Frank Vogel hired as head coach of Orlando Magic

Former Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel has been hired as the next head coach of the Orlando Magic, replacing the departed Scott Skiles.

According to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, “the Orlando Magic have reached a deal in principle with Frank Vogel” to be the next head coach of the Eastern Conference basketball team.

Vogel last coached the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of their first round series against the No. 2 seeded Toronto Raptors in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. The Pacers lost Game 7 in Toronto and Vogel was not given a contract extension with Indiana from team president Larry Bird.

What Orlando is getting in Vogel is a strong defensive-mind and frankly a top 10 head coach in the game today. When Indiana was at its best under Vogel, playing in back-to-back Eastern Confernce Finals in 2013 and 2014, the Pacers played a bruising brand of defense-first basketball with outstanding play from its front court.

Orlando seemed like the best fit for Vogel once he was let go by the Pacers a few weeks ago, as the Magic have the young roster best equipped to build a defensive juggernaut in Central Florida. Vogel inherits two solid offensive-minded big men in Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon.

If Vogel can tap into the immense potential he has in the back court with Victor Oladipo, Elfrid Payton, and Mario Hezonja, he could in theory have better success down the road in Orlando than he had in Indiana.

With Orlando, Vogel will have a younger, possibly a roster with higher upside than he had in Indiana. He won’t have a perennial All-Star with the Magic like he had in Pacers small forward Paul George, but if Vogel was going to transition from one head coaching job to another this offseason, the Magic was easily the best landing spot for him. Orlando made the best hire for their situation in grabbing Vogel off the market.

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