NBA Rumors: Brian Shaw "Interested" in Orlando Magic Coaching Job, According to Report

The Orlando Magic took a step forward Wednesday when they announced they'd hired Rob Hennigan as their new General Manager. While it's still possible they aren't finished shaking up their front office--Hennigan is expected to comment on his plans on that front when he meets the media Thursday--the team still has to hire a head coach. All indications are they'll shift their focus to the coaching search after the NBA Draft on June 28th.

As Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports, the team is expected to show interest in Magic assistant Steve Clifford, Golden State Warriors assistant Mike Malone, Los Angeles Lakers assistant Chuck Person, and Indiana Pacers assistant Brian Shaw. And as Yahoo! Sports' Marc Spears reports, Shaw "was more interested in [the] Orlando coach job" than he was in the Charlotte Bobcats'. Charlotte hired former St. John's Red Storm coach Mike Dunlap on Tuesday after interviewing a host of candidates, including Shaw. But apparently Shaw has a soft spot for Orlando, where he played three years of his NBA career, and always preferred its opening to the Bobcats'.

Spears' early-Thursday Tweet jives with something the Sentinel's Brian Schmitz reported early in June: that Shaw is "waiting" for the Magic to begin their coaching search. The admiration may be mutual: Magic ownership is rumored to favor Shaw over all other coaching candidates.

Charlotte's hire of Dunlap leaves Orlando and the Portland Trail Blazers with the only two head-coaching vacancies in the NBA.

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