Dwight Howard (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
The coaching carousel is bound to affect the NBA Free Agency. The latest hire came from the Orlando Magic.
This change was entirely out of left field. No one expected the Indiana Pacers to make a change since most observers thought their coach was performing well enough. The sudden resignation of Orlando Magic coach Scott Skiles was also not expected although his performance was questionable. Still, most thought he would get another chance.
Thus, it seemed like a destined match that Frank Vogel would be chosen by the Orlando Magic. The team has a lot of young talent but they need a capable coach to put it all together. But GM Rob Hennigan has also freed up cap space to pursue free agents.
Curiously, pundits believe that one of the better fits for the Magic this summer is one Dwight Howard. Now that they have a defensive oriented coach who developed a beanpole like Roy Hibbert, should they bring D12 back to be their defensive anchor? Experts from ESPN Insider weigh in.
David Thorpe thinks it's a good idea "for the right price." He reasons that Howard "still helps his teams win, and he seems intent on righting wrongs. We saw Vogel build a defense in Indiana, and he certainly could do the same around Howard, protecting him in his weaknesses and maximizing his strengths."
However, the rest of the panel went from lukewarm to an absolute "no." Kevin Pelton and Bradford Doolittle talked about the financial aspects. Pelton felt that the skills match but the Howard is looking to get a big, long-term payday which would not be worth the player he is now. Doolittle prefers to "squirrel away my cap space and keep searching for that home-run trade" if he were running the team.
Tom Haberstroh thought Howard needs "spacers" to work well (like the 2009 Orlando Magic had with Ryan Anderson and JJ Redick, etc) and they don't have that now. Amin Elhassan noted that Howard and resident Magic starting center Nikola Vucevic won't mesh well.
These are the experts' advice but not all GMs have the luxury to follow them. If Hennigan strikes out and is left with no choice, even some Orlando natives are willing to bury the hatchet based on this piece from Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel.
He reasons that Orlando is not exactly a free agent destination and missing the playoffs this season did not help them sell. Howard could be their best bet in that context. Bianchi also has a message for fans who are still bitter with Howard forcing a trade out of their city. He cited Cleveland's reaction when LeBron returned.
"As for all of you stern-faced Magic fans out there, don't pretend like you wouldn't take him back," Bianchi wrote. "Puh-leeze! That's what Cleveland fans said after LeBron James left and they burned his jersey. When he returned, they put his mural on the side of a downtown skyscraper."
