Johnny Davis Fired

Orlando has fired coach johnny davis and replaced him with chris jent, says front page of http://www.insidehoops.com early tue morning

I guess this isn't a shock, I thought he'd get to finish the season, though

 

Well this could be the best news this year (as in 2005). Hopefully the interim coach can do something productive and use the bench and make some decisions (maybe go to howard for 20pts a night SINCE HE CAN SCORE?)

I sorta liked Davis, but only sorta.

 

Very good! And the best is, unlike with Davis last season, it's only an interim job for Jent, meaning they are looking for another head coach.

Saunders anyone?

 

All I wanna know is who is Chris Jent? I love this decision. It was bound to happen and hopeffully Jent can turn it around for us and give Dwight the touches that he needs.

 

Davis mentions in his interview that "changes will occur", but I cant see it being personel on the player front, just PLAYER MANAGEMENT. Davis didnt use his players to their fullest.

Hedo - Has used him randomly at best. hedo goes from 30mins and 25 pts to 15 mins and 5 pts. The man has a killer shot, he cant be used in a random way.
Jameer - goes from less than 10mins a game to 40mins a game. Good decision in the end, but why not straight out of the Cat trade. We prob would have gotten alot better trade if we had used Jameer more prior to this.
Dwight - The boy can score. If he scores he feels good, he feels good he pulls down 20 rebs the next game. Its a simple formula.

Its hard to go wrong with players like Cato / Battie - they are vets and know their role and do it well. But I am sure Davis has something to do with PG not being used that well and some of teh other players.

Player management - we should see it now..

 

I guess that I'm going to be the only person in here to stick up for ol' JD. Honestly, the guy had his faults, but the truth is that he wasn't doing that bad of a job for someone having to work with a whole new batch of players this year. Keep in mind too that he was told before the season that Weisbrod had complete confidence in him. All this offseason Weisbrod hyped this guy up to the media and told everyone that JD was going to be here for quite some time. Now, he gets fired after a 6 game losing streak? Isn't that over-reacting just a little bit.

I realize that he wasn't the best coach when it came to getting his players to play defense, but you have to realize that it's a two way street. If the players are going to concern themselves with defense only, you're not going to be able to do much on that side of the court. This guy wasn't that horrible of a coach and I remember at the beginning of the year, he was doing just fine because certain members of the team were really fired up. Now that those mentioned players have lost their best friend on the team (read: Cuttino Mobley) they seem to just go through the motions most nights on the court.

I have a feeling that the Magic are going to regret doing this now. They're in the last leg of the season and this is the worst time to make a coaching change especially since you're a fringe team trying to make the playoffs.

 

I don't agree with you explosive. Weisbrod never really hyped Davis that much and it was clear from the beginning that JD only had this season to prove us und Weisbrod that he's the right person for this job. Unfortunately he wasn't for the reasons magicdamo23 pointed out as well as others, like not preparing them for the next game properly. Defense was another problem and the responsible coach was fired as well.

The players clearly didn't really respond anymore to him, so a change now could give them the energy they need, I don't know but I hope that Jent is really just an interim for a very short time and we get a top coach.

You mention that at the beginning of the season some players were fired up, that's right but this fire was gone after 19 games, we were 13-6 then, but from there it started to get worse - with some hope now and then - and not after the Cuttino trade.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting GatorsowntheSEC:</div><div class="quote_post">All I wanna know is who is Chris Jent? I love this decision. It was bound to happen and hopeffully Jent can turn it around for us and give Dwight the touches that he needs.</div>

Chris Jent played for the Rockets for a few games in the 93-94 season and got a ring. He was a forward who could shoot the three pretty well. I didn't even realize he was still associated with the NBA. A strange selection, since Paul Westhead (he coached the Lakers to a championship in Magic's rookie season) is sitting on the bench as well.

 

I dont agree with the timing but I do agree he had to go. To me he just didnt seem to make the right decisions consistently, and was a goner come the summer. 19 games left, dont really need to upset the balance... or will it.

I think with JD at the helm and what seems like a impending off-season at home watching whoever takes 8th spot get battered by Miami it might be enough to shake things on track and pick up a few wins and take us back over .500.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Coranor:</div><div class="quote_post">I don't agree with you explosive. Weisbrod never really hyped Davis that much and it was clear from the beginning that JD only had this season to prove us und Weisbrod that he's the right person for this job. Unfortunately he wasn't for the reasons magicdamo23 pointed out as well as others, like not preparing them for the next game properly. Defense was another problem and the responsible coach was fired as well.</div>

Obviously you don't remember the local media questioning JD in interviews with Weisbrod and Weisbrod stating that he had complete confidence in JD as a coach. He later said that there wouldn't be any swift coaching changes in the middle of a season and that he would have his future in Orlando evaluated after this season.

Weisbrod was once this guy's biggest supporter in the front office. He liked his hard-nosed approach to dealing with the players. (yes, he was tough on them) He also thought that he was the guy to help orchestrate an uptempo offense which he did very nicely given the talent he had. Face it guys, Weisbrod did not give JD the fair shake that he promised JD and Magic fans. Now we're left with some guy named Jent as our coach and the playoffs just aren't going to happen. Honestly, Indiana has a better chance of making the playoffs and that's saying a lot given their current situation.

I can only imagine what a joke our GM looks like to the rest of the nation that doesn't know all of the details. Firing the coach during the last stretch of a season where you still have a shot at the playoffs is foolish and I can't remember a time when a team did it this late in the season and rebounded to make the playoffs.

 

Guys, I would strongly suggest waiting until the end of the season before critisizing the move. I am not sure it will work or wont work... I just think we should wait to make our accusations.

I dont think JD was that bad of a coach. Yes he wasnt perfect but he wasnt that bad. It isnt his fault that we are losing it is the player's fault. I do want a REAL head coach though. SOmeone like Rick Carlisle or someone who will make the team better then mediocrity which this team has been for all of its existence.

2 other teams this year changed coaches mid-season and both of them have been doing much better, the grizzlies and the T-Wolves. Lets just wait and see what happens... I mean worst thing that could happen is not making the playoffs but theres always next season and a draft...

Remember that every time the magic get a #1 seed they get another the next season(which has only happened the 1 time the magic got one ) but history is in our favor even if we dont need anyone in the draft we could trade the pick for a vet or something

 

Hate to see it end like that, but he had to go.

 

This is one thing I dont want to say but:

Next season - New coach or not - we will be better (As long as we dont do massive trades). Simply put the 2 rookies will progress and make alot of a difference. We all know that Dwight will score more, rebound more and just be awsome, and Jameer already looks like a great PG any way. Combined with some gelling as a team with the newer people (hedo, battie, cato, fracis and sorta Hill I suppose) we should be better.

This season I dont think a coach will pull us down. We cant do ANY worse. do not take seattle as an example, thats a hard game with or without a coach. But after tonight we can see. Hopefully tonight will show some intention to what changes but there we go.

 

I'm really split on this one... the timing was odd and Jent is a nobody, but he really did lose control of the team awhile back. Flip Saunders would do this team some good, especially the rookies since they fit his type of game.

 

I hope Flip Saunders is the #1 candidate for the job. I think he will be a good coach because like you said XOver, the rookies fit his style of play. I think Flip would like to come to Orlando just because he would be getting a young superstar in the making and I liked what he did with KG and I think he will feel like he can do it again.

This was bound to happen. If Dwight gets 1 shot in a game, then you know there is a problem. (He followed it up with his 29 pt 14-17 performance though) I hope Jent will be able to settle Francis down and keep him getting lower and lower TO's. It's going to be interesting to see how he substitutes the players. I could see Kasun and Stevenson potentially getting more minutes now.

 

Remember the mobley trade also a not very good time to trade this GM has bad timing but he sees whats best for the team. JDs gone Finally he didnt have good plays and let Stevio control the game. Now Jent is in a Hunter might get more touches and Playing time .They say hes a good X's and O's coach and maybe he can fit in a type of play to give Dwight the ball just maybe. Good Job GM on firing JD and Great Job Big Dwight 29 points really showed everybody you can flat out play. On Flip he should be are 1st and major transaction in the offseason with him in we have a good coach then we can do some trading to get a good bench maybe people who can score purhaps.

 

I was very happy because I blamed the magic's losing on Davis, he had too good a team to keep dropping games, but now I'm upset, i just read in the sentinel that jent's moving Steve Francis back to pg, and starting Deshawn stevenson at sg. That is not how you treat a player on you're team who actually does stick his man on defense and is being very productive. He is also losing valuable experience seeing as he's the team's future along with dwight, if thisvguy screws up the magic more i'll be pissed!

 

The timing is definetley off in my opinion. But in the end it was probably the best thing to do for this Magic team's future.