Orlando Magic: Hiring Scott Brooks Their Destiny?

For successful teams in the NBA, and any major sporting league really, there are critical moments that they look back on and say helped them get to the point of success where they currently stand. The Chicago Bulls finally beating the Detroit Pistons is one such example, or even the Los Angeles Lakers signing Shaquille O’Neal, which led to three more titles for the team.

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The point is, it happens a lot. So, with Scott Brooks being fired by the Oklahoma City Thunder, could this actually be a pivotal moment for the Orlando Magic?

Maybe it’s selfish to think this way, no sooner has Brooks been let go by his current employers than we think about where he should go next to coach. But it’s no secret that, should he want to get straight back into the game, he’d have more than a couple of teams interested in having him run their team. Before this season, his reputation in this league certainly wasn’t an overly bad one.

A quick word on Brooks too while we’re here. He had his haters, the people who felt both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were the reason he kept his job for so long. But he was an excellent coach as well, one who created a great ecosystem for his stars to thrive in. He also got meaningful contributions out of the likes of Kendrick Perkins in the past.

Players like Thabo Sefolosha excelled under his guidance too.

This season was not a good one for the Thunder with both Westbrook and especially Durant missing extended time through injury. To even keep this team competitive in the outstanding Western conference alone should be commended.

But perhaps it was time for Brooks to be replaced as head coach in Oklahoma, even with a fully fit group they still looked no closer to actually winning a title than in previous seasons.

With Brooks potentially available in the near future though, is this the best thing that could have happened for the Magic? Right now they have an interim head coach in James Borrego, a guy who took the reins when Jacque Vaughn was finally put out of his misery and fired earlier in the campaign.

Borrego made a difference right away, getting this team to at least buy into playing defense every night.

But is Borrego really the guy this team wants as it enters a crucial stage of their rebuilding project? No disrespect to the guy, but this is his first coaching gig. While he did all right to stabilize the team, is he the kind of guy who can lead an assault on the playoffs? Perhaps in time yes, but I know I don’t want Orlando to be the first team he potentially tries to do this with.

Maybe the Magic team of two years ago when they were still getting over the departure of Dwight Howard.

But there’s that little bit more on the line now. This team needs to be better next season. With Nikola Vucevic tied down for the long term and a likely top-five pick headed their way, the time is now to make a move. Brooks has plenty of experience in the tougher conference in trying to lead his team to a title, he knows what pressure in the NBA feels like.

So he would be a great addition to the sidelines for this reason, but of course there are others. Tobias Harris is a restricted free agent this summer, and he may force a move away from the team. All he’s known since landing on the team is having a losing record when the season ends. That and his team taking trips to the lottery.

Signing up Brooks would send out a message to Harris and indeed all free agents in the league. We’re relevant again, and we mean business.

Obviously there will always be many available head coaches for teams to look at, be they in the professional or college ranks. George Karl was one such guy who I thought the Magic could use to get back to the playoffs, but he’s off the table now. Brian Shaw was another who I wanted Orlando to stay away from, despite his history there.

Brooks has come out of nowhere to land among the pile of potential coaches now available, and really, he seems hand made for this Magic team. He has the experience, the playoff battles and the ability to deal with superstar players who may have a bit of ego to them.

You can bet if he’s talking about how he got his team to come from 0-2 down to beat the San Antonio Spurs 4-2 in the Western conference finals in 2012, the likes of Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo will be sitting up and listening intently.

That’s the kind of reputation he now has in this league. Think what you want about him as a coach, but he saw and did a lot of things with that Thunder team. He was there and guided them from young team just happy to make the playoffs, to one that had championship aspirations. He was there every step of the way.

Right now Orlando just wants to make the playoffs, so who better than Brooks to get them there?

If Brooks is available, I’m all for this hire. He has the experience and pedigree to be the guy to really take this team forward. The thought of him leading this team excites me. He may not be the long term solution, that would be an argument for another day. This team may need a coach to get them to the playoffs, then another to push them over the top if they hit contender status.

But right now, who better than this guy?

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