Donovan Going Back to Florida?

[Write-brained]

In fairness to Katz, he might have the same story. It's possible that he was working toward conformation but decided to report what he had when Goodman beat him to the punch.

**** Katz and **** ESPN. After seeing the Goodman story, I checked ESPN instantly. Nothing.

Andy has pulled this **** on me before (I don't want to out myself), but honestly, there isn't much you can do. The first time it happened, I had my editor call ESPN to complain because it is an UNETHICAL business practice. But that went nowhere.

If I were Goodman, I'd ask Fox to sue ESPN. This **** has to stop.

The TV side might have changed it, but not on ESPN.com

Billy Donovan informed the Magic and the University of Florida over the weekend that he had second thoughts about agreeing to be Orlando's head coach, but it's unclear whether the NBA team will let him go.

Orlando has a signed contract from Donovan and is making a decision as to whether to let him out of the five-year, $27.5 million deal that he signed on Friday multiple sources told ESPN.com on Sunday.

If I'm the Orlando Magic, I sue, sue, sue until the lawyers fall asleep and the digit counters on the calculators burn out.

I call up David Stern, get the legal muscle of the NBA behind me, and I go charging into court for an injunction. Billy Donovan don't coach anywhere until we get our ******* money.

What money starman? The Magic haven't paid him anything yet.
Sue Donovan for breach of contract? What are your damages?


As for FOX suing ESPN because "this **** has got to stop" again I ask, sue for what? What are the damages?
And who, outside of some people in the business (maybe not even a majority of people in the business) cares who broke the story?

Good points. So what, if anythiing, does this do to Donovan's reputation? Can't see this stopping someone else from making an offer down the road.

 

[CollegeJournalist]

WB: Not a thing. Even if he goes back to Florida, I'd guess he'll be offered again soon.

 

[Moland Spring]

Forcing Orlando to defraud their fans would be the damages, maybe. They sold 200 season tickets immediately... They wouldn't have "lied" to their fans about a coach who would never coach if Donovan had not reneged.

 

[Tom Petty]

Forcing Orlando to defraud their fans would be the damages, maybe. They sold 200 season tickets immediately... They wouldn't have "lied" to their fans about a coach who would never coach if Donovan had not reneged.

how many cancel? and i'd bet florida would pick up that tab.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

To those who think Billy Donovan has done any damage with the University of Florida, think again.

He'll be welcomed back in Gainesville. Jeremy Foley will be falling over himself at having to do minimal - if any - damage control rather than find a new coach to somehow keep up what Donovan has done there the last decade.

And honestly, if Billy wants a shot in the NBA down the road, he can probably get it with another couple of years strong work in Gainesville. Probably not with the Magic, but given the turnover in the NBA, who knows if that same administration will be there if Donovan gets that NBA itch down the road?

Bobby Cremins (not Billy, Moddy) had a change of heart and ended up OK. Wichita State wasn't scared of Gregg Marshall past after he changed his mind last off-season, telling College of Charleston he'd stay at Winthrop.

I don't see how the Magic would want to keep him even if they have him under contract.

 

[friend of a friend]

To those who think Billy Donovan has done any damage with the University of Florida, think again.

He'll be welcomed back in Gainesville. Jeremy Foley will be falling over himself at having to do minimal - if any - damage control rather than find a new coach to somehow keep up what Donovan has done there the last decade.

And honestly, if Billy wants a shot in the NBA down the road, he can probably get it with another couple of years strong work in Gainesville. Probably not with the Magic, but given the turnover in the NBA, who knows if that same administration will be there if Donovan gets that NBA itch down the road?

Bobby Cremins (not Billy, Moddy) had a change of heart and ended up OK. Wichita State wasn't scared of Gregg Marshall past after he changed his mind last off-season, telling College of Charleston he'd stay at Winthrop.

I don't see how the Magic would want to keep him even if they have him under contract.

Uh, I think Moddy knows what Cremins' first name is. He was making a joke.

 

[DanOregon]

Headline: "Now you see him, now you don't" who does the Magic GM think he is, Jack McCoy?

 

[spinning27]

To those who think Billy Donovan has done any damage with the University of Florida, think again.

He'll be welcomed back in Gainesville. Jeremy Foley will be falling over himself at having to do minimal - if any - damage control rather than find a new coach to somehow keep up what Donovan has done there the last decade.

And honestly, if Billy wants a shot in the NBA down the road, he can probably get it with another couple of years strong work in Gainesville. Probably not with the Magic, but given the turnover in the NBA, who knows if that same administration will be there if Donovan gets that NBA itch down the road?

Bobby Cremins (not Billy, Moddy) had a change of heart and ended up OK. Wichita State wasn't scared of Gregg Marshall past after he changed his mind last off-season, telling College of Charleston he'd stay at Winthrop.

I don't see how the Magic would want to keep him even if they have him under contract.

Get real.

Cremins' career started circling the drain the minute he went back to Georgia Tech. For the record, he is now the coach at College of Charleston after being out of the business for years.

And Gregg Marshall, for as much fellatio as every national college basketball writer has performed on him over the years, couldn't do any better than Wichita State when all was said and done. Is Wichita even a top 50 job? Top 75?

I know that emotions are part of this, but it's simply bad business to do what Marshall, Cremins, Altman and now apparently Donovan did. It undermines credibility with colleagues, bosses, recruits, everyone. If you have misgivings, so be it. That's life. Even if Donovan regretted the decision, he should have taken it like a man. I'm sure at $6 million a year, it wouldn't have been that hard.

 

[IU90]

Bobby Cremins had a change of heart and ended up OK.

I'd dispute this. As I recall, Cremins on-court success and career declined rapidly after he did the about face.

Another "about face" example not yet mentioned here was Dan Dakich who was once a hot coaching property when he accepted the West Virginia job only to change his mind and go running back to Bowling Green a few days later (poor WVU was forced to hire Beilein as their fallback guy instead). After that, Dakich seemed to lose his ability to recruit, his teams started sucking, and he later ends up getting fired by BGSU.

 

[Moland Spring]

Magic will allow Donovan out, Sentinel reports:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/local/orl-bk-billydonovan060307,0,3646088.story?coll=orl-sports-headlines
Oh, and check out this double byline. Lynn has sources, apparently.


Dave Curtis and Lynn Hoppes | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted June 4, 2007, 2:19 AM EDT

The Orlando Magic today will allow Billy Donovan out of his 5-year, $27.5 million contract that he signed on Friday.
"It's over," said a source close to the situation.

 

[Starman]

What money starman? The Magic haven't paid him anything yet.
Sue Donovan for breach of contract? What are your damages?

All the money spent on the search process for Donovan; all the money which now must be spent on a search for another coach, if the Magic has any lawyers worth their salt they can come up with speculative damages done to the organization's future plans, of course it would be hard to prove, but the bottom line would be to bring the hammer down hard with the message to coaches: "Don't **** with the NBA. When you sign a contract with us, you're IN."

But, apparently they're just going to bend over and take it. OK, fine. Rape isn't rape if you bend over and say, "thank you sir may I have another."

 

[Oz]

Forcing Orlando to defraud their fans would be the damages, maybe. They sold 200 season tickets immediately... They wouldn't have "lied" to their fans about a coach who would never coach if Donovan had not reneged.

how many cancel? and i'd bet florida would pick up that tab.

They probably ought to. That or the Magic should allow for full refunds, if those people want it.

 

[ogre]

Is this proof that after you start making more than $1 million a year, a bump up to $5.5 million doesnt equate to unconditional happiness?

If Donovan needs to hug this one out, Rick Majerus is waiting by the phone.

 

[DanOregon]

I think the Magic will do better with Rick Carlisle or Flip Saunders anyway..


and regarding ESPN stealing "exclusives" at what point in a news cycle should a news org stop quoting an initial report, if they hear about this, make a couple of calls and confirm the story for themselves? I'm not being sarcastic or anything like that, it is an honest question.

 

[friend of a friend]

I think the Magic will do better with Rick Carlisle or Flip Saunders anyway..

Expect Stan Van Gundy to get the job.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Bobby Cremins had a change of heart and ended up OK.

I'd dispute this. As I recall, Cremins on-court success and career declined rapidly after he did the about face.

Another "about face" example not yet mentioned here was Dan Dakich who was once a hot coaching property when he accepted the West Virginia job only to change his mind and go running back to Bowling Green a few days later (poor WVU was forced to hire Beilein as their fallback guy instead). After that, Dakich seemed to lose his ability to recruit, his teams started sucking, and he later ends up getting fired by BGSU.

Bobby didn't bring in enough strong recruits. And Dave Braine wasn't terribly supportive of him ... I'm not sure his about-face had anything to do with the lack of backing.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Uh, I think Moddy knows what Cremins' first name is. He was making a joke.

I'm pretty sure you're right. Excuse me as that one flew by without warning ...

 

[Tom Petty]

Forcing Orlando to defraud their fans would be the damages, maybe. They sold 200 season tickets immediately... They wouldn't have "lied" to their fans about a coach who would never coach if Donovan had not reneged.

how many cancel? and i'd bet florida would pick up that tab.

They probably ought to. That or the Magic should allow for full refunds, if those people want it.

and if he goes back to florida with open arms, they certainly should. and those tickets would be a nice little perk they could hand out to the press while covering games.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

To those who think Billy Donovan has done any damage with the University of Florida, think again.

He'll be welcomed back in Gainesville. Jeremy Foley will be falling over himself at having to do minimal - if any - damage control rather than find a new coach to somehow keep up what Donovan has done there the last decade.

And honestly, if Billy wants a shot in the NBA down the road, he can probably get it with another couple of years strong work in Gainesville. Probably not with the Magic, but given the turnover in the NBA, who knows if that same administration will be there if Donovan gets that NBA itch down the road?

Bobby Cremins (not Billy, Moddy) had a change of heart and ended up OK. Wichita State wasn't scared of Gregg Marshall past after he changed his mind last off-season, telling College of Charleston he'd stay at Winthrop.

I don't see how the Magic would want to keep him even if they have him under contract.

Get real.

Cremins' career started circling the drain the minute he went back to Georgia Tech. For the record, he is now the coach at College of Charleston after being out of the business for years.

And Gregg Marshall, for as much fellatio as every national college basketball writer has performed on him over the years, couldn't do any better than Wichita State when all was said and done. Is Wichita even a top 50 job? Top 75?

I know that emotions are part of this, but it's simply bad business to do what Marshall, Cremins, Altman and now apparently Donovan did. It undermines credibility with colleagues, bosses, recruits, everyone. If you have misgivings, so be it. That's life. Even if Donovan regretted the decision, he should have taken it like a man. I'm sure at $6 million a year, it wouldn't have been that hard.

I know where Cremins went ... thanks for the update under my rock.

I didn't think Gregg Marshall would get an elite program job. Wichita State ended up about right ... and I would think you would know that Wichita State is a lot better than CofC. John Kresse was the reason that program rode the wave for a while. Even if you want to call Wichita and CofC somewhat even, Shockers get big because Missouri Valley is a much, much better overall conference.

It would have been easier for Donovan to have misgivings and kept them to himself. While there's no perfect way to back out, better he do it now than wait and leave the Magic hanging worse than he is at this time. But I am curious what wasn't true in those stories the national guys were saying when he took the Orlando job - or what changed.

 

[zagoshe]

I'm sure it could be as simple as he spent the weekend in Gainesville with a lot of family and friends tugging at his heart strings and he just re-evaluated the thing and realized he was where he was at.