Orlando Magic GM On HC Jacque Vaughn: “Everyone And Everything Is Being Evaluated”
The Orlando Magic are still searching for their next shot at relevancy since the Dwight Howard era. With a young core nucleus of Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris, and Nikola Vucevic, there at least appears to be a potential near future if the team can find direction.
Magic head coach Jacque Vaughn has yet to impose a successful or consistent identity for the team in his third season. Vaughn recently said he’s not worried about job security, but in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel‘s Josh Robbins, Magic general manager Rob Hennigan makes it clear that nothing is out of the question:
OS: What kind of job has Jacque Vaughn done?
Hennigan: I think Jacque has done a solid job. I think there are certainly areas that we can improve as a team. But it’s not our nature to rush to judgment on things. I think we understand there’s a lot of emotion, and we certainly acknowledge that. But as we evaluate anything, it’s our job to kind of eliminate that emotion. I’ve said that quite a few times, but I really do mean that when I say it’s our job to eliminate the emotion as much as we can, especially when it comes to evaluating the team and the staff and especially when we’re trying to troubleshoot challenges that we’re having.
OS: Is his job safe for this season?
Hennigan: Look, we’re clearly in a rut and we need to find our way out of it together. The buck starts and stops with me. I’m responsible for the team and its performance, plain and simple. I’m constantly evaluating myself and ways in which I can do a better job for our team, and that will continue to be the case, and I’ll continue to make sure I’m evaluating every inch of the organization. It’s my job to make sure that we’re constantly evaluating every aspect of the organization from top to bottom. So, to your question, I’d say that everyone and everything is being evaluated right now. I wouldn’t be doing my job if that weren’t the case. I’ll also say that there’s not one isolated problem or issue and that we need to collectively be part of generating the solution.
Orlando is 14-27 this season.
NBA teams either want an experienced, seasoned, seen-it-all kind of head coach (Stan Van) or a young up and comer that brings a fresh philosophy to the team. Right now the Magic are still in limbo and without any visible direction. So from this evaluation process cited by Hennigan, Jacque Vaughn is likely to be near the top of the list.
