Rob Hennigan has been relieved of his general manager duties by the Orlando Magic, a move that hardly comes as a surprise. He was under contract until next season, but Magic owners apparently ran out of patience to wait that long.
Hennigan served as Magic general manager for five seasons and but was never able to whip up the team to reach the NBA playoffs. Hennigan was not the only one fired. Assistant GM Scott Perry was also let go.
Serving on an interim basis is assistant GM Matt Lloyd. Lloyd could get the job full-time depending on the direction the Magic will go.
Frank Vogel will stay on as the head coach of the Orlando Magic who led the team to a 29-53 win-loss record this past season.
Orlando Magic outlook
The Magic have a lot of work ahead as they embark on yet another rebuilding phase to climb out if infamy. They are slated to have the 5th overall pick and have a 10.3-percent chance of winning the NBA Draft lottery to be held next month. Aside from that, there is the wacky NBA free agency period where top names will be out to listen to crazy and lucrative offers.
Despite taking in promising players like Victor Oladipo, Arron Gordon, and Mario Herzonja, the Magic hold the word record for the past five seasons at 132-278. For those who may have forgotten, it was Hennigan who agreed to send Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012 which technically kicked off the rebuilding efforts.
Several names have come and gone as well. Serge Ibaka was acquired but later on dealt with the Toronto Raptors while Tobias Harris and Dario Saric were also traded away. The experiments failed to pan out and ultimately led to the Magic deciding to move in a different direction.
Doc Rivers talk to heat up
There was talk that Los Angeles Clippers president and head coach Doc Rivers was being wooed back into the Magic fold.
Rivers denied the claims and seemed content with the Los Angeles Clippers.
However, critics believe that Rivers could be eventually let go if the Clippers sputter once again. Los Angeles has struggled to go deep in the NBA playoffs the past years and the current postseason wars may result in the same. Will Steve Ballmer drop the bomb?
That would depend on how the Clippers perform once the NBA playoffs start this Sunday. They are set to face the dangerous Utah Jazz, a ballclub on the rise. The Clippers do have home court advantage in this duel so falling to Gordon Hayward and company could be detrimental.
And even if they move past the Jazz, the Clippers will have to find a way to survive without home court advantage. Assuming most top-seeded teams weather the challenge of their respective opponents, it will be a tough grind for Rivers and company. Looking at it differently, Rivers may have nothing to lose if Ballmer is considering firing the one-time champion coach as well.
