Moving On: Magic fire coach Jacque Vaughn

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In the midst of a 15-37 record and a 10 game losing streak, the Orlando Magic front office has relieved head coach Jacque Vaughn of his duties on Thursday.

Vaughn, who played 12 seasons in the league before he began coaching in 2010, coached the Magic for over two years. Little improvement has occurred over that span of time, leading to his firing.

This position was Vaughn’s first head coaching job and the winning percentage for Orlando in Vaughn’s stint are: 2012-13 .244, 2013-14 .280, and this season .288. Every season the team has sat at fifth place (last) in the Southeast division and are currently are last right now.

General manager Rob Hennigan announced the move and released a team statement as well, “Jacque has been a trusted friend and colleague,” 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.”

Assistant coach James Borrego will now act as the interim head coach.

It seems that the front office wants quicker progression in their young players, but over the last 14 games, it has been their defense, that has struggled. They have allowed 100 points in every single game, worsening their odds of pulling out a win that much smaller.

This offseason, Orlando added veterans Channing Frye and Ben Gordon, as well as two lottery picks in Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton.  Although one wouldn’t consider the Magic’s roster as an elite or very competitive one, the front office expected more.

Per NBA.com, Orlando’s players have missed 89 games collectively to injury, with the likes of Nikola Vucevic, Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris missing time.  Fourth overall pick Aaron Gordon missed 31 games this season due to a broken foot before returning recently.