Orlando Magic Rumors: Scott Skiles to be named coach this week
The Orlando Magic are set to name Scott Skiles their next head coach this week according to a report. Either way, it looks like Magic are ready to move on.
The Orlando Magic’s coaching search has picked up its pace as the Chicago Bulls have dragged their feet on Tom Thiboeau’s coaching future. Orlando appears ready to move on. It appears they have moved on.
With news from Yahoo! Sports scribe Adrian Wojnarowski that Scott Skiles has pulled ahead to become the favorite for the Magic’s coaching position, it seems things will move quickly to make that move official.
Longtime NBA scribe Peter Vecsey reports the Magic will make the announcement official later this week:
Not surprisingly, Skiles will be named Magic coach this wk, I am informed. He was favorite f outset. CEO did PR 4 team when SK starred 4 'em
— Peter Vecsey (@PeterVecsey1) May 25, 2015
Vecsey has a mixed track record with his reporting, but the writing appears to be on the wall. The Magic have moved on from the Thibodeau saga and are moving on with Scott Skiles as their head coach. Wojnarowski’s reporting is always strong and the whispers connecting Skiles to the Magic have persisted since they fired Jacque Vaughn in February.
There is good reason for that. Skiles had his best seasons of his career in Orlando from 1990-94, including winning Most Improved Player in 1991. He is still a fan favorite as one of the top point guards in franchise history and the first player to grow up with and flourish in a Magic uniform.
Among longtime fans, Skiles will be an extremely popular choice.
His track record as a coach has reflected much of the intensity he had as a player. Skiles is a hard-driving coach and an intense guy. That is part of his DNA. His teams begin to take that on and his three teams — Phoenix, Chicago and Milwaukee — were all known for their defense.
They were also known for their success. Despite a middling .506 win percentage, Skiles took his teams to seven times in 13 seasons. There are not many coaches who have guided three teams to the Playoffs.
He has made it out of the first round twice in those seven trips. He is not known for being a championship-level coach. Although, perhaps he has never had the right team. The Magic would be a team just looking to get back into Playoff contention.
Skiles could be a good coach to get them to that level.
Skiles’ hard-driving style does wear thin eventually though. He made it through five seasons in both Chicago and Milwaukee before his teams started to flame out. The reviews of his coaching style and demeanor are not strong either.
Most notably, Tobias Harris struggled to gain traction with Skiles as the head coach in Milwaukee. Harris played in just 70 games in 2.5 seasons with the Bucks, averaging 4.9 points per game in 11.5 minutes per game. Harris’ struggles on the defensive end, did not make him one of Skiles’ favorites as Skiles tends to favor defense over everything else.
That can be a good thing. His teams always have had a tough, defensive identity. After the 2015 season, the Magic could be in need of that injection from their coach. There is no doubt from Skiles’ track record he can do that.
For all the good and bad that comes with Skiles, at least a lot of it is known.
The Magic appear ready to take that comfort of knowledge and move forward with their offseason. It is just a matter of when.