I have posted this and about this in other threads but this narrative that Martins hasn't been involved with basketball decisions is wrong. I have called BMP out on this in other threads about the same thing with Martins. It has been reported many times that he has been meddling in the basketball side of things when he has no business in doing so. Any involvement on the basketball side of things at all is too much for Martins. It started with the VanGundy firing and then the Scott Skiles Hiring. Jeff Van Gundy and Stan both had words for Martins because he directly got Involved. Both Ownership and Martins also directly undermined Hennigan in the skiles hiring. Martins has also allowed coaches to get involved with roster decisions, Skiles had a rocky relationship with Harris when he was in Milwaukee and you think its a coincidence that we traded him for two of skiles former players? Woj has reported that Vogel has more influence than rob on roster decisions. You could easily come to the same conclusion with Skiles especially when you consider the player we traded and the players we traded for. The proof is all out there.
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/19156846/jeff-van-gundy-magic-ceo-alex-martins-is-unprofessional-and-knows-nothing-about-basketballhttp://orlandomagicdaily.com/2015/06/01/the-scott-skiles-hire-the-undermining-of-the-process/4/Back in February, nearly simultaneous with the firing of the underachieving Jacque Vaughn there were whispers around the league the Magic would be interested in hiring Scott Skiles.
There are a few things out of the ordinary there.
One is we have all seen Rob Hennigan does not leak anything to the media. Two, Rob Hennigan believes in his process. The idea ANYBODY, let alone a coach with a mediocre résumé in Skiles, would be a front-runner the moment the Magic fired Jacque Vaughn conflicts with Hennigan’s ideas on “process.”
The dots were too easy to connect. The media had information to connect them and the rumor persisted until it truly became fact.
This connection was the precursor to the seeming end of Rob Hennigan’s process.
As time went on, reports leaked left and right the Magic were getting closer to hiring Scott Skiles. Last Saturday it was reported Skiles was the “front-runner” to become Orlando’s next head coach (he obviously did become the next head coach). Interestingly enough in that article something interesting was written:
Skiles, 51, has been the preferred choice of Orlando ownership, which has been fond of him since his playing days with the Magic in the 1990s.
That message should have sent off alarms for Magic fans. The “process” that had guided Orlando during this rebuild was in jeopardy
http://orlandomagicdaily.com/2016/05/15/scott-skiles-and-consequences-of-quitting/The buck stops with the man at the top. And Martins cannot be fully without blame for this sudden and surprising departure.
Throughout Skiles’ yearlong tenure as coach with the team he once played for, Martins publicly tried to distance himself. He was insistent at the press conference last summer the hiring decision was general manager Rob Hennigan’s and Hennigan’s alone. Hennigan repeated Thursday as Skiles resigned the decision still rested from him.
Smarter minds knew and have suggested otherwise however, despite Martins’ repeated denials of his role in Skiles’ hiring.
When Jacque Vaughn was dismissed midway through the 2015 season, there was no question Skiles used the outlets he was familiar with to express interest in the position. Skiles’ name quickly emerged as a rumored candidate seemingly the moment Vaughn was fired.
Rumors after Skiles’ resignation certainly shed light on just how that pursuit went, as NBA SiriusXM host Justin Termine outlined this week:
That job-campaigning effort led him to Martins, a man who was one of the team’s original employees much like Skiles was one of their first notable players. The coach who had had stops in Phoenix, Chicago and Milwaukee needed a powerful voice to convince Hennigan to make the hire.
After all, nothing in his basketball background would suggest Skiles would be the coach Hennigan would target.
Hennigan is an apple that does not fall far from the San Antonio Spurs tree. That means always looking for the next big thing, both on the court and on the bench.
A coach that had proven himself as a league-average coach during each of his stints while also wearing his players patience thin certainly would not fit that bill. Skiles always had a ceiling — even if that ceiling was someplace the Magic needed to stop first in their rebuild.
Fortunately for Skiles, Hennigan answers directly to Martins. All that was needed for a decision to be made in direct opposition with his ideology of innovation was some carefully placed nudging.
Who can ignore directives from their boss? Or even a well-placed recommendation?
This is why it does not make sense for those rabid fans seeking to pin this failure on Hennigan. Even Hennigan’s sharpest critics recognize how Hennigan was hamstrung. Most of them in their real jobs would also take a boss’ suggestions in stride.
They might even follow them to such a point that it puts their own career in peril. That is where Hennigan stands now, destined to see his constructed roster either make the playoffs or be out of a job.