Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 at 1:15 pm  |  58 responses

Report: Dwight Howard Wants Orlando to Fire Stan Van Gundy


The latest chapter in the interminable Dwight Howard saga is that he is reportedly demanding that the Magic get rid of head coach Stan Van Gundy (who, you might recall, famously said he didn’t give a damn if this was indeed his fate.) Per WKMG Local 6 in Orlando: “In order for Dwight Howard to sign a contract extension this summer with the Orlando Magic, team owners will have to fire head coach Stan Van Gundy, as well as his coaching staff, sources close to the team and the NBA said … According to the sources, the probability of Van Gundy’s staff to be released from their final year of the contract is very high. The sources confirm that if Van Gundy and his staff are fired, the Magic will use the exclamation that they ‘just couldn’t win in a timely fashion.’ [...] ‘He’s not going to dictate what is going to happen,” Magic owner Rich DeVos said. ‘We talked to him about it and the mistake that we made is that we didn’t talk to him about his preferences. He can’t make those decisions and choices,’ DeVos added. ‘We will make those, but we will let him know what we are making and we want his opinion on what fits and doesn’t fit.’”

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  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Stan Van is one of the best coaches on earth. The problem in Orlando is Otis Smith, which should be obvious shouldn’t it??? Otis was supposed to add the “complimentary star player” before the deadline that was promised to Dwight. Otis is the guy who oversaw re-acquiring Hedo Turkoglu, he is the guy who traded for Gilbert Arenas.

  • KH10

    SVG is a good coach, but it’s been clear that he or Dwight has to go for some time. The best center in basketball needs the ball.

  • james

    nbk i agree otis does have to go as far as the stan and howard they don’t seem to see eye to eye so i would get rid of stan

  • Zabbah

    stan van is frontruuner. just ask shaq. dwight finally found out.

  • abaci

    Dwight is always biting Shaq’s style…

  • T-Money

    nbk – SVG is a very good X and O guy but there is a clear trend of him annoying the hell out of his players. He doesn’t command much respect because he’s always acting like every single mistake is the most egregious of all-time. Players tune you out after a while when you coach like that. See Skiles, Scott.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Doesn’t he have to be overly anal about mistakes with that team though? They really have no business being as good as they are, that team is built like a tin house in the middle of a lightning storm yet they are still competing to have homecourt in the playoffs. You take Dwight off that team and they are basically the Cavs from last year.

  • tk

    I 100% believe this is dwight’s doing. I remember some time before he was drafted he publicly stated he didnt want to get drafted by the clips. He likes to be in control. Sounds like smthg he would say.

  • dma

    unfortunately it’s a players league and SVG will probably be gone. watch them bring in d’antoni… lol

  • Rik Smits Mullet

    i wish my browser had a dwight howard news blocker.

  • http://slamonline.com Nella

    The problem is it’s a players league, and SVG demands accountability from everyone, annoying said players. He’s also annoyed that he has to be the leader of that team instead of Dwight, because D12 does not hold that team accountable for anything. He also wants to leave Orlando. That’s a problem, and anyone who thinks otherwise is lying to themselves. Your best player should be your captain, and he is definitely not that. D12 is a talented front runner too. He’d rather dunk in an all star game than play serious basketball. While you have to respect a franchise player, that team is held hostage by D12 and it’s GM’s bad decisions. Pop, Phil, etc. would not be able to fix this situation. Also, as a fan, I love reading SVG’s feedback on games, because it’s candid, witty, and insightful. Probably annoys the players to be called out, but at least he’s being real. SVG will probably be fired, but as a Bulls fan I would take him as an assistant – Rose, Noah and co. are already used to the more stern approach and SVG is a great basketball mind.

  • http://Roosterteeth.com Caboose

    Sigh…getting harder and harder to be a Magic fan…

  • elmaar

    nbk I can not agree more. The only decent signing/trade has been Brandon Bass for 18mill/4years, but generally Otis has been a disaster, same as Danny Ferry was in Cleveland, and I really don’t know why he still is the GM. Plus don’t forget Orlando is a great destination
    Fire Otis first, overhaul the roster, give Stan another season

  • Ldub

    How do you make a request like this? Aside from basketball, this is a mans career and youre telling your bosses boss to fire your boss? Caboose said its harder and harder to be a Magic fan….its getting harder and harder to be a Dwight fan. He is still a kid in a mans world and idk if its ego or what…but Ive been turned off by DH since all this back n forth nonsense occured. Then dude got the balls to go on national tv and state he is staying cuz of “loyalty”??? Im glad Dwade commented on that line. Loyalty my ass. Bi-polar a$$ ni66a!!!

  • MirChilly

    Stan has taken a very limited so-called “superstar” and team to heights no other coach can. Dwight has been given a team full of shooters and solid ball handlers and he hasn’t dominated games. Playing in an era without any other center that can rival him, He should be avg 30 a gm easy. Blame the lack of touches but truth is this team isn’t as good when Dwight get’s alot of shots. Teams beat Orlando when they get a physical center who can guard him one on one and lock down on the shooters. Give Patrick, Shaq, Duncan, Hakeem, David, Moses or any other great center a team full of knock down shooters when the other teams game plan is to play them one one one, they will destroy. Dwight hasn’t. But blame Stan. Hilarious

  • LA Huey

    Ldub, a coach is the leader of the team, not the boss.
    Anyways, I’d say SVG is about as responsible as Dwight is with how good Orlando is considering that ridiculous roster they have.

  • misso

    SVG IS ONE OF THE BEST COACHES IN THE LEAGUE, ARGUABLY TOP 5 BUT LIKE EVERY OTHER GREAT COACH, HE NEEDS HELP. THE ONLY REASON THE MAGIC SHOOT 3′S IS CAUSE THERES NO ONE TO DRIVE TO THE RACK. IMA MAGIC FAN BUT DWIGHT NEEDS TO STEP UP AS A LEADER & QUIT THROWING THE TEAM UNDER THE BUS. IF THOSE ARE HIS DECISIONS THATS FINE BUT KEEP IT WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION NOT THE WORLD

  • http://Roosterteeth.com Caboose

    Good Otis moves:
    Trading for Ryan Anderson
    Signing Brandon Bass
    Drafting Marcin Gortat
    Drafting Courtney Lee
    Signing Rafer Alston
    Bad Otis moves:
    Trading for Vince Carter
    Retrading for Hedo Turkoglu
    Trading for Gilbert Arenas
    Signing Rashard Lewis
    Trading Marcin Gortat
    Not resigning Rafer Alston
    JJ Redick’s extension
    Trading Brandon Bass

  • BoWeezy24

    Even If They Fire SVG, D.Howard Will Be Crying Around Next Season (If He Signs) He Can’t Be Satisfied.

  • Bt

    SVG couldn’t Care less I don’t think. He’s smart enough to know he’s done all he can with this group of players. He’s in a similar situation to Nate McMillan. Great coach but eventually the players just tune out. If I’m a GM I’d be seriously considering if Dwight is worth the hassle.

  • Bt

    @caboose – trading gortat could have potentially been a great move. His value as a player far exceeded the minutes the magic ould give him. Unfortunately they traded him for the wrong pieces. Right idea, terrible execution

  • LA Huey

    Cabooose is pretty on point with his list. However, signing Lewis wasn’t bad; it was the unnecessary amount they inked him too. And he forgot trading Courtney Lee as one of the bad moves.

  • ALD

    nbk’s points prove that dwight should be mvp …… Plus we all knew otis was dumb when he did not trade for lopez…. He’s goona go through the same pain next year.

  • Heals

    Caboose’s list is on point, but those bad moves have a MUCH longer lasting impact than his better ones…

  • http://Roosterteeth.com Caboose

    I lumped trading CLee in with trading for Half man Half dead. I agreed with the idea of moving Gortat at the time, but can you imagine a 4-5 Marcin Dwight punch right now? And the list is comical only cause most of the bad moves DIRECTLY undid the good ones.

  • elmaar

    @caboose the trade with new jersey was not necessary, at least they would have remained the same had they not traded with nj(ryan anderson was basically the same player Rashard was and Courtney played was a solid player who played both ends of the court) and if I recall he did not sign Rafer Alston, he traded for him, but anyways that was a good trade and the rest is DRAFT where for the most part and, especially when you’re drafting low, decisions are made by what scouts say is best. So for the most part Otis – a DISASTER

  • http://Roosterteeth.com Caboose

    My bad, it was a first round pick to the Rockets for Rafer. Thanks for that.

  • http://Roosterteeth.com Caboose

    My bad, 1st rounder to the Rockets for Skip.

  • bike

    Wanna bet that tomorrow’s headline reads ‘Dwight Howard’s agent denies Dwight demanding Orlando fire Stan Van Gundy’?

  • http://Roosterteeth.com Caboose

    bike: Not for all the rings Dwight thinks he’s gonna win.

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85Bl3GRdULQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player 1982

    Dwight shouldn’t have reupped if this was his plan.

  • T-Money

    i think you guys are overrating svg. there’s more to coaching than x and o. he’s not very good at in-game adjustments and has to stick to a 10-man rotation with direct subs (sg for sg, pf for pf) because he doesn’t know how to manage minutes. it’s often said that players kind of adopt their coach’s demeanor and in big moments stan completely panics. players ran him out of miami and you haven’t heard a peep about them missing stan.

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    T-Money, You haven’t heard a peep about missing P-Jax from any players in LA either. Doesn’t mean they don’t miss him.

  • elmaar

    oh and just watched that dwill’s cross on barnes and remembered how otis gave Barnes money and a bit more to Qrich
    I just can’t stop hating Otis

  • logues

    stop. the media needs to stop. seriously

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Pat Riley replaced Stan in Miami. Who would miss Stan if Pat is his replacement? And he didn’t stick to that rotation when the team actually had options. Which they don’t know. I think you are not realizing just how terrible that roster is.

  • http://www.yahoo.com berkamore

    The Magic can blame Van Gundy for their problems but I have a different take. Maybe we should look at two other guys:

    1. Otis Smith. The guy traded half the roster of a team that had been to the NBA finals because they were having a bad stretch. Couldn’t believe my eyes.

    2. Dwight Howard. Maybe we should point out that Howard missed two crucial free throws at the end of a pivotal gamethe NBA finals. Had he made those, we probably would be having a different conversation today.

    They can fire SVG if they want but that won’t solve their problem unless they get P-Jax of course, LOL. Then what is gonna happen? Will Howard keep firing coaches if he’s not satisfied? SMH.

  • bike

    Fire him now so the Knicks can hire him.

  • T-Money

    lakeshow – you actually have. ron artest talking about how mike brown is a stats guy, video cooordinator and is used to being coached by feel. players talking about bringing back the triangle.

    berkamore – i don’t think orlando is blaming svg for its problems (aren’t they like 3rd?). but it’s been reported that some nba players flat out don’t want to play for svg. shard even said that players make fun of him behind his back on road trips and chuckle when he leaves the lockerroom all huffin n puffin.

    i put it like this, if mgmt gave you the option of switching your direct supervisor who you find annoying as hell even though the output is not really suffering – would you? i know i would.

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    If you want to take what Artest said as a “i miss Phil” you could I suppose. I haven’t heard anyone talk about bringing back the triangle. I mean, when you have a team that is use to doing things a certain way, (Triangle) there are going to be talks of the past offense. But no one has said anything about missing Phil or the triangle. Anyway I’m not saying SVG is P-Jax, but I think it’s obvious he is a good coach. There’s a big difference between Mike Brown replacing P-Jax and Pat Riley replacing SVG.

  • http://www.yahoo.com berkamore

    @ T-Money,

    Good point. I didn’t know that players made fun of SVG. But my perception of the guy is that he is a straight shooter. As for the supervisor question, as long as he is not abusive and his criticism is work related and valid, I don’t have a problem with it. I don’t believe that people have to be best buds to work together as long as they are pros who know what to do, have a clear goals and execute. (See the 1996-1998 Chicago Bulls). But that’s me.

  • smoove

    master of panic

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    You know the players hate you when they are always cracking jokes on the way you talk and act. I don’t think I’ve ever seen players making fun openly of their coach the way the Magic (DHow especially) clown SVG. He’s a good coach but no one respects him and once coaches lose that respect, it’s over.

  • Heals

    T-$$$ @3:15, very fair assessment man. I was gonna comment earlier about how I love SVG as a coach on the whole, but something is missing from his repertoire…

  • Rainman

    the team HAS been underachieving a bit since Dwight agreed to resign a year. They got pummelled by the Bulls to where they scored 59 points, and then they got beat by Detroit (DETROIT!…albeit better as of late, STILL shud not be beating Orlando). It seems to be its actually SVG that has his team not playing to the best they shud be playing. Still childish by Dwight tho, that shud be a management decision…

  • Rainman

    Otis smith gotsta got too, no doubt.

  • ClydeSays

    You sure you want to go out like that, Dwight?

  • EJ

    FIRE HIM!! So Lakers could sign him.

  • Ldub

    @LA Huey….Boss/leader all the same damn thing. SVG calls the shots during game time, locker room, sometimes behind closed doors with management etc. Either way…DH has become a huge B!tch and its sick. He has all that talent, and granted he should have a wingman/2nd star player…but he releasing his frustrations in the wrong way. And say the Magic do get rid of SVG, I hope they get someone worse so DH can learn to appreciate good coaching when he has it.

  • LA Huey

    Ldub, so you don’t think star players can be the “boss/leaders by your definition?

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