HoopsHype.com Rumors

The Orlando Magic's co-captain and starting point guard must make a decision whether invoke his player option for the 2012-13 season, and General Manager Otis Smith said that Nelson is contractually obligated to make his choice known within three days of the Magic's final postseason game. "I can't make the decision until some other decisions are made around here," Nelson said. "I want to be here in the Orlando Magic uniform. I love being here. I love being in the city." Orlando Sentinel

Orlando Magic, Jameer Nelson, Otis Smith 

"I'm a Jameer Nelson fan," Smith said. "I've always been a Jameer Nelson fan since probably his sophomore year in college. That hasn't changed. What he's able to do on the floor probably puts him in the top tier of point guards in this league. We'd like to keep him around the franchise as long as we can keep him around the franchise." Orlando Sentinel

Orlando Magic, Free Agency, Jameer Nelson, Otis Smith 

Jarrod Rudolph: Sources say Orlando Magic have interviewed Adonal Foyle, Director of Player Development, for General Manager position. Twitter

Orlando Magic, Adonal Foyle, Otis Smith 

Brian Schmitz: Magic GM Otis Smith sounds 50-50 as to if he will return. Twitter

Orlando Magic, Otis Smith 

Josh Robbins: J.J. Redick said he's been told that decisions will be made about #Magic team management within a few weeks. Twitter

Orlando Magic, Otis Smith 

Josh Robbins: Otis Smith said Jameer Nelson has three days to decide on his player option. #Magic Twitter

Orlando Magic, Jameer Nelson, Otis Smith 

Otis Smith said Tuesday night he hasn't given extensive thought about whether he even wants to return as the Orlando Magic's general manager for the 2012-13 season. Asked before Game 5 against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse whether he wants to come back for next season, Smith answered, "I haven't gotten into it. I'll have a conversation with a few people following the end of the season, and we'll see where we go from there." Orlando Sentinel

Orlando Magic, Otis Smith 

David Baumann: #Magic Chairman Dan DeVos told me no discussion has taken place w GM Otis Smith about his future. DeVos:"It's still all about basketball." Twitter

Orlando Magic, Otis Smith 

Orlando Magic General Manager Otis Smith will travel to the Los Angeles area Tuesday and visit with Dwight Howard, who is recovering from surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back, both Smith and Magic CEO Alex Martins said. "The intent is to check in, see how he's doing, both from his rehab as well as his spirits, to see him in-person," Martins said before the Magic faced the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the teams' playoff series Monday. "We've been communicating with him via phone and text, but it's just an opportunity for us to see how he's doing." Orlando Sentinel

Orlando Magic, Dwight Howard, Otis Smith, Injuries 

Smith will spend about 24 hours in L.A., and he plans to return to Orlando in time for Game 3 Wednesday night at Amway Center. "They're all my kids," Smith said of his players. "I've got one of them that's not with the team, that you want to have with the team that's injured, that's down. So you've got to go see him. You've got to pep him up a little bit and tell him he's doing the right thing by his body. "He can't travel and he can't do much," Smith added. "His doctor's orders and pretty much our orders are to get his back right. He can't do anything for anybody at this point in time, so he has to get right." Orlando Sentinel

Orlando Magic, Dwight Howard, Otis Smith, Injuries 

Brian K. Schmitz: Stan Van Gundy said he has received no indication GM Otis Smith will sign a street free-agent center. Twitter

Orlando Magic, Free Agency, Otis Smith, Stan Van Gundy 

Dwight Howard will rest his injured back for the next 10 days and then will be reevaluated, Orlando Magic General Manager Otis Smith said Sunday. Smith acknowledged that there is no guarantee that Howard, who has a herniated disk in his lower back and has suffered from persistent back spasms, will be available when the playoffs are scheduled to begin on April 28. “It's not up to me,” Smith said before the Magic faced the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. “His body's going to have to pretty much tell us if he can go or not.” Orlando Sentinel

Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Dwight Howard, Otis Smith 

Regardless of what the Magic general manager says, it stands to reason he wouldn’t be the person to approach with such a demand, so why ask him about it? Management does not make command decisions of such enormity, ownership does. Clearly, Howard went straight to the top, Rich and/or Dan DeVos. New York Post

Orlando Magic, Coaching, Dwight Howard, Otis Smith, Stan Van Gundy 

Orlando Magic senior vice president Pat Williams, who helped found the franchise in 1989, said Monday he would like to see star center Dwight Howard and coach Stan Van Gundy both remain with the franchise for a long time. Williams said restoring the team's health and winning would do a lot to help the franchise move past recent turmoil, capped when Van Gundy last week said that Howard wanted him fired. The coach and the star later met with Magic general manager Otis Smith, agreeing to co- exist the rest of the season and put the team first. "Finish well and then have a wonderful run in the playoffs -- that would probably cure most of the issues," Williams told The Associated Press before a scheduled speaking appearance at Michigan State University. ESPN.com

Orlando Magic, Coaching, Dwight Howard, Otis Smith, Stan Van Gundy, Pat Williams 

Williams said Van Gundy would admit that he can sometimes be too negative. And he said that while Howard has "grown up a lot" there is still room for maturation on his end. "I think this shook them both up -- that's my opinion," Williams said of the incident last week. "I think they're going to be better for it." ESPN.com

Orlando Magic, Coaching, Dwight Howard, Otis Smith, Stan Van Gundy, Pat Williams 

Dwight Howard did not ask Magic general manager Otis Smith to fire coach Stan Van Gundy, Smith told ESPN's Lisa Salters on Saturday before the Magic's 88-82 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. "He never asked me; I didn't have that knowledge," Smith said. ESPN.com

Orlando Magic, Coaching, Dwight Howard, Otis Smith, Stan Van Gundy 

Van Gundy said Thursday he knew Howard, the Magic's franchise player, had asked that he be fired. Smith said both parties were to blame for the public dispute. "If he did ask he's wrong, and for Stan to address it in public, that is wrong," Smith said. ESPN.com

Orlando Magic, Coaching, Dwight Howard, Otis Smith, Stan Van Gundy 

Coaches are not supposed to find out they’re being subverted until the coup d’etat has been sanctioned and the press release distributed. It’s a league rule. That’s why the outing of Howard and reference to a high-ranking management snitch — I’m leaning toward a certain ex- employee who remains related to the DeVos family — by Van Gundy was such a hoot and a holler. New York Post

Orlando Magic, Coaching, Dwight Howard, Otis Smith, Stan Van Gundy 

Something else to track here, though, is the future of general manager Otis Smith. Sources close to the situation tell ESPN.com that Howard's recently retired backup, Adonal Foyle, is held in the highest regard by Magic officials and is being groomed for a future role of front-office prominence. ESPN.com

Orlando Magic, Adonal Foyle, Otis Smith 

Van Gundy told reporters that he expects to finish the season in Orlando and said that he would be on the team flight to Philadelphia tomorrow. Van Gundy and Howard met with Magic general manager Otis Smith on Thursday afternoon and discussed the drama. “He and I met with Otis,” Van Gundy said. “Look, we’ve been together all this year. We’ve been together for five years. We know each other very well. Dwight will go out there and play and I’ll go out there and coach. That’s the understanding. We know that.” HoopsWorld

Orlando Magic, Coaching, Dwight Howard, Otis Smith, Stan Van Gundy