Otis Smith Leads Orlando Magic as General Manager

Otis Smith was a journeyman (the dictionary describes the term as a competent and reliable but unexceptional performer) whose NBA career was cut short by injury as a player, but the Jacksonville native is front and center in his role as general manager of the Orlando Magic. He was bounced between three teams in six NBA seasons as a forward from Jacksonville University before being forced to retire in 1993 with a knee injury. Smith is in charge of all basketball operations - capped an impressive rise up the executive ladder with a trip to the year’s NBA final – where the Magic was defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Smith was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida and played basketball at Jacksonville University where he became the only player in school history to tally more than 1,700 points and 900 rebounds in his collegiate career. His jersey was retired at Jacksonville University in 2002. He earned a degree in marketing and management. He was then taken with the 17th pick in the second round of the 1986 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets. He also played for the Golden State Warriors before becoming a member of the Orlando Magic on June 15. Sadly, Otis Smith retired with a knee injury after his sixth season.

Otis Smith has held several positions for the Orlando Magic including: Director of Community Relations, Director of Player Development, Co-General Manager, and he has been the General Manager of the Orlando Magic since May 3, 2006.

Denver’s Mark Warkentien won the 2009 NBA Executive of the Year Award, but along with Danny Ferry who brought Mo Williams to Cleveland to help lead the team to a 66-win season, LA’s Mitch Kupchak for the theft of Pau Gasol along with getting Trevor Ariza and Shannon Brown off other team’s benches, Otis Smith has to be in the conversation. Of course, Warkentien pulled arguably the best in-season move by sending Allen Iverson to Detroit for Chauncey Billups, which gave the Nuggets the toughness and defensive intensity to go from a Western Conference also-ran to a legitimate contender.

Take a look at the job Otis Smith has done:
June 7 2007
Released head coach Billy Donovan and named Stan Van Gundy head coach.
July 11 2007
Traded a conditional second-round pick and cash to the Seattle SuperSonics for forward Rashard Lewis.
July 12 2007
Signed center Dwight Howard to a contract extension.
August 27 2007
Signed center Marcin Gortat.
October 31 2007
Signed guard Jameer Nelson to a contract extension.
Draft 2008
Selected guard Courtney Lee (22nd overall pick).
July 10 2008
Signed guard Mickael Pietrus.
July 15 2008
Signed guard Anthony Johnson.
February 19 2009
Traded forward Brian Cook to the Houston Rockets for guard Rafer Alston.

So, in the last two years, Smith has 1) locked up his two cornerstones (Howard and Nelson) to long term contracts, 2) traded for the versatile Lewis, who wreaked havoc in the Cleveland series, 3) found two starter-quality perimeter players in the draft (Lee) and free agency (Pietrus), 4) found a couple of hard-nosed rotation guys in the draft (Gortat) and free agency (Johnson), 5) pulled off a deal for Rafer Alston when Nelson went down, and 6) found a guy to coach them all.

Stats:
Seasons 4
Playoffs 3
Division Titles 2
Conference Titles 1
Not bad.