| Back Here Where We Need Ya! Authored by Jason Willis - June 3, 2005 - 1:23 am
Back Here Where We Need Ya!
The way sports fans look at a team can change at the drop of a hat. For Orlando Magic it wasn't a drop of a hat, but it was the hiring of an old face. Twenty-four hours after the firing of General Manager John Weisbrod, the Magic announced the re-hiring of Brian Hill, after an 8 year absence from the organization. The theme song from "Welcome Back, Kotter" blared in the background as Magic President Bob Vander Weide walked over to the media holding two bouquets of flowers, with Brian Hill by his side. The flowers weren't for Brian Hill of course, but for his wife Kay and daughter Kim. Hill received a much better gift, an Orlando Magic basketball, symbolizing his re-hiring as the Head Coach of the Orlando Magic. It was a great choice to play the theme song, here are some of the lyrics...
Well the names have all changed since you hung around,
But those dreams have remained and they've turned around.
Who'd have thought they'd lead ya (Who'd have thought they'd lead ya)
Back here where we need ya!
Don't those words just scream Brian Hill? He's right back where his coaching career started, in the Magic organization. Let's take a look back in the past, analyze the present, and dream about the future.
The Past (1990-1997)
Brian Hill joined the Magic organization a long time ago, 15 years ago actually. He joined as an Assistant Coach under Matt Goukas, the Magic's first Head Coach. Hill was an Assistant under Goukas for three full seasons before Goukas resigned and Hill was promoted to Head Coach before the start of the 1993-1994 season. Hill is one of those few coaches that gets their first chance at coaching with a great setup. The Magic won the NBA lottery the year before and drafted Shaquille O'Neal, and the summer Hill took over the Magic won it again and drafted Chris Webber, and then traded him for Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway.
Hill obtained instant success with the dynamic duo, leading the team to a 50-32 season. Not bad for a rookie coach. Unfortunately they were swept in the first round of the playoffs. But no one doubted the Magic would be back in no time.
And they weren't, the next season they won 57 games and were 1st in the Eastern Conference, and marched forward to the NBA Finals where they were defeated by Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets. But again, no one doubted Hill would be back the next year. That year the Magic won 60 games, but were eliminated by the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals.
In Hill's first three seasons as a Head Coach, he had a record of 167-69, a winning percentage of .708! Unfortunately that offseason Hill would lose the most dominant player in the game, O'Neal left Orlando for the Los Angeles Lakers. But that wasn't the worst thing that happened to Hill that year (1997). During the 4th season of his coaching, Hill was booted out of town by a mutiny of disgruntled players, led by Hardaway, after the team had a 24-25 start.
Hill would find work with the Vancouver Grizzlies, only in their 3rd season in the NBA. The Grizzlies had little talent and Hill found himself on the losing side of the tables for the first time in his head coaching career. After two and a half years Hill was fired. Hill would then serve as an Assistant Coach with the New Orleans Hornets and the New Jersey Nets, including a trip to the NBA Finals with the Nets in 2004.
Hill was best known for his passion and strict discipline of his players. There were few moments when you would glance over at Hill and see him calm. Most the time he was pacing along the sidelines, screaming orders at his players, his face flush red with anger and hunger for perfection. Hill became known for a quick hook, not afraid to sit his players down for making careless mistakes. Hill was known for running a very affective offense, his teams usually ranking at the top of the league, including a year in which the Magic averaged over 110 ppg. What Hill was not known for was his teams defense. His team played such a fast pace and used so much energy on defense, that his teams often gave up over 100 ppg. In fact only one season did the team give up less than 97 ppg, in 1996, the year after O'Neal's departure.
What amazes many is the fact that Hill would even consider a return to Orlando, considering the way he left the organization. When asked about it, Hill responded, "You know when you have something good and you leave it, and you have substitutes, whether it is girlfriends, boyfriends, whatever the case may be – when you have things to compare it to, you realize ‘boy, that situation is pretty darn good.’ And I always knew that this was a top organization and that at some point and time in my career that I was striving to get back to. I am just very happy to come back as its head coach."
Hill was later asked about this possibly being the Magic trying to right a wrong. "I don’t perceive it as that at all," Hill said, "I had a phenomenal seven-year run here. I alluded to points earlier here about my feelings for the DeVos family and the management team here at the organization. That is part of coaching. My job is to come back and coach to the best of my ability and try to get this team back to the type of contender that we were back in the mid-90’s."
The Present (2005-2006)
We know the past, and we know that it was considered the glory days of the Magic when Hill was the Head Coach. So is it reasonable to assume that Hill can bring the Magic back to it's glory days and lead them to the NBA Finals again? Perhaps. The team has talent, and plenty of it in Dwight Howard, Grant Hill, Jameer Nelson, Steve Francis, Deshawn Stevenson, and more.
So what will Brian Hill bring to the table THIS season. What will make this season so much different then last season when Johnny Davis and Chris Jent were the coaches? To put it in one word, discipline. The Magic lacked it big time last season. Fans would look over at Johnny Davis who would have that strange look on his face, and when he'd call a player out of the game he'd talk to them quietly and send them to the bench. Players weren't scared of Davis, they got away with so much and had very little consequences. Francis missed practice after the all-star game and started the first game back. Things like that cannot happen, and a coach like Brian Hill won't let it happen. Hill will hold players to a higher accountability, making them responsible for their actions and making them play the best they can in fear of being pulled from the game, whether that player is disgruntled or not will not make a difference.
Brian Hill will likely bring in a new coaching staff, which he spoke briefly on during the press conference. "I can’t sit here and throw out any names to be honest with you. I feel that one of the strengths of myself and my staff has always been and will continue to be hard-working, attention to detail, preparation, try to leave no stone unturned going into a game," Hill continued, "I don’t want three or four people working alongside of me that are exactly like me and say ‘yes’ to everything I say. You want a coaching staff that is going to stimulate my thought process a little bit, and challenge me as a coach, because that’s going to make me a better head coach. I in turn, give my staff a lot of freedom, which will help them develop into potential head coaches somewhere down the road."
So you can expect Hill to conduct plenty of interviews in search for a good coaching staff. One face you can bet money on (at least I would bet money) is Clifford Ray. No, I don't have any information regarding Hill's preferences or whether he has any opinion on Ray. But I do know one thing, Howard thinks the world of Ray, and if the Magic have even the slightest clue, they'll not only keep Ray, but they'll do it because they see how much Ray has improved Howard in just one short year, and not just because Howard likes him. Bank on Ray being on that bench next year, and if he's not expect him to be in the arena every night sitting somewhere behind the bench yelling instructions to Howard. Howard said before the end of the season that even if the Magic release Ray, he plans to hire him as a personal trainer.
Howard should be taking on a larger role in the offense, and Hill has plenty of experience with big men. When he was with the Magic he had the Big Diesel himself (O'Neal), and in Vancouver he had Bryant Reeves, and while Reeves was no all-star, he became a very solid big man averaging 16 points and 8 rebounds a game. Hill knows how to run a team around a big man, and look for the Magic to run a lot of the same plays they used for O'Neal for Howard, who is growing in size and many believe he could get up to the size O'Neal was in his younger years.
If Hill has input on who to bring in, you can expect him to try and create a similar team to the one he had in the mid 90s, especially in role players. Look for him to go after players similar to a Dennis Scott or a Nick Anderson, players that can shoot the long ball while being able to create on their own to some degree. I wouldn't expect to see another Hardaway, but he knows how to work a PG with Howard, and Jameer could fit into his mold (as a scoring PG, much the way Hardaway was).
Perhaps the biggest difference fans will see this next season is more effort and accountability from the players. Last season the players could get away with mistakes and slacking off and Davis wouldn't exactly get on their case about it, at least not publicly. Hill won't do that. Hill will make players play hard, fearing they'll be placed on the bench. Players will play their hardest, knowing if they make some slips they'll find themselves on that bench watching another player steal their minutes.
Hill was asked about how he felt about the team. "When I look at a Grant Hill," said Hill, "when I look at a Stevie Francis, when I look at what I think is going to be a great, young player in Dwight Howard, and then when I look at some of the veteran players in the starting five and coming off the bench, to me, that’s a plus. Then you have another outstanding player in Jameer Nelson, I am excited and looking forward to the personnel that is here. I think the nucleus is here to build a good and exciting basketball team."
The Future (2006-Unknown)
Obviously it's very difficult to see what this team will be like in the future, especially since we have no real idea of how Hill plans to run the team. We do know that Hill received a multi-year deal, believed to be 4 years. When Vander Weide was asked about it, he simply said "Multi-year. Brian has security and he is going to be here."
What we can see is that in the comming years, whether Hill is here or not, Howard will become the teams focal point and their leader, even though he is quite young. We can also expect Nelson to be around and become the starting PG in time. The Magic seemed to be thinking of going after a taller PG before the resignation of Weisbrod and the hiring of Hill, but those opinions may have changed now, and if not they will in time. We all saw what Nelson has become in just his rookie year, and he's showing glimpses of possibly being an all-star calibur player.
Outside of Howard and Nelson however, the future is unknown. You might expect Grant Hill to be here until he retires, but in the NBA today it's hard to get an idea of who will be where in six months, let alone five years. Hill will most likely be here until his contract expires however, in the summer of 2007.
Steve Francis is one of the biggest question marks on the team. He was a favorite of Weisbrod because of his toughness and his emotion. But with Twardzik assuming most of the GM responsibilities until the Magic hire a new one (or premote him or Smith), and with Hill's past with disgruntled players, don't be surprised if Francis is considered to be walking on thin ice and could be traded this summer. Hill has said he looks forward to the challenge of coaching Francis, but then again, so did Davis.
Hedo Turkoglu was considered a great steal by Weisbrod last summer, when he signed for the Mid-Level Exception. Turkoglu is signed for another five years, through the 2009-2010 season. The Magic's options with Turkoglu are wide open. Turkoglu will once again be relegated to a bench role this season, but after that it's anyone's guess. Turkoglu could look for a way out of Orlando to start elsewhere, or could be moved to the starting position at the SG position or ahead of Hill at the SF position. It will most likely depend on Hill's preferences of Turkoglu, and whether the offensively talented player can learn to play defense.
All other players are question marks and are not primary concerns of the team at the moment.
Quick Hits
A lot of controversy has flared up regarding the resignation of Weisbrod and the hiring of Hill. Columnists across the nation have chimed in on their views of the situation, and recently Mitch Lawrence of the NY Daily News reported that "Flip Saunders thought he had the Orlando coaching job locked up, but then GM John Weisbrod lost a power struggle. In addition to coaching, Saunders would have been No. 2 to Weisbrod in terms of personnel decisions. But then Magic owner Rich DeVos vetoed the move, opting to give personnel director Dave Twardzik more power and bring back Brian Hill as coach."
The outrage of fans in favor of Flip's hiring immediately turned to DeVos, calling him cheap, idiotic, and claims of the family's intention to "bail" on the organization surfaced. Let me first say I am in no way a DeVos supporter, nor am I a Saunders hater. In fact I was in favor of hiring Saunders, but let me say this. The DeVos family has shown nothing but love for the organization and the city of Orlando. They donated over a million dollars to the relief funds for hurricane victims last year, and despite the city's lack of support for the Magic, they have kept the team in Orlando despite the family living im Michigan.
Rich DeVos is certainly not cheap. The Magic's payroll is sixth in the league, more than $20 million over the salary cap. That's $20 million or more a year that RDV pays with his own money, to go along with the salaries of all employees not covered by the salary cap, meaning coaches, assistant coaches, General Managers, Scouts, Directors of various departments, their employees, front office employees, etc.
One can reasonable make a claim that it was a mistake for RDV to hire Hill over Saunders, but one must put themselves in the situation of management to fully grasp the reasoning behind the hiring. Consider the fact that Saunders has only made it out of the first round of the playoffs once, in 2004 when he took the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals with MVP Kevin Garnett, all-star Sam Cassell, and former all-star Latrell Spreewell leading the way. Then take into consideration that the following season that same team (though older) missed the playoffs altogether. Now look at Brian Hill, who has made it to both the Eastern Conference Finals, and the NBA Finals in his coaching experience. Also imagine that after Hill's firing that Hill not only keeps his home in Orlando, but he stays active in the community, and when their teams play each other, his wife and daughter sit next to you like nothing ever happened.
You may say that RDV's friendship with Hill caused him to make the wrong choice, but until we see the results can we really be certain that it was the wrong choice? Hill's record certainly favors him, even if he had O'Neal when he coached. When the Orlando Sentinel ran a poll about the candidates before the hiring, Brian Hill won the voting of fans by a landslide. So the majority of fans obviously support the decision. You can make a case that they're all common fans, but can you really make a good case that this was the wrong decision? Even though I believe Saunders should've gotten the position, I can't make a strong case that the hiring of Hill was a bad decision.
Well the names have all changed since you hung around,
But those dreams have remained and they've turned around.
Who'd have thought they'd lead ya (Who'd have thought they'd lead ya)
Back here where we need ya!
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