Lakers assistant Quin Snyder is yet again in the discussion to be a head coach, this time with the Orlando Magic. (Chris Covatta/Getty Images)

While Dwight Howard is soaking up all the headlines out of Orlando, the Magic are still faced with the matter of finding a new head coach.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Magic have at least four candidates on their short list for the head coaching position left vacant by the fired Stan Van Gundy.

Golden State assistant Michael Malone, Los Angeles assistant Quin Snyder, Indiana assistant Brian Shaw and San Antonio assistant Jacque Vaughn are all slated to have first round interviews with the team during the next week.

New Magic GM Rod Hennigan said recently that previous head coaching experience would be an added bonus.

“It’s important,” Hennigan answered. “I think anytime you want to hire a coach certainly a guy who’s been in that seat before is important. I don’t think it’s the most important thing. But I do think it’s an important piece to the puzzle.”

None of the four candidates has head coaching experience.

Both Synder and Shaw were finalists for the Charlotte Bobcats job before the team offered the position to Mike Dunlap in June.

Now that former Utah Jazz coach has taken his name out of the running for the Charlotte Bobcats head-coaching position, according to SI.com’s Sam Amick, only two candidates remain: Pacers assistant Brian Shaw and Lakers assistant Quin Snyder.

But Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register writes that Shaw is thought to prefer the Orlando Magic opening, which would leave the Bobcats job to Snyder.

Ding writes:

Snyder, 45, doesn’t have the NBA experience of Shaw, who was passed over as Phil Jackson’s replacement when Brown was hired as Lakers head coach. But Snyder has an outstanding grasp of the NBA pick-and-roll game and connected very well with Lakers star Kobe Bryant in just one year together.

Snyder, a former Missouri head coach who rebuilt his career in the D-League after NCAA violations in Columbia, was in Charlotte for a second interview on Wednesday, this time with owner Michael Jordan. Snyder’s Duke pedigree doesn’t seem to be an issue with North Carolina alum Jordan.

Amick tweets the following, however:

I'm told that Brian Shaw has not pulled himself out of the running for the Charlotte job, FWIW. Stay tuned. No final decision expected today—
Sam Amick (@sam_amick) June 15, 2012