Let the speculations begin:


Donovan vanishes to Magic
By Lindsay Jones
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 01, 2007


DESTIN — Less than two months removed from leading the University of Florida to a second consecutive NCAA basketball championship, Billy Donovan has decided to accept a lucrative offer to coach the NBA's Orlando Magic.
The Magic did not release details of Donovan's contract, but The Associated Press reported Thursday he would sign a five-year deal worth $27.5 million - about $5.5 million a year.
The Magic has scheduled an 11 a.m. news conference today at its headquarters in Maitland to introduce Donovan as its new coach. Donovan and Athletic Director Jeremy Foley will hold a second news conference at 4 p.m. in Gainesville.

The stunning move ends an 11-year run at Florida, where Donovan was 261-103 and turned the basketball program into one of the nation's elite. His accomplishments were all the more impressive considering the football-crazy school never had much of a basketball tradition.

The news followed three months of speculation that Donovan, who met with current UF players Thursday night in Gainesville, would leave following the team's championship run.

Donovan's Gators became the first team to repeat as NCAA champions with the same starting lineup, and the first to repeat since Duke in 1991-92. He is one of 12 coaches to win multiple NCAA men's basketball titles.

Donovan, who celebrated his 42nd birthday Wednesday, turned down a chance to interview for the University of Kentucky coaching job following the NCAA Tournament, saying his family was happy in Gainesville.

Then last month, he met with Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley. On Tuesday, Donovan called his talk with Heisley "very, very informal."

Donovan was mentioned as a possible successor to Brian Hill in Orlando almost immediately after Hill was fired May 23.

"He just felt it was the right time," Foley told ESPN.com. "I think he's ready for a new challenge in his life. But it was a tough decision for him."

During a break in the Southeastern Conference spring meetings Wednesday, Donovan did not comment on a report that the Magic had contacted his Atlanta-based agent, Lonnie Cooper, to gauge Donovan's interest.

Donovan said he was unaware of any contact between Cooper and the Magic. But less than 24 hours later, the Magic had offered him the job.

Donovan never directly acknowledged interest in the Orlando job but had mentioned he was intrigued by the NBA. His mentor, Rick Pitino, twice left college programs for jobs in the NBA. Donovan said that even though Pitino failed in his stints with the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, he thought it was possible for a college coach to be successful in the professional ranks.

"A lot of it has to do with timing and being in the right situation and the right environment," Donovan said.

Several factors likely made the Orlando job more attractive than the openings at Kentucky or Memphis.

The Magic has a young core of talented players, led by center Dwight Howard, and made the playoffs last season for the first time since 2003. Orlando finished 40-42 and was swept by the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs.

Orlando is less than a two-hour drive from Gainesville, where he has said his family is very happy. His parents and in-laws live in Gainesville part-time.

But after losing his top six scorers to the NBA or graduation, the upcoming season likely would have been one of Donovan's most challenging as a college coach. The Gators have just five returning scholarship players.

However, he had just finalized one of his best recruiting classes in his Florida tenure, signing two McDonald's All-Americans. All five of the players he signed were rated among rivals.com's top 75 national recruits.

One of those recruits, forward Chandler Parsons of Winter Park Lake Howell, said he was shocked to learn Donovan would not be his coach. Parsons, whose family has Magic season tickets, said he still wants to be a Gator, but said he might consider other options.

Recruits cannot get out of their binding letter of intent unless released by the university following a coaching change.

Few people were more publicly confident that Donovan would remain in Gainesville than Foley, who told reporters Tuesday he was "very close" to finalizing a new contract for Donovan. The pair had been in negotiations for more than a year, though the talks resumed in April after the NCAA Tournament.

Unnamed sources told ESPN.com two weeks ago that Donovan's new contract at Florida would pay him at least $3 million a year, which would have placed him among the highest-paid college coaches in any sport.

Florida President Bernie Machen said Thursday a new deal with Donovan was complete, but that reporters should ask Donovan why it hadn't been signed. Donovan has said several times in the past week that the status of his UF deal was "not in my hands."

"It's done. It's been done," Machen said. "Ask Billy that. Billy will tell you the contract has been done a long time."

Foley, who flew to Gainesville on Wednesday evening with Donovan and football coach Urban Meyer, returned to Destin on Thursday with Machen.

Foley and Machen had lunch together just after the Donovan rumors became public, and Foley left the Sandestin Hilton to return to Gainesville a short time later.

Foley said he wishes Donovan well in Orlando.

"We certainly wish this run could have gone on forever," Foley said. "We're indebted to Billy Donovan. We hired him 11 years ago to build Florida basketball and he did that beyond anyone's expectations."

Machen would not speculate on a replacement. Virginia Commonwealth University coach Anthony Grant, a longtime Donovan assistant, is a likely front-runner.

"There's always a next," Machen said. "He's been a great ambassador for the University of Florida."

John Belein

their former asst coach.. wright.

you will hear the usual suspects but i think Grant from VCU will be their man

AG will be the new head coach.

Its a done deal...as AG was Billy D's top recruiter for 10 years...knows his system...knows everyone at UF...heck..he even was the one that lock up FLA's Mr. Basketball Nick Calathes over 18 months ago for a verbal to UF.

AG has soooo many connections in FLA...his entire first class at VCU was made up with FLA players ONLY.

Plus, it will also help UF's poor reputation in its racial past...as AG will be the first Black Head Coach of either Football or Basketball at UF.

It's AG's if he wants it...and I think he will take it.

Cubanbull Wrote:you will hear the usual suspects but i think Grant from VCU will be their man

I agree, I think Grant will get the call.

Midlife U-turn
By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports
June 3, 2007

Couldn't Billy Donovan just have bought a sports car?

What a midlife crisis the once and soon-to-be again(?) Florida coach has had since capturing another national championship in April.

There was the flirting with Kentucky, the budding romance with the Memphis Grizzlies, the full-fledged fling with the Orlando Magic and now, after a weekend of apparent regret, a push for a quickie divorce so he can scamper home to the old thing in Gainesville.

Donovan, 42, according to multiple sources and first reported by foxsports.com, is trying to get out of his just-signed contract with the Magic so he can return to UF.

Donovan hasn't spoken about the situation, but at this point would you believe anything he said? On Friday, he was gushing about the challenges of competing at the highest level and claiming staying at Florida was the "easy thing." Now he'll fall back on claiming his interest in molding young men or some coachspeak.

Not that it matters to Gators fans. Donovan will be forgiven faster than you can raise another championship banner.

The question is: What the heck happened?

One thing that didn't happen was Donovan being forced into a quick decision. The NBA didn't just spring up out of nowhere. Donovan has thought he wanted to coach in the league (maybe he still does) for years.

"I've always been intrigued by the NBA and I believe I've said that publicly many times," Donovan said Friday.

This spring, according to both league and Donovan sources, he had his representatives put out feelers to the Heat, Knicks and Pacers.

Then there were the Grizzlies. No matter what UF tried to claim in an effort to fool recruits, Donovan and owner Michael Heisley had anything but a chance meeting. They didn't get together to talk about the weather.

According to league and Donovan sources, that dance went back and forth for more than a week. Money was hashed out, responsibilities, the whole thing, until it eventually fell through.

Then the Magic got involved in a process that took nearly a week.

For Donovan, this was the perfect time for a new challenge. The NBA is a low-risk job for a successful college coach. You get richer, get a break from recruiting and live a far more normal, family-conducive life. While college coaches rarely get two or three hours off from work – there always is some fire to put out – in the NBA everything all but shuts down for the month of August.

Forget that stuff about too many games and too few practices. The NBA life is a breeze in comparison. Try no AAU coaches, no suitcases full of cash and no alumni functions. Almost no one in the NBA wants to get into the college game, but the majority of college coaches would jump to the league in a second.

For Donovan, the added appeal of the Magic was, of course, that he might even succeed with Dwight Howard and salary-cap room.

Even if he lost, he would just go back and get a better (or comparable) job and better recruits because he once coached in the NBA. Tim Floyd went 93-235 (a .284 winning percentage) in the league, and at Southern California he signed mega-recruit O.J. Mayo, in part because Mayo wanted to play for an "NBA coach."

This is the ultimate win-win for a college guy.

Whether Donovan was going to be successful was the question. He made sense for Orlando because his local popularity and star power was going to help get a new arena financed.

But it's not like he ever has been regarded as a genius innovator on the sideline. He certainly is solid, but his strength always has been in recruiting and motivating. He's a tour de force, perfect in the college game where attention to detail in all facets of the "program" is paramount.

He had plenty of underachieving teams, listless players and big-talent busts through the years. Just three seasons ago, there were plenty of Florida fans who weren't sure where the program was headed. He won a ton the last two seasons, but he also had superior talent, which wasn't happening in Orlando. So who knew if he would make it in the league?

But with those titles, Donovan had earned the opportunity to give it a go. He wanted it. They wanted him.

Then just days (hours?) after a rich marriage was consummated and he made all kinds of bold, earnest comments, he had buyer's remorse. Hey, it happens.

The question now is how he'll get ESPN to spin it for him. Was it his devotion to campus life? Or his realization that his true calling is teaching "kids"? Or maybe how he just loved practices too much to take on those NBA mercenaries?

Don't worry; it'll work out. Donovan will be a bigger hero than ever when Dick Vitale and the crew are done with him. Rival coaches will use this to attack him on the recruiting trail and the NBA may not be so interested anymore. But in the end, it'll be no harm, no foul for Billy D after the wild spring of his midlife crisis.

Maybe Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley can just get him a Porsche as a coming-home present. It might save a lot of headaches next spring.

This article appeared on the Yahoo Sports website on Sunday, June 3, 2007.

To answer the original question I guess Billy D himself.

Imagine that!!!

Donovan will replace Donnovan. Eddy Munster returns...

According to reports, as part of his release agreement Donovan can't coach in the NBA for 5 years. He also is getting a clause in his Florida contract that says he will be at Florida so his recruits will know he will be there. The clause in the Florida contract is just so much ink in my opinion. Even a signed contract ain't worth squat any more. Honor has flown right out the window.

Well he can't coach in the NBA for the next five years. Period. He is highly unlikely to go to any other school seeing as how he turned Kentucky down a few months ago. So he probably will be at Florida whether he really wants to be there or not.

Turning down Kentucky isn't what's going to detract other schools from persuing him. Taking a job with the Magic and backing out after taking the job is what's going to do it.

He will end his career in Florida - unless Orlando is in deep crap 5 years from now and decides to take another chance on him. No other NBA team will touch him now - and no schools either, most likely.

He is replacing himself.

Donovan makes no excuses for reversal
Jeff Goodman
FOXSports.com, Updated 3 hours ago

Billy Donovan has no excuses.

"I made a mistake and I needed to step up and take responsibility," said the former Florida coach, who will be re-introduced as the Gators head man less than a week after taking a job in the NBA with the Orlando Magic. "But I think it would have been a bigger mistake if I stayed with the Magic."

"Every challenge I've taken on, I've had my heart and my head completely into it," he added. "That's the only way I know how to do something -- and that isn't how I felt with the Orlando Magic job."

Donovan told FOXSports.com in an exclusive interview prior to his 11 a.m. news conference on Thursday that he was intrigued by the challenge of going to the NBA, but he started to have second thoughts even going into the news conference on Friday afternoon at the University of Florida.

He said it wasn't because he was forced to make a quick decision or having to live a couple hours away from his family. It was just a feeling that he took the job for the wrong reasons.

"There were plenty of things that were a home run for me," Donovan said, "They have a terrific organization and they have an opportunity to win -- and win big. I didn't make a snap decision. It was an emotional decision and once it was finalized, I realized I didn't do the right thing."

Donovan said the uncertainty continued Friday night when he was at a Florida camp and he later spoke to his wife, Christine. After sleeping on the decision, Donovan woke up the next morning and called Magic general manager Otis Smith.

"I just felt like it was wrong," Donovan said. "I knew it -- and I felt terrible. I had to either tell them or move on. I knew I made a mistake, so I called Otis and he was shocked."

"I think it would have been worse had I continued to keep my feelings suppressed," Donovan added.

Smith proceeded to drive to Gainesville in an effort to keep his new coach in the fold, but eventually it was clear that Donovan didn't want to be in the NBA.

"They didn't pressure me," Donovan said. "I told them I apologize, but I made a mistake and I have too much respect for their organization to continue like that."

Donovan also called Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley Saturday morning to let him know he regretted leaving Gainesville. Foley was en route to meet with VCU coach and former Florida assistant Anthony Grant in Richmond to discuss replacing Donovan.

"He told me he couldn't get in the middle of it and that I had to talk to the Magic," Donovan said.

What followed was days of the legal sides trying to work through an agreement that let Donovan out of his five-year, $27.5 million contract.

The two sides came to a resolution, which includes a non-compete clause that Donovan proposed in which he can't coach in the NBA for the next five years, on late Wednesday night.

After it became official, Donovan spoke to nearly all of his incoming recruits and also several of the players on his team -- including Walter Hodge and Dan Werner.

Now Donovan, 42, will likely agree to a seven-year deal with the Gators that will pay about $3.5 million per year in the next week.

"I know now that I want to be at Florida," Donovan said. "I have no interest in the NBA. The only interest I have is to help Florida rebuild back to where we were."

This article appeared on the Fox Sports website on Thursday, June 7, 2007.