The Orlando Magic are heading into the 2014-15 season with a mission of getting back into the playoffs.
The mission statements from the past two seasons, rebuild and pray for a win, are over, at least according to Magic GM Rob Hennigan, who said last Friday that he expects Orlando to be playoff contenders this season. Hennigan’s bold statement also put head coach Jacque Vaughn under a microscope.
In his first two seasons at the helm, Vaughn never really had any pressure to win. The team was in rebuilding mode, and Vaughn was asked to do whatever he could with the talent that was on the roster. But now, Hennigan has built a team that he feels, as do I, has the parts to compete for at least a low playoff seed.
So it’s now up to Vaughn to prove to Hennigan and the fans of Central Florida that he can lead this team into the postseason. Excuses will no longer be tolerated. There will be no more “we’re rebuilding” quote lines. Vaughn will be expected to win, and win now. Vaughn had two years to get his coaching chops sharpened, now he will be asked to use what he has learned and carry this team back to respectability.
It’s too early to say if Vaughn’s job will be on the line, but judging from Hennigan’s remarks, if the Magic fail to make the postseason in 2014-15, don’t be surprised if the Magic are in the market for a new head coach in the summer of 2015.
Kareem Gantt is an NBA featured writer and covers the Orlando Magic for Rant Sports. For more from this author, ‘follow’ him on Twitter, ‘like’ him on Facebook, and ‘add’ him to your network on Google.
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