Otis Smith (basketball)

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Otis Smith

Position	G-F
Height	6' 5"
Weight	210 lbs
Nationality	USA
Born	January 30 1964 (1964-01-30) (age 45) Image:Flag of Florida.svg Jacksonville, Florida
Pro career	{{{career_start}}} –present

Otis Fitzgerald Smith (born January 30, 1964 in Jacksonville, Florida) is an American former professional basketball player and current general manager of the NBA's Orlando Magic. It was with the Magic that he posted his best statistics as an NBA player, averaging in double digits in points for most of his time there.

[edit] Playing Career

Smith was taken with the 17th pick in the second round of the 1986 NBA Draft out of Jacksonville University by the Denver Nuggets. He played parts of two seasons with the Nuggets before being traded to the Golden State Warriors during the 1987-88 season. His career with the Orlando Magic started with the 1989-90 season, and he played there through the 1991-92 season. He posted career highs of 13.9 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game in 1991 with the Magic. He retired after playing in 375 games, with career averages of 10.5 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, and 1.8 assists per game.^[1]

[edit] Management Career

As a general manager his tenure has had several ups and downs. The 2005 first-round draft pick Fran Vázquez failed to sign a contract with the Magic and subsequently went back to Europe to play. His 2006 draft pick of JJ Redick could not get off the bench. He also hired UF head coach Billy Donovan to replace outsted coach Brian Hill, and days later Donovan backed out of being the Magic head coach. Smith later hired former Miami Heat coach Stan Van Gundy. He also let the 7-foot restricted free agent Darko Miličić become an unrestricted free agent in order to sign Rashard Lewis to a six-year, $113 million deal prior to the start of the 2007-08 season.

1. ^ http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smithot01.html Otis Smith at Basketball-Reference.com