Just as the Orlando Magic was gearing up for an onslaught of positive publicity related to their recent coaching coup, the court was pulled out from under them. Billy Donovan, the ultra-popular, ultra-winning former coach of the University of Florida turned his back on the Orlando Magic's 5-year, $27.5 million dollar deal, packed up his office (which probably didn't have much in it yet) and headed back to Central Florida with his head held high.
The Orlando Magic needed the PR boost Billy Donovan would bring. With sagging ticket sales and lackluster games, a big name coach would have helped the Magic significantly. On the other hand, the University of Florida will undoubtedly reap a plethora of PR rewards with Donovan's return. Marketing their basketball team just went back to being a lot easier.
As Mike Greenberg from ESPN says on his website in reference to Donovan's decision, "Money is very important. I’m never trying to understate the significance of money. But, that is a good expression that it really doesn’t buy you everything."
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