ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Orlando Magic have their man ... again.
This time, it's Stan Van Gundy. Billy Donovan says he feels
"terrible" about all the confusion, but insists Florida is where
he belongs.
The Magic finally resolved their coaching quandary Thursday,
ending a rough two weeks in which they fired Brian Hill, pulled off
the Donovan coup, then watched the bottom drop out on nearly
everything.
They were lucky to reel in Van Gundy -- their second choice from
the beginning -- because the Sacramento Kings were pursuing the
former Miami Heat coach.
Van Gundy said it didn't bother him to be second choice. He saw
great potential in the Magic, has family in the area and doesn't
have to move far from Miami. But it's been a frenetic affair that
has kept Van Gundy and his wife awake more than 36 straight hours.
"The first reaction obviously was surprise when (Magic general
manager Otis Smith) called over the weekend -- I was a little bit
shocked," Van Gundy said. "And then from there, just so many ups
and downs on whether I thought it was going to work out or not work
out.
"It seemed to be changing almost hourly, and we were truly on
an emotional roller coaster for quite a while."
The Magic said Wednesday that they would allow Donovan to back
out of his five-year, $27.5 million deal, about three days after
news broke that he changed his mind.
"I feel terrible about it. (The Magic are) a great
organization," Donovan said in Gainesville. "They have great
ownership, and they're great people. I feel sorry and have
apologized. It was my decision; it was my mistake. I have to take
responsibility for that, which I'm trying to do."
Donovan was apologetic -- to fans, his family, the Magic and
Florida -- but said no one from the Gators pressured him. He said
Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley wouldn't even talk about the
situation because Donovan was under contract with Orlando.
"When I made the decision, the next morning it just did not
feel right for me," Donovan said. "I've got too much respect for
the Magic, for the organization, for their team, for their fans, to
continue on."
Van Gundy coached the Heat for more than two seasons, resigning
last year but remaining with the team as an adviser to coach Pat
Riley.
He was under contract with the Heat for another year, and the
Magic had to give Miami one of its three second round picks in the
upcoming draft, No. 39. The Heat also have the option of switching
first-round picks with Orlando next year, but not if the Magic have
a lottery pick. In that case, they could take a second-round
selection or other compensation.
The Magic said they had a "legal right to hold Billy to the
contract he signed," but let him go because he wanted to be
elsewhere.
Neither the team nor Donovan would discuss specifics of the
breakup, but Donovan acknowledged he was prevented from coaching in
the NBA. He didn't specify for how long, but reports have
circulated it was five years.
"That was something we both talked about, and that was
something I was glad to accept because I knew in my heart that's
not where I wanted to be," Donovan said. "I wanted to be at
Florida."
For the second time in six days, Smith held a basketball painted
team colors and posed for pictures with a man he introduced as head
coach. He tried to keep a sense of humor.
"We started this offseason and the process of looking for a
head coach. We targeted two guys, and we actually hired them both
within a six day period of time," Smith said.
Van Gundy also was considered by the Charlotte Bobcats and
Indiana Pacers, but those teams hired other coaches. He was in
Sacramento yesterday, close to accepting a job with the Kings
because the Orlando situation was so fragile. But Van Gundy said
Orlando was his top choice.
"From a professional standpoint this is just a tremendous
opportunity," he said. "You come to a franchise here in Orlando
that has a great young core, starting with a 21-year-old All-Star
in Dwight Howard, several other very good young players, salary cap
flexibility -- and beyond the flexibility moneywise a very
attractive place for players to come."
Van Gundy was Riley's longtime protege before taking over as
Heat coach shortly before Dwyane Wade's first season, in 2003-04.
That team started 0-7, but wound up 42-40 and made the No. 4 seed
in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Wade, the MVP of last season's
NBA finals, credits Van Gundy for turning the season around.
Now, the two will meet four times a season as opponents in the
Southeast Division.
"It'll be exciting to go against a coach that I feel really
helped me develop to this point and, as always, there's that mutual
respect," Wade said this week. "So best of luck to Stan and his
family and hopefully he gets what he wants and what he deserves."
Van Gundy's brother, Jeff, spent parts of 11 seasons coaching
the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets. Last month, Jeff was fired
from the Rockets. Their father, Bill, was a successful college
coach in upstate New York.
Van Gundy resigned as the Heat's coach 21 games into the 2005-06
season, citing personal and family reasons. Riley took over,
leading the Heat to their first championship.
He said he was ready to get back on the sideline after taking a
year and a half off -- his first vacation from 25 years as a college
and pro coach and assistant.
"I got a chance to recharge and get reacquainted with my family
and do a lot of things. But in the last six months, really since
the turn of the year, probably after the holidays, I started
wanting to get back in it more and more," Van Gundy said.
Van Gundy was 112-73 at Miami and in 2004-05 won the Southeast
Division and made the Eastern Conference finals. The team won 59
games that season, second best in franchise history.
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AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this
report.