What They’re Saying About Otis Smith
Smith makes the right moves to be Magic GMMike Bianchi
Orlando Sentinel Sports Commentary
April 12, 2006
Hire him now.
We've seen enough.
Otis Smith for GM.
Magic President Bob Vander Weide told the Sentinel's Brian Schmitz that a general manager soon will be hired to oversee all basketball operations.
That's good. Players, coaches and fans need somebody they can point to and say, "That's the man in charge." And, of course, sports columnists need somebody to point to and write, "That's the man to blame."
Which is why Otis Smith gets my vote for GM. Because in the past few months, with Smith and Co-Assistant GM Dave Twardzik in charge, there's been absolutely nothing for hired cynics like me to complain about. Every move they've made has been so brilliant that I've almost forgotten they drafted Fran the Invisible Man.
I said almost.
Have you noticed who's the hottest team in the NBA right now?
Have you noticed who has the longest winning streak?
Have you noticed who completely retooled in midstream and is still somehow in the playoff hunt despite a roster that doesn't have its top two scorers from the start of the season -- Grant Hill and Steve Francis?
The Miracle Magi.
Obviously, Coach Brian Hill deserves a load of credit for not allowing this team to give up when it was 20-40 and seemingly deader than Nick Lachey's career. And the players deserve credit, too, for not quitting like dogs as we've seen from malingering Magic teams of the past.
But it's been Smith and Twardzik who provided a team that Hill can coach. In short order, they dumped the trash left behind by hockey GM John Weisbrod, who traded Francis for Tracy McGrady because he liked the way Francis punched out opponents. Turns out, Weispuck wasn't looking for a guard, he was looking for a goon.
Smith, who has been the front man during the post-Weisbrod purging, ridded the Magic of Francis' erratic play and -- more important -- his bloated contract. He thrust Francis and the nearly $50 million remaining on his deal on anybody who would take them (Memo to Magic fans: Add Isiah Thomas to Christmas card list) and even got an expiring contract in return.
The Magic had lost seven in a row before the Francis eradication and are 14-11 since then. What more can you ask of a trade? The Magic are better now because of it -- and they'll be better in the future because of it.
"Sometimes, you have to remove pieces that don't work,'' Smith says. "I'd say that's 90 percent of why we're playing better right now."
Smith also traded underachieving big man Kelvin Cato for two players -- Darko Milicic, a young big man with untapped potential, and Carlos Arroyo, a point guard who has helped the Magic tap into Central Florida's thriving Puerto Rican population.
There have been other subtle moves, too. When the team expeditiously and ceremoniously extended the contracts of Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson last week, it sent those two young building blocks a message: You are our future. When the team recently re-signed tough, dependable power forward Tony Battie, it sent another message: Thanks for playing hard; thanks for playing hurt.
Battie, who never misses a game, even agreed to take significantly less salary in the second year of his new deal to help the Magic preserve the cherished salary-cap space they expect to have next summer.
"Tony's a piece that fits," Smith says. "We're not looking for moves that make the biggest splash; we're looking for moves that make the most sense."
That's why I'm voting Otis Smith for GM.
He might not be the splashy choice, but he is the sensible one.
Magic Touch
Peter Vecsey
New York Post
I'D LIKE to take this opportunity to thank the Mavericks for taking the suspense out of the NBA's last remaining division competition.
Losers of three straight and five of seven, Friday night's 108-99 collapse at Orlando was especially hideous because it wasted Dirk Nowitzki's 38 points and 15 rebounds.
The Magic, meanwhile, are infinitely better than their 29-44 record suggests. Since distancing themselves from Steve Francis, acquiring Darko Milicic, Carlos Arroyo and Trevor Ariza, committing to Jameer Nelson and G'ing up Tony Battie for $22 million over the next four years, Orlando has become what's known outside of Ne w York as a "team."
Let's hear some appreciation for Magic management. Co-GMs Otis Smith and Dave Twardzik, with plenty of input, no doubt, from coach Brian Hill, are re-building the rational way.
Half past their first year in charge, they dumped swollen salaries/egos, established Dwight Howard as the rightful franchise player upon Francis' extradition and took a relatively irrelevant financial gamble by agreeing to assume Arroyo's two-year, $8 million contract as the tax for attaining a luxury item such as Milicic.
Describing Milicic as a luxury item? Only those who haven't closely checked out how the lefty 7-foot, 21-year-old (come June 20) is doing in Orlando think I'm goofing on him. From where I'm scoping, he's an adept shooter, a clever-touch distributor, a skilled rebounder, an adroit outlet passer and a fertile shot blocker. Look, Ma, Darko's fundamentally flawless.
Furthermore, Milicic does something you rarely see anymore: he sets a pick and holds it. W hat that does, aside from freeing up his teammate, is make him a dangerous receiver the very next time they run the screen-and-roll. Because now Darko's man believes he's going to hold it. Instead, he rolls to the hoop for an open layup and has the hands to catch the pass.
Finally, deep into his third season, I almost grasp what Pistons president Joe Dumars was thinking when he elected to take Milicic No. 2 behind LeBron James, instead of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade.
"The day we traded Darko I told our media, given the daylight he's bound to get in Orlando, he'll put up 18 points, ten rebounds and four blocks from time to time," said Dumars, whose Hall of Fame selection will be announced tomorrow. So far in 20 games, Darko is averaging 7.9 (55 FG%), 4.7 and 2.4 in 21.4 minutes.
"He has that kind of talent. He just never got the chance to show it here because we had three All-Stars ahead of him, all in their prime. I'm aware what Darko's capabilitie s are, but over the course of time he became increasingly depressed. He couldn't take sitting anymore.
"... Our media thinks I was blowing smoke, but I knew he was going to fulfill his promise once he cold relax and stop looking over his shoulder when he got in the game."
Orlando's Darko Deal, it says here, will go down in NBA history as one of th league's all-time player-jackings. Even if I'm rowdy wrong, even if Milicic should mysteriously suffer a relapse and turn into another Nikoloz Tskitishvili (No. 5 overall pick in '02 by Denver), his procurement still was meticulously worth the Magic's monetary investment; that's all they really gave. Unlike Isiah Thomas, who misused Penny Hardaway's supposedly precious $15.75 million expiring contract on three more years ($48.5 million) of Francis ("You mean to tell me he couldn't even get Larry Brown a role player he liked for that asset?" wrote LA Times columnist Mark Heisler), the Magic took a low-rent risk on Milicic.
In exchange for Kelvin Cato's virtually vanished $8.6 million salary, the Magic accepted Arroyo's two-year, $4 million-per obligation and Milicic's one year at $5.1 million. If the coaching staff falls out of love with Darko next season, his departure won't leave the franchise capsized a la New York. If he turns out to be a certified center, well, this is how championship contenders are constructed.
Considering Darko's height, age, European training, aptitude and juicy upside, I'm bewildered there weren't a dozen teams vying for his services when, in fact, only two expressed sincere interest. The Raptors and Grizzlies named names. The Timberwolves' lukewarm call was of the "take a look at our roster and see if there's anyone you like" variety.
Magic Shows Smarts With Francis Trade
Israel Gutierrez
Miami Herald
February 26, 2006
It's easy, and a lot more entertaining, to focus on the New York Knicks' side of the Steve Francis trade.
It's fun to forecast just how disastrous a relationship between Stephon Marbury, Francis and Larry Brown will end, or to ridicule Isiah Thomas for putting together a group of has-beens and never-will-bes and expect the New York fans to swallow it.
But to ignore the other side of the move - the more logical, sensible, calculated side - would be a mistake. Because there is so much right in what the Magic did when it basically gave away the player that was supposed to be the centerpiece of the franchise.
The Magic could have kept riding Francis on that pointless journey to the middle, which at best would have resulted in one or two low playoff seeds by the time his enormous contract expired after the 2008-09 season.
NO MEDIOCRITY
But assistant general managers Dave Twardzik and Otis Smith chose not to settle for mediocrity. (Is it a coincidence that the Magic started making intelligent personnel moves after hockey hothead John Weisbrod resigned as GM?) So after contemplating some offers that included getting players with big salaries back for Francis, the pair decided instead to take the expiring contract of Penny Hardaway and a young, inexpensive prospect in Trevor Ariza from the Knicks.
Taking that option gives the Magic the ability to have one of those instant turnarounds every bad team in the league is looking to make. In the NBA, instant means about two to three years. After the 2006-07 season, when Grant Hill's contract expires, Orlando will have seemingly endless amounts of room under the salary cap with which to sign free agents; right now the team only has about $22 million committed to five players for that season, assuming it picks up the options on Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson.
Moreover, it has a true franchise player to build a team around in Howard. The second-year forward just turned 20 and already leads the league in rebounds, which will make the Magic an enticing team for free agents in 2007 to consider.
And what a group of free agents it will be. The group could potentially include Vince Carter, Chauncey Billups, Dirk Nowitzki, T.J Ford, Kirk Hinrich, Rashard Lewis and Chris Bosh. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony could also be free agents, but no one really believes their respective teams will ever let it get to that point.
With even one of those big free agents, another quality draft pick, Howard, Nelson, Hedo Turkoglu and Keyon Dooling, the Magic will have the makings of what should be a real playoff team, not just a group that can make a token postseason appearance.
In the meantime, the Magic can still keep fans interested in Orlando. As long as Hill, Howard and Nelson can remain healthy, next year's Francis-free group might be able to make a decent run at the playoffs. And even if they don't, the team will be able to see if former No. 2 draft pick Darko Milicic is worth re-signing, or if he really is the bust those in Detroit figured he was.
REVENGE FACTOR
Then there's the kinda-silly, kinda-fun revenge factor that came in the trade. The Magic obtained Hardaway in the trade strictly for his expiring contract, which the team made perfectly clear when it announced the trade in a press release. This is the same Hardaway who began a player revolt as a member of the Magic in 1997 that eventually led to the firing of Brian Hill, who is now in his second go-around as coach of the Magic. The Magic quickly waived Hardaway, which had to give the coach some sort of perverse pleasure.
Everything considered, it's pretty obvious the latest regime in Orlando knows how to run a franchise.
Climbing the Ladder
John Denton
Florida Today
January 22, 2006
ORLANDO - This is the part of the job that keeps Otis Smith awake most nights and his mind churning with anxiety throughout the day: While he's in a position of great control, very little is actually in his control.
Before the Orlando Magic departed for a recent road trip to the West Coast, Smith, the team's co-assistant general manager, greeted each player with words of encouragement and a gift. He handed out copies of the book, "Five Dysfunctions of a Team," something he hoped would help pass the time of an eight-day trip and reinforce awareness in some traps that regularly short-circuit businesses and teams.
Assuredly, some eyes rolled. The books might have been tucked away in luggage and not seen again until the dirty laundry from the trip was emptied. But Smith, an eternal optimist, suppressed that sort of negativity, holding to the belief that if just one player got something positive out of the manuscript, it would be worth the thought and effort.
That's the way Smith is. He is in his first season as assistant general manager alongside Dave Twardzik and he is one of a growing number of minorities in top positions in the NBA. As he can attest, the job is never an easy one.
The West Coast trip proved as much.
As fate would have it, the Magic's trip quickly morphed into a reenactment of the book, featuring more dysfunction than the cast of "The Jerry Springer Show."
Guard Keyon Dooling was suspended for fighting with Seatte's Ray Allen. Star point guard Steve Francis was briefly booted from the team for insubordination. Grant Hill played on an injury, making it worse. Four games later, the Magic were four games worse off.
So much for Smith's good intentions, right?
Hardly. He didn't rise to this position of great responsibility by giving in and giving up easily. As he has all season, Smith was back at practice the following day, giving encouragement to players and looking, searching for anything to provide a spark to his team.
"I look at things a little different than most," Smith admitted. "I think if you treat the guys like they are 5, they tend to act like they are 5. If you treat them like men, they act like that. I don't go in with the thought that the glass is half-empty. If I give a guy a book or an article, I automatically think they are going to read it front to back.
"I can't worry about who's rolling their eyes, who thinks it's (garbage). I have to look at it like there's going to be 100 percent participation. I try to challenge guys to step out of self. If they can do that they can see the team from a different perspective, and see that that's bigger than the individual."
This season, every ounce of Smith's optimism has been tested. The Magic got little from the NBA Draft after being duped by Spain's Fran Vazquez, and free-agent signee Keyon Dooling has been hurt most of the season.
Injuries to Kelvin Cato, Hill and Dooling have meant the team Smith and Twardzik crafted hasn't been this season. The tremendous strides made by Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson have been negated by the regression of Francis.
The recent situation with Francis -- his refusal to re-enter a blowout loss to Seattle late in the fourth quarter -- tested Smith's mettle as a young general manager. But whereas Smith, a former player, can relate to the ebb and flow of a long NBA season, he also is a no-nonsense businessman who is as blunt as a kick to the stomach when it comes to telling right from wrong.
"When it's one of those decisions where you go back and forth trying to decide what to do, those are the tough ones to make," Smith said. "This one (with Francis) was easy because we knew exactly what had to be done and there was no wavering."
Even in the face of a disappointing start to the season, Smith has endeared himself to the Magic's players and coaching staff by being consistent in his approach. He attends every practice and every road trip, feeling the only way to truly have a gauge on the pulse of the team is to be there every day.
Rarely does a session end that Smith doesn't have his arm around one of the players for a chat. His business model -- one influenced by studies of everyone from Bill Gates to Bill Belichick -- is based on relationships. The bond he's built with the players becomes invaluable in times of crisis, Smith said.
"Otis is always in my ear, giving me advice on everything related to basketball and life," said Nelson, arguably the Magic's most improved player this season. "I don't know how other GMs work, but with Otis you just know he's going to be there every day. And seeing him there, it just makes it seem like he cares a little more."
Unlikely rise
Smith's rise from Magic player to Magic assistant GM has been the kind of story Hollywood makes movies about.
One of 10 children, Smith grew up in Jacksonville. His father was a longshoreman and his mother a dietician. He didn't have a lot growing up, but he didn't do without either. What he did have was a mother who stressed discipline and education, and a family that helped him mature at fast-forward speed. His parents' impact could be seen in the fact that seven of the 10 kids eventually graduated from college.
He made it to the NBA out of tiny Jacksonville University, drafted by Denver in 1986. He ended up just a two-hour drive from his roots when the Magic snagged him in the 1989 expansion draft. A member of the original team that still is celebrated yearly, Smith had the first dunk in franchise history and still holds the franchise record for most consecutive points (12) in a game.
A serious knee injury cut short his playing career and changed who he was as a player. A strong, athletic shooting guard early in his career, Smith had to survive on his smarts near the end.
Brian Hill, Orlando's head coach now, was an assistant when Smith first played with the Magic. Hill said it's easy now to see how Smith ended up in a management position because of his "extremely high basketball IQ." And former teammate Morlon Wiley said that Smith's smarts extended well beyond basketball.
"Otis comes from a really big family, and you could tell right away that he had a lot of wisdom passed on to him early in his life," Wiley said. "Growing up he was kind of the breadwinner for his family. He had a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, and it showed in how he handled situations. He was always a true professional."
Had he not found basketball success, Smith likely would have gone into social work or teaching. His passion always has been working with children and trying to pass along the things taught to him. He has his own kids foundation and took time out of his schedule this past week to address the group before a Magic game.
The Golden State Warriors were the first to recognize Smith's smarts and eye for developing players. He quickly worked his way up the organization, and learned the business side of the NBA under former Warriors general manager Garry St. Jean.
Unique partnership
The Magic brought Smith back to his home state two seasons ago, as he worked under former GMs John Gabriel and John Weisbrod. He was instrumental in the Magic's free-agent signing of Hedo Turkoglu in the summer of 2004, and he and Twardzik were the engines behind the drafting of Howard and Nelson.
When Weisbrod resigned last spring, the Magic's choice was this: Promote Twardzik, a NBA lifer who had league-wide connections and enjoyed the scouting side of the business, or Smith, whom the players respected for his consistent, level-headed approach.
Instead, they were promoted in tandem -- the NBA's only co-GMs -- because they complement each other so well. Smith is the one at practice every day, meeting with players and talking trades with coach Hill. Twardzik's time is usually spent traveling the globe in search of the next hot prospect.
"It's a really good blend, and a big part of that is the tremendous amount of trust that exists between us," Twardzik said. "When I'm out of town we talk every day, and when I'm home we're in each other's offices 10-12 times a day. They joke that we should have a window between our offices that we can just slide open."
Their first act together last spring proved to be a disaster when Vazquez refused to report to Orlando after being selected 11th in the NBA Draft. All of the Magic's indications were that the 6-foot-11, 240-pound forward couldn't wait to play in the NBA, and the Magic were stunned on draft night when he fell to them at No. 11. But that good fortune dried up when Vazquez used the Magic as leverage to get a four-year deal in Spain. The Magic own his NBA rights forever, but there is no promise he will ever play in Central Florida.
"You were frustrated at the process, frustrated at what we were told and what we weren't told," Smith said. "Frustrated about the player? No.
"How much impact he would have had this season, I'm not sure. But he will have an impact at some point in the future. That's what we hang our hat on. We drafted the right guy, but it's just unfortunate that the circumstances haven't worked out yet."
Smith said he's not sure such an arrangement with co-GMs could ever work were it not for him being alongside Twardzik, a selfless type who prefers the behind-the-scenes side of basketball. At the same time, Smith stresses that he eventually wants total control of everything the GM post entails, and he predicts the time is coming when one or the other will have the job to himself.
"I don't envision there being co-GMs very long," Smith said. "I envision this as being something to get us through, and then at some point you have to name a GM. At some point in time I want to be the GM -- if not here then somewhere else. But right now I'm just doing the job that's in front of me."
'Carrying the flag'
That he is in the minority when it comes to minorities in management positions certainly isn't lost on Smith. There was a time, Smith said, when he never could have dreamed such a lofty position would be available to someone of African-American descent.
"These are steppingstones for all of us," Smith said. "There were no minority athletes, no coaches, no GMs, and now there are.
"At some point in time -- and I don't know if it will be in my lifetime -- we may see a minority president. It's special that you can see down the road -- that there are more minorities in every aspect of life."
Slowly but surely, times and hiring practices are changing. The NBA has America's first majority African-American owner in Charlotte's Robert Johnson, and former star players Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Dominique Wilkins have ownership stakes in the Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Lakers, respectively.
Five African-Americans -- Detroit's Joe Dumars, New York's Isiah Thomas, Philadelphia's Billy King, Charlotte's Ed Tapscott, Dallas' Terdema Ussery -- hold the title of team president.
Seven others -- Charlotte's Bernie Bickerstaff and Karl Hicks, Golden State's Rod Higgins, the Los Angeles Clippers' Elgin Baylor, Atlanta's Billy Knight and Orlando's Smith -- control player personnel from GM posts.
"Growing up and knowing how hard it is for African-American people to sometimes get things in life you really appreciate this opportunity," said Higgins, who has stockpiled the Warriors with young talent and helped orchestrate the blockbuster trade for Baron Davis last season. "Opportunities like this can be few and far between. So you realize that you are sort of out there carrying the flag for the next generation."
Wiley, an assistant coach for the Magic, said African-Americans in Central Florida and around the country are watching in hopes Smith can succeed and continue to knock down barriers that exist for others.
Added Grant Hill, "He's trying to pave the way for others, and he's willing to work that much harder. Not many minorities get the opportunity that he has. This is bigger than him just succeeding for the Magic; it's him succeeding for others and opening doors for them."
Smith making all the right moves
By KEN HORNACK
Staff Writer, April 30, 2006
MAITLAND -- As the victories piled up for the Orlando Magic during the final six weeks of their season, so did the accolades for Otis Smith.
"Otis is the guy you've got to give the credit to," owner Rich DeVos said of the 42-year-old former Magic player who was promoted to assistant general manager the day before last year's NBA Draft.
That sentiment stretched beyond the walls of the team's headquarters. Sports Illustrated recently singled out the Magic for making what the magazine called the best trade of the season by acquiring Darko Milicic and Carlos Arroyo in February from Detroit for Kelvin Cato.
It's a far cry from the ridicule Smith and Dave Twardzik were subjected to when Fran Vazquez, the forward from Spain whom the Magic drafted with the 11th overall selection a year ago, refused to emigrate and left a franchise coming off a non-playoff season with nothing to show for its first-round pick.
But all of the pats on the back of late haven't changed Smith's posture or outlook.
"The changes that were made had to be made for the best interests of our team," he said. "And not just for the short term. Short-term wins can't affect the long-term thinking."
The Magic's 16-6 record from March 10 on -- the best mark over their final 22 games in franchise history -- might have done more than revive interest and attendance. It could put Smith in line for a reported promotion in which the assistant portion of his job title is dropped.
But the jobs won't change. What Smith concentrates on is the Magic's day-to-day operations. He is a frequent observer at practice and also has become adept at handling interviews with local and national reporters.
"You have to be around your team to kind of get a feel for where you are, to know what you need, to know if there needs to be a personnel change," he said.
Twardzik is often on the road, sometimes even out of the country, scouting. While he caught flak for the drafting of Vazquez, it was largely through his efforts as director of player personnel under former GM John Weisbrod that the Magic obtained the rights to Jameer Nelson with the 20th overall pick in 2004 the same night they took Dwight Howard at No. 1.
"We do a pretty good job of staying out of each other's way," Smith said. "I don't know if I could have picked a better guy to work with. His strengths and mine are kind of the opposite."
"The best thing about Otis is what you see is what you get with him," Twardzik said. "There are no hidden agendas. He's not trying to con anybody."
And it's not Smith's intent to con fans into thinking that Howard, despite being the NBA's second-leading rebounder and making significant strides on offense, can become a candidate for Most Valuable Player in his third season and at the age of 21 like LeBron James has.
The Magic had few games where they didn't place four or five players in double figures. Smith claims he's not patterning the Magic after the Pistons, who have four starters averaging between 14 and 20 points a game, but the increased emphasis on sharing the ball is unavoidable.
"I don't think you build your team around an MVP," Smith said. "If you want to win and win big, you have to have chip-ins from everybody. You've got to have a go-to person, and I think we're building toward that. But I'm not sure we're there yet."
The Magic appear a lot closer than they were before adding Milicic and Arroyo, who combined to average more than 18 points a game off their bench. That trade, along with the deal sending Steve Francis to the Knicks, laid the foundation for what was to come.
"There was a lot of addition by subtraction," Smith said. "And you've got great guys. We've got great guys who care about winning."
Barring a surprise development when the draft lottery is held May 23, the Magic should have the No. 11 pick for the second consecutive year. They aren't expected to be all that active in a slim free-agent market this summer either.
But the short-term success with the players assembled by Smith could reap further benefits, regardless of what his job title ends up being.
"You have to have some trust and confidence in each other," he said. "And I think they do."
