by
Coach Jamahl Mosley
The NBA can be a cruel place.
After the Detroit Pistons had a monumental turnaround and bounced back from a 3–1 game deficit to win the series, the Orlando Magic announced Monday that it had fired head coach Jamahl Mosley.
“We’re grateful to Jamahl (Mosley) for all he’s done for the Orlando Magic,” Orlando Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman said in a press release. “We appreciate his leadership and the positive contributions he made as head coach. While this was a difficult decision, we feel it’s time for a new voice and fresh perspective. We wish Jamahl and his family nothing but the best.”
Orlando Sentinal columnist Mike Bianchi writes:
So, yes, Jamahl Mosley has been fired as head coach of the Orlando Magic. And, no, it’s not entirely fair. But fairness has never had much to do with how this league operates. Mosley understood that, too.
“We’ve seen coaches that have been extremely successful get let go,” he said before the season. “That’s part of this profession … you have to understand it’s not personal.” It’s not personal. It just feels like it.
Because if you strip this situation down to its core, Mosley didn’t fail in Orlando. He built something real. He took a franchise buried in irrelevance and guided it to three consecutive playoff appearances; something the organization hadn’t accomplished since Stan Van Gundy was prowling the sidecourt during the Magic’s glory days. He established an identity rooted in defense, toughness and connectivity. He developed Paolo Banchero into a star and helped Franz Wagner evolve into the team’s most complete player.
