Rob Hennigan is the new Orlando Magic GM and has already cleaned house in the front office, but now he has to figure out what to do with Dwight Howard.
Jacque Vaughn To Be Named Orlando Magic Coach, According To Report
Will all of this convince Howard to stay in Orlando? No.
For more on the Magic, visit Orlando Pinstriped Post and SB Nation Tampa Bay.
Read Article >New Orlando Magic GM Rob Hennigan Continues House Cleaning, According To Report
Hennigan, hired by the team last week to replace Otis Smith, fired the majority of the remaining members of Orlando’s basketball operations department, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Now all the team needs to do is figure out the on-court stuff, I guess.
Read Article >Rob Hennigan To Be Orlando Magic GM, According To Reports
If you’re ever part of a front office that builds a team of under-25-year-old stars that makes it to the NBA finals, you too can can get hired as an NBA general manager.
The timing of Orlando’s hire is key, with the 2012 NBA draft looming. Hennigan’s first order of business with the Magic will be overseeing the team’s selections with the Nos. 19 and 49 picks in the June 28 draft.
Read Article >Dwight Howard Trade Will Be Job No. 1 For New Magic GM, According To Report
Howard famously waffled on his desire to remain in Orlando at the trade deadline. Eventually, the team plied him with gumdrops, and the All-NBA center waived his early termination option, leaving him under contract for the 2012-13 season.
For more on the Magic, visit Orlando Pinstriped Post.
Read Article >Orlando Magic GM Search Narrows To 3 Candidates, According To Report
Hennigan, a former Spurs intern, followed a similar path as current Thunder GM Sam Presti to his position. If he wins the job, he would be the youngest general manager in the league. Lindsey has worked with the Spurs for the last five years, while Bower was well-regarded for running a team on a tight budget in New Orleans before being let go in 2010.
For more on the Magic, visit Orlando Pinstriped Post and SB Nation Tampa Bay.
Read Article >Magic Make Jeff Bower Favorite For GM Position, According To Report
The Orlando Magic front office has had its share of ups and downs over the past year, but it seems to finally be trying to get things in order. After an odd report regarding Phil Jackson and a surprise first-year head coach, Orlando’s apparently looking at more conventional routes of filling its general manager and coaching vacancies.
For more on the Magic, visit Orlando Pinstriped Post and SB Nation Tampa Bay.
Read Article >Phil Jackson, The Orlando Magic And A Strange But Seemingly True Story
Those are the parameters of a Brian Schmitz story breaking the latest Jackson rumors, and while interesting on its own, the whole thing gets much more intriguing when the other characters get involved.
It appears, as long as yours truly is correctly comprehending the story, that former NBA assistant coach turned D-League head coach turned NBA head coach turned Lebanon National Team head coach Sam Vincent was brokering the Zen Master to Orlando deal.
Read Article >Stan Van Gundy May Take Year Off From Coaching, According To Report


Feb 29, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy reacts during the game against the Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-US PRESSWIRE Van Gundy was fired after the Magic were eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs for a second consecutive year. He compiled a 259-135 record in five seasons with Orlando.
For more on Van Gundy and the Magic, visit Orlando Pinstriped Post and SB Nation Tampa Bay.
Read Article >Orlando Talking To Execs From Both Western Conference Finals Teams
The two Western Conference Finalists have become the envy of the rest of the NBA, as two relatively small-market franchises who have been able to identify talent in the draft and compete for championships without exceeding the luxury tax.
The Thunder’s GM, Sam Presti, is a disciple of Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford in San Antonio. Front-office executives influenced by the Spurs, like Rich Cho in Charlotte, have begun to spread throughout the league.
Read Article >Magic Looking At Spurs And Thunder Execs For Next GM


Apr 07, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard (12) during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Magic defeated the Sixers 88-82. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE The Magic have been given permission to interview Oklahoma City’s Troy Weaver. Weaver is currently vice president and assistant general manager for the Thunder. Orlando is reportedly interested in Oklahoma City assistant general manager Rob Hennigan as well.
Spurs assistant general manager Dennis Lindsey is also a candidate, and San Antonio is expected to give Orlando permission to interview Lindsey soon. Lindsey, who has been with San Antonio for five years, has previously been a candidate for open general manager positions in Toronto and Portland.
Read Article >Dwight Howard Trade Rumors: Magic Stance Depends On Source
Until replacements are named for Smith and Van Gundy, there’s really no telling what’s going to happen regarding Howard, but that hasn’t stopped speculation from running rampant on the internet.
Former ESPN writer Chris Sheridan reported earlier this week that Howard wants to be traded now more than ever, according to his sources -- and the feeling is maybe mutual -- but sources are telling the Orlando Sentinel something altogether different.
Read Article >Stan Van Gundy Firing Angers Brother Jeff, Causing Him To Berate Magic CEO Alex Martins
The Van Gundy that has been out of coaching longer was given an opening by Smith to talk about his feelings regarding his brother’s firing, and unsurprisingly, Van Gundy took it and ran with it. The majority of his disgust was with Magic CEO Alex Martins, the current figurehead of the company.
“For him to have been in the office all day and the president -- Alex Martins -- knows that he’s there, but then lets him and calls him on the phone to fire him? It’s unprofessional. Just unprofessional,” Van Gundy said during the radio interview.
Read Article >Jerry Sloan Wants To Coach Again, Could Interview With Charlotte Bobcats This Week
It seems that Sloan wants to coach in the NBA this year, regardless of location. Considering his history, there’s almost definitely going to be a team interested in his services.
Read Article >Dwight Howard Wants Trade From Magic Despite Stan Van Gundy’s Firing, According To Report
It’s probably best taken with a bit of skepticism until Howard issues some sort of statement -- he hasn’t spoken to the media recently -- but former ESPN writer Chris Sheridan reports that “sources close to Howard” have indicated he wants out of Orlando ... regardless of the coaching staff.
It’ll be interesting to see what kind of public stance Howard takes on the recent developments. It was made clear during the season that Howard and Van Gundy didn’t get along, so one would assume a new coach would help matters in Orlando.
Read Article >Brian Shaw, Michael Malone Emerge As Early Favorites For Orlando Magic Coach
It’ll be interesting to see what the Magic decide to do ... and whether these assistants are interested in keeping Van Gundy’s assistants, considering they’ve all been given the option of staying in Orlando next season. That likely wouldn’t be as big of a problem for Malone, however, as his father Brendan was on Van Gundy’s staff last season.
For more on Van Gundy, Smith and the Magic, visit Orlando Pinstriped Post and SB Nation Tampa Bay.
Read Article >Orlando Magic Fire Stan Van Gundy, Decide To Keep His Assistant Coaches
The team has already said that the first order of business will be to find a new general manager to run the head coaching search. His hands might be a bit tied, however, as CEO Alex Martins announced on Monday afternoon that the team will allow Van Gundy’s assistants to remain on staff if they’re interested.
Typically coaches prefer to build their own staffs with coaches that they are familiar with or have worked with in the past. If all five assistants stay in place, however, Van Gundy’s replacement won’t have that luxury.
Read Article >Stan Van Gundy Fired As Head Coach Of Orlando Magic
For more on Van Gundy, Smith and the Magic, visit Orlando Pinstriped Post and SB Nation Tampa Bay.
Read Article >Dwight Howard Refusing To Play For Stan Van Gundy ‘Completely Made Up,’ According To Report
ESPN.com now reports that the story may have been largely inaccurate.
Howard has missed time with a back injury but will be re-evaluated by doctors next week to determine his health for the upcoming postseason. The strained relationship between Howard and Van Gundy has seen no shortage of media attention. That attention will likely only intensify during the playoffs.
Read Article >Stan Van Gundy Makes ‘Nothing’ Of Report Stating Dwight Howard Refuses To Play For Him
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel reported later on Wednesday that Van Gundy responded to the allegations in the report via a text message to the newspaper. He statement is as follows:
Heading into the postseason, the discussion of a potential conflict between Howard and Van Gundy has only heated up. Howard is currently dealing with a back injury, but we can expect this to continue to be a storyline throughout the playoffs.
Read Article >Dwight Howard Tells Orlando Magic Owner He Won’t Play For Stan Van Gundy, According To Report
Citing sources with direct knowledge of a phone call between Howard and DeVos, the report says that Howard will go to the length of sitting out for the playoffs in order to not play for Van Gundy. That would certainly be an extreme measure, but given that Howard has previously demanded a trade and reportedly asked for Van Gundy to be fired, it’s not exactly a shocking revelation.
For more on the Magic, visit Orlando Pinstriped Post and SB Nation Tampa Bay.
Read Article >Dwight Howard Has Asked Stan Van Gundy To Be Fired Before, According To Report
Wojnarowski’s source also tells him that Van Gundy came out publicly because he’s “tired of talking around it when asked.” As for Van Gundy’s immediate future, a source tells Sports Illustrated’s Sam Amick that the Magic have not yet decided to fire him for his remarks. Of course, it’s still very early in this process.
For more on the Magic, visit Orlando Pinstriped Post and SB Nation Tampa Bay.
Read Article >Stan Van Gundy Confirms Dwight Howard Asked For Him To Be Fired As Magic Coach After Season
Things later got especially awkward when Howard himself walked by the press scrum. Via Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
The confirmation originated from a report by a local television station suggesting Howard would not sign a long-term contract extension with the Magic unless Van Gundy was removed as head coach. Howard elected not to become a free agent this summer and has just one year left on his current contract.
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