Months of rumor and speculation came to an end today in Orlando. The Magic have fired coach Stan Van Gundy and general manager Otis Smith. Van Gundy became the coach of the Magic in 2007 after spending two years holding a clipboard for the Heat.
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During his five-year tenure Van Gundy had a winning record of 259 wins verse 135 losses during the regular season. The Magic made the playoffs for all of those seasons with Van Gundy at the helm, including a 2009 Eastern Conference championship.
However, things went sour with his All-Star center Dwight Howard and the tension between the two men became very public. When Dwight raised concerns earlier in the season that he would leave the club Van Gundy was pinned as the reason he’d depart. There was one awkward press conference in April where the issue was raised and it ended with an awkward hug between Howard and Van Gundy. (watch below)
Eventually Howard opted to stay with the team and not seek a trade, but missed the playoffs after having back surgery. The Magic were bounced in the first round by the Indiana Pacers raising questions about Van Gundy’s future with the team.
Question answered. READ MORE AT ESPN.COM
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