There were many NBA fans who were curious about the fact that Jacque Vaughn was even a finalist for the Orlando Magic head coaching gig in the first place. After all, the former Kansas Jayhawks great only has two years of experience on the bench for the San Antonio Spurs after a long NBA playing career. Yet when the Magic made it official, Vaughn's youth became both his prime asset and his biggest question mark.
Vaughn was announced as the Magic's new head coach by the team's new general manager Rob Hennigan, formerly of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the two come from great stock as both the Spurs and Thunder are among the elite teams in the NBA. However the inexperience of Vaughn was not enough to deter Hennigan and Vaughn recently took those thoughts head-on.
"Would my resume look a little nicer if it said 14 years of experience? Maybe so," Vaughn said. "But I've sat in the seats that the guy I will coach have sat in. I'll be able to relate to their personal, physical, mental stresses that they come across everyday because I've been there. I think they'll relate to that and they'll appreciate that, and they'll know that I'm fighting for them and I believe in them."
As for who Vaughn will be coaching is another item entirely. Dwight Howard trade rumors continue to haunt the team, so until that's settled, it's impossible for Vaughn and his staff to fully settle into the role. Hennigan was soft when asked about the roster.
"One thing we'll tell our fans is that we'll continue look at all options to try and improve this team," he said. "And we'll continue to build piece by piece (and) brick by brick into something that is sustainable. At the end of the day it's about putting a group of guys on the floor that want to be coached by Jacque, who want to be led by Jacque and represent the values and attributes that our fan base can really rally around."
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