Potential, youth the draw for Orlando Magic’s coaching staff
The Orlando Magic and Scott Skiles put together an incredible, experienced coaching staff. Why did they join a 25-win rebuilding team?
Scott Skiles put together an experienced and balanced coaching staff. It was really quite surprising.
Orlando seemed to attract some major names and a few potential head coaches to Orlando. Like with free agents, it seemed odd to see them all flock to a 25-win team.
In Adrian Griffin, Monte Mathis, Mario Elie and Conner Henry, the Magic picked up a coaching staff with massive coaching ambitions and skill. They have a group that has balanced experience growing and developing players with experience on winning coaching staffs and specific skills that make teams better.
Griffin and Elie have long been tabbed as future head coaches. Mathis has been an accomplished assistant coach, working as Rick Carlisle‘s defensive coordinator for several years.
So why did they decide to leave jobs with successful teams to come to Orlando?
Live Feed
FanSided
“Several things. One, when you look at their roster, you can see the talent that’s on that roster,” Adrian Griffin said. “I think they kind of went through the rebuilding phase.
“I’ve also coached with Scott Skiles before in Milwaukee so I know what kind of coach he is. I know he’s going to give them structure and discipline and accountability and hard work. I wanted to be a part of that. Throughout the league, Orlando has an excellent reputation for being a first class organization. At the end of the day, it was a no brainer.”
The Magic’s coaching staff repeated the desire to work with Scott Skiles again and again. Skiles is such a respected name among several coaches, his call had to be taken.
Griffin had experience working with Skiles before in Milwaukee. There is clearly a comfort level between the two.
Still, the Magic talent and potential on the roster had to play a part. Griffin saw the Magic at their best last year in four games against the Bulls. The Magic gave the Bulls fits throughout the season, handing them a loss in January at the United Center.
“I recalled how hard they played against us. Each time we played Orlando, it was always a close game. You could see the talent on the team.” –Adrian Griffin
“That is one of the reasons why I felt so comfortable coming to Orlando,” Griffin said. “I recalled how hard they played against us. Each time we played Orlando, it was always a close game. You could see the talent on the team. You keep building. There are no shortcuts in the NBA. You’ve got to come ready for the next game and the next game and training. You let the cards fall where they may.”
The Magic have done that throughout this seemingly long rebuilding process. They have collected talent and tried to build things the right way. They focused on high character guys (at least by their estimation) and guys who were ready and willing to work.
Mario Elie said the thing that struck him about the team he and Skiles will help guide this year is that “they are sponges, they want to learn.” He noted the team’s athleticism and youth will serve them well as they build a defensive mentality.
Elie, essentially, echoed Skiles’ mantra to start using the team’s youth as a strength rather than a weakness.
The optimism is running high for sure.
The coaching staff has their clout too and their task ahead of them. It is not an easy one, and it seems like they knew this too. But the excitement permeated as they finished their first week with the team.
Skiles helped draw them in with his pedigree as a coach and his success with young teams. So too did the Magic’s immense talent. Now, they just have to put it all together.
And changing the team’s culture in some ways. The team has to start growing up, youth cannot always win the day.
“It’s just a thing of getting your mind where now it’s time to start thinking about winning those games,” Monte Mathis said. “You are putting in all the hard work and you’re developing and getting to those points where you are getting to the last six minutes of the fourth and you can see it in guys eyes like it is time to win now. We know we’ve put in all the hard work and now we’ll start to win. You’ve got to do all the right things to get to that point.”
It is certainly a challenge worth taking on for many of these experienced coaches. They did not need to take it on, that much is clear.
Adrian Griffin was somewhat in limbo with Tom Thibodeau’s dismissal, but was certain to get a good job anywhere. Mario Elie is a well-respected assistant from several teams. Monte Mathis was Rick Carlisle’s defensive coordinator.
Even Conner Henry left a job with the Los Angeles D-Fenders in the D-League had just taken in the offseason.
All these coaches picked Orlando. They made it clear why.
The challenge of growing this young, athletic team with the Magic organization and with Scott Skiles appealed to them.
Now they just have to complete the task.