Jeff Van Gundy says he doesn’t talk to Stan Van Gundy about the Magic, but he sure stuck up for his brother during Wednesday night’s telecast.
The Magic got embarrassed by the Knicks 108-86 and were blown out so badly at Madison Square Garden all the team’s starters got pulled early. At one point late in the game, the team gathered during a timeout but Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson were off to the side doing their thing and even laughing. That really bothered Jeff Van Gundy, who was calling the game for ESPN.
“I was watching the Magic at that time out where Dwight Howard and [Jameer] Nelson didn’t join the huddle. Last night [Andrew] Bynum doesn’t join the huddle. When did this become acceptable that you just aren’t a part of it when it’s not going well and you separate yourself like ‘this is not my problem’ or like you don’t support your teammates?” Van Gundy asked on-air.
“The least you can do is just get up,” he continued. “I don’t understand. I read that (Lakers coach) Mike Brown said he didn’t have a rule that Bynum has to get up. Should you need a rule?”
Van Gundy makes a great point. Why has it become acceptable for players not to participate in team huddles? It happens way too frequently and that’s not the way things should be. Like we said after Derek Anderson’s infamous Monday Night Football meltdown, players need to watch their body language during blowout losses. Dwight Howard is known for being a joker, but when your team is losing by 20-plus points, it’s no laughing matter.
