Orlando Magic rookie and No. 2 overall draft pick Victor Oladipo caused a bit of a stir Thursday night at a Magic season ticket holder event, saying he was glad that the Cleveland Cavaliers didn't draft him with the first pick.
Victor Oladipo offers unnecessary retraction to Cleveland ‘diss’
The No. 2 pick faced backlash for his harmless statement about not wanting to play in Cleveland.
USA TODAY Sports
The official Magic Twitter account tweeted out Oladipo’s quote, but after some initial backlash, it was taken down. Oladipo then felt the need to take to his own personal Twitter account to apologize for what he said:
Sorry to all the cavs fan if I offended them in anyway making the comment I made I didn't mean it the way you all took it.
— Victor Oladipo (@VicOladipo) September 13, 2013
Oladipo probably meant little harm with his initial statement, and he may have been completely honest in saying he really preferred to play in Orlando. The rookie was also likely playing to the crowd a bit.
Whatever he meant to say, there really was little reason to apologize for it. As Magic broadcaster David Steele tweeted out, it was just some “harmless banter.” Fans will often blow perceived slights out of proportion and Oladipo shouldn’t really worry about what fans of an opposing team think.
In terms of Oladipo news that actually has relevance to what he’ll be doing on the court, Magic general manager Rob Hennigan revealed that the rookie will play both guard positions this upcoming season.
Oladipo is more of a natural fit on the wing in the NBA, but the Magic seem convinced that he can handle some point guard duties as well. Ball-handling wasn’t exactly his forte at Indiana, but he played the point almost exclusively at Summer League. The results were just so-so, however, and Oladipo has a lot of work to do if he wants to be an effective NBA point guard.
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