Official: Jacque Vaughn Named Head Coach

[doct3r dr3]

Jacque Vaughn will be the next head coach of the Orlando Magic.

A team official said the Magic will hold a press conference Monday afternoon to introduce Vaughn, a former NBA point guard who spent the past two seasons as a San Antonio Spurs assistant coach.

He will take over a franchise that is expected to trade superstar Dwight Howard, go into rebuilding mode and begin to emphasize developing young players.

Vaughn, 37, is widely viewed within NBA circles as bright, hard-working and organized.

But, at the same time, some league insiders have noted that he brings limited coaching experience.

After retiring as a player in 2009, Vaughn was hired in 2010 as an assistant coach with the Spurs, where he worked under Gregg Popovich.

http://ht.ly/cz65I
http://www.nba.com/magic/news/denton-va ... gics-coach

[ilikebeer]

Here it goes. The official start of the rebuilding process. Hope this works out!

[YamaUCFVB]

I'm feeling pretty confident about this signing. He has spent time with arguably one of the best coaches to ever coach, Gregg Popovich. Hopefully he brings some of that knowledge to our team.

[MAGICian619]

Welcome Jacque!

[Mule Tears]

Meh. I'll support him but not sure about this hire.

[Nyce_1]

In San Antonio, Vaughn had the same duties as the team’s top three assistant coaches: Mike Budenholzer, Don Newman and Brett Brown. All four of them scouted future opponents, helped run practices and had other responsibilities. Still, league rules allow only three assistant coaches on the bench during games, and Budenholzer, Newman and Brown — all longer-tenured — occupied those seats. Meanwhile, Vaughn sat directly behind the bench.

[craig01]

Meh. I'll support him but not sure about this hire.

This is probably a good hire considering the job is one that will be set up for a fail.

[UCFJayBird]

I know some won't like it but I'm happy with it. Not a lot of great coaches out there IMO. With rebuilding, I think it's worth giving Vaughn a shot.

[ChosenSavior]

Welcome aboard Jacque! I like this hire and it's a job he can grow into since I'm certain we are going to deal Dwight and begin the rebuild.

[MitchellUK]

"Some league insiders have noted he brings limited coaching experience".

Cracking insight, there, they've clearly got their fingers on the pulse of all the underground basketball news and information. The 2012 award for "Stating the Absolute Bloody Obvious" goes to the L. Insiders.

That said, I'm fairly pleased with this. We're clearly moving towards a rebuild, expectations will be limited in terms of Ws and Ls, it gives both the Magic and Vaughn a chance to take things low and see if they can develop something special. Maybe it turns out he's not cut out for a HC gig, or maybe he lives up to the reputation he holds with the likes of Popovich and we find out we've got a real gem on our hands.

[UKMagic]

Will likely be a decent hire, if given time. I have no problem with this hiring.

[Orium]

We went from talking about Phil Jackson and Jerry Sloan to.. Jacque Vaughn?

He begrudgingly has my support, but bet your ass I'll turn on him after every loss!

[Noonskadoodle]

Don't know much about him other than he had a decent career in the NBA & has been sitting behind Pop for a couple seasons.

I have faith in Henny & anybody who has sat behind Pop should know a thing or two about winning & knowing how to deal with your players.

Welcome JV hopefully this works out.

[silent1900]

Call me cynical, but I look at this as the cheapest possible alternative for the next 2-3 years at which point he will likely be replaced by a more expensive option when we are poised to compete.

That being said, it is also exactly the right move to make. I wish him the best and hope he really shows something during the rebuilding process.

[StMikes31]

Dwight is a goner for sure now

[drsd]

Well, either the Magic win 20 games and he gets fired, or they win 40 for three seasons, and he gets fired.

Still this is a good starting point for him to develop a career. A nice opportunity.

[AussieMagicFan]

Dwight is a goner for sure now

YAY!

I like this hire, and am totally on board in getting rid of Dwight and start a rebuild.

Over the crap that Dwight has brought our organisation. Time to move on.

Jacque seems like a switched on guy and anyone who is highly regarded by Pop, is fine by me.

Let the new era begin.

[PigsEatHam]

Welcome, Mr. Vaughn.

I'm looking forward to seeing how he runs the team, what his philosophy will be (defensive-minded? fast-breaking? one-in-four-out three-point-shot greenlight all day?).

[OrlandO]

Took long enough... we knew it would be him once Malone and Shaw were eliminated.

And once again i'll leave these quotes from popovich here:

"We didn’t really have a spot for him, I just made it up," Popovich said. "That’s how badly we wanted him. We didn’t want to lose him to someone else."
…
During Vaughn’s playing career, Popovich often described him as a coach in the making.
"It was evident everyone on the team looked up to him and respected him, even though he wasn’t the most talented player,"Popovich said. "He was always on my list as someone we wanted back when he was done playing."
…
When Vaughn decided this summer he was ready to return to the NBA workforce, Popovich and Spurs general manager R.C. Buford had one question for him: "What do you want to do?"
"He could have done anything, in management or coaching," Popovich said. "If he had wanted to go into management, we would have created a spot in management."

[Def Swami]

http://www.nba.com/magic/gallery/jacque-vaughn-magic

Old Vaughn photos from 2003 season. Like a time machine lol. Here are just a few: