NBA Rumors: Orlando Magic's GM Search Is Slap in the Face to Otis Smith

The Orlando Magic reportedly have already interviewed current employee Adonal Foyle for their GM position. The problem is, they already have a GM. 

That position has been filled by Otis Smith since the 2005-06 season.

Update: Wednesday, May 9 at 6:53 p.m. ET

Since I published this, Foyle has come out and made it clear,  twitter, that this rumor is not true.

"

Let me be abundantly clear I have never been interviewed for a GM job with the Orlando Magic.

— Adonal Foyle (@afoyle3131) May 9, 2012"

For everyone involved, I hope this is true. 

Let's take a look at the rumor. 

RealGM.com's Jarrod N. Rudolph tweeted out the news.

"

Sources say Orlando Magic have interviewed Adonal Foyle, Director of Player Development, for General Manager position.

— Jarrod N Rudolph (@JRudolphSports) May 9, 2012"

RealGM.com is a reputable site, and it is very unlikely that Rudolph would have tweeted this had he not had every reason to believe it was legit information. 

Conducting an interview for a potential replacement while the position is still filled is not the way to do business, and Smith deserves far better treatment. 

Under Smith's reign as GM, the Magic have made the playoffs six straight seasons. This includes a trip to the 2009 NBA Finals. 

The six straight trips to the postseason is the longest consecutive streak in the history of the franchise. 

Smith has been a consummate professional throughout his tenure in Orlando, and he is being rewarded with amateur practices. 

This has been a long and trying season for Smith. The Dwight Howard impending free-agent fiasco put the GM in an unenviable position. And now that the dust has settled on this drama-filled season the club rewards him by interviewing people for his job. 

If the Magic want to part ways with Smith, that is fine, and clearly their choice. It is the nature of the business. But they should have the decency to let Smith go first. 

Now, he is just a lame-duck GM that now knows he is clearly not the club's first choice. This undermines his power should they decide not to part ways with him, and would make his job even more difficult as he would have to deal with another season with D-12's impending free agency hanging over the franchise. 

The only viable option now is for the Magic to replace him. So they should just let him go, and free him up to explore his next career options.