Orlando Magic Rumors: Billy Donovan on the shortlist?
Rumors are flying that Billy Donovan will make the jump from Florida to the pros. And the latest rumor is the Magic are willing to listen to his case.
The Orlando Magic’s head coaching search will kick into high gear after the season ends on April 15. The short list is rumored to have a few experienced coaches already — Scott Skiles, Alvin Gentry, for instance. As the college season ends, a few more might be named.
Including a former Magic coach, even if it was for a few days.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan is open to making the jump to the NBA and the Magic are planning to contact him when they kick up their search.
"The Denver Nuggets and Orlando Magic are the only NBA teams currently employing an interim coach, but sources say both of those clubs plan to have Donovan on their list of targets once they began more expansive coaching searches after completing their respective regular-season schedules in April."
Donovan has long been a curiosity among NBA circles, and the NBA has also been a curiosity for Donovan.
In 2007, the Magic fired Brian Hill and hired Donovan after he won back-to-back national championships at Florida. It seemed like a local coup as the Magic hired a coach with some local ties and was a big name. It seemed like a home run.
Things quickly fell apart when Donovan announced he was deciding to go back to Gainesville a few days later, leaving the Magic without a coach and an embarrassing press conference burned into everyone’s memory.
Fortunately, the Magic were able to nab Stan Van Gundy before he signed on with the Kings. The rest is history (both good and bad).
Now the wheels appear to be turning with Donovan again for the Association.
After leading Florida tot he Final Four last year, and five straight years in the Elite Eight, things sort of fell apart this year. The Gators finished below .500 for the first time since 1998, Donovan’s second year at Florida. This is still a very talented Gators team, they were just too young and lost too many close games to make the postseason this year.
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Because the team struggled this year, that has led many to believe Donovan would make the jump to the next level.
And where there is smoke, there is at least some fire.
Donovan signed an extension last summer that keeps him under contract through 2020. However, it is reported he has a $500,000 buyout clause. Stein reports this is not an obstacle to his leaving for the NBA.
Currently, the Magic and the Nuggets are the only two teams with coaching options. But there are the potential for more — the Pelicans, Bulls and Wizards are the hot rumors in the league right now. Surely more coaching jobs will open.
The Magic have made it somewhat known they would like a coach with some experience, so it seems Donovan would not be a guy they would ultimately target. However, the success of a college coach like Brad Stevens has surely piqued the interest of copycats around the league.
Still, Orlando does its homework and Rob Hennigan is not likely to leave a stone unturned. It would be reasonable for them to reach out and at least hear him out.
It does not seem likely the Magic will bite this time around after getting a bad taste eight years ago. But you never know.