Tag: cole anthony

Steve Clifford hinted Cole Anthony could soon return from rib injury

The Magic are hopeful to get Anthony back onto the court soon after being sidelined since Feb. 9 with a rib injury.

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Orlando Magic head coach Steve Clifford on Friday hinted that rookie Cole Anthony could soon return to play after suffering a rib injury on Feb. 9 versus the Portland Trail Blazers.

Anthony suffered a non-displaced fracture of the right first rib and has been limited during his rehab. He began doing more on-court work this week and has progressed to shooting and ballhandling drills that he wasn’t able to do recently.

While Anthony has yet to be cleared to participate in full-contact practices, Clifford said the hope is Anthony will be ready to play when the Magic return from a five-game West Coast road trip that wraps up April 4 versus the Denver Nuggets.

Once Anthony is ready to play, the 15th overall pick will return to play point guard while Clifford anticipates newly-acquired rookie R.J. Hampton will be more off of the ball. The addition of Anthony figures to give the Magic a huge boost after dealing with several injuries as of late.

Of course, the soft timeline provided by Clifford is not set in stone. He has previously said the injury is a tough one to rehab so Anthony could ultimately need additional time before returning to the lineup, but the latest update certainly shows he is trending in the right direction.

Anthony, through 25 games played, is averaging 11 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists this season.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Cole Anthony reacts to Magic trading Vucevic, Gordon, Fournier

Anthony reacted to the flurry of moves the Magic made on Thursday ahead of the trade deadline.

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On Thursday, the Orlando Magic emerged as the busiest team in the NBA ahead of the trade deadline, reportedly sending several veteran players packing, including All-Star Nikola Vucevic.

The Magic first traded Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and two first-round picks. Chicago is sending a top-four protected this year and another lightly-protected pick in 2023.

Then, the Magic sent veteran Evan Fournier to the Boston Celtics for two second-round picks.

To complete the flurry of moves, Orlando traded Aaron Gordon and Gary Clark to the Denver Nuggets for Gary Harris, R.J. Hampton and a first-round pick. The trade of Gordon came after the seventh-year forward requested out of Orlando.

The trades come amid a season in which the Magic have posted a 15-29 record, the fourth-worst mark in the NBA. The team has dealt with several injuries to key players, including Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz, that washed away a promising 6-2 start.

After plummeting to the bottom of the standings, the Magic are planning to build toward the future. While the trades may not have come as a surprise, the moves still left quite an impression on the players who remain on the roster, including rookie Cole Anthony.

Vucevic, Fournier and Gordon were the longest-tenured players on the Magic roster prior to Thursday, but that honor now goes to Terrence Ross, who had perhaps the tweet of the day following the trades executed by Orlando.

Now that the Magic have made their plans known, the team will build around a core of Isaac, Fultz, Anthony, Hampton and Chuma Okeke. The group will also hope to hit on some upcoming draft picks as they will have two first-rounders this year after their deadline dealings.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Magic rookie Cole Anthony ‘still a ways away’ from returning to play

Magic head coach Steve Clifford revealed that Cole Anthony is not close to returning to play after suffering a rib injury last month.

Orlando Magic head coach Steve Clifford on Wednesday said that rookie Cole Anthony is not yet close to returning to play after suffering a rib injury on Feb. 9 versus the Portland Trail Blazers.

Anthony was initially ruled to have suffered a strained right shoulder during that contest, but further evaluation, including a CT scan, showed the 15th overall pick suffered a non-displaced fracture of the right first rib. He remained in quite a bit of pain following that injury.

On Feb. 16, the Magic announced that Anthony would not play through the All-Star break due to the injury and, based on the latest update given by Clifford, will likely not return onto the court in the near future.

“He is still a ways away (from returning),” Clifford said. “He is not able to do anything on the floor yet. It’s a type of injury where they have to be careful so he goes next Tuesday to get another MRI so we’ll know more after that.”

The injury to Anthony, who slid into the starting lineup to replace Markelle Fultz, proved to be a big hit to the depth of the Magic. Without Anthony, the Magic first turned to Frank Mason III and then moved on to Chasson Randle after Mason suffered a significant groin injury.

Anthony, through 25 games played, is averaging 11 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists this season.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Rookie of the Year Race: LaMelo Ball, Tyrese Haliburton lead the way

It wasn’t long ago when the consensus public opinion was that the 2020 NBA Draft lacked any real star power.

It wasn’t long ago when the consensus public opinion was that the 2020 NBA draft lacked any real star power.

Executives around the league were reportedly concerned about LaMelo Ball, specifically. Some had questions about whether or not he had a broken jump shot. Others were worried that he was tanking interviews during the pre-draft process.

Flash forward, however, and Ball is arguably enjoying one of the best first seasons in NBA history thus far and is the bonafide leader of our Rookie of the Year rankings. That just goes to show you how much the perception of a player can change in a short amount of time.

Like our weekly MVP rankings, every member of our team voted on their personal Top 10 rankings for Rookie of the Year. We averaged out the results to get a cumulative ranking from the HoopsHype staff.

All relevant statistics are accurate as of March 2, 2021 and are pulled from Basketball-Reference, RealGM or NBA.com unless noted otherwise.

Magic rookie Cole Anthony out until All-Star break with rib injury

The Magic announced that Anthony will not play before the NBA All-Star break due to a right rib injury.

On Tuesday, the Orlando Magic announced that rookie Cole Anthony will not play until at least the NBA All-Star break due to a non-displaced fracture of the right first rib.

Anthony suffered the injury on Feb. 9 versus the Portland Trail Blazers. He was initially ruled to have suffered a strained right shoulder during that contest, but further evaluation, including a CT scan, showed Anthony suffered the rib fracture.

Magic head coach Steve Clifford revealed last week that Anthony was in quite a bit of pain following the injury and was not feeling all that well. Anthony will now sit until at least March 3 when the Magic wrap up the first half of the 2020-21 schedule.

Anthony, through 25 games played, is averaging 11 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists this season. Without Anthony in the lineup, the Magic first turned to Frank Mason III and have now signed Chasson Randle after waiving Mason on Monday.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Cole Anthony in ‘quite a bit of pain’ following shoulder injury

The Magic rookie missed his first game of the season on Thursday versus the Warriors due to a right shoulder strain.

Orlando Magic head coach Steve Clifford said that rookie Cole Anthony is dealing with quite a bit of pain in his right shoulder after suffering the injury earlier this week.

Anthony initially suffered the injury in the first half on Tuesday versus the Portland Trail Blazers. He was in visible discomfort following the injury and was eventually ruled out of returning to play in the contest.

He did not play on Thursday versus the Golden State Warriors.

“He is not feeling great,” Clifford said on Thursday night. “He was just on the table getting rehab. It has been very painful even watching him walk around; he is super stiff. We’ll see if he will be ready (on Friday) or not. He is in quite a bit of pain, discomfort.”

Frank Mason III, who was just signed last week, earned the start on Thursday in place of Anthony but suffered a groin injury in the first half, and was ruled out of returning. The Magic were left with just eight healthy players after Mason exited the contest early.

The status of Anthony and Mason for Friday night’s contest versus the Sacramento Kings is not yet known, but the Magic could once again be shorthanded.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Magic rookie Cole Anthony exits early with shoulder injury vs. Trail Blazers

Magic rookie Cole Anthony was ruled out of returning on Tuesday night versus the Trail Blazers with a shoulder injury.

Orlando Magic rookie Cole Anthony on Tuesday suffered a right shoulder strain during the second quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers and was ruled out of returning to the game, the team announced.

Anthony appeared to suffer the injury with just over one minute left in the first half.

He was later seen in visible discomfort on the sideline with a member of the team medical staff examining his shoulder, but managed to walk back to the locker room under his own power.

He recorded four points and four rebounds in 14 minutes of work before exiting the game.

Without Anthony, the Magic will be forced to turn to Frank Mason III, who was just signed last week.

Anthony had been thrust into the starting lineup after Markelle Fultz was ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL on Jan. 6. The 15th overall pick entered Tuesday averaging 12.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 16 games as a starter.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Cole Anthony, Magic campaign for Nikola Vucevic to make All-Star Game

Fresh off of a career night, Cole Anthony and the rest of the Magic advocate for Nikola Vucevic to take home All-Star honors this season.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Before taking any questions from reporters, Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony delivered a message unprompted to fans after just witnessing teammate Nikola Vucevic achieve a career night.

The message, according to Anthony, is simple: Vote for Vucevic.

“That man deserves to be an All-Star,” Anthony said. “He is the best big in the league. Come on! What are we doing? Come on!”

Vucevic on Friday produced a career-high 43 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Magic to a 123-119 win over the Chicago Bulls. He became just the third player in team history to record 43 points and 19 rebounds in a game, joining Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard.

The 10-year veteran, collectively referred to as “Vooch” by teammates and fans alike, is off to the best start of his career.

Through the first 23 games of the season, Vucevic is averaging a career-high 23.4 points and 11.5 rebounds. He ranks 23rd among all players in scoring and eighth in rebounding, but despite the hot start, didn’t place among the early leaders in All-Star voting this week.

The lack of recognition hasn’t sat well with Anthony, and the rookie is taking matters into his own hands.

“I think every person on this team is rooting for him to be an All-Star,” Anthony said. “We’re not just in the locker room talking and then someone is randomly like, ‘I hope Vooch is an All-Star.’ We’re all thinking it. We see it on social media. I’ve gone and voted for him every single day, twice — as many times as I could vote. I’m trying to do my part. We definitely want to see him be an All-Star. I 100% think he deserves it.”

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Anthony wasn’t alone in his All-Star advocation. Magic forward James Ennis III also implored fans to vote Vucevic into the starting lineup while guard Evan Fournier joined in, as well.

Vucevic is often overlooked among the national media and outsiders for a variety of reasons, but the longest-tenured member of the Magic is more concerned with the respect he gains from teammates and his peers.

All-Star or not, having the support of his teammates means everything.

“It means a lot,” Vucevic said. “Two years ago, when I was playing well [and was named an All-Star], they were all doing the same thing. It’s always great to see that. … When you have the support of your teammates, that’s the most important thing. They see you every day. They see the work you put in, they see how dedicated you are. When you earn their respect, that’s very important.”

All-Star voting, which is up 70% this year, kicked off on Jan. 28 and will run through Feb. 16. Fans account for 50% of the vote to determine the five starters from each conference, while all current players and a panel of media members will each account for 25% of the vote.

Vucevic will likely need the help of the NBA head coaches, who determine the reserve players, to make his second All-Star Game, but as long as he has his teammates in his corner, that may be all that is needed for him.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Cole Anthony hilariously compared the new schedule format to NBA 2K

Anthony thought back-to-backs in the same city versus the same team only happened on NBA 2K, but the Magic rookie can confirm they are real.

Orlando Magic rookie Cole Anthony, like most players, has played NBA 2K quite extensively over the years. The series is among the most popular video games on the market and is known for its realistic graphics and gameplay.

However, one storyline may have become a bit too accurate recently: The schedule format.

The NBA this season revamped the schedule format a bit, in order to cut down on travel time amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Teams now will often spend several days in cities and face the same team on consecutive nights, such as the case with the Magic.

Orlando will host the Chicago Bulls on Friday and Saturday night from the Amway Center, and it is the fourth such occurrence of the season at home or on the road for the Magic.

Anthony thought such scheduling quirks happened only on NBA 2K but can confirm that it happens in the league, and it is very real.

“I don’t know if it’s just a ‘This year’ thing, but I didn’t know that the NBA does these [types of] back-to-backs,” Anthony said on Friday. “I really thought that was just a 2K thing. I remember in ‘My Player’ they used to have these back-to-back games. I’m like, ‘There is no way the NBA does this.’ After getting to the league and realizing that it’s very real, it’s different. In college and high school, you never really played the same team back-to-back so this is definitely a change of pace.”

Despite the unusual schedule, the Magic have gone 5-1 this season in back-to-back games versus the same team in the same city.

They previously won two games on the road versus the Washington Wizards in December, and both against the Cleveland Cavaliers in January at home, while they split a pair of games nearly two weeks ago at home against the Charlotte Hornets.

While the scheduling format was changed a bit for this season, given the circumstances, some elements of it could be permanently instituted moving forward in an effort to eliminate unnecessary travel.

That could mean more sets of back-to-back games in the same city, but, after going through them this season, Anthony will be prepared for it should it become a permanent change.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Rookie Wire Power Rankings: Immanuel Quickley floats to the top spot

Rookie Wire takes a look at the top first-year players over the last two weeks of the 2020-21 season.

The 2020-21 season has undoubtedly been a strange one to this point, but the circumstances facing teams in the league have enabled several rookies and other under-the-radar players the opportunity to log heavy minutes.

With teams around the league dealing with injury issues, rookie players have been thrust into the spotlight and are beginning to turn in some strong performances. From the rise of Immanuel Quickley to the emergence of Theo Maledon, rookies have been seen this year.

To make sense of it all, we took a look at the best recent performances of these first-year players and ranked them in the latest edition of the Rookie Wire Power Rankings. The rankings are not for Rookie of the Year purposes but, rather, to illustrate the best players week to week.