5 replacements for Scott Skiles with Orlando Magic
By John Buhler
Scott Skiles resigned from his post as head coach of the Orlando Magic on Thursday morning. Here are five head coaching candidates Orlando should consider.
The original starting point guard of the Orlando Magic turned NBA head coach Scott Skiles surprisingly resigned from his job with the Magic on Thursday morning. Skiles had been out of the league the previous three seasons after being let go by the Milwaukee Bucks but had built a reputation as a head coach capable of turning around bad teams into something respectable.
For that reason, many felt that the hiring of Skiles last season made a ton of sense for the Magic, as really anything was a step up from former head coach Jacque Vaughn. However, it seemed that after a solid first half to the 2015-16 NBA season that something went awry with the Magic.
Orlando had vied for an Eastern Conference Playoff spot during the 2015 part of their schedule, but sputtered out of control down the stretch to finish 35-47, in 11th place in the Eastern Conference Standings, and the 11th worst record in the NBA.
Skiles’ heart may not have been in coaching this young, upstart team or maybe the three years off from coaching proved to difficult for the man who is best known for turning around bad teams. Either way, Orlando is now the newest team in the NBA in need of a head coach.
With their intriguing young roster, the Magic could theoretically get somebody pretty solid to be their next head coach. Here are five coaching candidates the Magic organization should consider to replace the departed Skiles for 2016-17.
Next: 5. Randy Wittman