Dwight Howard and Stan Van Gundy are working together to help Florida schools (Ball Don’t Lie)

 Orlando  No Responses »
Sep 182012
 

It is very well known that the working relationship between star center Dwight Howard and head coach Stan Van Gundy did not end well in Orlando. SVG said that Howard was trying to get him fired , Howard issued several complaints that SVG would make his actions public, Van Gundy was fired , and Dwight left in trade . All things considered, it was pretty much the worst possible resolution to the issues.
On the bright side, not all has been lost in the relationship between the two men. Currently, they’re teaming up to do substantive good for Florida schools. From Mike Bianchi for the Orlando Sentinel (via EOB ):

If you read  my column last week , you know Van Gundy is the chairman of a political group in Seminole County called Citizens for Preservation of Property Values. The goal of the group is to increase property taxes in Seminole County to help preserve the area’s traditionally strong public school system — a system that has been decimated by $73 million in budget cuts over the past five years. In the Nov. 6 general election, Seminole voters will decide whether to approve a 1-mill increase in property taxes for four years beginning a year from now. The increase would bring in as much as $25 million annually to the school district.
Van Gundy says Dwight, who was recently traded to the Lakers, is going to lend some financial backing  to the cause. ”Dwight has pledged his support,” Van Gundy said Monday during an interview on our  Open Mike radio show on 740 The Game. “He’s a resident of Seminole County, and he’s keeping his house here. I think his history will show that he’s had great concern for kids in the Central Florida community. With him still living here, we asked him to help and he didn’t hesitate.”
Surprisingly to some, both Stan and Dwight say they are on good terms and have been communicating regularly over the last several weeks. Van Gundy even texted Howard and wished him good luck after he was traded to L.A.

It is typically considered good form to forgive and forget, and so we must give credit to SVG and Howard for working together to help others. Still, it’s surprising that they could put all this behind them after some truly ugly action in Orlando. On the other hand, both seem to be happier now, and maybe that’s all that matters.
[Also: Orlando Magic fan sues franchise over use of her image in ads ]
It’s a cliche to say that squabbles like the ones Van Gundy and Howard had in Orlando are “just business,” but that seems to be their point of view in this case. Personally, I’m not sure that I could have seen past the arguments of the past, particularly if I’d been fired as a result. It’s unlikely that these two are best friends these days, but it’s also genuinely impressive that they were able to move on and do good for others. Dwight Howard has often looked like a child during this ordeal, but he deserves credit here for putting the past aside and doing good for the kids.
Outside the Game from Yahoo! Sports:

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Stan Van Gundy, after being fired, blasts Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins’ ‘naiveté’ (Ball Don’t Lie)

 Chicago  No Responses »
Aug 212012
 

When former Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy “resigned” to spend more time with his family following the Heat’s slow start to the 2005-06 season, he took the high road after being replaced by Heat President Pat Riley, stepping aside silently in the wake of Shaquille O’Neal’s displeasure with SVG’s exacting ways while remaining on the Miami payroll. Stan was fired by the Magic in late May, and even though he’ll remain on the team’s payroll, and he’s not exactly taking the high and silent road this time around.
Lucky for us, his aim on the low road is absolutely spot on. In an interview with Orlando Sentinel scribe Mike Bianchi on Bianchi’s radio show , Van Gundy blasted newly ensconced Magic CEO Alex Martins for the embarrassing turn the team has made since Martins took over the position from the retiring Bob Vander Weide last winter.
“It’s a typical lack of understanding from someone who has no sports knowledge, who has never coached or played, who has never been in a locker room….it’s a naiveté,” Van Gundy said of Martins Monday morning on Mike Bianchi’s show on AM 740.

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Orlando Magic coaching rumors include Jerry Sloan and Scott Skiles (Ball Don’t Lie)

 Utah  No Responses »
May 232012
 

As now-deposed coach Stan Van Gundy’s relationship with Dwight Howard fell apart, reports abounded that the Orlando Magic center had grown tired of SVG’s demanding style. That wasn’t terribly surprising — hardline coaches can get on players’ nerves over time, particularly when there’s not a clear progression towards a championship. When the Magic stalled, SVG’s time ran out.
If the Magic want to keep Howard in Orlando — which seems unlikely based on at least one report — then they might need to bring in a different kind of coach. With that in mind, it’s a little surprising that two of the rumored possibilities are even more intense than Van Gundy.
The first name, which surfaced Tuesday, is Utah Jazz legend Jerry Sloan. He’s been nominally retired since abruptly resigning from the Jazz last season , but apparently he wants to get back to the sidelines . From Chris Tomasson for Fox Sports Florida :

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Debate: Did Orlando Make the Right Call Firing Stan Van Gundy?

 Rumors  No Responses »
May 212012
 

The Orlando Magic will not only have a new General Manager next season after parting ways with Otis Smith, but that GM will now be in charge of heading up the search for the next Head Coach. The Orlando Magic announced Monday that Stan Van Gundy had been relived of his duties as head coach of the team. 

Did the organization make the correct decision? Would you have kept SVG in Orlando?

Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com

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ESPN: SVG and Otis Smith Out in Orlando

 New York  No Responses »
May 212012
 

ESPN.com

The Orlando Magic have parted ways with head coach Stan Van Gundy and general manager Otis Smith, the team announced in a statement Monday afternoon.

Van Gundy had a 259-135 regular season record in five seasons with Orlando. The Magic made the playoffs all five seasons with Van Gundy at the helm including three Southeast Division titles and a 2009 Eastern Conference title.

Otis Smith had been general manager since 2006 and also added the title of president of basketball operations in 2010. During his tenure, Smith presided over the longest extended period of success in the franchise’s history.

Interesting, but not totally unexpected.  I believe that Mike Woodson will be the Knicks head coach next season, but if not, I would expect SVG to be in the mix.

I have said this before, but I like SVG as a coach.  Not only has he been successful, but he is willing to be outspoken when the time calls for it.  SVG was out of line when he called out Dwight Howard to the press, but without knowing the inner workings of that situation, I cannot give a definitive judgment on the situation.

There were reports last week that Mike D’Antoni would be interested in the Magic job – so perhaps that is where they will turn next.  The team is built to shoot, so maybe the D’Antoni circus act can work down in Orlando.

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Dwight Howard: Magic Have Much to Sort out Before Determining Superstar’s Future

 Rumors  No Responses »
May 092012
 

The Orlando Magic have finally (and mercifully) escaped from the frying pan that was the 2011-12 NBA season, thanks to a benevolent gentleman’s sweep at the hands of the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs.

And so, into the fire they go, an organization in disarray, with much to be sorted out before they can come to a final decision regarding that 6’11 thorn in their side, known to most as Dwight Howard.

 

Step 1: Figure Out Who’s Calling the Shots

According to Brian K. Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel, Magic GM Otis Smith is sitting firmly on the fence with regard to whether he’ll stay on in that capacity:

Magic GM Otis Smith sounds 50-50 as to if he will return.

— Brian K. Schmitz (@MagicInsider) May 9, 2012

 

Smith has one year remaining on his current contract but has yet to decide what his next move will be.

Of course, it’s entirely possible that the decision won’t be his own. Smith has come under fire for the personnel choices he’s made (i.e. the Vince Carter trade, the Gilbert Arenas trade) since Dwight led Orlando to the 2009 NBA Finals. Those moves only helped to precipitate the fiasco that engulfed the team this season, the very same fiasco that Smith struggled to contain and amidst which his hands were seemingly tied.

This in part, by owner Rich DeVos’ desire to keep Howard around.

In any case, CEO Alex Martins will have some say, at the very least, in whether or not Smith is calling the shots going forward. He may already have a change in mind, too, per Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM:

Sources say Orlando Magic have interviewed Adonal Foyle, Director of Player Development, for General Manager position.

— Jarrod N Rudolph (@JRudolphSports) May 9, 2012

 

Foyle is believed to be the favorite if a change is made.

— Jarrod N Rudolph (@JRudolphSports) May 9, 2012

 

By some accounts, Foyle has been calling the shots for some time behind Smith, who’s wound up as little more than a scapegoat and a figurehead.

 

Step 2: Find a Coach (or Keep the One You Have)

Whoever winds up in the unenviable position as the Magic GM will then have to sort out who’s going to coach the team from here on out. Stan Van Gundy would seem to be a lame duck after the way things played out between him, Howard and management during the season. However, SVG said after Orlando’s loss to Indiana in Game 5 that he’d like to honor the final year on his contract, but that the decision isn’t up to him.

That decision maker (Smith? Foyle? Howard? Martins? DeVos?) will have to determine whether Van Gundy is a good fit for the team and, more importantly, whether there’s another candidate out there who’s better for the job than he is.

Good coaches don’t exactly grow on trees, especially ones that win 65.7 percent of their games with a team built around one All-Star and a bunch of three-point gunners. The Magic already have one on staff, but don’t seem too keen to keep him.

That is, unless Dwight changes his mind (which he’s been prone to do) and realizes that SVG is the best he’s going to get in Orlando. It’s possible that he pulls a LeBron, that he demands his coach be replaced if he’s to so much as consider staying in central Florida for the long haul.

 

Step 3: Get a Grip on Dwight’s Situation

Which brings us to the crux of Orlando’s conundrum—what’s up with Dwight?

As in, does he want to be in Orlando? Some in the organization seem to think he doesn’t:

Key Magic source: “I don’t think Dwight (Howard) wants to be here.”

— Brian K. Schmitz (@MagicInsider) May 9, 2012

 

If it’s true that Howard wants out regardless, then that would seem to give SVG some semblance of security and open up, in earnest, an entirely different discussion.

What do we do with Dwight, and how soon should we do it?

Under normal circumstances, the folks in the front office would reach out to other teams as soon as the offseason officially begins to gauge the market and field offers for Dwight’s services.

Problem is, Howard’s not healthy. He underwent back surgery last month and likely won’t be ready for full contact until late summer, at the earliest.

As great a player as Dwight is, and as rare as quality big men are in today’s NBA, no team is going to mortgage its future to acquire a player who’s both a flip-flopping head case and has a bad back. They’ll want to see that he’s healthy and ready to dominate in time for the 2012-13 season.

As will the Magic:

1 more reason Magic likely won’t trade Dwight Howard ’til July: Teams want to see how he looks in workouts after surgery and consult doctors

— Brian K. Schmitz (@MagicInsider) May 9, 2012

 

If they’re going to trade Dwight, they’ll want to make sure that they maximize the value of their most prized asset on the open market.

Magic would love a superstar in return for Dwight Howard, but they have many needs. They want veteran package and contract relief in deal.

— Brian K. Schmitz (@MagicInsider) May 9, 2012

 

It’s difficult enough to find equal value for a fit superstar in the NBA, even more so for one with lingering concerns.

And the Magic aren’t likely to get what they want for Dwight unless Dwight is still what everyone else wants and expects him to be.

 

Step 4: ???

So what will the Magic do, then? It’s too early to tell.

At this point, though, it would make plenty of sense for Orlando to cut the chord with Dwight before next season if its feasible and if they can get a satisfactory return on their investment. Great players are difficult to come by, but they also come and go.

The Magic can either do what the Denver Nuggets did—trade a superstar (Carmelo Anthony) for a bundle of good-to-very-good players—or follow the path set forth by the Cleveland Cavaliers and, well, themselves—hang onto a superstar (Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James) and risk letting him walk before embarking on a long, slow rebuilding process via the NBA Draft.

Whatever happens, the Magic will have to get the rest of their house in order and wait for Howard’s back to heal before they can move forward in earnest.

Follow @J0shMart1n

Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com

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Dwight Howard Will Reportedly Tell Magic He Wants Out at Season’s End

 Rumors  No Responses »
Apr 232012
 

The Orlando Magic may have shut Dwight Howard down for the season, but they haven’t found a way to keep his camp quiet.

According to Stephen A. Smith during a Saturday segment on ESPN’s SportsCenter, the star center will be asking for a trade as soon as the Magic are eliminated from the playoffs.

Here are the significant portions of the interview (via I Am a GM):

The minute this season is over, according to what I am hearing from his camp, you can expect Dwight Howard to tell Orlando, “Get me out of here. I don’t want to be here any longer.” … When he had his back surgery, they [the organization] were talking about giving him a flight on AirTran or something like that. … He feels as a superstar, he’s been treated as a scrub.

This is just the latest chapter in the ongoing drama in the Magic Kingdom.

It started with a trade request during the offseason, seemed to be solved by an opt-in at the trade deadline but somehow continued when Howard was outed by coach Stan Van Gundy for wanting him fired.

Stephen A. Smith’s revelations come just one day after Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reported that Howard was upset with the front office and said that they first approached him about giving SVG the axe, not vice versa.

Orlando would be hurting itself by not trading away the disgruntled center this offseason. He’s become far too much of a distraction, a quitter and crybaby to ever win anything with this team.

Howard has blown everything out of proportion, has people constantly leaking chemistry-killing information to the media and simply does not want to be there anymore.

The relationship is beyond the point of repair, and the only way to move past this is for the franchise to reward his childish behavior by jettisoning him from its roster. The Magic cannot afford to keep him around any longer, and a split is long overdue.

Keep it tuned to B/R throughout the day for more breaking news, information and updates regarding Dwight Howard’s alleged upcoming trade request.

Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com

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Dwight Howard: How Season-Ending Back Surgery Will Impact Magic and Team USA

 Rumors  No Responses »
Apr 202012
 

Dwight Howard‘s done. His back? Kaput, destined for a date with a surgeon’s scalpel in Los Angeles.

And so, too, are the slim NBA postseason hopes of the Orlando Magic and, perhaps, Team USA’s claim to gold at the Summer Olympics in London.

 

Do You Believe in Magic?

The immediate impact of Howard’s absence on the Magic is clear. That entire team is built around Superman’s particular talents—his defensive presence in the paint, his ability to outleap and outmuscle other frontcourt players for boards, his slowly improving offensive game. Howard is enough of a scoring threat that opposing teams have to collapse on him when he has the ball, opening up perimeter shots for Orlando’s arsenal of three-point specialists (i.e., J.J. Redick, Jason Richardson and Ryan Anderson).

On the other hand, Howard’s help defense gives his slow-footed teammates the leeway to gamble and mask their deficiencies while funneling the ball into the lane.

Without Howard around, teams will be free to defend the Magic’s supporting cast straight-up on one end of the court and parade into the paint on the other.

And you thought Stan Van Gundy’s Diet Pepsi sips were tense before…

Of course, the Magic were practically DOA in the playoffs well before Howard’s back gave out on him. Howard’s supposed tiff with SVG had already torn the locker room asunder, all but eliminating the possibility of the team establishing enough harmony from top to bottom for its mediocre roster to make any noise—even against the up-and-coming Indiana Pacers in the first round.

 

Flying the Coop

The bigger concern for Orlando is whether or not this injury means that Dwight’s played his final game in a Magic uniform. Odds are, SVG will be gone at season’s end, followed closely by emasculated GM Otis Smith.

Whoever’s left at the wheel, after heads are done rollin’, will be in the same unenviable position in which Smith found himself after the lockout—trying fruitlessly to convince Howard to stick around, convince owner Rich DeVos to part ways with his franchise player and/or gear up for another season driven to distraction, with the hope that the Magic can contend in the meantime.

Either way, Orlando is bound to lose. The Magic won’t likely be able to sway Howard away from at least testing free agency, if not bolting for brighter lights in a bigger city altogether.

Neither can the organization expect to compete for a title with a lame-duck superstar in the middle. This season’s middling results (and the circus that came with them) should serve as Exhibit A in that case.

And the Magic can’t possibly think they’ll be able to get fair or equal value for Howard on the trade market, even less so if his wish list remains as limited as it’s been all season.

So yeah, the Magic are screwed, regardless of where they turn. Chances are, they’ll find a way to get something for him and begin another long and painful rebuilding process, rather than dragging themselves and their fans through deja vu.

 

Red, White and Black-and-Blue

As for the situation with Team USA, while Howard’s presence in the middle will be missed in London (even if the distraction won’t be), the Americans should still be considered the prohibitive favorites to bring home the gold. Tyson Chandler is more than capable of compensating for Howard’s defensive production.

In fact, Chandler’s athleticism guarding perimeter-oriented forwards, his unselfishness and his ability to operate without the ball might actually make him a perfect fit to anchor the front line on a squad full of superb scorers.

The backup situation may be a bit trickier to figure out. LaMarcus Aldridge will be out on account of a hip injury, and Lamar Odom effectively played his way off the roster with his shenanigans this season.

That likely leaves Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and Chris Bosh to duke it out for, at most, two other spots at guard/forward.

Assuming, of course, Jerry Colangelo, the head of USA Basketball, doesn’t pull a Bob Barker and bring out All-Star center Andrew Bynum from behind Door No. 2, which he very well could.

In any case, the Red, White and Blue have more than enough quality big men from whom to choose to survive, if not thrive, without Howard on the world stage.

Frankly, Howard’s game isn’t all that well suited to international competition, in which versatility and the ability to spread the floor are paramount.

What’s more, Spain, America’s biggest threat to the basketball throne, will have its own injury woes with which to deal on account of Ricky Rubio’s torn ACL. 

So, realistically, Dwight Howard’s bad back figures to have a more devastating impact on Disney World than the basketball world, though the hoops landscape as a whole won’t be the same once Superman’s well enough to wear his cape again.

Wherever that may be.

Follow @J0shMart1n 

Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com

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Dwight Howard on Stan Van Gundy firing: I didn’t ask — this year (Ball Don’t Lie)

 Orlando  No Responses »
Apr 132012
 

First, Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy says he knows that All-Star center Dwight Howard has privately lobbied the team’s management for his firing . Then, Howard tells everyone that he didn’t do that and we should all stop being such jerks to him about it . Then, all the guys on “Inside the NBA” and a ton of other people who are good at business say that everyone involved in the situation is a bush-league dummy who shouldn’t say anything about anything ever.
Meanwhile, the Magic continue to be weird and worse than they used to be, struggling through injuries to Howard and Ryan Anderson, banning their terrible, terrible reserve point guard for insubordination, and losing six of their last eight to drop to the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket.
Sound about right to y’all? Does that pretty much bring us up to speed? OK, great. Let’s now watch the Magic work to get Howard back on the court and Anderson back in the flow, try to win some of their eight remaining games and put all the rest of this garbage behind them for at least the next few weeks in pursuit of a title. Great!
/walks away whistling a Disney tune, possibly “The Bare Necessities”
Hmm? What’s that? Dwight Howard gave a one-on-one interview to Hannah Storm of ESPN, attempting to save face on the whole “I tried to get my coach fired” thing, a portion of which was made available Thursday and the rest of which is forthcoming? Oh. Dope. Let’s dig in!
A longer version of Howard’s interview will reportedly air during a May 25 ESPN2 special, and by that time, the Magic will have long since bowed out of the playoffs, so it’ll be nice to see Dwight again.
/trollin’
Luckily, Josh Robbins has a transcription of the piece of the ESPN interview that the network did make available up at the Orlando Sentinel’s Magic Basketblog . Howard tells Storm he was “totally unaware” of what Van Gundy had just told reporters when he famously ambled over and put his arm around the head coach, shares his immediate reaction to the reports that he demanded SVG’s ouster (“That’s crazy”) and says he never said anything about firing his coach of the past five seasons.
Then, he says something else — something that’s been reported by the likes of Y!’s own Adrian Wojnarowski , but that we haven’t already heard him say: that he’s done this before.

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Chris Duhon has been banished in Orlando, amid reports of missed practices (Ball Don’t Lie)

 Orlando  No Responses »
Apr 122012
 

It’s a bit of an understatement to point out that the Orlando Magic have been through their fair share of controversy this season, what with a franchise player clearly wanting to don another uniform and/or fire his team’s celebrated head coach at the same time . There’s another minor controversy brewing down in Florida, though, with the demotion of backup point man Chris Duhon. Duhon, who is just seven years removed from acting as the starting point guard on a 47-win team , is one of the worst rotation players in the NBA. And, for some reason, he’s compounding this by clashing with head coach Stan Van Gundy.
Battling with SVG is a time-honored NBA art, but it’s only NBA-legal if you have the ability to drop 30 points and collect 20 rebounds on any given night; as Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard can. But when you’re a point guard that struggles to score, and only manages 4.4 assists for every 36 minutes of playing time? The patience isn’t as thick. Unlike Duhon, according to some Orlando observers.
Steve Kyler, a Florida-based NBA scribe who founded Hoopsworld (nee BskBall), wrote on Wednesday that Duhon has “quit” on Van Gundy , but even if the pair had the healthiest of relationships, replacing Duhon in the rotation with second-year guard Ish Smith is a positive step for a Magic team that has been dealing with nothing but negative juju all season long. The latest culmination of which came in the form of Duhon’s suspension for Monday’s game against the Pistons , amid rumors that he had blown off two Magic practices.

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