But should he be? He has a sharp defensive mind, and has coached under the\u00a0 pressure of expecting to be fired \u2014 until an improbable Finals run \u2014 but it takes more than knowing X-and-Os to have success in a locker room. If he ever treated a player like he did Fred Weis, it\u2019s easy to see the rest of the team quitting on him quickly. Never forget how he didn\u2019t play certain guys because of his ego.<\/a><\/p>\n The safest option of the three for Orlando is Billy Donovan, who hasn\u2019t been a part of a winning series since 2015-16, which was his first year coaching in the NBA. He had some pretty good teams with Russell Westbrook and Paul George that folded early, but his squads weren\u2019t that good in Chicago. His claim to fame is being a two-time collegiate champion with the Florida Gators.<\/p>\n Furthermore, there\u2019s Kidd, who is another questionable character for someone who is supposed to be a leader. He could ruin a player with his coaching like he did Larry Sanders or fail to take over a front office. His teams didn’t do anything until he spent time with generational great (Luka Don\u010di\u0107) and underachieved with another (Giannis Antetokounmpo).<\/p>\n Each of them have failed in previous stops while looking ordinary. It\u2019s possible to have success, picking the coach who failed at multiple stops before delivering a championship, like Frank Vogel, yet it is uncommon.\u00a0<\/p>\n If they remain the best names, how about looking at some of the assistants who have never been promoted to head coach? Some of those include Sam Cassell, Micah Nori, Chris Quinn and Tiago Splitter, who may not return to Portland, but took over for the Blazers in 2025-26. They\u2019ve been on the sidelines since 2009-10, 2014-15 and 2020-21, having picked up a lot, and developed their own ideas.\u00a0<\/p>\n Of these last four, Splitter is the most intriguing since he was thrust into his role because Chauncey Billups was charged with rigging poker games<\/a>, and did a fine job given the circumstances, as the team had a prosperous trip through the Play-In Tournament for a playoff spot. He can do much better with job security and being in an environment that chose him. On top of that, it should be noted that Splitter\u2019s Trail Blazers played respectably in a first-round defeat to the San Antonio Spurs, and he has credibility as being a former player who won a title in 2014.<\/p>\n \u00a0This hire, given the stakes, needs to be more than a gateway coach. Maybe the answer is not Splitter, but as this rate, the Magic should invest in someone who hasn’t tainted their r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n
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