04/24/24
November 18, 2003
The Doc is out.: Late last night after losing to the Utah Jazz, Glenn "Doc" Rivers was fired as head coach of the Orlando Magic. Doc lead some meager squads into the playoffs during his tenure. Most hoop-junkies would concede that the Magic's chances for getting into the Finals were slim, but the playoffs didn't look too far off when the season started. But after a franchise worst start of 1-9, and too many injuries to key players, does his dismissal help anything?
posted by lilnemo to basketball at 01:22 PM - 10 comments
Doc sucks, Magic suck - I couldn't be happier.... Stupid McGrady. You chump! You could be WALKING to the finals with Vince! Secretly I just miss watching him play basketball in purple. A plague on all your houses!
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 02:10 PM on November 18, 2003
I'm kind of stymied by this. I always thought Doc would make a great coach. Maybe he still would with a halfway decent team. The Magic have some decent players, but I think the basketball gods are shitting on the state of Florida in general right now. Basically, I don't think all of the Magic's problems can be traced to bad coaching, and I certainly don't think a new coach can bring them back to anything substantial this year.
posted by Ufez Jones at 03:43 PM on November 18, 2003
I'm hearing that with Doc on the market, Don Chaney may be on his way out, unless McDyess plays very well for him. And I'm talking a winning streak to bolster a playoff bid.
posted by lilnemo at 04:07 PM on November 18, 2003
Doc in NY makes a lot of sense - but I don't think he's necessarily a better coach than Chaney. Of course I also equally have no idea how Lenny Wilkins in considered such a good coach since the Raps got progressively worse with him in charge. linemo - there is no way that NY can go on a winning streak with that talent. I can't see them with more than 30 wins. Shold be good enough to loose the the Hawks in the draft sweepstakes. Orlando will pull something together - the East is too weak for them not to win 35 games - and that might put them in the playoffs.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 04:23 PM on November 18, 2003
1-10, actually. And Doc better HOPE that they don't want him in New York. We're gonna be a sinkhole for at least another three years. My question is: Davis=End of the season or no? And when do you pull him? 2-20?
posted by forksclovetofu at 04:31 PM on November 18, 2003
...there is no way that NY can go on a winning streak with that talent... I know. I think 30 wins is charitable with this squad. As for the Knicks real problems, I addressed it in a column that hopefully will roll out in the next day or two.
posted by lilnemo at 04:32 PM on November 18, 2003
Johnny is getting 2 years to coach the Magic!! Why is that? Oh, because Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady's Contracts have a player option for the following season. Either McGrady is hand picking a coach and free agents for the '06 season, or the Magic think he's packing his bags. He hasn't been happy the past few years having to shoulder the load and coming up short.
posted by lilnemo at 04:40 PM on November 18, 2003
Orlando will pull something together - the East is too weak for them not to win 35 games - and that might put them in the playoffs. Isn't that what they were saying about the Raptors at this point last-season? And, well, injury after injury; failure after failure -- and they ended up with 24 wins. Only difference is the coach stuck around til' the end there. He hasn't been happy the past few years having to shoulder the load and coming up short. Maybe he shouldn't have left Toronto. Hah. I'm sure many Raptor fans are thinking of this as karma.
posted by mkn at 06:22 PM on November 18, 2003
I'm sure many Raptor fans are thinking of this as karma. True Karma would be Tracy turning into Penny Hardaway. An overpaid, over-the-hill former star, also-ran.
posted by lilnemo at 06:32 PM on November 18, 2003
Doc got scapegoated. There I said it.