The Orlando Magic are in a state of flux.
Fans are restless after a disappointing season that has the Magic in the Play-In Tournament. The league is always sniffing out the next big change and big storyline.
Something has been off with Orlando.
Fans let their voices be heard last week as the Orlando Magic lost 130-101 to the Atlanta Hawks last week. It has felt for a while the Magic were pointing to some change adn the losses in the last month have only made it feel more inevitable.
The entire league seems to be anticipating that the Magic will make a coaching change. Fans have certainly been clamoring for it since the early-season struggles.
Whether the Magic make such a decision is to be determined after the season.
But those planning the offseason are already watching the coaching carousel. It began on Monday with some shocking news.
Former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone is not returning to the NBA. Pete Thamel of ESPN was first to report that the 2023 NBA champion will become the next head coach at North Carolina in the college ranks.
Malone was a target of several teams with job openings or potential job openings. He was certainly a fan favorite because of his work with Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. He would have likely been at the top of everyone's list, checking every box for experience, innovative offense and no-nonsense accountability.
Magic fans eager to see a coaching change were frustrated that a high-level coach was gone before they could get their hands on him.
But that might also be the point.
The Magic were always going to ride with their coaching staff to the end of the season. President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman told the media that they were standing by coach Jamahl Mosley for the rest of the season when he addressed the media at the trade deadline.
Orlando will still face a lot of choices about itself this offseason in the wake of a frustrating season.
But Orlando should not be pining for people who did not want them in the first place.
The Magic need a partner at coach
Michael Malone, like everyone else around the league, probably understands that the Orlando Magic job will be opening. His choosing to coach North Carolina means he was not interested in the Magic job to begin with.
If Malone wanted to coach the Magic, he would have waited for the offseason. Granted, the transfer portal opens Tuesday, so there was urgency on the Tar Heels' part to get this done quickly.
In the wake of this season, the Magic must know what kind of team they want to be and who they want to work with. That must be what guides every analysis as the team moves forward.
Orlando should someone who wants this team and can maximize it.
Malone should have been at the top of every list for the Magic if they were ready to move on from Mosley. He was a top candidate for every NBA team looking for a new coach.
But the Magic are looking for a partnership. They are not looking to throw money at someone to rescue them. They want a partner who can help take this team to the next level.
While the Magic need to stop acting like a rebuild team and worried about long-term development, this is still a young team. They still have a development curve the team has to nurture. This is not the end of the road.
Invested in the future
What the Orlando Magic do this offseason is critical to the team's future. The team is looking for a partner to help the team continue to grow. That is what comes next for the Magic.
And you cannot be a partner if you are not willing to wait for the inevitable to occur.
Michael Malone may have been on fans' wishlists for the offseason or on the short list should the Magic make a change this offseason, but he had to make himself available when the job opened.
The speculation is the Magic job is going to be open. If he wanted, he would have waited for it.
The Magic are at a critical crossroads, they should not be pining for someone who would not wait for them. Especially in this situation.
For whatever anyone wants to say about Mosley, he has remained committed to the team. He only acknowledged the noise around him and his job security when fans were actively calling for his ouster during the loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
And, in that instance, he agreed with their frustration and that it was warranted.
Mosley is certainly not blind to everything going on around him.
But he has mostly put on blinders to that noise and focused on helping his team do the most they can this season.
The Orlando Magic have climbed into a tie for seventh with three games to play after the win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday. They have won five of their last seven games. This team still has plenty of fight left in it.
And Mosley is still very invested in his players. He is going to stay committed to the end of the season.
Say whatever you want about this season's frustrating results, but that is the kind of coach and kind of person the Magic are looking for.
It may be widely speculated that the Magic are going to change coaches this summer, but everyone will still need to wait for the team to make that decision official.
And Orlando wants someone who will work with the group in place and help them grow to the next level.
That might have been Malone. But he did not want to wait to find out.