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GATORS COLUMN

Donovan Only Has Himself To Blame For This Mess

By JOEY JOHNSTON

Published: Jun 5, 2007

For nearly three months, whenever Billy Donovan's name was linked to a job opening, he sometimes offered a puzzling response:

"This isn't about me."

Billy, now it's all about you.

And it's a mess.

There is a time to forgive and forget. Not today, though. Frankly, we're tired of this emotional wringer.

Donovan should have handled this with more professionalism. When making a move this dramatic - leaving the University of Florida's basketball dynasty for a five-year, $27.5 million deal with the NBA's Orlando Magic - how can such a post-decision meltdown happen? Why wasn't everything sorted out before putting pen to paper on the contract?

Now we're left with Donovan's rapidly disintegrating credibility, his inexplicable waffling and, yes, his selfishness.

Last week, Donovan rocked our world, shook our sensibilities.

Now he wants to say … oh, never mind?

Quite a trick, going from golden boy to national punch line.

Had Donovan initially elected to remain at UF, great. Truth be told, he's a magnificent college coach, a Hall of Famer, already a legend. Hey, why leave that comfortable setting?

Had Donovan followed through with the Magic, fine. New challenge. Same state. Nothing left to accomplish in college. In fact, Donovan sold that thinking very well, and we bought it - wholeheartedly.

Had Donovan arrived Friday at the Orlando news conference in tears, saying, "Nope. Can't do it. My heart is with the Gators," even that would have been accepted, perhaps as the ultimate show of loyalty over (more) millions.

But this?

Anything but this embarrassment.

Surveying The Wreckage

Don't worry too much about Donovan. He'll weather this storm. He built up 11 seasons of credit at UF. As he looks for a soft landing back in Gainesville, he's fortunate that the athletic director, Jeremy Foley, also is a dear friend. Another boss, and maybe Donovan is shown the door.

He'll be fine in time.

But what about everybody else? What about the lives that were affected?

Not so fortunate.

• The Magic finally got their groove back, turning the corner as a franchise, receiving Shaq-like attention once more. They made a statement - bagging Billy Donovan. Poof! That's gone.

• Several hundred excited Magic fans purchased season-ticket packages after Donovan's hiring. With all due respect to Stan Van Gundy, the potential fallback plan, shouldn't they get a refund?

• Gator recruits - and their parents - were shaken. That goes double for current UF team members. After assuring players he was staying, Donovan suddenly was going. Now he's staying (we think).

• VCU's Anthony Grant, the former Gator assistant under Donovan and the obvious choice as a replacement, was poised to accelerate his career. Now he's backpedaling and rejecting insinuations that he wanted to leave VCU, where his first season featured 28 wins and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Grant's eyes weren't wandering - until one of his dream jobs (UF) came open, ever so slightly - but do VCU administrators and recruits see it that way?

What a mess.

If Donovan frets about the implications from this piled-up wreckage, there's no getting away from one fact. He has no one to blame but himself.

Having It Both Ways?

It's a strange place for the coach, who generally leaves nothing to chance, whether it's a practice plan, a motivational ploy or an answer to a reporter's anticipated question.

Bill Parcells once left the jilted Bucs at the altar (twice, actually). Donovan and the Magic already were on the honeymoon.

If Donovan still was conflicted, why didn't he raise the red flag, um, last week? Why didn't he just tell the Magic, "Can I have the weekend to think about this some more?"

Personally, I wasn't anticipating Donovan jumping to the NBA this soon - or at all. His wife, Christine, loved Gainesville, a great place to raise a young family, a community where she was devoted to local causes. His mentor, Louisville coach Rick Pitino, flopped with the NBA's Boston Celtics and regretted leaving Kentucky.

Pitino promptly told Donovan he should look at the Magic because of the franchise's upside.

Donovan's wife said she was OK with the move, if he could win, if it made him happy.

So much for those trump cards.

In an odd arrangement, maybe part rationalization, Donovan's family was remaining in Gainesville short-term (maybe up to one year) while he retained an Orlando condominium and commuted when possible. Some nights, with an afternoon practice and no game, he could be home for dinner.

It sounded workable. Now it looks like the classic case of trying to have it both ways.

Previously, when Donovan was asked about job-hopping, he always said "both of my feet are in the circle," meaning he was committed to Florida. Turns out, he only had one foot in the Magic's circle.

And that's not the right way to accept a job. For a man in such control, why couldn't he have seen that before creating such a mess? Now it's easy to play the blame game.

This time, Billy, it's all about you.