By John DentonMay 12, 2016
ORLANDO – Scott Skiles, who guided the Orlando Magic to a 10-win improvement during his stirring return to the franchise that he once starred for as a point guard, has resigned as head coach, effective immediately.
Magic General Manager Rob Hennigan said in a release on Thursday that the search for a new coach begins right away.
The Magic are scheduled to have a 3 p.m. news conference to discuss Skiles’ departure as head coach. The fiery head coach’s abrupt resignation comes on the heels of Orlando winning 35 games – 10 more than it did in the previous season and the most that it has won in the past four seasons. Skiles, 52, said that it was entirely his decision to step away from a job that he officially accepted on May 29, 2015.
“After much thought and careful consideration, I and I alone, have come to the conclusion that I am not the right head coach for this team,” Skiles said. “Therefore, effective immediately, I resign my position as head coach of the Orlando Magic. I realize this type of decision can cause much speculation. The reality though is in the first sentence. It is simple and true. Any other rumors are pure conjecture.
“I sincerely apologize for any unintended consequences that may adversely affect anyone associated with this decision,” Skiles continued. “The Magic are a world-class organization that employs world-class people. I wish them nothing but great success. I will always be thankful, especially to the DeVos family, for the opportunity.”
Hennigan, whose staff is immersed in preparation for the June 23 NBA Draft, accepted Skiles’ resignation. The fourth-year GM will head the task of finding the Magic’s next head coach over the coming stretch of time.
The Magic coaching job is still a highly attractive position what with the team possessing a solid core of players in Nikola Vucevic, Victor Oladipo, Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon, Elfrid Payton and Mario Hezonja. Also, the Magic have wisely stockpiled salary cap space and are in a position to potentially add as many as two maximum-salaried players in July when the NBA’s free-agent courting period begins.
“While we understand it was a challenging season, we reluctantly have accepted Scott’s (Skiles) resignation,” Hennigan said. “We appreciate Scott instilling a culture of accountability and certainly wish him and his family well.”
Skiles took over with the Magic job last spring with much fanfare after successful stints in his previous three NBA coaching jobs and because of his wildly popular history with the franchise. Skiles was a member of the inaugural Magic team and he starred as a point guard for the fledgling team from 1989-94.
Skiles seemed to have the Magic headed back to the playoffs after the first 2 1/2 months of the season, guiding Orlando to a promising 19-13 start. However, a 2-15 stretch in January and early February sent the Magic into a tailspin that the franchise couldn’t shake out of the rest of the way. The Magic continued to play hard for its first-year head coach down the stretch, winning six of their final nine games, but it wasn’t enough to end the team’s four-year playoff drought.
Still, Orlando went 35-47 for the fifth-largest season-over-season increase in franchise history. Also, the Magic are one of just five teams in the NBA to make season-over-season improvements each of the last three years. Golden State, Cleveland, Toronto and Detroit are the others.
The Magic’s 9-6 mark in November was the team’s first winning month since March of 2012 and the 10-win run in December – the best mark in the Eastern Conference – earned Skiles the East’s Coach of the Month award.
One facet of the season that was particularly frustrating to Skiles was Orlando’s struggles in close games. The Magic were 8-15 in games decided by five points or less and 6-10 in games decided by three points or fewer. The 16 games decided by three points or less were two shy of the franchise record set in the 1994-95 season – one that ended up with the Magic in the NBA Finals.
Skiles, who has a career record of 478-480 (.499) during his 14 seasons with Phoenix, Chicago, Milwaukee and Orlando, was the 12th head coach in Magic history. Orlando’s next head coach will be its fifth since the spring of 2012 following the dismissals of Stan Van Gundy (2012), Jacque Vaughn (2015), interim coach James Borrego (2015) and Skiles (2016).
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