The Orlando Magic are on the move.
Now the focus of this organization should be to move in the right direction as their search for a head coach gets closer. One could argue that the Magic were already on the uptick until injuries to key starters derailed their opportunity to make three straight Playoff appearances.
The Magic and Steve Clifford parted ways after three pretty successful years that ended in two consecutive Playoff appearances and a season where injuries derailed their hopes.
But that is the past.
The future is now and the Magic need to exercise all of their options in order to get the best possible results in their new head coaching search.
Already there is more competition for the coaching job than ever before. Four open NBA jobs became six on Wednesday with the dismissals of Stan Van Gundy and Scott Brooks from the New Orleans Pelicans and Washington Wizards.
Orlando will have its work cut out for it to get some of the top candidates. The Magic undoubtedly will remain unphased by the recent openings — and the superstars that come with them that Orlando does not have (yet) — but the Magic have to do a lot more work to see themselves and the opportunities they can create.
All while finding a coach that fits their needs and their organizational goals. And there are a lot of quality candidates out there.
The Orlando Magic are already on the hunt for a new coach. As they comb through their candidates they should value on-court experience and what their new coach can share directly with his new team.
Orlando is already casting a very wide net. One of the coaches the Magic need to interview is Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Jason Kidd. The Magic have already reportedly reached out to schedule an interview.
Kidd is no stranger to the hardwood and almost everyone knows what he brought to the table as a player. He is one of the best point guards to ever play the game of basketball.
Kidd’s playing career is unassailable. He led the New Jersey Nets to back-to-back Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003. He was a 10-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA player. Even in his late years, he was a valuable player as a steady hand for teams fighting for playoff positioning. He finally broke through to win a title in 2011 with the Dallas Mavericks.
Kidd was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
After retiring, Kidd quickly took over as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, helping that team reach the playoffs with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett as veteran leaders. He left after one season as a behind-the-scenes power struggle characterized his early foray to the bench.
It was hit time with the Milwaukee Bucks that could hint at what kind of coach Kidd might actually be and how his experience helped a young team grow.
Orlando Magic
In his first year, he took a young team to a 41-41 record after the team only won 15 games the year prior. He was primarily responsible for the development of Giannis Antetokounpo after he moved him to point guard back in 2016. That is when critics started comparing him to LeBron James for this new unseen ability from such a big player.
Eventually, Kidd flamed out. Again, there were reports of friction with the front office, that included current Magic general manager John Hammond at the time. And the Bucks struggled to reach the heightened expectations that came with Antetokounmpo’s fast development. Milwaukee made the playoffs twice in Kidd’s three full seasons, but the team was clearly not satisfied.
Kidd had to become an assistant to prove his worth as a coach again.
But he has done very well in that role. He was a critical component of Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel’s coaching staff and helped the team win the title last year. He is one of, if not the hottest coaching candidates on the market, even getting Damian Lillard to endorse his hire in Portland before Jason Kidd declined an invitation.
And any franchise in need of a new voice and leader should be vying for his services. Especially a team like the Magic.
With Kidd running the show, it would put instant coaching credibility to a franchise that finished second to last in the Eastern Conference. The Magic finished the season with a 21-51 overall record and has a good chance of getting a high draft pick in this year’s upcoming draft.
Having a head coach like Kidd increases the intellect of the franchise and puts pressure on the organization to select a player in the draft who could potentially become a superstar. After assessing the team Kidd would be able to identify what this team needs in order to become successful in the next 2-3 years.
It also shines a light on free agency, because having a head coach like Kidd also increases the likelihood the Magic could potentially get a great player to come to Central Florida. He has always been respected by NBA players and will continue to get better as a coach as he gets older.
There is plenty of baggage that comes from Kidd. But it is also hard to argue against his experience. There are no other Hall-of-Fame-level players available on the coaching market who would immediately garner respect from everyone in the locker room.
There are plenty of other players worth looking at — such as Ime Udoka or Darvin Ham. But no one towers over the rest of the coaching market like Kidd.
Even if he had his struggles in his first go-round with Brooklyn and Milwaukee, Kidd is someone the team has to consider and hear from.