Why the Magic Should Hire Billy Donovan to Replace Jamahl Mosley After Playoff Collapse
The Orlando Magic fired Jamahl Mosley earlier this week after blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Detroit Pistons in the first round. The decision was made. The reasoning was obvious. The next move is the only thing that matters now, and the Magic should be picking up the phone for Billy Donovan.
Donovan was let go by the Chicago Bulls last month after another middling season in a directionless rebuild. He is one of the most accomplished basketball coaches alive, with two national championships at Florida, a Hall of Fame resume in the college game, and a respectable NBA tenure in Oklahoma City and Chicago. He is also exactly what this Magic team needs right now.
The Magic have Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, and one of the best defensive infrastructures in the East. They do not have a head coach who can squeeze offense out of a roster that struggles to space the floor. Mosley got every ounce of defensive juice out of this group. He could never figure out how to score in the half court when the playoff lights came on.
Why Donovan Fits
Donovan is an offensive system coach. He builds advantages off of pick-and-roll actions, secondary playmaking, and disciplined cutting. That is the exact recipe the Magic need to unlock Banchero’s game. Paolo is one of the best young scorers in the league when defenses have to think. Mosley too often had him in isolations against set defenses. Donovan would change that.
He also has a track record with developing star talent. He drafted and developed Joakim Noah and Al Horford at Florida. He took Russell Westbrook into prime MVP territory in OKC. He helped Coby White and DeMar DeRozan become the offensive engines for those Bulls teams. He knows how to coach top-end talent.
The Other Names
Dusty May is the dream target. The Michigan head coach is the hottest college name on the market, and his ties to Florida basketball would resonate in Central Florida. He is also fully committed to Michigan, with a roster he just built through the portal that should compete for a Final Four. Stealing him this summer would cost a small fortune and might not work anyway.
Mike Brown is available. So is Frank Vogel. So is a handful of Tom Thibodeau disciples who could keep the defense humming. The Magic could go a hundred different ways. None of them have the resume Donovan has.
Donovan’s Side
The big question is whether Donovan wants this job. He has been candid about wanting to coach a contender, and the Magic are not quite there yet. They are close. They have the talent to compete in the East. They just need someone to coach them up.
Donovan also has family considerations and a clear preference for warmer climates. Orlando checks that box. He spent two decades in Gainesville. The Florida sun agrees with him.
The Bottom Line
The Magic have a small window to fix this. The Eastern Conference is wide open over the next two years. The Pistons, Cavs, and Knicks are all good. None of them is unbeatable. Orlando has the pieces to break through, but only if the next coach is significantly better than the last one.
Donovan is significantly better than the last one. The Magic should be sprinting toward this hire while he is still available. If they wait, somebody else will get there first. And then the Magic will be back to picking through second-tier names while their championship window slowly closes.
Make the call.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
