Promising Orlando Magic Roster Needs the Right Coach Right Now

Sometimes, the NBA's coaching carousel spins itself. On Thursday, Scott Skiles left the Orlando Magic spinning their wheels in search of a new head coach.

In a statement released by the team, Skiles announced his sudden resignation:

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After much thought and careful consideration, I and I alone, have come to the conclusion that I am not the right head coach for this team. Therefore, effective immediately, I resign my position as head coach of the Orlando Magic. I realize this type of decision can cause much speculation. The reality though is in the first sentence. It is simple and true. Any other rumors are pure conjecture.

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Whatever the root cause of Skiles' departure, the Magic must move forward to find their fourth head coach in as many years. Now more than ever, general manager Rob Hennigan will be under pressure to hire the right head coach—and not just because his job could depend on it.

Long before Skiles skipped town, this offseason was shaping up to be a big one in the Magic Kingdom. Between a 10-win improvement in 2015-16, a roster replete with young talent, another lottery pick during this year's draft and (potentially) more than $50 million in cap space, Orlando is poised to be a major player once the NBA officially reopens for business in July.

Rumors about the Magic's potential free-agent coups fluttered throughout the season: Chandler Parsons could be eyeing a central Florida homecoming, assuming he opts out of his current contract with the Dallas Mavericks. The team might splash its cash at another pair of former Gators, Al Horford and Joakim Noah. Even Dwight Howard could contemplate a return to Orlando.

To that end, Skiles' abrupt exit might be a blessing in disguise. He's been known to grate on his players to the point of exhausting his welcome in a hurry. He never lasted longer than 4.5 seasons during any of his three previous stops. Chances are Skiles wouldn't have been the sort of coach to attract high-profile free agents to Orlando.

How critical a coach is to a team's free-agent recruiting effort varies from one organization to another. The Los Angeles Lakers, for instance, made finding a "recruiter-in-chief" a priority during the search that led them to Golden State Warriors assistant Luke Walton, per Sporting News' Sean Deveney.

The Magic might not need such a salesman to market themselves to potential players. The lack of income tax in Florida can't hurt. Neither can the warmer climate.

The most important part of any pitch, though, will be the roster. The Magic were the sixth-youngest team in the league this past season. They could become even more so if Brandon Jennings and Jason Smith both split via free agency and if the team decides to excise Ersan Ilyasova, who's guaranteed only $400,000 of his $8.4 million salary for next year.

Either way, there will be plenty of prospects on hand for the next staff to coach up.

Nikola Vucevic, the team's leading scorer (18.2 points) and rebounder (8.8 boards) from this past season, doesn't turn 26 until late October. Orlando's top assist man, Elfrid Payton Jr., turned 22 in February. Its best slasher, Victor Oladipo, just turned 24. And its most promising prospect, Aaron Gordon, is more than four months shy of his 21st birthday.

Fernando Medina/Getty Images

Molding this group into a cohesive, effective whole on both ends of the floor—after ranking 22nd in offensive efficiency and 17th in defensive efficiency, per NBA.com—will be no easy feat for Skiles' successor. According to the Orlando Sentinel's Josh Robbins, Skiles didn't vibe with the organization's approach to player development:

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Skiles determined that some of the team's softness stemmed from tanking during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. Too often, he felt, team officials had emphasized players' individual growth instead of their collective growth, and Skiles thought the residue from the constant losing during 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons continued to haunt the franchise during his season as the coach.

One of the disagreements between Skiles and the Magic front office was about the team's point guard situation. Hennigan and the front office regarded — and still regard — Payton as the franchise's point guard of the future. Skiles did not.

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If Payton is still a priority for the Magic—which, two years after trading a 2017 first-round pick and the rights to Dario Saric to the Philadelphia 76ers to get him, he should be—the team would do well to reach out to Mike D'Antoni. The current Philadelphia 76ers assistant made his bones as a "point guard whisperer," first with Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns and then with Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks.

In Orlando, D'Antoni would oversee a young team that's ready-made to get out and run. And in Gordon, he'd have a young pupil who's often been compared favorably to former "Seven Seconds or Less" success story Shawn Marion.

The presence of Oladipo next to Payton in the Magic's backcourt could line the team up to look like more recent Suns squads, with Jeff Hornacek as an option at head coach. According to CBS Sports' Ken Berger, Hornacek is on Orlando's short list and was a top candidate for the job in 2012, when Hennigan opted for Jacque Vaughn.

The ideal hire for the Magic, though, may well be now-former Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel. His resume checks every box Orlando is likely looking for.

Need someone to develop young players? Vogel helped transform Roy Hibbert into an All-Star, Paul George into an MVP candidate, George Hill into a bona fide starting point guard and Lance Stephenson into a league leader in triple-doubles.

How about a coach who appeals to and works well with veteran free agents? Vogel was coming off his first half-season as head coach when the Pacers plucked David West out from under the Boston Celtics' noses.

Looking for a proven winner? Vogel won 58 percent (250-181) of his games as the leading man in Indianapolis and guided the Pacers to five playoff appearances in six years, including two trips to the conference finals.

R Brent Smith/Associated Press

There's no guarantee, though, that the Magic will land Vogel if they want him. At this point, he may be the hottest coach on the market, with the New York Knicks and Memphis Grizzlies among his other suitors.

Orlando could also look for some fresh meat among the assistant coaches angling for bigger gigs. ESPN.com's Kevin Arnovitz recently put forth a six-pack of intriguing candidates, including Portland Trail Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts, who's highly regarded for his player development chops:

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The Blazers' young backcourt praises him for his ability to communicate and provide players with cheat codes -- nuanced observations such as opposing players' tendencies or a play call from the other bench. They also appreciate that he'll gladly hop in a taxi with them at 3:30 p.m. if they want to get in an early pregame workout at the arena. Tibbetts simply loves games, loves the preparation that goes into them and loves being in the gym with players.

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It just so happens that Hennigan was in the Oklahoma City Thunder's front office when Tibbetts was the head coach of the team's NBA D-League affiliate, the Tulsa 66ers (now the Oklahoma City Blue), from 2009 to 2011.

Those kinds of connections are crucial in the NBA, especially when it comes to hiring a coach. Hennigan's first hire, Vaughn, was an acquaintance of his from San Antonio. The same goes for James Borrego, who replaced Vaughn on an interim basis in 2015 and could get a crack at the full-time position now.

If Hennigan wants to tap the Spurs well again, he could also look to Ime Udoka or Ettore Messina, both of whom have been prepared as coaches in the Alamo City.

Familiarity could also matter for Adrian Griffin, a current assistant in Orlando who could be considered for a promotion, and Patrick Ewing, who served on Stan Van Gundy's staff with the Magic from 2007 to 2012.

The Magic won't have much trouble finding a quality coach to take over a job that, despite Skiles' exit, might be the most attractive one available at the moment. The challenge for Hennigan and company is figuring out which of those is the best bet to not only last, but also build something sustainable and special in central Florida.

Stats per NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise cited.

Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.