Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy: Dwight Howard wants me out – NBA Recap
The Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy dropped a bombshell on Thursday, claiming that his star player Dwight Howard wants him fired. Van Gundy made the sensational claim just before the Magic took on the New York Knicks.
The coach had obviously been ruffled with the goings on behind the scenes at Orlando, and he decided to bring everything out in front of the media. Van Gundy even claimed that Dwight had communicated to the Orlando Magic management that he wanted the coach
removed.
His comments came after a report in the press that had claimed that Howard wanted Stan gone, and had even given the Magic a list of coaches he would like to with once the present coach was relieved of his duties.
"I was told it was true by people in our management," Van Gundy said Thursday. "So right from the top."
There had been reports of unrest within the Magic locker room before, and Van Gundy had criticized his players on occasion this season, but no one in the NBA would have expected such a blatant stance by Van Gundy, or Howard for that matter.
Stan, who according to some sources has already lost the locker room, didn’t stop there. He went on to talk about his own future after his supposedly impending firing. The coach said he didn’t have much to be concerned about, as he has a good track record
and plenty of money to go bye on once he leaves his current position.
He then went on to suggest that the Magic didn’t need to be overly fussed about the situation either, because the team wouldn’t be affected too much by his departure. Van Gundy also couldn’t resist taking another jibe at Howard.
"Nobody has to go anywhere if they fire me," Van Gundy said. "I don't think [the players] are too worried about that. I don't take anybody with me. ... When it comes out that one of the highest-profile players in the league has asked for his coach to be
fired, it's going to be a story. ... But nobody needs to worry about me.”
The whole saga was made even more outlandish by the fact that Van Gundy decided to go public on a game day, in fact, just hours before a match against the New York Knicks. Howard immediately denied the allegation that he had said anything to the management
in this regard, but the mood for the match was certainly not merry.
Dwight played poorly in the game, and the Magic went on to lose.
Tags: