By SAM GARDNER
FOXSportsFlorida.com Magic Writer
After ripping his team's defense following a 111-94 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night, Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said he has seen improvement from his team the past two days of practice -- but don't take that to mean the problems have all been solved.
"Any time where you've let your habits slip, it's not necessarily going to be cured in two days," Van Gundy said.
Van Gundy said he has seen a huge change in the effort and the attitude on the defensive end of the floor.
"The thing I've really liked is they clearly are buying into the fact that we need to play better defensively," he said. "I thought every single guy took responsibility for that today and yesterday, and it's clear they're doing the work to get better defensively."
The coach said he's partly to blame for Orlando's poor defensive effort on the recent road swing.
"When I see a team defending the way we were defending, I really take the responsibility for that, and I really feel like I should be able to get guys to play hard and to try to defend," Van Gundy said. "There's going to be nights when you try to defend and you get your butts kicked by good teams, but when you're not making the effort defensively and not playing hard at that end, not playing well at that end ... that really bothers me."
A couple days to decompress left Van Gundy remarkably calmer Friday than he was after the loss in Denver.
"I'm glad to get back in here and do some work," Van Gundy said. "We get back to a little bit more of a normal schedule now, and we've clearly got a lot of work to do, but at least we have a chance to do it."
Now in his seventh season as a head coach, Van Gundy said he has learned to not take individual losses quite as hard as he used to.
"Losses always frustrate me," he said, "but I've gotten to the point of not living and dying on the results. But I just didn't like the way we were playing. I think I'm better than I was, as far as the results, but that trip just didn't leave a good taste."
SETTING THE ROTATION: Brandon Bass will remain in the starting power forward spot for the foreseeable future for Orlando, according to Van Gundy.
Bass has averaged 13.7 points and 7.3 rebounds on 54.3 percent shooting in the past three games in the starting lineup.
Van Gundy said Bass' presence in the lineup was largely because of the Magic's upcoming matchups against teams that are bigger inside. Philadelphia will play Spencer Hawes and Elton Brand inside. Atlanta will start Jason Collins and Al Horford. Dallas will start Dirk Nowitzki at the power forward position. San Antonio will start Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair, if Blair's hyperextended knee allows him to play. And Boston likely will go with Shaquille O'Neal and Kevin Garnett.
"We don't want to be changing game to game," Van Gundy said. "It's pretty easy to stay big, so that's the way we're going to go for right now."
At the point guard position, Van Gundy said he hasn't yet decided who will be the first man off the bench. Lately, he has been switching between Chris Duhon and Jason Williams. Van Gundy spoke very highly of Duhon on Friday.
"I'll consider what I've seen on the court, (and) I'll consider what I've seen the last two days in practice," he said. "Chris has looked tremendous the last two days in practice. He's been very aggressive offensively, playing very, very well. I really like the way he has played, and he's played the way we really want him to play."
INJURY BUG: Quentin Richardson returned to practice on Friday for the Magic after missing the Denver game and Thursday's practice because of an elbow injury. Mickael Pietrus, who has been sidelined because of fluid in his knee, did not practice, and there is no timetable for his return.
"He was a little better today, but he didn't do anything in practice," Van Gundy said.
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