ he said. ‘I want to say I’m sorry and I was wrong. I thought I reasoned it through, but I can’t justify it. If it was the first game that somebody came out to see, you bring your kids … I’d be upset, too. I won’t do it again.”