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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 /
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Mar 29, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks in the huddle with his players during a time out against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Thunder defeated the Suns 109-97. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 29, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks in the huddle with his players during a time out against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Thunder defeated the Suns 109-97. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Scott Brooks

Another individual only out of the job a couple of months, Brooks was at the helm when his young Oklahoma City Thunder team made the NBA Finals. They lost on that occasion to a Miami Heat team that would not be denied, but isn’t having the experience of those wars part of the reason you bring an experienced guy into the fold in the first place? Couldn’t the Magic have learned an awful lot from a guy who has seen a lot of things in his time as a head coach?

Add to that the fact he was leading Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, two top five talents in this league when healthy, and maybe Orlando have missed a beat here. Sure there are some who say that Brooks had an easy job of it with two superstars (At one point three, although James Harden was not yet the force he is now when he was the best sixth man in the league for the Thunder).

But he deserves some credit for how well those teams did right? After all, this is the guy who at one point got contributions out of the likes of Kendrick Perkins. Some might say his offense was built too much around getting Durant or Westbrook the ball and watching them go to work, but I’m prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt on that one. Add to that the fact his employers were always reluctant to pay the tax on overspending, and it was a frugal environment he lived in.

Still though, I think Orlando did the right thing by avoiding Brooks here. Not because he’d have done a bad job, but because he’s the type of guy they should go for when they’re a playoff team, year in and year out. Get some better players on this team through development, trades and even the draft. Let Skiles build it up, then wait for somebody like Brooks to come in and take it to the next level.

Next: Did Orlando Miss The Boat On This Guy?

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