@NataTheScribe offered his services and discusses 3 steps that would aid the Orlando Magic franchise. Be sure to follow him on twitter @NataTheScribe.
After yesterday’s news about Stan Van Gundy and Otis Smith being relieved of their duties , I figured why shouldn’t I take a stab at fixing the Magic (I mean Simmons does it all of the time, why can’t I just once?). So kick your feet up, enjoy the ride and pass this along to your friend who happens to be a Magic fan.
Step 1: Hire Troy Weaver: I understand most of you are probably shocked right now, expecting me to state the name everyone has been thinking is perfect for the job: Donnie Walsh. While Donnie Walsh was GREAT with getting the Knicks under the cap from all of the Isaiah/Layden cap mess, his talent decisions from the Knicks days (Jordan Hill over Jennings, Gallo over Eric Gordon and Brook Lopez) leave a lot to be desired. So if you’re going to start fresh, why not get the number 2 guy in the best (or second best) front office in basketball? Troy Weaver comes from the OKC school of analytics and probably won’t make the Otis Smith moves of desperation to blow cap space in order for a ring, the Magic need a guy who’s cap conscious, while they aren’t a small market, they’re much in need of a man who has a small market mindset.
Step 2: Bring in Mike Malone: On one hand, one would think that no big name coach is going to want to come to the Magic especially with the tenuous at best situation of Dwight Howard (rectified later in the column). On the other however, the one advantage that the Magic have is that the only other available coaching position now is in Charlotte, so one might thing the Magic have their pick of the litter since it should be considered the better job at this point. So why not aim for the best assistant on the market, a younger coach who emphasizes defense and cut his teeth with stops at New Orleans, Cleveland and New York. It wouldn’t be too much of a departure from the culture of defense that Stan Van Gundy had built, on top of most likely getting the best assistant available to teach a rebuilt roster. Now some of you might be asking how Orlando rebuilds the roster so quickly, well Enter step 3:
Step 3: Trade Dwight Howard: Face it Magic fans, this is the only recourse, Dwight isn’t waiting another year for the new GM to retool the roster. Especially if you believe this report, it’s time for the Magic to divorce themselves from Dwight Howard, like they should have done at many times during this shortened season. However Magic fans, lets say that Brooklyn receives a top 3 pick in this draft, you mean to tell me, you’d be upset with the Magic receiving Brook Lopez along with MKG or Drummond in return for Dwight while also clearing out Hedo Turkoglu’s contract. This rebuilt roster is going to be under the cap and in prime position for the Shabazz Muhammad/Nerlens Noel sweepstakes next year, on top of being one of the big free agency players in 2013, making it enticing for a Josh Smith or a Monta Ellis to be the final piece to a young nucleus that should challenge for a long while.
As you see, with the way that Orlando is built, it can be a fairly painless rebuild for the Orlando Magic if it’s done right. However if the Magic decide to act like the psycho girlfriend who can’t let go of the man who doesn’t want to stay in the relationship. This rebuild can and will take longer than it needs to, which isn’t the right thing for the organization and more importantly the fans.
