HIRE MALONE!!!

[MagicFan101]

Hell yes. He's no Pop or Phil, but he's easily better than JV. That Kings team is overachieving right now with Collison, Gay, Cousins and a bunch of scrubs. He could do much better with our young core.

Until we get a legit star, like Cousins, it is highly unlikely that we would be doing much better with any other coach.

Cry until it makes you feel better about the play calling and the rotations, but we are performing better than most expected and we are seeing real improvement from our your talent despite a limited roster (Henny's plan to preserve 2015 cap space) and key injuries.

So keep on crying, but there is no chance JV is fired this season.

We are done with the tank process and are now onto the development and free agent signing period of the rebuild process. By next season we should be a true playoff team with some development left to go. By the 2016 season we should be looking beyond just making the playoffs. That is when development takes a back seat to wins and losses. I see the same things everyone else does and that leads me to doubt JV will ever be the guy to coach a team looking for key wins, but we aren't there yet. He is doing fine for our current goals.

[OrlandoNed]

Hell yes. He's no Pop or Phil, but he's easily better than JV. That Kings team is overachieving right now with Collison, Gay, Cousins and a bunch of scrubs. He could do much better with our young core.

Until we get a legit star, like Cousins, it is highly unlikely that we would be doing much better with any other coach.

Cry until it makes you feel better about the play calling and the rotations, but we are performing better than most expected and we are seeing real improvement from our your talent despite a limited roster (Henny's plan to preserve 2015 cap space) and key injuries.

So keep on crying, but there is no chance JV is fired this season.

We are done with the tank process and are not onto the development and free agent signing period of the rebuild process. By next season we should be a true playoff team with some development left to go. By the 2016 season we should be looking beyond just making the playoffs. That is when development takes a back seat to wins and losses. I see the same things everyone else does and that leads me to doubt JV will ever be the guy to coach a team looking for key wins, but we aren't there yet. He is doing fine for our current goals.

The team is clearly improving but we could be better if it weren't for JV's idiocy directly costing us a few games.

[MagicFan101]

The team is clearly improving but we could be better if it weren't for JV's idiocy directly costing us a few games.

What is your definition of "better" for this season?

Will Orlando win an NBA title this year? If you believe this is a real possibility, then sure we should fire JV and get a guy in here who does a better job with play calling and rotations. If not, then player development is more important than immediate wins and the player development is coming along very nicely.

[OrlandoNed]

The team is clearly improving but we could be better if it weren't for JV's idiocy directly costing us a few games.

What is your definition of "better" for this season?

Will Orlando win an NBA title this year? If you believe this is a real possibility, then sure we should fire JV and get a guy in here who does a better job with play calling and rotations. If not, then player development is more important than immediate wins and the player development is coming along very nicely.

I'm referring to the games we lost this season because of stupid coaching errors. Namely individual losses to Brooklyn, Toronto, Golden State and Washington. If Orlando didn't blow those games, we'd be 14 and 12. You can develop players without having an idiotic coach cost the team wins.

[MellowRose]

The team is clearly improving but we could be better if it weren't for JV's idiocy directly costing us a few games.

What is your definition of "better" for this season?

Will Orlando win an NBA title this year? If you believe this is a real possibility, then sure we should fire JV and get a guy in here who does a better job with play calling and rotations. If not, then player development is more important than immediate wins and the player development is coming along very nicely.

How do you know the current stage of "player development" we're at right now is because of JV? How do you know it's the maximum we could've reached at this point in time?

"Better" means more wins. Could we have gotten 3-4 more wins if we had a better HC? The answer is a resounding YES.

So, there are only two level of coaches? The "player development" coaches and the "contender" coaches?

The point of firing JV would be to:
1. Maximize player potential. The way JV's rotations are set, he's barely using anyone properly. Even a casual Magic fan can see that Oladipo should NOT be a PG, and instead Elfrid should be starting PG. Either Oladipo or Fournier should be moved to 6th man role.
2. Play the players who deserve to get PT. Willie Green isn't one of those player, yet he's still receiving a ridiculous amount of PT for a player of his skill.
3. Despite the athletic, non-shooting threats players we have, we're in the bottom 10 in pace. Why?

etc...

Why should we be content with JV? What in the world has he done to deserve more time as HC?

[OrlandoNed]

The team is clearly improving but we could be better if it weren't for JV's idiocy directly costing us a few games.

What is your definition of "better" for this season?

Will Orlando win an NBA title this year? If you believe this is a real possibility, then sure we should fire JV and get a guy in here who does a better job with play calling and rotations. If not, then player development is more important than immediate wins and the player development is coming along very nicely.

How do you know the current stage of "player development" we're at right now is because of JV? How do you know it's the maximum we could've reached at this point in time?

"Better" means more wins. Could we have gotten 3-4 more wins if we had a better HC? The answer is a resounding YES.

So, there are only two level of coaches? The "player development" coaches and the "contender" coaches?

The point of firing JV would be to:
1. Maximize player potential. The way JV's rotations are set, he's barely using anyone properly. Even a casual Magic fan can see that Oladipo should NOT be a PG, and instead Elfrid should be starting PG. Either Oladipo or Fournier should be moved to 6th man role.
2. Play the players who deserve to get PT. Willie Green isn't one of those player, yet he's still receiving a ridiculous amount of PT for a player of his skill.
3. Despite the athletic, non-shooting threats players we have, we're in the bottom 10 in pace. Why?

etc...

Why should we be content with JV? What in the world has he done to deserve more time as HC?

I was more forgiving of JV the last 2 seasons where it was obvious Henny wanted us to tank, but the tanking is over and I'm not sure JV got the message. He needs to be held accountable for his errors now that our team is ready to start winning. I want him gone ASAP, but I think Henny will at least give him until the rest of the year for the sake of continuity for our players. I don't think firing a head coach in the middle of the season is good for winning when the team is trending upward, despite the fact we might be able to trend higher and faster with a better coach. A new coach needs at least an entire offseason to properly install his system, so if we are going to get a new guy it will be during an offseason.

[tooler]

How do you know the current stage of "player development" we're at right now is because of JV? How do you know it's the maximum we could've reached at this point in time?

Our young core of Oladipo, Vucevic, and Harris have each had a moderate increase in PER and raw numbers. We don't know if they've reached their maximum, but there's no emergency here. The trend is up.

"Better" means more wins. Could we have gotten 3-4 more wins if we had a better HC?

Is that more important than player morale in the middle of an enjoyable and promising season?

2. Play the players who deserve to get PT. Willie Green isn't one of those player, yet he's still receiving a ridiculous amount of PT for a player of his skill.

Willie was benched. If he plays 15 minutes again tonight, bump this thread.

Despite the athletic, non-shooting threats players we have, we're in the bottom 10 in pace. Why? Why should we be content with JV? What in the world has he done to deserve more time as HC?

You're asking these questions as if the firing and hiring would occur in a vacuum. Looking at it holistically, the downsides for the organization outweigh the upsides.

I think the best discussion comes from taking the name of this website seriously and putting yourself in the shoes of a responsible manager instead of an impatient fan.

[MagicFan101]

How do you know the current stage of "player development" we're at right now is because of JV? How do you know it's the maximum we could've reached at this point in time?

How do you know it isn't? There are quite a few teams (Minny, Utah, Detroit) with young talent which are not performing as well as us.

"Better" means more wins. Could we have gotten 3-4 more wins if we had a better HC? The answer is a resounding YES.

Sure, but if wins are not the #1 goal of the team (team != fans) then why does this matter?

[MellowRose]

How do you know the current stage of "player development" we're at right now is because of JV? How do you know it's the maximum we could've reached at this point in time?

Our young core of Oladipo, Vucevic, and Harris have each had a moderate increase in PER and raw numbers. We don't know if they've reached their maximum, but there's no emergency here. The trend is up.

I'm willing to bet that any player of their caliber have improve their PER and raw numbers each season. This increase cannot be attributed to JV's work. It seems as if you're looking at the baseline of our potential.

"Better" means more wins. Could we have gotten 3-4 more wins if we had a better HC?

Is that more important than player morale in the middle of an enjoyable and promising season?

This doesn't make any sense. How does winning 3-4 more games have anything to do with player morale, other than make it go up? I don't even...

2. Play the players who deserve to get PT. Willie Green isn't one of those player, yet he's still receiving a ridiculous amount of PT for a player of his skill.

Willie was benched. If he plays 15 minutes again tonight, bump this thread.

So, he was benched in ONE extremely close game. This doesn't mean much, and doesn't even come close to penance for JV.

Despite the athletic, non-shooting threats players we have, we're in the bottom 10 in pace. Why? Why should we be content with JV? What in the world has he done to deserve more time as HC?

You're asking these questions as if the firing and hiring would occur in a vacuum. Looking at it holistically, the downsides for the organization outweigh the upsides.
That's an extremely subjective opinion, and one we'll just have to agree to disagree with.

[MagicMadness]

The same people who expected the Magic to defy odds and become a playoff contender this season now want the coach gone when we are one...

The fact of the matter remains - we are an inexperienced team led by under-25 year olds, Channing Frye, and a couple of bench vets. Also, our top lottery pick has been out for weeks. We are surprising everyone around the league except for a few Magic fans who want it all, NOW.

Firing Vaughn right now wouldn't make much sense. It would likely hurt team morale, and would be a bad PR move as well.

[MellowRose]

How do you know the current stage of "player development" we're at right now is because of JV? How do you know it's the maximum we could've reached at this point in time?

How do you know it isn't? There are quite a few teams (Minny, Utah, Detroit) with young talent which are not performing as well as us.

I know it isn't because he's not using each, individual player the way he should be. Oladipo at PG...still? That's an abomination. Not allowing Fournier to create, perhaps as a 6th man, despite his amazing showing pre-Oladipo? Coaching fail. No Elf at PG yet? Relegating Elf to the corner and letting Oladipo try to initiate offense over and over and over again?

This is not the way you develop players.

Also comparing ourselves to Minny who has been inundated with injuries, or The Detroit Chuckers isn't very fruitful, IMO.

"Better" means more wins. Could we have gotten 3-4 more wins if we had a better HC? The answer is a resounding YES.

Sure, but if wins are not the #1 goal of the team (team != fans) then why does this matter?

Why is winning and "growth or morale" / "excitement" mutually exclusive?

[MellowRose]

The same people who expected the Magic to defy odds and become a playoff contender this season now want the coach gone when we are one...

Yep, definitely. We're not even close to becoming playoff contenders...

[OrlandoNed]

How do you know the current stage of "player development" we're at right now is because of JV? How do you know it's the maximum we could've reached at this point in time?

How do you know it isn't? There are quite a few teams (Minny, Utah, Detroit) with young talent which are not performing as well as us.

"Better" means more wins. Could we have gotten 3-4 more wins if we had a better HC? The answer is a resounding YES.

Sure, but if wins are not the #1 goal of the team (team != fans) then why does this matter?

Of course wins are the freaking goal when you aren't tanking. If wins aren't the goal, why bother signing Frye to $8 million a year? Just because we don't expect to win a title doesn't mean we can't expect to win a game where we have a late lead.

We are not tanking, so losing winnable games is inexcusable. Our players may be developing but that happens regardless of winning or losing, and if we aren't trying to lose, not winning is a problem.

The only expectation I have for this team is winning a minimum of 30 games. I'm taking this year one game at a time, but if we are in a position to win late in a game and the coach consistently makes a mistake that directly leads to a loss, he should be replaced by somebody better. I don't care who is the coach, it doesn't change my expectations for the team. If the coach is holding the team back from winning games, I want him gone.

[MagicFan101]

"Better" means more wins. Could we have gotten 3-4 more wins if we had a better HC? The answer is a resounding YES.

Sure, but if wins are not the #1 goal of the team (team != fans) then why does this matter?

Of course wins are the freaking goal when you aren't tanking. If wins aren't the goal, why bother signing Frye to $8 million a year? Just because we don't expect to win a title doesn't mean we can't expect to win a game where we have a late lead.

We are not tanking, so losing winnable games is inexcusable. Our players may be developing but that happens regardless of winning or losing, and if we aren't trying to lose, not winning is a problem.

He is a professional guy with a great attitude and a legit stretch 4 skill set. You don't think a guy like that could be an asset in the player development department for a team with Tobias Harris and A. Gordon around?

[OrlandoNed]

Sure, but if wins are not the #1 goal of the team (team != fans) then why does this matter?

Of course wins are the freaking goal when you aren't tanking. If wins aren't the goal, why bother signing Frye to $8 million a year? Just because we don't expect to win a title doesn't mean we can't expect to win a game where we have a late lead.

We are not tanking, so losing winnable games is inexcusable. Our players may be developing but that happens regardless of winning or losing, and if we aren't trying to lose, not winning is a problem.

He is a professional guy with a great attitude and a legit stretch 4 skill set. You don't think a guy like that could be an asset in the player development department for a team with Tobias Harris and A. Gordon around?

Of course I think Frye helps the team become better, but signing him to a contract means the expectation to win gets bigger. At some point, developing players and key role players should increase wins. Like MellowRose said, development and winning isn't mutually exclusive.

[MagicMadness]

The same people who expected the Magic to defy odds and become a playoff contender this season now want the coach gone when we are one...

Yep, definitely. We're not even close to becoming playoff contenders...

As of right now, we are in contention for the playoffs - which was not expected by anyone outside of Orlando.

Vaughn deserves credit for that.

[vagnermagic]

I'm not a JV fan, but we have a decent record right now and the team had a lot of injury problems. That's to say I wouldn't fire JV now. The team played a lot of good games against good teams, even tough they lost most of them.

I have problems with the inbound plays, Willie Green playing and all, but for the record, I didn't believe the Magic would have 10 wins in the first 26 games. So far so good.

[Big A All Day]

U don't fire your coach mid season unless he's done something unforgivably wrong. JV does make u want to throw your laptop across the room with some of the dumb sht he does and says but that alone doesn't warrant him getting canned mid season. That's the sign of a disfunctional organization and a big part of why people around the league are shaking their heads at the kings right now.

[ogmagicfan]

Probably the thing that irritates me the most about Vaughn is that he said we would be playing with a faster pace this season, yet we've seen none of this.

Our team is honestly perfect for a fast pace/tempo. We have slashers, 3 point shooters, athletic wings/guards, and a young team. Especially players like Oladipo, Payton, & Fournier will benefit from a faster pace

[darthcheech2000]

If you want JV fired right now, may your decision making skills be used for things like picking out your pajamas and what story you want read to you before bedtime until your buddies drop and you can start wearing big boy pants.

We're 10-16, a few games out of the 8th seed with a tough young group that still has to get everything clicking and we have not been at 100% the whole damn time. Playoffs are a real chance this year. What more do you want?