<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">It’s been more than a week now since Boomerang Billy Donovan threw the gears in reverse and backed out of his commitment with the Orlando Magic, and still the stench lingers from Gainesville to Orlando. But it doesn’t stop there. Unfortunately, there’s also a foul smell emanating out of South Florida as well. That, of course, is Pat Riley’s domain down there and as he proved yet again, everyone must answer to his every whim. Civility and good judgment apparently do not apply when it comes to the almighty Riley. When Riley played hardball with the Magic last week for the services of Stan Van Gundy, demanding a ridiculous amount of compensation for Van Gundy to be let out of his Heat contract/prison sentence, it showed just how vindictive and petty he can be. Riley preyed on the Magic’s desperation. He twisted the knife Van Gundy already had between his shoulder blades. And he put the job that Van Gundy desperately wanted dangerously in jeopardy until the 11th hour. When Donovan wormed his way out of the $27.5 million pact he signed with the Magic, Orlando’s first call was to Van Gundy. After all, he was the only other person to interview for the job and he wasn’t as distant a second choice as you might think. Figuring Donovan was a long shot at best to ever leave college basketball (a good hunch, as it turns out), Orlando GM Otis Smith and assistant GM Dave Twardzik left their interview with Van Gundy two weeks ago fully thinking he’d be the next coach of the Magic. Van Gundy was the Magic’s way to clean up the carnage left behind by Bail-Out Billy. He would give the jilted franchise instant credibility in the face of this Donovan disaster. He would give them a coach who might very well be the better option in the long run for a team in need of discipline and NBA know-how. Then, King Riley stepped in to, well, poop on the parade.</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Maybe, just maybe, Riley was paying Van Gundy a backhanded compliment by almost denying him the Orlando job. Maybe he knows Van Gundy’s driven, detail-oriented ways could awaken the sleeping giant that is the Magic and finally turn their promising, yet underachieving roster into a winner. Still, something about all of this just doesn’t feel right. That Orlando had to surrender anything to a coach pushed aside into a consultant role screams of this being a flawed system. Riley got his old job back, he got his championship and now he wants, what, the birth certificate to Van Gundy’s first-born as well? At best Riley was petty during this whole mess; at worst he was downright spiteful. And most likely the Orlando-Miami rivalry just got some much needed hatred for years to come.</div> Read The Rest I love the bold part. This rivalry is just going to continue to get stronger and stronger.
