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Orlando Magic Daily Roundtable: Playoff dreaming

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Mar 17, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) is guarded by Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier (10) in the second half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Magic won 109-103. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) is guarded by Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier (10) in the second half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Magic won 109-103. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /
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Alex Martins, orlando Magic
May 23, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic chief executive officer Alex Martins talks with media after they introduce Frank Vogel as their new head coach at Amway Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

What quality are you looking for in a new general manager for the Orlando Magic?

Rossman-Reich: I think it is really important that this new voice has weight. Rob Hennigan was sharp and had good ideas for how to build. But when push came to shove, ownership was going to walk all over him and force him off his plan. I think Hennigan’s relative inexperience in the league also hurt him when it came to negotiating with free agents and other general managers. So I think with the new GM, the Magic need someone who can put the business interests in their place some and carry weight around the league to make deals happen. That does not mean experience entirely, but experience around the league for a long time would help.

Scricca: The most important thing is gravitas. It does not matter what a general manager’s strategies or goals are if he does not have enough clout in the team’s front office to effectively execute those plans. Ideally, the Magic should find an experienced candidate with a realistic long-term vision for the franchise and hand him the reigns. As with any rebuild, this might lead to some tough times. He needs to be able to make his own hires and decisions without too much meddling from the businessmen on top, and he needs to feel a reasonable sense of job security. At the end of the day, ownership needs to pick someone who they will stand behind and have faith in even in the losing seasons that will inevitably come with the process of building a contender. If 2017 proved anything, it is ownership cannot force a winning season. It needs to be built methodically.

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Orlando Magic

Palmer: I kind of went over this in the podcast with Phil, but the Magic need a general manager who has existing contacts in the league. I feel like Rob Hennigan had a lot of things going for him from a player evaluation standpoint but where he failed was his connection to agents and other general managers. The Magic will likely have to fix this current mess through a slew of dramatic trades. That means for the next GM to win those deals he’ll need to have those pre-existing relationships.

Iwanowski: That is a really tough question. Obviously, they will want someone who can hit on the high lottery picks they will have the next few years, as that is how to build a sustainable winner. They will also want someone who will maximize their cap space and find bargain deals. That is what every team wants out of a general manager. The Magic specifically needs a general manager who can devise a plan to become a sustainable winner and stick to it. Hennigan had a plan initially, but he took risks on guys with similar skill sets to create a roster with a lot of redundancies. He then flipped the switch on the plan and went for vets with, once again, similar skill sets. The Magic need to stick to a vision and concentrate on building a core they feel will bring them a lot of wins down the line.