<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Darko Milicic's camp looks at the Orlando Magic 's hiring of Billy Donovan as an endorsement for the power forward's return and expects the Magic to "come with a strong offer" when the free-agent signing period begins July 1. The Magic have said they wanted to bring back Milicic to pair him with Dwight Howard. But it could be tricky because they need a wing scorer -- and that player might come at a high price via a trade or free agency. "I look at the hiring of Billy Donovan as a pro-Darko move," Marc Cornstein, Milicic's agent, told the Sentinel on Saturday. Milicic was disappointed with the way Hill used him. He said after the season that he would have to explore going to a team that would allow him to facilitate the offense with his passing and shoot more from the outside. "Coach Donovan, from what I can tell from what he did at Florida and when he was with [Rick] Pitino at Kentucky, likes big guys who are versatile and athletic," Cornstein said. "Those seem to be his type of players. Darko fits that mold. "I would imagine that type of coach would be excited by a player like Darko." The Magic have $10 million to $13 million in cap room, but starting Milicic's contract at about $7 million would devour most of it.</div> Source I found this part interesting: <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Cornstein met with Smith on Wednesday and was impressed by the team's intentions. "I get the impression that the Magic will explore every way to keep Darko,'' Cornstein said. "You never say never, because anything is possible, depending on what deals are out there. My guess is that if Darko is a priority, they will come with a strong offer to get this done soon." As a fourth-year restricted free agent, Milicic carries a "salary-cap hold" number that equates to three times his 2006-07 salary of $5.2 million. It means the Magic could pay him a maximum of about $15 million to begin his contract. The club can't negotiate in earnest with other free agents until they decide on Milicic, forcing the Magic either to re-sign or sign and trade him to free up his "hold" number. Several teams already have called the Magic to explore a trade for Milicic either on draft day on June 28 (a deal would be announced in July) or during the free-agency period. "I would not expect a sign-and-trade," Cornstein said.</div> Sounds like Darko is our number one priority.
So now my question is, if hiring Donovan would have helped our chances of keeping Darko, does losing Donovan to Florida hurt our chances of keeping Milicic in Orlando? I think if we hire Van Gundy, Darko should really want to stay. I mean, SVG helped develop Udonis Haslem who was able to thrive alongside Shaq who would demand tons of attention from opposing defenses. Couldn't we have a similar situation in Orlando with teams focusing on stopping Dwight and leaving Darko open to hit jumpshots and easy buckets? Hiring Van Gundy also seems like a pro-Darko move in my opinion.
It seems to be a sticky situation, but I beieve it wont hurt our chances to much. I think Darko can see our progress, and how we our trying to make that next step to become a great dominant team. Also I think Darko knows he will start here and be appreciated. Where as if he opted for a different team he could ride the bench again and have the fans against him. I believe he is comfortable in the sunshine state and will ultimately stay.
