Magic to Let Donovan Go reaction thread

[ThisIsTheYear 241]

This guy is screwing the Magic and our arena deals, he'll be getting some mixed emotions from gaytor fans, and he also screwed his "good buddy" Anthony Grant.

 

Congrats Billy! You've basically just screwed the entire state of Florida!

[Manu Ginobili 61]

KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILL KILL BILLY DONOVANLLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOKILL BILLY DONOVAN

[E27 33]

quote:

Originally posted by Alex Smith:

KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILL KILL BILLY DONOVANLLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOKILL BILLY DONOVAN

ok, just stop

 

 

woohoo! 50 posts

[geaves 0]

For what it's worth, I saw Charles Barkley interviewed on ESPN an hour ago, and he was asked if he thought Billy Donovan made a mistake by going back to UF. Barkley said yes, and said he might have been able to win a championship in Orlando, or contend for one. Almost everyone in the sports world thinks Donovan is crazy for bailing out of his contract to return to UF. He looks foolish and reminds me an awful lot of Fran Vasquez.

[magicman4 0]

quote:

Originally posted by geaves:

For what it's worth, I saw Charles Barkley interviewed on ESPN an hour ago, and he was asked if he thought Billy Donovan made a mistake by going back to UF. Barkley said yes, and said he might have been able to win a championship in Orlando, or contend for one. Almost everyone in the sports world thinks Donovan is crazy for bailing out of his contract to return to UF. He looks foolish and reminds me an awful lot of Fran Vasquez.

 

I agree that he does look foolish but I also think Billy still doesn't know what he wants, but if he passes on this young talented team he'll end up regreting it very soon. I hope he changes his mind, but I don't know if he will.

[richnba 3]

quote:

Originally posted by elephant27:

quote:

Originally posted by Alex Smith:

KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILL KILL BILLY DONOVANLLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOKILL BILLY DONOVAN

ok, just stop

 

 

woohoo! 50 posts

 

HE wants to get banned..... ignore him....

[E27 33]

quote:

Originally posted by richnba:

quote:

Originally posted by elephant27:

quote:

Originally posted by Alex Smith:

KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILL KILL BILLY DONOVANLLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOVAN KILL BILLY DONOKILL BILLY DONOVAN

ok, just stop

 

 

woohoo! 50 posts

 

HE wants to get banned..... ignore him....

true, if we're lucky, he'll go away

[MarleyMon81 0]

Ya know, with the way this whole odd situation has twisted and turned, it wouldn't suprise me in the least if we ended up having Donovan as our HC after all. Again, very, very improbable but not out of the realm of possibility. Remember DeVos is an excellent salesman.

[FENDI 4]

ARTICLES GOES HERE AS WELL AS REACTIONS ABOUT THE WHOLE DONOVAN SITUATION.

[fooajk 0]

Why would we ever want Donovan back? Screw him! Im getting so annoyed with this situation! When was the last time a college coach won a NBA title? Larry Brown? come on! I don't see how any of us would take him back after this crap. Hes a shifty gator! You got to know that the alumi were on the phone with the AD pissing about how they want Donovan back. Screw him and screw the GAtors.

[Drain-O 369]

quote:

Originally posted by Marc Acres 3:16:

quote:

Originally posted by Mark G:

quote:

Originally posted by ThisIsTheYear:

quote:

Originally posted by MagicmaninMiami:

The most complete report I have seen on this story was just updated on ESPN.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2892797

 

After reading this, I seriously hope that the rest of his career in Florida (if they take him) is a living hellll. I knew that the trip back to Gainesville was gonna make this pansy cave in. What a sad man. Enjoy coaching at the less competitive level for the rest of your life.

 

I really wish the Magic could somehow play the Gators next season.

 

Wow - just like a pro fan. No wonder the NBA is the way it is.

 

Yup, Billy D is giving up the land of tattoos and Escalades and earings and "stars" to go back to the quaint notion that there is actually more in life.

 

Some people are made to mold boys into men. others are made to listen to prima donna whining and to carry their gym shopes - albweit for the fortune they get from all of you that pay their outrageous salaries with the ridiculous tickets you buy.

 

Yup - Billy D is the bad guy here. Can't be the front office of the Magic that dangled $27 million in front of the guy and then told him he had 2 days to make up his mind. or the fact that they find themselves in this position in the first place - oh no, it's Billy.

 

For all you whiners - get a life. Billy D will impact more people, do more good, influence generations and probably build a legacy at UF - that could never happen at the NBA.

 

Give Billy a break - build a legacy at UF or win at the "Magic". Are you kidding?

 

Cry me a freakin river. They dangled 27 million in front of him and told a grown adult to make a decision. Those *******S! How could they do such a thing. You know what, I really hope he does come to the NBA, but not until this team gets better because I want to see him get his rear end handed to him.

 

If building a dynasty at UF was so important to him, then he should shut his mouth when Otis called and not given our management the impression that he wanted to come here. Do more good? HE'S A BASKETBALL COACH so enough with over inflating his importance. Now go back to your little Gator board and discuss with them about how happy you are.

 

I could not agree with your more Marc. If his heart was always in UF and he wanted to build upon his legacy then when Otis called he should have said I am flattered but no thank you.

 

If the media or anyone else is painting the Magic as wrong in this situation they are very uninformed. It it one thing to speculate it is another to have facts. They gave him a very fair and lucrative contract offer. So what if they leaked word that they offered him the money. The only reason they did that is because in essence he had accepted the offer from what I understand. If he wanted more time he could have simply asked. I do not think RDV, Bob, and Otis were holding a gun to his head. Please stop with this Billy Donovan is a hero and the Magic wronged him bullcrap.

[Marc Acres 3:16 418]

Fun articles on ESPN-

 

Billy Donovan made a pretty good case that he belongs in college and not in the NBA. The truth is, I can sum up with a single word the manner in which he handled his negotiations with the Orlando Magic, his acceptance of their head coaching job, his signing of a multimillion-dollar contract and his subsequent about-face to Gainesville.

 

 

Unprofessional.

 

 

Donovan's recent maneuver is one of the most unprofessional I can recall in college sports. He negotiated a contract with an NBA team, agreed to a dollar amount and the length of the contract, put pen to paper and signed it.

 

 

Then, according to reports, he really "thought about it" and understood that he made a mistake.

 

 

Please.

 

 

Adults that are really happy where they are -- and constantly say so -- do not negotiate a multimillion-dollar, multiyear contract, agree in principle to a deal and then execute the contract without thinking things through. Donovan created, by himself, a huge mess. His actions affected a large number of people and cost people a lot of money.

 

 

I like Donovan. I like him a lot, and I am not alone there. Donovan is a really good guy, and a really good coach. But I am not naive. Until now, Donovan played the media like a fiddle and there is nothing wrong with that. He was smart and savvy to handle things the way he did.

 

 

Until now.

 

 

After Donovan and the Gators won the 2006 national championship, Donovan left a contract extension on his desk and would not sign it. He said that he didn't want to sign it because he felt it was wrong for him to cash in on the title when his players were sacrificing NBA dollars to come back for another year. Even though it would have been better for the Florida program had Donovan signed and sent a clear signal that he was in with both feet, Donovan chose to leave the contract unsigned. Coincidentally, Donovan had another great team, and another great season provided him a great deal of leverage for an even better contract. He didn't lie. It's just that nobody asked him why he would leave his university hanging when he could simply accept and sign the extension.

 

 

After Florida made it to the Final Four in Atlanta this season, Donovan allowed all of the talk about the opening at Kentucky. He never really came out and said that he was staying at Florida and would not be interested in Kentucky. He was leveraging his position, pure and simple, which is just smart business. Donovan didn't lie. It's just that nobody asked him why he just didn't end the discussion by saying that he was staying at Florida.

 

 

Following the season, after negotiating a contract extension (at a much higher dollar figure than the one that was presented to him the prior year), the speculation about Donovan shifted to the NBA. That was now the greener pasture for Donovan. It was an open secret that Donovan was intrigued by the NBA, and he said as much when asked about it. But he always maintained that he loved Florida and wanted to stay. He didn't lie, but nobody asked him why he would negotiate and agree to an extension and then negotiate with an NBA team.

 

 

Donovan said all of the right things but always left the door open. He never came out and said he was not leaving Florida, but always said that he was happy there and loved it.

 

 

But now we're going to hear a different line from Donovan and some in the media. Don't buy the line that will inevitably come your way. You will be told that Donovan was rushed into a decision by Orlando's short timetable.

 

 

That is baloney.

 

 

If Orlando really wanted Donovan, the Magic would have waited a reasonable amount of time until Donovan had the time to make up his mind for sure. If Donovan couldn't make up his mind in a few days, he probably didn't really want the job. No coach needs a waiting period to pull the trigger on a job. All of these things are decided in a short time frame. As Hyman Roth said in "The Godfather: Part II," "This is the business we've chosen."

 

 

Decisions in basketball are made in short order, and every coach knows it. Coaches are required to decide quickly which jobs they will look at and accept. Orlando didn't rush Billy Donovan or pressure him into anything. Donovan negotiated a deal, had his lawyer look it over, signed it, appeared at a press conference announcing it and then reneged on a deal that he agreed to and signed.

 

 

He didn't lie. He just breached a contract. That's no big deal. He just had "second thoughts." He just loved Florida too much.

 

 

Again, please.

 

 

Orlando looks foolish to have relied on Donovan and his word and sold a lot of season tickets when he agreed to become coach. Now Orlando has to start over and lost valuable time with the NBA draft approaching. Sure, Orlando can sue Donovan for damages and there are damages. But they won't do so because it will take the focus away from where it should be and that is moving forward. VCU coach Anthony Grant took a hit for considering leaving the Rams so publicly, then having to turn tail and announce that he never met with Florida face-to-face. Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley put a lot of needless miles on the university jet to replace Donovan and now has to do some damage control to deal with the fallout.

 

 

Billy Donovan made a big mess out of this, and it was horribly unprofessional.

 

 

Here is what I think Donovan should do. First, he should reimburse Florida for the costs incurred in running all over the place to replace him. Then, he should sign an extension with Florida, but he should sign the one that was sitting on his desk for the past year, not the one that was negotiated after the Final Four this year. And finally, he should propose a buyout clause for his contract, and the buyout should be the total amount of the contract and not a penny less.

 

 

I believe Donovan loves Florida. But he should do something bold to demonstrate that he is no longer trying to play both sides of the fence. He should demonstrate exactly what side of the fence he is on and that is the Florida side. Then we can all move on and feel good about it.

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/columns/story?co...bilas_jay&id=2893085