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Orlando Magic Daily Podcast Episode 67: The end of the process with Zach Palmer

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Mar 31, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon (00) stretches for a loose ball while Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) looks on during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon (00) stretches for a loose ball while Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) looks on during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Orlando Magic reached the end of their road with their rebuild after a disappointing 2017 season. On this episode of the podcast, we begin the autopsy.

The Orlando Magic season ended roughly two days ago (by the time this is posted), and it already seems like there is a whirlwind of change. That is expected following a disappointing 29-win season, perhaps the most disappointing and frustrating season in the Magic’s 28-year history.

The team took the first step to righting the ship, firing general manager Rob Hennigan on Thursday. It ended a difficult and frustrating five years that turned from hope to despair pretty quickly.

As Magic CEO Alex Martins said during his press conference Thursday, Hennigan was dealt a tough hand and did not have the Lottery luck his plan seemed to require. But at a certain point, a general manager needs to make his own luck and the team stagnated.

Everyone recognizes this is the worst five-year period in Magic history. And Hennigan, despite his and the Magic’s ambitious plans, is responsible for that. It goes on his ledger. The negative marks became too great to stand.

The season this year seemed to be a culmination of all the frustration from the last five years. It was certainly the end of the road. The Magic cashed in several chips they had built up the last few years to go all in on the season.

Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic /

Orlando Magic

The team failed in those goals. And now the future seems pretty bleak. The decision to move on from Hennigan was pretty clear.

The season is still fresh and coach Frank Vogel said he will take some time away to reset the batteries before getting into the weeds of what went wrong this season, preparing for next season and getting caught up with the Draft. Vogel will have a pretty heavy hand in Draft preparations now with an interim general manager in place while the team searches for new leadership.

The last five years have been frustrating for sure. And it is not entirely clear the issues for the team have been resolved. The Magic clearly need a change in approach as much as they need a change in the person in charge.

Orlando had a lot to learn from the past five years — both what went right and what went wrong along with the process they followed and the decisions ultimately made.

There is a lot to break down as the season concludes and the offseason begins.

With everything coming to a head now at the end of the season, it was time to bring back Orlando Magic Daily contributor Zach Palmer onto the OMD Podcast to discuss the season that was, the last five years and where things went wrong.

On This Episode

  • What were the Orlando Magic thinking with their changes this offseason?
  • Nikola Vucevic‘s defensive improvements and how they may not be enough
  • Orlando Magic playing players outside their preferred roles
  • How much stock do you put in Elfrid Payton?
  • What to make of Mario Hezonja‘s second year?
  • All the risks the Magic took and how they cost Rob Hennigan
  • Where did things go wrong for Rob Hennigan?
  • Where did the process break down?
  • How did style affect the Magic’s rebuilding?
  • Where does the Magic’s general manager search go from here?
  • What were Rob Hennigan’s weaknesses as a general manager?
  • What is the state of Magic fandom?

Be sure to follow Zach Palmer on Twitter @FmrTankCommandr. And check out his latest article on the End of the Process by clicking the link below.

Next: The End of the Process for the Orlando Magic

Also subscribe to Orlando Magic Daily’s daily podcast, Locked On Magic, on iTunes, AudioBoom, Stitcher and TuneIn. We will still be powering out a daily podcast on the Orlando Magic for the next few weeks as we recap the 2017 season.