Brian Schmitz Orlando Sentinel
May 26, 2007
The team would like to have a coach in place by July 1 to look more attractive to high-profile free agents.
The Orlando Magic might take awhile to find a new coach, but the search won't spill into July.The Magic want a coach in place to replace Brian Hill at least by late June before the green flag drops on free agency July 1. They want a free agent to know who will be on the sideline in Orlando -- and a new coach presumably would want input on personnel.
The deadline to land a coach normally would come before the June 28 NBA draft -- Hill was hired May 24, 2005 -- but the Magic aren't as pressed because they do not have a first-round choice. They dealt the pick to the Detroit Pistons a little more than a year ago, sending it and center Kelvin Cato to the Pistons for power forward Darko Milicic and point guard Carlos Arroyo. The Pistons will pick No. 15.
"It's more of, 'How do we answer a question from a free agent who wants to come here?' than it is about the draft," Magic President Bob Vander Weide said of the coaching-search timetable. "It would be nice to have somebody there so we could look like a full complement of an organization to a free agent.
"It's a critical summer for the Magic, who will have $10 million to $13 million to spend on a free agent or free agents such as Chauncey Billups, Rashard Lewis or Vince Carter. That money figure will fluctuate depending on how much it will take to re-sign forward Darko Milicic.
Vander Weide said Thursday the Magic will start calling and trying to set up visits with prospective head coaches.
A person with knowledge of the situation said that as of late Friday afternoon, the Magic had not formally contacted Florida Coach Billy Donovan.
Former Miami Heat Coach Stan Van Gundy said Friday the Magic have not contacted him, but he's interested.
"I'm hopeful. It's a situation I'd definitely be interested in," said Van Gundy, whose wife's mother lives in Lake Mary.
"It's a situation, obviously, where they've got some great young pieces in a desirable place to live." Van Gundy said he recently turned down an offer to coach the Indiana Pacers. He said he had interviewed for the head-coaching positions with the Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Bobcats. The Bobcats hired former Magic guard Sam Vincent on Friday.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/basketball/magic/orl-magic2607may26,0,7005749.story?coll=orl-magic
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16 comments:
Billy Donvan, stay. Good boy. You get reward. $Millions, your name on the basketball court, and everything you think about you bring about. Whatever you want, in Gainesville, is yours.
Please stand up and ask the NBA not to call you this year. Please.
Billy, we love you.
Don't pull a Spurrier.
Instead, be our hero forever!
Love,
the Lady Gator Nation
KeepBillyDonovanforever.com
What if UF matched the NBA dollar $'s? Who's willing to donate a some money to Uf to help pay to Keep Donovan. I'll give $5.
Monies from the KeepBillyDonovan.com official store will be donated to the UF athletic association, which will in turn help pay to Keep Billy Donovan.
KeepUrbanMeyer.com
The Magic would only use Billy so they can get a new arena. It's all over the Orlando newspapers.
Yes, Billy needs to stay. And I'm a Florida State fan. It's just good for business.
930am sports radio in jacksonville on friday said the odds of Donovan going to the Magic are only 20%...am I crazy or isn't 20% alot?
Stay for me, Billy
student 3L
Build 'em a statue outside of the arena
2 bits for billy...pay the man, he earned it
Just say no the the nba. Tell 'em to stop calling, Billy.
Billy, don't go pro!!!
This is the Age of Donovan. That' why they call in A.D.
Congrats to Billy D..... now UF can go after Stan Van Gundy.... It would be a perfect fit. UF gets a stud coach and Van Gundy gets to live a more relaxed family life in a great family atmosphere and play far less games than a long NBA season. Stan Van to UF , lets see it happen. Go Gators!
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