The New Orleans Pelicans may be getting close to hiring a new head coach, as rumors have surfaced that they are very interested in Jacque Vaughn.
I wrote about the qualities the Pelicans should look for in the next head coach, and Vaughn meets many of them, as he is a young coach with experience who has a reputation as a good communicator.
The Pelicans still have internal options to weigh and are also reportedly looking at assistant coach Charles Lee, who could be a great choice to pair with Zion Williamson for the long term.
But Vaughn is a quality candidate who has earned a chance at another head coaching gig after paying his dues as an assistant.
The Pelicans next head coach needs to be young
Jacque Vaughn is just 46 years old, which is something that will appeal to the Pelicans.
Stan Van Gundy’s grumpy style of coaching obviously didn’t vibe with the young group, which was one of the reasons he was let go this offseason in a move that was somewhat surprising.
I thought SVG would get more time, but David Griffin clearly identified that the fit wasn’t there and smartly moved on.
Griffin is now on the hot seat himself, which is why he needs to get this coaching decision right and soon. I am glad the Pelicans pass on re-treads like Rick Carlisle and Jason Kidd, as Carlisle is not the right type of guy and Kidd has his own issues that I don’t want to get into, but doesn’t necessarily fit the culture Griffin wants to build. But boy does he fit the one in Dallas!
Anyway, Vaughn is a young coach who can grow with the team, which is what the Pelicans want, as they are trying to build some long-term stability, but there are things other than age that make Vaughn a good choice.
New Orleans Pelicans head coach: Jacque Vaughn has experience
Some Pelicans’ fans are leery of hiring a coach without any experience in the top job. I honestly don’t care much about that, but if it is a concern then Vaughn does have some experience.
He was the head coach in Orlando and then again in Brooklyn after Kenny Atkinson was fired last season.
Vaughn’s 65-161 record as a head coach won’t inspire a ton of confidence, but this should be viewed in context. He took over a horrible Magic team that is still horrible, so I am not going to put all of the blame on a coach who had a lousy roster to work with.
Also, many if not most head coaches failed somewhere before finding success, so Vaughn can learn from his experience and not make he same mistakes he did in Orlando.
His time in Brooklyn was much better, as he led the Nets as an interim coach for just 10 games, winning seven of them and leading many to believe he would be next in line for the job in Brooklyn.
Instead, they gave it to Steve Nash, who might have been better equipped to lead this particular Nets’ team full of superstar egos. Keep in mind that Vaughn’s team was still very young and didn’t have all the star power they do now.
Having some head coaching experience under his belt is a plus and Vaughn is eager to get more.
New Orleans Pelicans head coach: Jacque Vaughn has been an assistant under great coaches
Vaughn got his start as an assistant coach for Gregg Popovich, who is probably the greatest coach who ever lived.
After just two years on Pop’s bench he got the head job in Orlando, and at the time he was considered one of the hottest coaching prospects in the game.
Things didn’t work out with the Magic, so Vaughn went back to work as a scout for the Spurs. I like that he has experience in a few different areas and got it with one of the NBA’s best franchises.
He coached under Kenny Atkinson (another potential dark horse for the Pels’ job) who is also thought of as keen basketball mind and innovator before being interim after Atkinson’s firing and assistant once again under Steve Nash.
He was on the bench of a team with three superstars and a lot of egos, so he definitely got some experience in how to deal with elite players.
I know a lot of Pelicans’ fans don’t think he is a sexy enough name and would like the Pels to go in a different direction, but there is a lot to like about Vaughn and I think he’d be a good choice to lead the Pelicans into the future.