BRADENTON, Fla. -- Courtney Lee knows it won't happen in just one season – he won't make New Jersey forget Vince Carter -- but he wants to make the Orlando Magic regret the day they traded him."I'm going to be a man on a mission,'' Lee said Thursday afternoon after a training session at the IMG Academy. "I just hope they'll be happy for me when I grow into the player that they wish they had. I'd like them to one day say 'I wish we would have kept him.'''
Lee, who had a surprisingly-strong rookie season, was stunned to become a major part of the deal this summer that brought Carter to Orlando, while the Nets started to rebuild around younger players, hoping to put him in the starting backcourt alongside Devon Harris.
"I'd like to be Dwight Howard's teammate again -- in the All-Star game,'' Lee said. "They [Magic] have a history of trading good players [Ben Wallace, Tracy McGrady, Corey Maggette, Mike Miller] who did well afterward. I hope that's me. My goal will be to go out and dominate every game, but especially those games [when I play the Magic]. I'll be jacked up for sure.''
As a rookie in Orlando, Lee often was motivated by all the teams that passed up the chance to draft him before the Magic did with the 22nd pick in 2008, especially the teams that took players who didn't play as well as he did. He became a rarity as starter on a team that reached the NBA Finals last season. In his 42 regular season starts, he averaged 10.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1 steal in 29.7 minutes. He often was assigned to guard the opponent's leading scorer.
"The trade shocked me. After the Finals, Dwight and I were talking about things we had to do to get back and win a championship together. He joked about us being the next Shaq and Penny [Hardaway] with the Magic,'' he said. "I know it's a business, and trades happen, but it's not something you forget, even when you look forward like I am.''Lee's mission has included a rigorous offseason of workouts. He has spent this week with a handful of young NBA players in a routine that includes three training sessions per day at IMG with renowned coach David Thorpe. He will leave for New Jersey this weekend to begin workouts with Nets teammates.
"I'll take what I learned in Orlando and put it to use in New Jersey. It's a great opportunity for me,'' he said. "It's more of an opportunity to be one of the go-to guys, to really showcase my full talents. New Jersey has a good young team, and I'm going to be a big part of it.''
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
if lee remains as motivated as he sounds here, he'll make the magic regret their decision big time
good luck, courtney. orlando magic will not miss you, but the team will still be hoping only the best for you.
Maybe it was that alley-op layup Courtney missed was his ticket good-bye
I agree... if he would have made that lay-up... he would still be in orlando..
Courtney, thanks for that blown layup in Game 2...LAKERS 2008-09 NBA CHAMPIONS...
Yeah...that sure was a heart-breaker!!!
But I'm so glad that sucker didn't go in!!!
Whew.....!!!!!
I'm glad it didn't go in....!
Lakers again in 2010...YES!
I think thAt lee would do better on a different team
The Magic should have kept him. He's got a lot of upside and as a rookie he was fearless last year against the Celtics, Cavs & Lakers.
He missed one alley-oop. So what. Hedo and Dwight missed tons of free throws that would have almost guaranteed a championship. The missed free throws were much worse than the last second prayer, even if it was the perfect play for the situation.
If Howard and Turkoglu had just made free throws, the Magic would be champs.
It wasn't Lee's fault. They never should have signed Vince Carter.
That was a huge mistake.
And, so was letting Turkoglu go. He's the one who really got them there.
Eh, all I can say about this post is . . . no, he's not, no they won't, and no, it wasn't ;DDD
It's not like Courtney was the ONLY player to get traded. The Nets are gonna have a sick Guard rotation. Devin Harris, Rafer Alston, Keyon Dooling and Courtney Lee . . . three of them former Magic players! Lol.
But, none of them are near VC's level. Yes yes, he's "old" (one year older than, dare I say, Kobe?!), but his numbers, overall, were better than Turk's and Courtney's. He can create his own shot, is more athletic than Turk and is a good distributor too. This is like beating a dead horse, really, but all I can say is wait and see. This Magic team is going to be much better than last year's edition.
No doubt Lee was a great rookie to have on the team but I have to agree that VC is a better player and I think he'll fit in with this team. As for Hedo, I think we'll be better this year without him, since he tended to be very inconsistent at times, although personally, I'll miss him!
Are you kidding me? The next Shaq and Penny lol? Lee thinks a tad highly of himself to even go there. He's NOWHERES near as good as Hardaway was with the Magic.
That's brazen to even suggest that.
Who in their right mind would trade for an aging Vince Carter. Worst trade ever and it is going to be felt in the years to come.
It's too bad for him that he got traded--it's always nice when a player can remain in one place for a while--but he didn't get traded because he missed the lay-up (which was a 50-50 shot at best, it wasn't a gimme), and it was going to be a while before he was a centerpiece of that team, anyway.
And, he's got to get his head out of the past. Granted, I'm hearing these words second-hand, but he sounds like he's way too wound up with the trade. I don't begrudge him those feelings, but he's got to keep himself from saying it out loud. Publicly he's got to get over it. There aren't but a handful of players who play better when they're that wound up and Lee isn't one of them.
Stop hatin on him. That layup in the finals was actually a difficult shot. If you watch the replay he was behind the backboard and tryin to lay it in in a high pressure situation for a rookie in the finals! So quit hatin. He was one of the reasons the Magic got there in the first place. Im glad to see hes frustrated. Shows that he loved playing in Orlando and how passionate he is for the sport. Hes young, hungry, and talented. Wouldnt be surprised to see him blossom into an all-star from watchin him all last season. When he comes back to orlando I bet everyone will cheer for him when they introduce him in the lineups....I bet.
I WILL MISS YOU COURTNEY LEE, DON'T WASTE YOUR ENERGY BEING UPSET WITH THE MAGIC. MANY PLAYERS HAVE BEEN AND WILL BE IN THE SAME SITUATION AS YOURS JUST GO ON AND BE A GREAT PLAYER. ENJOYED WATCHING YOU PLAY WHILE YOU WERE HERE IN ORLANDO. GOD BLESS YOU.