settle down people
It's probably not near as big a deal in other parts of the country as it is here in Florida. Billy Donovan, once and future coach of the University of Florida basketball team, is being blamed for everything from the fall of the Orlando Magic basketball team to the upcoming hurricane season, which will be all the worse due to his waffling on where he will be employed in the near future.
I'm not a Gator fan. In fact, I wasn't pleased at all when last year, on the way to their first basketball title, they took out my Villanova Wildcats in what was our best hope in 25 years of getting to a final four. I like Billy Donovan though. From what I've seen, he seems like a good guy. He seems honest and sincere. When he talks, I tend to believe him. I think he looks a little silly in his current situation, but I believe he got caught up in a whirlwind Orlando Magic courtship and said yes before he knew what he was doing...and a day later realized that for him, it was a bad move. I think he slept on it and now wants to be back where he was. OK, not the smartest way to handle the whole situation, but better than going forward with a mistake.
Now, in the wake of all that, I'm hearing that he should be blamed for the fall of the Orlando Magic. Anything bad that happens to the Magic franchise now rests on Billy Donovan's shoulders. Why? Because of the events of two days in the offseason? (Well, not quite the offseason, but it is for the Magic.) Over one weekend, he was named the Orlando coach and then they realized they had to find someone else. Come on, people. It's not like they lost a lot of time in the coaching search. If he would have said no on Friday, they'd be in pretty much the same boat. Did some big coaching prospect disappear in that time span? Is Stan Van Gundy busy all of a sudden? NOT! Maybe 200 people bought season tickets based on Billy D being the new head coach. Those people haven't even got the credit card bill yet. They can get out of that move in a heartbeat, if that's what they want. What did the Magic lose in all this that they had before the weekend began? Nuthin'. Got a little more egg on their face, maybe, but that's about it.
True, there were legal fees paid to lawyers who drew up contracts and a lot of trouble gone through on the Magic side for Billy Donovan. True, his whole coaching staff at UF went through a lot of emotional upheaval and uncertainty. So did the new recruits who commited to play at Florida...as well as the rest of the basketball team. Those people have something to be upset about, and deserve an apology at the very least. That's the extent of it though. Don't go believing the polar icecaps just melted away because Billy Donovan changed his mind about coaching the Orlando Magic.
I'm not a Gator fan. In fact, I wasn't pleased at all when last year, on the way to their first basketball title, they took out my Villanova Wildcats in what was our best hope in 25 years of getting to a final four. I like Billy Donovan though. From what I've seen, he seems like a good guy. He seems honest and sincere. When he talks, I tend to believe him. I think he looks a little silly in his current situation, but I believe he got caught up in a whirlwind Orlando Magic courtship and said yes before he knew what he was doing...and a day later realized that for him, it was a bad move. I think he slept on it and now wants to be back where he was. OK, not the smartest way to handle the whole situation, but better than going forward with a mistake.
Now, in the wake of all that, I'm hearing that he should be blamed for the fall of the Orlando Magic. Anything bad that happens to the Magic franchise now rests on Billy Donovan's shoulders. Why? Because of the events of two days in the offseason? (Well, not quite the offseason, but it is for the Magic.) Over one weekend, he was named the Orlando coach and then they realized they had to find someone else. Come on, people. It's not like they lost a lot of time in the coaching search. If he would have said no on Friday, they'd be in pretty much the same boat. Did some big coaching prospect disappear in that time span? Is Stan Van Gundy busy all of a sudden? NOT! Maybe 200 people bought season tickets based on Billy D being the new head coach. Those people haven't even got the credit card bill yet. They can get out of that move in a heartbeat, if that's what they want. What did the Magic lose in all this that they had before the weekend began? Nuthin'. Got a little more egg on their face, maybe, but that's about it.
True, there were legal fees paid to lawyers who drew up contracts and a lot of trouble gone through on the Magic side for Billy Donovan. True, his whole coaching staff at UF went through a lot of emotional upheaval and uncertainty. So did the new recruits who commited to play at Florida...as well as the rest of the basketball team. Those people have something to be upset about, and deserve an apology at the very least. That's the extent of it though. Don't go believing the polar icecaps just melted away because Billy Donovan changed his mind about coaching the Orlando Magic.
Labels: Sports
John put this out here at 6:50 AM
1 Comments:
I agree and of course they are acting very childish in not just voiding the contract and moving on. It should not take more than 15 mins after you are convinced it is not happening to do the right thing. Remember there are a lot of Gators who might support the Magic, but few Magic fans who won't support UF over this situation. It is regretable, but life goes on.
Thanks
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