The Sacramento Kings were the backup, and the Magic got their man.
When most sane Kings fans went to bed on Wednesday night, all indications were that Stan Van Gundy was to be the Kings' new coach in the morning. But the only clues you had that he was ever there were the lingering smell of aftershave, your rumpled sheets, and the toilet seat was left up. Because we got screwed.
In a breaking story posted short of 1 a.m. Thursday morning, the Sacramento Bee's Sam Amick has the goods, like he has all week, saying that Van Gundy will be making an announcement today that he is the new head coach, but not of the Kings. Instead, he will take the head coaching position recently made available by the Orlando Magic, after the "Runaway Bride" act pulled by Brian Donovan in the last few days. Essentially, everything that had driven Van Gundy away from Orlando and to the Kings in the first place has been undone.
Just when it appeared the Kings' search for a new head coach was drawing to a conclusion, Van Gundy's last-minute withdrawal will see the team scrambling. It's been well-documented that Van Gundy and Kurt Rambis were the only candidates who had made it back for repeat meetings with the Maloofs, and now Amick says this opens the door again for "Lakers assistant Brian Shaw, New Jersey assistant Bill Cartwright and Kings assistant Scott Brooks."
ESPN.com also has the news that Van Gundy is headed to the Magic.