With the recent dismissal of head coach Jacque Vaughn, the Orlando Magic are now in need of a head coach for the third time in five years. Although assistant coach James Borrego has taken over in the interim, the organization made it clear that they were in a hurry to name a new head coach, and could do so as early as this weekend.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at three of the more feasible candidates that the Magic could be considering. The names on this list under consideration all happen to be former head coaches, unlike Vaughn, who came to the team after being an assistant under Gregg Popovich with the Spurs. Because of this, the Magic are more likely to go with a candidate who has head coaching experience, preferably with rebuilding teams.
1. Mike Malone – This would be an interesting hire for several reasons. Malone was let go by the Sacramento Kings back in mid-December, even after a fairly solid start to the season. Malone had just begun to turn the Kings around, and prior to that he was an assistant under Mark Jackson with the Golden State Warriors when they underwent a turnaround of their own to reach the playoffs for consecutive seasons, earning Malone NBA Assistant Coach of the Year honors in 2012. He was reportedly a candidate for the Magic job that year as well, but remained with the Warriors.
Malone’s slower-tempo, defensive-centered approach was not appreciated by the Kings’ management, but it was working for the team, who were the eighth-best unit in the league in defensive efficiency when he was forced out. Malone has a very disciplined approach to his coaching, and was considered instrumental in the development of Sacramento All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins, who had seemingly matured under his watch, and displayed a strong sense of loyalty and respect for his now-ex coach in return. Given Malone’s success with Cousins, it’s safe to assume that he could aide in the development of the Magic’s young and talented center, Nikola Vucevic.
Sacramento’s roster was not especially suited to be a great defensive team, but Malone made it work. The Magic are in dire need of some defensive direction, as they currently rank 24th in the league in points allowed with 101.7 per game.
Mark Jackson – Jackson was at the helm for the Golden State Warriors’ massive turnaround in 2012, guiding them to back-to-back playoff appearances after posting records of 47-35 and 51-31. He was let go last summer after several clashes with management. While it’s true that Steve Kerr has picked up where Jackson left off, and is probably doing even better with the roster, it doesn’t negate the fact that Jackson turned them from a losing team into an up and coming playoff contender, something they hadn’t been in 20 years.
Because of his ability to turn a team around while focusing on defense and utilizing individual talent, Jackson would be ideal for a young team that will add yet another lottery draft pick this summer.
Scott Skiles – Skiles, the most likely of the three to take over the job, was a solid and savvy point guard in the league during his playing days, and enjoyed his most productive seasons in Orlando, where he set an NBA record back in 1990 with 30 assists in one game. Skiles knows a thing or two about the point guard position, and would be a great mentor to Elfrid Payton, who possesses a ton of raw talent but needs refining.
Skiles has enjoyed relatively successful stints with Phoenix, Chicago, and Milwaukee, and has guided all three teams to the playoffs, which he did most recently with the Bucks in 2010, breaking the team’s streak of seven-straight losing seasons. Well-known as a disciplinarian, Skiles would bring accountability and elevated expectations to a young Magic roster who had begun to ignore Vaughn as the season wore on. Skiles has apparently mellowed out somewhat since he resigned from the Bucks in 2013, and that may bode well for him going forward should he land the job as expected.
