Top Candidates to Replace Orlando Magic's Jacque Vaughn as Head Coach
Jacque Vaughn likely isn't going to be serving as the Orlando Magic head coach for too much longer, and Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski has the scoop:
"As embarrassing losses accumulate, Vaughn is rapidly running out of time to show the progress needed to make it through the next several days—never mind the fourth and final year of his contract in 2015-16, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
'It isn't a matter of 'if,' anymore, but 'when,''' a source close to the decision-making process told Yahoo Sports about Vaughn’s fading job security.
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But when Vaughn is no longer pacing the Amway Center's sidelines, who's going to replace him?
The internal options are limited, and we're in the middle of a season. It's tough to find big-name candidates who will be willing to take over in media res, hoping they stick around for at least another season. Chances are, the Magic will have an interim coach for the rest of the 2014-15 campaign and a new one during the ensuing offseason.
And then, the options are much more promising.
After all, this Magic gig should be an appealing one. The expectations are low, but there's so much potential on the roster that a turnaround could take place in expedited fashion. With Victor Oladipo turning into a star, Elfrid Payton developing and Nikola Vucevic continuing to look like a standout center, there's plenty of hope in Orlando.
Now, the organization just needs to find the right man to call the signals.
James Borrego
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"In fact, the lack of a natural candidate to promote to interim head coach from a young, inexperienced staff of assistants has played a part in Orlando management's hesitancy to have already made a change, sources told Yahoo Sports," Wojnarowski reported.
It's unlikely that one of the assistant coaches—James Borrego, Wes Unseld Jr. and Brett Gunning—actually becomes anything more than an interim, meant to serve as a placeholder while a more experienced coach is wooed. But if one of those three does stick, the best bet is Borrego.
After all, he has a decent bit of coaching experience, though he's never called all the shots. NBA.com provides us with some of his background:
"Prior to joining New Orleans, Borrego spent seven seasons with the San Antonio Spurs from 2003-10. He started as an assistant video coordinator in the summer of 2003 and finished his tenure as an assistant coach. During those season seasons, Borrego was a part of two NBA World Championship teams in 2005 and 2007.
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Borrego began his coaching career at the University of San Diego, where he was an assistant coach for two seasons from 2001-03.
Borrego has been with the Magic in his assistant role since the 2012-13 season, so he's quite familiar with the players who have grown under Vaughn. But that experience with the Spurs is especially helpful, as members of the Gregg Popovich coaching tree typically get looked upon with favor.
"He's done an unbelievable job of doing his job every single day. He is an extremely loyal and trustworthy guy," Vaughn told NBA.com's John Denton in August 2012. "He knows the game, and our players will enjoy being around him. I trust him with my kids, and I definitely trust him with my players. To me, that's the ultimate compliment."
It may be time to put that strategic mind Borrego possesses to work in a larger capacity, though he certainly won't be Orlando's top choice.
David Fizdale
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If there's one assistant coach thought of almost universally as a future head coach, it's David Fizdale.
The 40-year-old former point guard has served in his current role with the Miami Heat since 2008, but he's also gained more responsibilities as he earns the trust of both Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra. He was promoted to assistant head coach just before this 2014-15 season and also became the director of player development.
Not only does Fizdale's ability to work with young players make him an attractive candidate for a youthful Orlando organization, but he's regarded as one of the brightest young coaching minds by many.
"There are a dozens of assistants in the NBA who are certified basketball brainiacs, but few of them have Fizdale's combination of acumen and capacity to relate to NBA players, despite having never played in the league," ESPN.com's Kevin Arnovitz wrote in 2013.
He would go on to reveal, "There's a broad consensus that the question isn't if, but when Fizdale will be tapped for a lead job."
Orlando took a risk when it hired the inexperienced Vaughn, who had only two years on an NBA sideline prior to landing in the captain's chair. Both came under Popovich with the Spurs, but it apparently wasn't enough for him to become truly effective calling all the shots.
Fizdale doesn't have any experience as a head coach, either. But with 11 years of experience as an assistant coach in the NBA, he's a safer option with that coveted upside on the sidelines.
George Karl
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George Karl wants to be back on the sidelines. He said as much on SiriusXM NBA Radio in December 2014, as transcribed by Kurt Helton of Pro Basketball Talk:
"I think I've got one more stint in me. I would like to try to get to the mountain top one more time. My lifetime goal was always to be a NBA champion and I've gotten close a couple of times but I've never gotten there.
I would hope to give it one more whatever—3, 4, 5 year stint with some team. And if I have the energy, which I think I do right now—I'm probably as energized and as healthy as I’ve been since about 15 years ago—I'm ready to go, just find me a team.
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We may have found him one.
The Magic aren't particularly close to winning an NBA championship right now. Just making it to the playoffs would be a huge step in the right direction for an organization that has been rebuilding since Dwight Howard decided he wanted out.
But this is a young roster with plenty of potential at just about every spot in the lineup. Nikola Vucevic, Tobias Harris, Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo, in particular, look as though they could make some All-Star noise year after year once they all mature. And that's saying nothing of Aaron Gordon and the other young talents who suit up in Magic uniforms.
If Karl, a former Coach of the Year, gets his hands on them early and is allowed to shape them in the manner he sees fit, that five-year timetable may be quite reasonable. All this team needs is an identity, and Karl is more-than-capable of providing that type of direction.
Will the man who most recently led the Denver Nuggets to 57 wins agree to come aboard with a struggling team? Maybe not, but that won't prevent the Magic from calling him incessantly.
Mike Malone
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Before DeMarcus Cousins was removed from the lineup with viral meningitis, the Sacramento Kings were hanging around on the fringe of the hunt for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. But then Mike Malone was fired, and the defensive improvement completely disappeared. Plus, the lack of floor-spacing options actually started holding the team back again.
That's one reason for praising Malone. But another is the development of Cousins, who really seemed to blossom under a head coach he connected with.
Grantland's Zach Lowe has more:
"It's tempting to give Malone too much credit for Cousins's development. Some of it is probably just Cousins getting older, maturing, and gaining a better understanding of how to play both ends—of where he scores best, and the tricky dance of containing ball handlers on pick-and-roll defense.
But Malone has been on the sidelines for that development, and by all accounts, he has a solid relationship with Cousins. That would normally count for a lot, especially since Cousins clashed with every one of Malone's predecessors.
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Well, the Magic also have a developing center who needs to turn into a two-way stud.
Vucevic has been quite impressive during the 2014-15 season, and it's a travesty that he didn't receive more All-Star consideration. By every measure, he should be representing the Eastern Conference during the Madison Square Garden festivities. But he can still get significantly better, as he's a mediocre defender on his good nights.
Malone needs another chance, and the Magic are in great position to give him one, handing over the keys to Vucevic's potential and counting on him to shore up the defense.
Scott Skiles
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"It is likely the Magic will promote one of their assistant coaches to interim head coach, but several league executives have speculated that former Magic player Scott Skiles could be a front-runner for the job," reports ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard. "Skiles played five of his 10 NBA seasons with the Magic, enjoying the best years of his career there."
The former point guard would certainly qualify as an experienced candidate.
Not only did he spend a decade playing in the Association, even posting an NBA-record 30 assists during a 1990 game with the Magic, but he also has a long resume filled with coaching jobs.
He spent three years with the Phoenix Suns, making the postseason in two of those seasons. Then he transitioned to the Chicago Bulls, where his teams routinely finished in the middle of the Eastern Conference morass. Most recently, he led the Milwaukee Bucks, compiling a 160-182 record before he was let go of midway through the 2012-13 campaign, replaced by Jim Boylan.
As a point guard, Skiles should connect well with Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo, helping them develop into high-quality players at that crucial position. However, it's worth noting that numerous former pupils of this head coach—most recently, Beno Udrih—have expressed frustration about their relationship with Skiles.
If the Magic are confident their players and the experienced signal-caller will get along, they could help fulfill an old desire.
"The reality in Milwaukee is that coach Scott Skiles wanted out months ago, putting his house up for sale in the area and banking that he could get the Orlando job," Gary Washburn reported for The Boston Globe in January 2013.
Well, he may still get that opportunity after all, even if his dream was deferred for a few years.
Shaka Smart
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Shaka Smart signed an eight-year extension with the VCU Rams in 2011, and it might not be entirely realistic to see him leave behind a town and university that loves him so much for a middling team, even if that squad is brimming over with unrealized potential.
But Smart is too perfect a fit for the Magic to be left off this list entirely.
He's a young, up-and-coming coach who could grow along with the team as he cuts his teeth at the NBA level. Moving beyond that, his "Havoc" defense couldn't be more ideal.
The full-court press doesn't often work against NBA teams—the players who handle the ball are just way too skilled to be pressured into turnovers all that frequently. But if Smart can implement some of the tactics that have made his Rams so tough to deal with at the collegiate level, who better to do so with than Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo?
Both guards are tenacious defenders with plenty of youth in their legs. They can handle the additional mileage that would be asked of them, especially because each has always prided himself on his point-preventing ability. Throw in some long-armed wings and an athletic roster and you have the makings of a defensive juggernaut.
Oladipo, Payton and Aaron Gordon were all stellar defenders while they played at Indiana, Louisiana-Lafayette and Arizona, respectively. Gordon actually led the NCAA in defensive win shares during the 2013-14 season, per Sports-Reference.com,
If the Magic are willing to take a risk, there's no better young coach for the role, especially with those three talents on the roster for the foreseeable future.
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