'We're going to get it right,' Orlando Magic begin search for new head coach

Team was 54-110 in Vogel's 2 seasons leading NBA team

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Magic have fired coach Frank Vogel, the team announced Thursday.

Vogel, fired less than 24 hours after the Magic completed a 25-57 season, was 54-110 in two seasons with the team.

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"We would like to thank Frank for his contributions to the Orlando Magic," Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said in a news release. "We appreciate the sacrifices he made as head coach and certainly wish him and his family well going forward."

Vogel, 44, was hired by Orlando in May 2016. He previously coached the Indiana Pacers from 2011 to 2016, going 250-181 and taking the team to the playoffs five times.

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Since 2012, the Magic have had four head coaches: Jacque Vaughn, James Borrego, Scott Skiles and Vogel and none of them led the team into the playoffs. The Magic’s six-year drought of missing the playoffs is the longest in the franchise's history.

The search for a new coach will begin next week, Weltman said during a news conference Thursday.

Weltman said the team has no one in mind for the job right now and does not necessarily have a checklist of attributes the Magic management is looking for in a new head coach.

"We’re going to get it right, before we get it fast," he said of the process.

Weltman said the decision to dismiss Vogel was made after looking at the full season.

"At the end of the season, we took a long look back and said, 'Yeah this isn’t working," Weltman explained, adding that the decision wasn't made because "we didn't win enough games."

Despite a losing streak of six straight seasons, Weltman said he sees a "path to progress," and "it's hard to go from bad to good."

Possible candidates to lead the Magic include Toronto Raptors assistant coach Nick Nurse and the Raptors’ G League coach Jerry Stackhouse, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Other possibilities could include former Magic player Monty Williams, former Memphis Grizzlies coach David Fizdale and current Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford, if the Hornets make a coaching change.

This is a developing story, so stay with ClickOrlando.com for updates.


About the Author:

Daniel started with WKMG-TV in 2000 and became the digital content manager in 2009. When he's not working on ClickOrlando.com, Daniel likes to head to the beach or find a sporting event nearby.

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