Orlando Magic Fire Coach Jacque Vaughn [UPDATE]
The Orlando Magic fired coach Jacque Vaughn on Thursday, Yahoo Sports reported. Assistant coach James Borrego will step up and fill the head coach spot for the time being.
"Jacque has been a trusted friend and colleague," general manager Rob Hennigan said. "We thank him immensely for his contributions and sacrifices in bringing our team to this point, and we greatly appreciate his unwavering commitment to our organization. We have tremendous respect for Jacque and certainly wish him the best as he embarks on the next phase of his career."
The firing will end Vaughn's almost three-year tenure in Orlando. Vaughn was brought in with the hopes that he could guide the Magic's young roster post the Dwight Howard era. Before becoming head coach, Vaughn was the assistant coach to Gregg Popovich for the San Antonio Spurs.
During his time with the Magic, Vaughn went 58-158. Based on the statistics calculated by Basketball-Reference, Vaughn has the second worst winning percentage as an NBA head coach with a minimum of 200 games. Vaughn's percentage is at .269, which is the worst winning percentage in Orlando's history. Sidney Lowe has the league's worst winning percentage at .257.
The Magic could consider hiring a new coach during the All-Star break coming up next week. Sources suggest that Scott Skiles, who was the former head coach for the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks, would be the Magic's top candidate. Skiles spent five of his 10 years in the league as a player for the Magic.
The Magic could also wait till the end of the season to conduct a more thorough search for coaching candidates.
The Magic lost their 10 straight match Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs. They are 15-37 this season.
The Magic will take on the Los Angeles Lakers Friday night.
[UPDATE] Vaughn has released a statement, writing, "I would like to thank Mr. DeVos and Family for the opportunity of representing the Orlando Magic as Head Coach. I am a stronger and wiser man and coach because of the opportunity. I look forward to seeing this group continue to grow. God bless, good luck. Jacque Vaughn. Proverbs 3:5-6."
