Stan Van Gundy Calls out Orlando Magic Players' Lack of Professionalism

On the heels of a horrid blowout at the hands of the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy is now calling out his team for their lack of professionalism.

John Denton of  OrlandoMagic.com reported Van Gundy's quote calling out his team via Twitter:

"

SVG: "Lately we’ve had some guys not staying in great shape and putting on some weight and that’s about having professionalism."

— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) March 31, 2012"

After the Magic were crushed by the Knicks earlier in the week, it was being reported by the New York Post that Orlando's players were out partying until the early hours of the morning.

The partying was done by Dwight Howard, Glen Davis, Quentin Richardson, Jason Richardson and Chris Duhon while in town to play the Knicks. All enjoyed bottles of champagne and partied until 3 a.m. 

During the shootaround before the actual game, the same report claims the Magic players looked horrible and missed most of their pregame shots.

Van Gundy's frustration at his team's latest lack of effort is evident in his quote, and I can't say I blame him.

One could criticize SVG for being so public with his questioning of his team's desire to win and be professional, but at this point, his job is certainly on the line and there's no shame in trying to bring out the best in his team with a new approach.

It's pretty obvious the traditional approach of keeping it in the locker room hasn't worked thus far.

Orlando is way too talented to fold up like a cheap suit the way they did against New York the other night. One must wonder if the horrid 59-point output against the Chicago Bulls earlier this season was a result of their partying as well.

It's not a bad thing that NBA superstars and professional athletes in general have some fun, but they have to do it responsibly without hurting their team in the process.

Late-night partying and drinking doesn't afford much rest to perform at high level. It also doesn't lead to being in great physical shape, either.

We'll have to see what, if any, effect this has on the team. No matter what, Van Gundy was absolutely justified in doing what he did and as publicly as he did it