Today what most of the basketball world had known for most of this season became official,
AS STAN VAN GUNDY AND OTIS SMITH WERE RELIEVED OF THEIR DUTIES BY THE ORLANDO MAGIC. It ends an up and down five years for Van Gundy in Orlando, a period which even included a trip to the NBA Finals. The magic made the playoffs all five years that SVG was their coach, a feat only matched during that time by the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks. The last four months in Orlando kept reminding me of a restaurant job I had in my mid 20s. A fellow line cook and I would always talk about the state of the restaurant we were working at and how it seemed like the place was going downhill fast. We didn't have the numbers of course, but the place just didn't seem to be doing well. Long story short, we always would joke about what amazingly bad things we could or would do on our last night the store was open. Luckily, that day never came. Stan Van Gundy got to live that moment out every night this season pretty much, only he never had any
LANE KIFFIN-ESQUE moments during his final days in Orlando. You have to admit, SVG was the consummate professional right up until the end, even when
HE MADE IT CLEAR THAT HE KNEW DWIGHT HOWARD WANTED HIM FIRED. I have always partaken in the "Stan Van Jeremy" look a like jokes and I have enjoyed it as much as you, but I gained a lot of respect in this final month of coaching from Van Gundy. He easily could have put the Magic in full tank mode. Instead, he helped them reach the playoffs despite the absence of their star player for much of the second half of the season. They even kept their series with the Pacers interesting, winning a game without Howard. Dwight Howard will probably be looked at under a microscope by the media next year and rightfully so. While a lot of superstars have fled their teams to chase championships, I can't think of many superstars completely quitting on their coach and getting him fired (Knicks...). Dwight Howard will get everything he wants, next year we will see what he does with his team. My prediction is that he will never win a title, but that's probably just me hating on him like I do a lot of other people.
Today what most of the basketball world had known for most of this season became official, AS STAN VAN GUNDY AND OTIS SMITH WERE RELIEVED OF THEIR DUTIES BY THE ORLANDO MAGIC. It ends an up and down five years for Van Gundy in Orlando, a period which even included a trip to the NBA Finals. The magic made the playoffs all five years that SVG was their coach, a feat only matched during that time by the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks. The last four months in Orlando kept reminding me of a restaurant job I had in my mid 20s. A fellow line cook and I would always talk about the state of the restaurant we were working at and how it seemed like the place was going downhill fast. We didn't have the numbers of course, but the place just didn't seem to be doing well. Long story short, we always would joke about what amazingly bad things we could or would do on our last night the store was open. Luckily, that day never came. Stan Van Gundy got to live that moment out every night this season pretty much, only he never had any LANE KIFFIN-ESQUE moments during his final days in Orlando. You have to admit, SVG was the consummate professional right up until the end, even when HE MADE IT CLEAR THAT HE KNEW DWIGHT HOWARD WANTED HIM FIRED. I have always partaken in the "Stan Van Jeremy" look a like jokes and I have enjoyed it as much as you, but I gained a lot of respect in this final month of coaching from Van Gundy. He easily could have put the Magic in full tank mode. Instead, he helped them reach the playoffs despite the absence of their star player for much of the second half of the season. They even kept their series with the Pacers interesting, winning a game without Howard. Dwight Howard will probably be looked at under a microscope by the media next year and rightfully so. While a lot of superstars have fled their teams to chase championships, I can't think of many superstars completely quitting on their coach and getting him fired (Knicks...). Dwight Howard will get everything he wants, next year we will see what he does with his team. My prediction is that he will never win a title, but that's probably just me hating on him like I do a lot of other people.
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