On Monday May 21st the Orlando Magic decided to part ways with General Manager Otis Smith and head coach Stan Van Gundy, a move that most anticipated, but didn’t expect to take this long. From Stan Van Gundy telling the media Dwight wanted him fired to Howard missing the remainder of the season post back surgery, this was the ending to a drama-filled season.
“It’s time for new leadership and a new voice with a different approach to building a championship basketball operation,” Alex Martins the Magic CEO said. This move doesn’t assure that Howard will sign long term with the team but it does help after Smith made some head scratching moves, trading for Gilbert Arenas (owed $60 million) and giving $117 million to Rashad Lewis, decisions that really hurt the Magic.
To fire Stan is a huge mistake, there is no guarantee that Howard will return and you are losing the winningest coach in Magic history. Orlando compiled a (259-135) regular season record (.657 winning percentage) and a (31-28) playoff record, both a franchise best with Van Gundy under helm.
“I want to say that I am very proud of what we accomplished over the past five years,” said Van Gundy Monday afternoon.
Coaching candidates range from Indiana’s assistant coach Brian Shaw, former Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan and Phil Jackson.
It’s going to be very tough to bring in a veteran coach without them knowing the status of Howard. There was a similar situation when the Cleveland Cavaliers brought in Byron Scott just for LeBron James to “take his talents to south beach,” leaving Scott to coach a team that went from first to worst.
The Orlando Magic have backed themselves into a corner and seemed to go all in on their superstar. With Howard signing a one year extension last season, Orlando has the option to trade him and get key pieces moving forward, taking the power out of the three time defensive player of the years’ hands.
Howard has expressed he wants to play in Dallas, Brooklyn and more recently for the Lakers. Dallas doesn’t have enough to package a deal to send to the Magic, Brooklyn did until Brook Lopez went down to a season ending foot surgery and the Lakers seemed the most sense until reports surfaced that, Kobe Bryant told Howard he would be the third offensive option, behind him and Pau Gasol, something Dwight didn’t take very well.
A lot is going to depend on the offseason and how things shake out. With another early exit for L.A. and Andrew Bynum seeming to be fed up with Mike Brown and the Mamba, Los Angeles is an option again. With Howard being under contract through next season the Lakers can rent him for a year in hopes he will resign, if not the Lakers could trade him for great pieces going forward. The Brooklyn Nets might wind up with a high draft pick along with a healthy Lopez and a wing player would be a viable option for both sides. Also, if the Miami Heat doess’t win it all this year, sending Dwight to South Beach for Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade could be something both organizations should really consider.
The bottom line is to have a true identity, bring in a coach and great role players along with superstar Howard, but he is going to have to stop shooting himself in the foot and make a decision. His waffling has handcuffed the Magic organization, not allowing them to bring in great players to help him win.
My guess is that Orlando will give Howard until the end of the summer to decide to sign long term or they will trade him and move forward. They can’t and won’t go through another year of the Dwight Howard saga. LeBron’s “decision” isn’t looking as bad as it once did. He at least made one and stuck with it.
