Stan Van Gundy: ‘We’re Not Ready to Contend’

Statements like these following tough losses to awful teams are part of the reason SVG was famously nicknamed “The Master of Panic” by Shaq. From the Sentinel: “Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy often worries that his roster hasn’t committed to playing sound defense. Just imagine how he felt as the Memphis Grizzlies steamrolled his team during the second and third quarters Monday night. You can blame the Magic’s missed shots down the stretch and Dwight Howard’s costly technical foul in the game’s final seconds. But, ultimately, the 100-97 loss to the Grizzlies was caused primarily by long stretches of atrocious defensive play. ‘We’re not ready to contend,’ Van Gundy said afterward. ‘We don’t defend hard enough for long enough, and we’re going to see if over the next 10? weeks now if it’ll change. If it does, then we have a chance to be as good as anybody. And it if doesn’t, then we don’t.'”