NBA Rumors: Orlando Magic Down to Three or Four Finalists for General Manager, According to Report

After conducting an initial round of interviews for the Orlando Magic's vacant General Manager position, team CEO Alex Martins has come up with three finalists, reports Bill Ingram of HOOPSWORLD: Oklahoma City Thunder assistant GM Troy Weaver, San Antonio Spurs assistant GM Dennis Lindsey, and former Portland Trail Blazers executive Tom Penn. Ingram says it's also possible that Jeff Bower, formerly of the New Orleans Hornets, is still in the running as well.

In addition to the four candidates named above, Martins is believed to have interviewed Rob Hennigan of the Thunder and Kevin Pritchard of the Indiana Pacers. The Magic have declined public comment throughout the interview process.

Weaver and Lindsey are widely respected throughout the league and have consistently been named in rumors whenever a GM job becomes available. As Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports noted, Weaver is credited for pushing the Thunder to pick Russell Westbrook with the fourth overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft, which position is much higher than other teams would have chosen him. The athletic point guard has made two All-Star teams and two All-NBA teams in his four-year career.

Lindsey has been elusive, having withdrawn from GM searches involving the Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns, and Minnesota Timberwolves in situations where he would likely have received a GM job offer, according to Wojnarowski. He joined the Spurs in 2007, having spent the prior 11 seasons with the Houston Rockets.

Penn, by all accounts, was a late addition to Martins' search. The former lawyer is considered to be an expert on the NBA salary cap, which expertise led to his earning employment as an analyst for ESPN following his dismissal from Portland. He's also known as a strong evaluator of talent. He and Pritchard helped assemble an up-and-coming team in Portland, one that injuries beset. With Pritchard apparently out of the running, a reunion between the two in Orlando is unlikely.

Upon announcing the team's decision to part ways with Otis Smith, its previous President of Basketball Operations, Martins said he would like to hire a replacement in time for the 2012 NBA Draft, which event is scheduled for June 28th.

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