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Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag Vol. 28: New Year’s Resolutions

By Philip Rossman-Reich

ORLANDO, FL - JANUARY 6: Bismack Biyombo #11 of the Orlando Magic with his teammates huddle before the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 6, 2018 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Gary Bassing/NBAE via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - JANUARY 6: Bismack Biyombo #11 of the Orlando Magic with his teammates huddle before the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 6, 2018 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Gary Bassing/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Rob Hennigan, Orlando Magic
Rob Hennigan, Orlando Magic /

I could probably write a few thousand words on the Rob Hennigan era. There were a lot of good intentions and there were a lot of things that were going right. And there were a lot of circumstances that went wrong with him. And I am sure there were things behind the scenes that explain why things fell apart so spectacularly.

I am not one to dwell too much on the past. I do not think that is healthy considering the work that is ahead. Hennigan made a lot of mistakes in the end and there is no taking them back. The focus should be on how the team moves forward.

But I think this is an interesting question.

In the end, I think Rob Hennigan had a good plan. Like the Oklahoma City Thunder, the idea was to collect a lot of young players and build around high draft picks. Hennigan did not get his way in losing the lottery in important years. But clearly the young players Hennigan selected — Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris and Aaron Gordon — worked out fine. He had an eye for talent.

But the plan to build up talent is the easy part, as I said. His mistakes were relatively minor in isolation in those early years. And his successes all seemed to look good on their own. The ingredients were all there.

But the pieces never came together. Hennigan, in true scout form, could point to a player that could cut it or do something at the NBA level. But he did not have the experience or expertise to put a team together that fit.

It was not the primary pieces that got Hennigan — Orlando never had an All Star or really the chance to acquire one — but the secondary pieces that got the team. Drafting Elfrid Payton when you already had a non-shooter in Victor Oladipo (and then making Payton the hill you die on) was probably not a good idea. The core was devoid of shooting and another negative shooter was not the best idea.

The veterans the Magic brought in also did not seem to work out time and time again.

And then came the pressure to win.

It is pretty clear ownership stepped in and pushed Hennigan to make the team more competitive. Whether that is right or wrong is somewhat irrelevant, I think. What matters is the decisions Hennigan made.

And his panicked moves put the Magic in a deep hole. He took the directive to win now and did not exhibit the patience necessary to build a proper team.

The lack of direction from the beginning should have raised red flags. It felt like he was collecting assets instead of having an end goal or idea for his team from the beginning.

And that is what I am watching for with this new management group. The Magic need to build an actual team that fits together, show flexibility with their plan and have a true vision for the kind of team they want to be.

I do not think Hennigan was as bad as a lot of people say. He suffered from some deep misfortune and impatient ownership. But do not get me wrong, he was not good. And his failures were pretty evident.