04-13-2005, 12:04 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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Loyal Sixers Fan
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OrlandoSentinel - Re-Hire Hill?
Quote:
Some blame the voodoo hex on ownership.
Others blame it on Shaquille O'Neal getting away and the resulting Curse of the Shaquino.
Still others say a series of unfortunate events is to blame for the Orlando Magic suffering through nearly a decade of mediocrity.
I think it's karma -- extraterrestrial payback. The stars, the planets, the weird.
And there are but two ways to get the Magic out of their cosmic funk.
No. 1 is obvious: Hire Phil Jackson, who not only is one of the greatest coaches in NBA history but also is a man of mysticism who would work his Zen sorcery and put the Magic in better standing -- literally and spiritually.
But since this No. 1 option is a likely long shot, the Magic must consider the only other alternative: They must right one of the great wrongs in franchise history. They must re-hire Brian Hill as their head coach. If Magic GM John Weisbrod truly wants to get the fans behind the Magic again, then the team's new coach will be none other than the team's old coach. The Magic will hire the man who never should have been fired.
Hill is now the lead assistant with the New Jersey Nets, and those close to him say he would relish a chance to return to Orlando, where he still lives during the offseason. And what better way for Weisbrod to put his stamp on this team than to go back and rewrite the second-most sordid chapter in team history -- right behind the drafting of Jeryl Sasser?
When he traded Tracy McGrady last summer, Weisbrod stated adamantly that the Magic are out of the "prima donna development business." Is there a more appropriate means to illustrate this point than to undo the move that put the Magic into the prima donna development business in the first place?
Every Magic fan knows the story about how Penny Hardaway orchestrated the overthrow of Hill, the winningest coach in franchise history. Hardaway and his band of mutineers quit on Hill midway through the 1997 season -- less than a year after Hill coached the Magic to the Eastern Conference Finals and less than two years after he guided them to the NBA Finals.
Still devastated by Shaq bolting to L.A. before the season, Magic management didn't have the guts to stand up to Hardaway. You might even say they indirectly endorsed the insurrection by firing Hill.
Some longtime Magic observers say this one cowardly move did more to alienate fans than any other transaction in franchise history. The firing was made even worse, according to Magic founder Pat Williams, when the team hired championship coach Chuck Daly to succeed Hill, and Daly said of Hardaway, "I can't coach this guy."
"Firing Brian Hill, because of the way it was handled, was one of the most unpopular moves I can remember," said Magic super fan Dennis Salvagio, a k a the Fat Guy.
Eight years later, Weisbrod doesn't need to just a hire a good coach; he needs to hire a popular one. Especially now, when nearly every personnel move he's made is fodder for the second-guessers.
It's not gone unnoticed that every player or coach Weisbrod has ditched -- from Doc Rivers to Tracy McGrady to Cuttino Mobley -- are all in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the coach Weisbrod hired (Johnny Davis) has been fired, one of the players he obtained (Doug Christie) hasn't been seen in weeks and the marquee acquisition in the T-Mac trade (Steve Francis) hasn't exactly been a model of consistency and dependability.
Weisbrod has made some bold moves that seemingly have turned out wrong. Now it's time for him to make an even bolder move that will make everything right.
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What do you guys think of this? Is hiring Hill the best move for your team?
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OrlandoSentinel - Re-Hire Hill?
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