Hill not over the hump
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Orlando Magic President Bob Vander Weide will not address Brian Hill's future as coach of the team specifically, saying he wants the franchise to concentrate on making the playoffs.
Magic General Manager Otis Smith told the Sentinel on two different occasions recently that Hill's job was safe even if the club failed to qualify for the postseason. Vander Weide called Smith's comments "appropriate."
Hill, who also has said he is not "worried about my job security," has two more years remaining on his contract.
"I'm not going to comment on that (Hill) or the arena. All I'm focusing on -- all I want the team focusing on -- are these last games," said Vander Weide, a Grand Rapids, Mich., resident who watched the Magic's 104-99 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.
Vander Weide said not to read anything into his comments as they apply to Hill, adding, "What Otis has said is appropriate."
Vander Weide would not comment publicly on the franchise's quest to secure funding for a new arena, but those close to him say Vander Weide is extremely frustrated. A final vote by city and county commissioners is expected next month.
Vander Weide is expected to be designated as the Magic's owner when -- or perhaps if -- the arena deal gets done.
Along that line, he arranged a get-together at his Grand Rapids home Thursday so some of the "second-generation" family members who are inheriting ownership of the team from patriarch Rich DeVos "can get to know the guys (the players) better," Vander Weide said.
The Magic were expected to practice today in Philadelphia to prepare for Saturday afternoon's crucial game against the 76ers.
The Magic are in the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race and will face the No. 1-seeded Pistons in the first round if they hold on to their position. But Orlando's loss to Detroit, coupled with the Indiana Pacers' victory against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, left the Magic with a one-game lead over the Pacers.
The Magic are one game behind the No. 7 New Jersey Nets, who lost 94-76 to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.
The Pacers and the Nets both hold the tiebreakers over the Magic, meaning the Magic can't finish with identical marks as those teams if they want to claim a playoff spot. The loss to the Pistons also meant that the Magic (36-42) cannot finish the season with a .500 record.
Their next victory will improve upon the record (36-46) they posted the past two seasons.
After playing the Sixers, the Magic will meet the Boston Celtics on Sunday at home. They then will face the Wizards in Washington on Tuesday night before wrapping up the regular season against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night at Amway Arena.
Magic General Manager Otis Smith told the Sentinel on two different occasions recently that Hill's job was safe even if the club failed to qualify for the postseason. Vander Weide called Smith's comments "appropriate."
Hill, who also has said he is not "worried about my job security," has two more years remaining on his contract.
"I'm not going to comment on that (Hill) or the arena. All I'm focusing on -- all I want the team focusing on -- are these last games," said Vander Weide, a Grand Rapids, Mich., resident who watched the Magic's 104-99 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.
Vander Weide said not to read anything into his comments as they apply to Hill, adding, "What Otis has said is appropriate."
Vander Weide would not comment publicly on the franchise's quest to secure funding for a new arena, but those close to him say Vander Weide is extremely frustrated. A final vote by city and county commissioners is expected next month.
Vander Weide is expected to be designated as the Magic's owner when -- or perhaps if -- the arena deal gets done.
Along that line, he arranged a get-together at his Grand Rapids home Thursday so some of the "second-generation" family members who are inheriting ownership of the team from patriarch Rich DeVos "can get to know the guys (the players) better," Vander Weide said.
The Magic were expected to practice today in Philadelphia to prepare for Saturday afternoon's crucial game against the 76ers.
The Magic are in the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race and will face the No. 1-seeded Pistons in the first round if they hold on to their position. But Orlando's loss to Detroit, coupled with the Indiana Pacers' victory against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, left the Magic with a one-game lead over the Pacers.
The Magic are one game behind the No. 7 New Jersey Nets, who lost 94-76 to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.
The Pacers and the Nets both hold the tiebreakers over the Magic, meaning the Magic can't finish with identical marks as those teams if they want to claim a playoff spot. The loss to the Pistons also meant that the Magic (36-42) cannot finish the season with a .500 record.
Their next victory will improve upon the record (36-46) they posted the past two seasons.
After playing the Sixers, the Magic will meet the Boston Celtics on Sunday at home. They then will face the Wizards in Washington on Tuesday night before wrapping up the regular season against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night at Amway Arena.
posted by OVERWADED @ 12:37 PM
5 Comments:
At 2:06 PM,
Matt said…
As Forest Gump says: "Stupid is what stupid does.".
At 5:59 PM,
Matt said…
I just posted the following on Sentinel:
"This discussion by Hill supporters (just a few) is absurd. The public outrage on Brian Hill's incompetence and pigheadedness is all over, forum after forum. Go back and check the overwhelming public outcry after the loss to TOR. There are only a few ostriches who have their heads covered in sand who can't see it. If the ownership persists on keeping Hill, foolishly, as they did when they lost Shaq, they will end up paying a high price for it including, but not limited to, losing public support, as well as losing a few key players."
The public outrage is overwhelming, and I still believe the ownership which is very much bottomline-minded cannot ignore it come summer time. Hill, in my view, is as good as toasted more so than George Hamilton.
At 6:17 PM,
OVERWADED said…
Nicely put Matt. I won't get overly happy until he is GONE, but I'm starting to agree with you. There is just to much mention of it at this point for nothing to happen about it in the summer. The story is local and national. Nobody is actually coming out and directly standing up for Brian Hill. There are some comments here and there that Otis has made, but that's what he's suppose to do. And with all of this talk, I'd be surprised if he was back next season. We, everyone, just has to keep on adding fuel to the fire.
At 7:12 PM,
Mike from Illinois said…
It's going to be a very interesting summer to see how the Magic front office is going to address the Brian Hill situation.
Unless the Magic pull off a huge upset and advance to the second round of the playoffs, it's going to be difficult for the Magic front office to keep Brian Hill as coach, with all the negative stuff that's been brought out during the course of the season.
At 5:15 AM,
Ken said…
Tonight, during the pre-game yak fest of the Pacers/Heat game Steven A. Smith and the rest of the crew commented this. All agreed that Brian Hill and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle are two who probably won't be back next year. Smith made the comment that even though the Magic players respect him as a man, there is grumbling among the team about his poor rotations and predictable play calling.
I hope Magic management has the stones to just admit they were wrong about BSH's rehiring, and bring in someone who is going to get the most out of the young talent this team has to offer. I'm getting where I can't even stand the sight of him anymore...
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