Listen to Orlando front office president Jeff Weltman and it sounds like the Magic are going to run it back with the same core — including Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner — next season and bet on better coaching and better health to get them to the top of the East.
That puts a lot of pressure on the Magic’s head coaching search. Who is going to step into Jamahl Mosley’s shoes and get this team both out of the play-in and the first round? What are the Magic looking for in their next coach? A creative offensive mind? Playoff experience? Weltman wouldn’t be pinned down when talking to reporters (quote via Jason Beede at the Orlando Sentinel).
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“I don’t think we look for a particular trait or a quality. Coaches come in a lot of different shapes and sizes. Someone that kind of looks at our team in the way that we feel can help move us forward. Obviously someone who understands where we are on our timeline, that we’ve kind of tried to get past the growth stages of the rebuild. … I don’t have a box to say that we want the next coach to come out of this sort of box.”
A few names have surfaced in league circles, though this is all speculation, as Weltman and company have not formally begun interviews.
Here’s a quick look at some of the top candidates.
Billy Donovan
This is the name on everyone’s lips in league chatter, the guy who seems the best fit for both sides. Donovan left Chicago looking for something different and a team playing in meaningful games, and the Magic are that (a team that was up 3-1 in the first round on Detroit but could not close the door). Donovan also is well-liked by players (which matters after the issues between Mosley and Paolo Banchero), and he got the most out of limited rosters he was handed in Chicago.
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There is a bit of a complicated history between Donovan and the Magic. Back in 2007, Donovan did not have a contract extension at the University of Florida, where he had won two national titles, and he was eyeing the NBA. Donovan agreed to leave and become the Magic’s new head coach, and on June 1st he signed his contract and was introduced to the media as the guy about to turn things around in Orlando. Then he got cold feet, or realized this was not a situation he liked, or something happened and he asked out. Six days later, the Magic released Donovan from his contract, and he returned to Florida. That’s almost 20 years ago and everything is different now, that incident shouldn’t impact this one, but it hangs out there.
Tom Thibodeau
The former Bulls/Timberwolves/Knicks head coach wants back in the game and Orlando may be interested, reports Sam Amick at The Athletic.
League sources say Tom Thibodeau is also very interested in a comeback. The 68-year-old was fired from his Knicks post last summer but is looking for the right fit for his coaching future again.
The Magic’s defense fell off sharply last season, Thibodeau would turn that around. He’s another coach who tends to get the most out of his teams, although his offense has been best when heavy with isolations/pick-and-rolls for a star guard (Derrick Rose, Jalen Brunson). Thibodeau’s short rotations and heavy minutes for starters can wear down key players, and the Magic just went through an injury-filled season.
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Darvin Ham
The former Lakers’ head coach and longtime Bucks assistant has been linked more to New Orleans, but he is a name coming up for every head coaching job now, it seems.
Ham did not do as bad a job as Lakers fans would have you believe. He was 90-74 (.549 winning percentage) in the regular season, and his teams made the playoffs both years, reaching the Western Conference Finals one year, but were always eliminated by Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. That said, Ham the head coach was not very flexible with systems and could get stuck in a rut, trusted certain players even when it was clear it was not working, and his playoff adjustments were lacking and often fell back on “play harder.” Is he, like many coaches, better the second time around, having learned some lessons?
Dusty May
You can strike this off the board. Marc Stein at The Stein Line reported that “sources say that the Magic are admirers of Michigan’s Dusty May and would have a level of interest if he were indeed available.”
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Except, coming off a national championship with the Wolverines, nobody thinks May is leaving Ann Arbor. If, for some reason he did decide to jump to the NBA now, May would have interest from Portland, Chicago and New Orleans as well, there is no assurance he would head to Orlando. Still, it’s just far, far more likely he isn’t going anywhere.
Other names to watch
• James Borrego. He was the interim coach in New Orleans much of this past season and has done a good job considering the roster and injuries. However, Pelicans’ management is looking more outside the organization. He’s a very creative offensive mind.
• Terry Stotts. The longtime Portland Trail Blazers coach got a lot out of the Blazers in the Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum era. He’s spent the past two seasons on Steve Kerr’s bench with the Warriors.
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• Sam Cassell. The popular former player has been an assistant coach for years around the league and has been at the front of the “he should get a head coaching job” line for years. Could the Magic give him the chance?
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