The Not-So-Magic Man | The Lowdown

Remember the scene from Hoosiers where Gene Hackman measures the height from the floor to the hoop and finds it's exactly ten feet...the same height as the basket in all the other gyms where his team has played? Well, Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan took his ruler to Orlando and found that things didn't measure up. Only Donovan made this discovery after he'd signed a contract with the Magic.

After a whiplash of events, it appears that Donovan will be heading back to the Gators. But this isn't a feel good story where a coach turns down life in the overly corporate professional sports world to return to the amateur ranks.

The Magic can't punish Donovan for his retreat. It would send the wrong message. Orlando can't very well introduce a new, new head coach while at the same time making a fuss over losing Billy D. They need to appear forward-thinking. But the fact remains that Magic fans were unfairly tantalized with the prospect of hiring a real "up-and-comer."

And how about VCU coach Anthony Grant, who now must apologize to his team for exploring greener pastures at Florida? He'll have to work now to regain the trust of his players.

Florida spent at least some money to jump start the search for a new coach, a search that had literally just gotten off the ground. The plane arrived in Virginia, when Gators AD Jeremy Foley learned of Donovan's reversal.

But what of Billy D? Fans at Florida will welcome him back. He'll be jeered* by opposing fans this season, but as the head man for the defending national champs, he was in for his fair share of barbs anyway. And this won't even likely affect him on the recruiting trail, thanks an agreement that bans him from seeking another NBA job for at least five years. (The agreement is almost certainly going to be included in the paperwork that allows Donovan to walk away from Orlando.)

So as of now, it seems like the author of this whole mess is the only one who comes out unscathed. And that's not fair by any measure.

*Ohio State fans, be sure to bring your flip-flop sandals out to the Buckeyes game against the Gators this year!

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June 6, 2007 02:52 AM ET

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pretty nice some sketchy parts but okk

A* shizzle* BS

Pakistan, AZ

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June 6, 2007 04:17 PM ET

And you played soccer too, wow, too bad I'm old enough to be your dad. Anyway, nice post and I'm trying really hard to get into Donovan's head here but I can't figure it out. Is he scared of falling on his face like a lot of college coaches have done when the moved to the NBA? Did some Gator boosters take him out to some dilapidated shack in the swamp and torture him? Did he figure out that NBA players are even more spoiled than his current crew of players? Or did Mommy call and tell Billy that he should be a loyal Gator and stay put, I'm going with the last scenario. Florida lost its top seven scorers from last year's team, I for one hope he has a really rough year.