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Ben Gordon: Scott Skiles will not burn out Orlando Magic

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Jan 18, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Anthony Morrow (2) drives to the basket as Orlando Magic guard Ben Gordon (7) defends during the second half at Amway Center. Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Orlando Magic 127-99. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 18, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Anthony Morrow (2) drives to the basket as Orlando Magic guard Ben Gordon (7) defends during the second half at Amway Center. Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Orlando Magic 127-99. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Scott Skiles has something of a reputation of burning out his teams. Ben Gordon does not think the Orlando Magic will feel that burn early on.

Orlando Magic players have gotten the news at this point that Scott Skiles is their new head coach. A few reacted on Twitter on Friday and during the weekend. It was mostly boilerplate, excited to play for him. It was the kind of comments you see all the time when a hire is made.

The focus of the attention after Skiles was hired has been on what kind of coach Skiles will be.

The things we know is Skiles will make the team play defense. We think we know what will happen at the end as Skiles has reportedly had a wearing out effect on his teams. Eventually his demands on defense and rigid offense wear thin and the teams he coach shut him out.

It does not mean the ride up was not worth it.

The Magic have three players from their 2015 roster who played for Skiles in previous stops. John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com reached both Luke Ridnour and Ben Gordon and they had nothing but high praise for their former coach.

As veterans on the team, they know that Skiles could have a very positive impact on this young team.

As for wearing teams out? Gordon said specifically he does not believe that will happen with this young group. They are ready for some focused direction, Gordon said:

"“Scott’s a straight shooter and a defensive-minded guy. He’s very organized. It’s simple things, but in today’s age that’s not always the case. He’s really good at motivating his teams and getting them to play to their potential. I told Rob that with this (Magic) team, that burning a team out is not going to happen. Maybe he burned out some other players somewhere else, but that won’t happen to this Magic team because this team has good conditioning and it has workers. Based on the conditioning work that I did in Chicago under Skiles, I don’t think these young guys will have a problem doing it here. Our young guys are in shape and ready to go."

The Magic seem ready to take that next step. They have a group of players that at least say they are willing to work hard. There is no reason to doubt them. They just need that motivation and organization they may have lacked while other coaches worried about developing them.

They need someone who is going to come in and expect winning and direct them toward that goal, eschewing those that will not help him accomplish that.

The veterans on the Magic spoke well of Skiles. They seem to believe Skiles will be a good coach for this Magic team and help them develop and grow. The know his demeanor and feisty attitude will resonate with this team.

There might be disagreement over whether Skiles was the right hire or not. But it seems everyone agrees the Magic should see immediate improvement thanks to Skiles.

The concerns about his teams burning out may be a few years down the road. The Magic are nowhere near that point and seem ready for the kind of coach Skiles is.

Next: Scott Skiles talks Orlando Magic on Tuesday radio shows