Billy Donovan Leaves Gators to Coach Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic now have a new man on the sidelines with the hiring of Florida's Billy Donovan. Donovan, who replaces the twice-fired Brian Hill, is expected to make drastic changes to right the Magic ship. The Magic and General Manager Otis Smith felt Hill lacked the attributes the team needed in their coach, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Magic General Manager Otis Smith fired Brian Hill as coach on (May 23) because he didn't believe Hill would get the most out of the team with his style and strategy if he returned.

Some of the issues in deciding Hill's fate, according to those close to the situation, were Hill's inability to adjust during the Magic's midseason slump; his lack of offensive imagination; and whether he was developing young players Dwight Howard, Darko Milicic, Jameer Nelson, Trevor Ariza and rookie J.J. Redick to their potential.

Donovan will be expected to improve on those deficiencies.

Still, the move leaves many wondering why Donovan would leave Florida after winning two straight championships. Dan Shanoff, through Deadspin, wonders the same.

What, exactly, is the lure of coaching in the NBA? On its face, it sounds like the shittiest job in sports.

Zero job security, with a "when" not "if" inevitability of a bad ending to nearly every coaching hire. (Welcome to Indiana, Jim O'Brien!) Star players who run the team. Financial realities that hamstring moves.

Roughest of all, the "Ring or Bust" mentality. Jerry Sloan is the ideal of NBA coaching longevity, yet he is best known for NOT winning a championship. And most of the coaches who have won a title recently (Jackson, Tomjanovich, Popovich) have enjoyed coaching the greatest players of their eras. Dwight Howard is the best post player in the East -- not a bad foundation to build a contender -- and they have double-digit cap millions to use (please God: NOT Vince Carter...hmm: Gerald Wallace?) But yeesh, those odds are still ugly.

Meanwhile, Billy D was on track to be one of the Top 5 most successful coaches in college hoops history. His style seemed MADE for college. (His weakness - Xs and Os - will be magnified in the NBA, while his strength - personality - will be mitigated.)

Donovan, much like Rick Pitino, will come to regret leaving a great situation like Florida. The money ($27.5 million over 5 years), though better in the short term, will not be there for decades like it would be had he stayed at Florida.

I guess college coaches will always want to take on the next challenge, professional sports.

To me, rebuilding Florida would have been quite the challenge for Billy Donovan.