It has not been a secret around the league that the Orlando Magic would be looking for a coach this offseason.
Rumors of the Magic moving on from Jamahl Mosley sprang up early in the season. The team's struggles throughout the year did nothing to quiet those. And the Magic's falling well short of expectations kept the pressure on Mosley and the team.
After losing a 3-1 series lead and winning 45 games as the 8-seed in a season of runaway expectations, the Magic made the inevitable official Monday, relieving Mosley from his duties as the team's head coach.
What was once possible is now the reality.
President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said Monday was for dealing with the aftermath of the decision and reassuring staff and players. The steps of putting together who the Magic will interview and what they are looking for have begun in the back hallways of the AdventHealth Training Center.
Weltman revealed Monday that some interested coaches had already reached out about the open position. The search is already underway.
It seems the Magic will begin making their list and interviewing candidates in the coming week -- particularly with the league gathering for the NBA Draft Combine later this week.
The rumor mill is already spinning with some of the names that are on the Magic's list.
Sam Amick of The Athletic reports speculation around the league is that Billy Donovan will be choosing between the Orlando Magic and the potentially open New York Knicks job (Mike Brown has been on a lukewarm seat with everyone expecting a Finals-or-bust mentality in New York).
Donovan obviously has Florida ties as the longtime coach for the Florida Gators, winning a national championship in 2006 and 2007. He took the Magic job briefly after the 2007 season, but then reneged on his contract before he could coach a game to return to Florida. The Magic hired Stan Van Gundy.
Donovan is well thought of around the league. But he has been out of the first round of the Playoffs once, in his first season with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2016 season. His Chicago Bulls teams were mostly known for overachieving and staying competent despite some poor talent. But they never had their breakthrough and made the Playoffs just once in Donovan's six seasons.
That is a long time for a team that is hungry to get out of the first round with the amount the Magic are paying for this team.
The other name that is getting speculated already is former Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.
Thibodeau was shockingly fired after taking the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals last year. Complaints about his style and how he pushes players have persisted from his days with the Chicago Bulls.
But there is no complaining about his results and what he has done in Chicago, Minnesota and New York.
Marc Stein of The Stein Line confirmed the speculation that the Magic would look at Donovan. He added another name to the mix, noting the Magic are "admirers" of Michigan coach Dusty May.
It seems unlikely the Magic would hire a coach who does not know the NBA considering the pressure they are under to win immediately.
It is very easy to poke holes in any candidate for the Magic. It is up to Jeff Weltman to find the right fit from all the candidates who are present.
There will be other candidates that will surely emerge -- from former head coaches like Mike Budenholzer and Dave Joerger to assistants like Boston Celtics assistant Sam Cassell, San Antonio Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney or Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn. The Magic are going to have an exhaustive search.
The Magic are always notable for keeping things extremely close to the vest. The media may not catch wind of who the Magic are talking to until they are introducing the new coach. And Weltman has a history of going off board -- although we had Jamahl Mosley in our coaching search power rankings five years ago.
The job is only a day old and already there is a pecking order that is developing.
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