Magic exec Weisbrod set to resign After five years with the Orlando Magic, General Manager and Chief Operating Officer John Weisbrod will resign, possibly as early as today, a National Basketball Association source told the Orlando Sentinel on Sunday. Weisbrod's surprise decision to quit comes as the Magic prepare to name a head coach within the next few days. Flip Saunders, Brian Hill and Eric Musselman are considered the front-runners among the final candidates. Team President Bob Vander Weide will oversee the club's coaching search and overall basketball operations, with input from Otis Smith, director of player development, and Dave Twardzik, director of player personnel. "They all have been involved in the coaching search from the beginning," said an NBA executive. "From what I've heard, they are close" to naming a coach. The executive, who asked not to be named, said it was Weisbrod's decision to leave the Magic. He will not be involved in preparations for the NBA draft June 28. Weisbrod did not return calls from the Sentinel. When Weisbrod made his decision to resign was not clear, but there were rumblings last week concerning his future. Asked Wednesday by the Sentinel if there was a major development involving him, Weisbrod indicated via a text message that he planned to remain as the Magic's general manager. Weisbrod, who was named chief operating officer of RDV Sports in 2000 and who succeeded John Gabriel as general manager of the Magic in March 2004, could be considering a front-office position in the National Hockey League, according to an NBA source. A labor dispute caused the NHL to lock out its players and cancel the 2004-05 season. Weisbrod, a former hockey player in the San Jose Sharks organization, served as general manager and vice president of the Orlando Solar Bears of the International Hockey League from 1997 to 2000. The defunct Solar Bears were owned by Rich DeVos, who owns the Magic. Weisbrod said he had not been contacted by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks after the The Boston Globe mentioned him in April as a prospective candidate for that NHL team's general-manager position. As chief operating officer of RDV Sports, Weisbrod, a Harvard graduate, was in charge of basketball operations and player personnel. Weisbrod told the Sentinel in February that he had surrendered some of his responsibilities as chief operating officer to Jim Fritz, executive vice president of finance and business operations. With his hockey background and blunt and often controversial demeanor, Weisbrod was a surprise choice to lead the Magic. At 36, he became one of the youngest executives in pro sports. Shortly after replacing Gabriel as general manager, he made swift, bold and hotly debated moves to rebuild the Magic after their league-worst 21-61 record. He brought in 11 new players and made three major trades. A believer in team chemistry and dynamics, Weisbrod clashed with star guard Tracy McGrady, who asked to be traded near the end of the 2003-04 season. Weisbrod dealt McGrady, forward Juwan Howard and guards Tyronn Lue and Reece Gaines last June to the Houston Rockets for point guard Steve Francis, guard Cuttino Mobley and center Kelvin Cato. Weisbrod made it clear that McGrady was not his kind of player, and the two exchanged barbs after the deal. Later in the summer, Weisbrod then sent forward Drew Gooden and rookie forward Anderson Varejao to the Cleveland Cavaliers for center/forward Tony Battie. In January, Weisbrod traded Mobley to the Sacramento Kings for guard Doug Christie. Although the Magic predicted they would make the playoffs, they collapsed down the stretch and finished 36-46. They will participate Tuesday night in the NBA draft lottery, which decides the drafting order of the 14 non-playoff teams. Smith and Twardzik are considered candidates to replace Weisbrod as general manager. When asked about his future during a question-and-answer session in March, Weisbrod said, "I don't think about my future. I'm sort of unorthodox when it comes to career stuff. People think that I have this master plan to take over the world -- this Harvard guy wanting to climb the sports ladder. "Anyone who knows me knows that's not the case. All I aspire to do is, whenever I get out of the shower in the morning, I'm fired up about where I'm going." -- By Brian Schmitz, Sentinel Staff Writer --

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