Orlando Magic hire Jacque Vaughn as Coach
Amid the ensuing uncertainty that continues to plague the Orlando Magic, former San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Jacque Vaughn has been hired as their full-time head coach.
While the Dwight Howard trade saga continues to rumble on in Florida, the firing of Stan Van Gundy was an issue that needing settling after two months without a head coach.
At 37-years-old Vaughn is still at a tender age in terms of professional experience but, following an NBA playing career that saw him learn from Doc Rivers, Jerry Sloan and Gregg Popovich, his knowledge shouldn’t be underestimated.
Vaughn becomes the 10th coach in team history and joins 30-year-old general manager Rob Hennigan in the youthful re-development that appears to be taking place in Orlando following Hennigan’s hiring last month,
The former first-round pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, Vaughn fought off a list of contenders that included Philadelphia 76ers assistant Michael Curry and Phoenix Suns development coach Lindsey Hunter and the Magic GM was sure of his selection.
“As we navigated through our coaching search, we quickly saw that Jacque’s spirit and leadership strengths made him the clear choice,” said Hennigan.
“We are confident that his diligence, attention to detail and communication style will help establish the bedrock of our culture moving forward. His commitment and passion to building a sustainable program will help steer our organization for years to come.”
As a player, Vaughn played 12 NBA seasons that included 80 games for the Orlando Magic in 2002-03 before retiring in 2009.
He will be succeeding Van Gundy who in five years recorded a 259-135 regular-season record, franchise-best .657 winning percentage and a 31-28 playoff record.
While most within the Magic camp appear convinced by the choice, former Orlando player and current television analyst, Shaquille O’Neal, took to twitter to express is disconcert at the appointment.
Although the former Atlanta Hawk has never had the experience of a head-coaching role and in spite of the outside criticisms, he won a championship as a Spurs player in 2007 and ticks all of the boxes that both Hennigan and Magic CEO Alex Martin were looking for in their replacement.
The biggest problem for the Magic continues to be Dwight Howard’s future and, while it is unknown what effect Vaughn’s hiring will have on Howard’s future (if any), his commitment to leaving Orlando sooner rather than later appears to be building steam.
Jacque Vaughn will formally be announced as the new coach in a Monday news conference.