Fansided

10 worst NBA front offices

By John Buhler

Oct 16, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson yawns watching the Knicks play the Boston Celtics during second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson yawns watching the Knicks play the Boston Celtics during second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 28, 2013; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic general manager Rob Hennigan addresses the media regarding the first round draft pick Victor Oladipo and second round draft pick Romero Osby during a press conference at the Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 28, 2013; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic general manager Rob Hennigan addresses the media regarding the first round draft pick Victor Oladipo and second round draft pick Romero Osby during a press conference at the Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-USA TODAY Sports /

Orlando Magic. 5. player. 38. . East. Southeast

What are the Orlando Magic doing besides not making the Eastern Conference Playoffs? Hiring former Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel was outstanding, but Magic general manager Rob Hennigan never seems to make the right front office decision.

Yes, losing star center Dwight Howard in a trade he forced with the Los Angeles Lakers was immensely difficult for Orlando to get through, but that was four summers ago. Orlando has been in rebuilding mode the last four seasons after the Howard exodus and now have the longest NBA Playoffs drought of any team in the Eastern Conference.

Orlando has a ton of interesting young players, but frankly haven’t been properly coached since Stan Van Gundy left during the Dwightmare Saga. Jacque Vaughn was over his head, James Borrego was decent on an interim basis, and what was the Scott Skiles hiring trying to prove?

Vogel should make this team better, but anything more than a seven or eight seed might be a reach for this young Magic team. Orlando went all-in on getting Serge Ibaka from the Oklahoma City Thunder in a 2016 NBA Draft day trade.

Ibaka is a great player, but is on an expiring contract with no guarantees that he’ll stay in Orlando longterm. The price for one year of Ibaka was the former No. 2 overall pick by the Magic in shooting guard Victor Oladipo, versatile stretch four Ersan Ilyasova, and the draft rights to Domantas Sabonis, the son of Basketball Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis.

If Hennigan was all-in on getting Ibaka, then why did he further clog the lane with the overpriced signing of Bismack Biyombo to a four-year deal? Now Orlando has to trade either Aaron Gordon or Nikola Vucevic to have enough front court minutes to make anyone happy.

Perhaps the hiring of Vogel was to turn this young Magic club into a defense-first team and contend in the deep Southeast Division in 2016-17? Even so, it’s hard to see the Magic moving up in the Southeastern hierarchy, as Atlanta, Charlotte, and Washington will all vie for playoff contention. A depleted Miami team is still dangerous because of the Heat’s great basketball culture. Orlando is all-in on a first round playoff exit this season, assuming the Magic can even qualify.

Next: 4. Los Angeles Lakers.

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