The Magic have reportedly decided to hire Scott Skiles.
If they haven’t, it seems like only a matter of time.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:
If you want to hire Skiles, interviewing Woodson is probably a good way to convince yourself it’s the right move.
Both Skiles and Woodson have reputations as strong defensive coaches. The difference: Skiles actually has a track record of his teams playing really good defense.
Here’s how their teams ranked in points allowed per possession (counting seasons they coached in full only):
Woodson:
- 2004-05 Hawks: 29th
- 2005-06 Hawks: 27th
- 2006-07 Hawks: 23rd
- 2007-08 Hawks: 18th
- 2008-09 Hawks: 12th
- 2009-10 Hawks: 13th
- 2012-13 Knicks: 18th
- 2013-14 Knicks: 24th
Skiles:
- 2000-01 Suns: 2nd
- 2004-05 Bulls: 2nd
- 2005-06 Bulls: 7th
- 2006-07 Bulls: 1st
- 2008:09 Bucks: 15th
- 2009-10 Bucks: 2nd
- 2010-11 Bucks: 4th
- 2011-12: 16th
Woodson doesn’t get enough credit for helping the Hawks grow and achieving some success with the Knicks, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes a head coach again. But if Magic general manager Rob Hennigan wants someone to upgrade the team’s defense in the short term, Orlando could do worse than Skiles.
The Woodson interview should have made that clear.
