Hoops Habit
Fansided

Orlando Magic: Breaking Down The Scott Skiles Hire

By Luke Duffy

Dec 14, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Scott Skiles (center) reacts with assistant coaches Jim Boylan (left) and Joe Wolf in the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 14, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Scott Skiles (center) reacts with assistant coaches Jim Boylan (left) and Joe Wolf in the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
Apr 13, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau argues a foul call during the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Chicago Bulls won 113-86. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 13, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau argues a foul call during the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Chicago Bulls won 113-86. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

Tom Thibodeau

But wait a minute, doesn’t former Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau have a reputation as a brilliant defensive mind while also bringing his teams deeper into the playoffs? You could certainly argue that point, and this is one of the drawbacks of bringing Skiles in. A guy like Thibodeau, only recently out of the job, could have potentially been available. Given all he achieved with a Bulls squad cursed with some bad injury luck, couldn’t he have done some great things with a young and fresh Magic core?

Potentially, but I like that Orlando steered clear of him on this occasion. Personally I’m a fan of Thibodeau and how he goes about his business, but there’s no question he could have ridden these young guys too hard and burnt them out, putting some extra miles on their bodies early in their career.

In Payton, Thibodeau may have had a point guard he would have struggled to utilize properly, he would appear to favor the offensive minded guys at the one on the court (Derrick Rose, Nate Robinson, Aaron Brooks). Certainly Payton’s defending abilities would have been admired by Thibs, but there’s every chance the two wouldn’t have gelled.

What would have intrigued me most about Thibodeau however, is how he would have used Vucevic. The big man has great hands, a soft touch and quick feet for a center. His jump shot needs a lot of work to become more consistent, but already he’s an offensive weapon. While in Chicago Thibodeau turned Joakim Noah into a two way machine out of necessity because of injuries. I would have loved to see him work with Vooch. For me the Magic may have missed out on something in that respect.

Next: What About Former NBA Finalist?

Home/Orlando Magic