Chuck Daly readily admits his Orlando Magic aren't great. Losing 132 player-games to injury or illness will do that to a team. All hope, however, isn't lost. It's built upon a single principle - effort.
Daly, a Hall of Fame inductee who once coached the Pistons to a pair of NBA titles, wants the Magic to develop a reputation as a team that at least plays hard.He got what he wanted Saturday, though the first-year Orlando coach left the Delta Center with nothing more than a moral victory. It went in the books as a 107-93 loss to the Jazz.
"I wasn't happy with the final score but I wasn't disappointed with the effort," Daly said. "We keep finding ways to stay in games."
After a surprising 16-7 start, Orlando has fallen upon hard times of late. The Magic have lost 13 of their past 17 games and find themselves at the .500 mark (20-20) for the first time since being 4-4 on Nov. 14. And with a visit to the Great Western Forum for a meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers remaining on a five-game Western road swing, the immmediate future looks bleak. Especially with star Anfernee Hardaway expected to miss another month after having knee surgery on Dec. 10.
His departure has left Orlando scrambling for leadership every night. The Magic have had 10 different players lead them in scoring this season - more than any other team in the NBA. To Daly's credit, the Magic managed to maintain a winning record for more than two months. Orlando even went 5-0 without Hardaway when he was sidelined with tendonitis Nov. 14-22. He returned for seven games before opting for sugery on his ailing left knee.
Penny's teammates are 8-13 without him this time around. His regular backcourt mate, Nick Anderson, was activated Jan. 13 after missing 15 games with a broken hand.
Orlando, who in Daly's words gave a "terrible performance" in a 111-86 loss at Phoenix on Friday, were simply short-handed in their back-to-back game at Utah.
"Our guys hung in there, though," Daly said. "It was a much better effort than last night."
Veteran guard Mark Price played 14 minutes against the Suns but none against the Jazz. He watched the game in street clothes while resting a strained right hamstring. Starting center Rony Seikaly saw action - 13 minutes worth - before leaving the game with back spasms.
"C'est la vie," Daly said. "We're getting used to it."
Without Price or injury-list players Hardaway, Derek Strong (sprained knee ligament) and Johhny Taylor (strained shoulder), the Magic battled the Jazz with the likes of Darrell Armstrong, who has played in five different professional leagues, and Utah's first-round draft pick in 1981, 38-year-old Danny Schayes. Veteran Derek "You go live in Utah" Harper, 36, also logged considerable time. Nine players scored for the Magic with Vernon Maxwell, who is on a 10-day contract, leading the way with 18 points off the bench. Charles "Bo" Outlaw added a game-high 16 rebounds.
"We have competitive personnel," Harper said. "But coming close doesn't count in this league. I think the key for us is we just have to continue to play hard."
Daly, he insists, wouldn't have it any other way.