An emphatic yes, although I did have to be won over by reading more into what Skiles was like in terms of both his personal character and coaching practices.

First, let’s take a step back and look at what we know about Skiles on the surface. If you are like so many new NBA fans then you might not know much about the guy because he’s been out of the league for a few years now, or if you are a little more seasoned in the happenings of the league you will probably remember his days with The Bucks or Bulls. The memory that always comes to mind for me is the first time I saw him on TV, he was just standing on the sideline watching with what seemed to be the most soured look he could muster on his face, he seemed tough and determined immediately as well. I believe that the demeanor and work ethic that Skiles brings to the team was a great need of the Magic. So many of the young players have the same attitude as Skiles and should quickly assimilate to his coaching style, Skiles used the words “work”, and “winning” during his introductory press conference, a lot. You can hear those same words being used by the likes of Elfrid Payton, Victor Oladipo, Aaron Gordon and pretty much the rest of the Magic players getting ready to enter this upcoming season.

The other obvious main component of trying to judge these decisions based on pretty much only past experiences brings into play coaching strategy. Basically Skiles is known for being a defense comes first type of coach who is going to be as prepared as any head coach in the league, he speaks about his own work ethic and drive to not be out worked by anyone. This should be a perfect fit for a team consisting of the type of talent the Magic have, which is young, athletic and energetic set of players with a thirst to start winning now.

It wouldn’t be fair to not note a few possible hitches in the plan however, being a long time Magic fan one gets used to being let down quite a bit. Rumors quickly surfaced after the hiring that Skiles and Tobias Harris didn’t exactly see eye to eye on things during their time together in Milwaukee. Both quickly seemed to respond with the same type of attitude and response, that they got along great and still talked from time to time even. I personally think both were sincere in their answers considering Orlando was able to resign free agent to be in Tobias Harris after the new coach came on board. Really this was my only concern with the hire because I was always a supporter on bringing Tobias back. Having a guy like Harris who can create his own shot and scoring opportunities is hugely important for the Magic who at times have had a stagnate offense. With all this said, coaching predictions are tough, not many could have predicted what Jason Kidd did with The Bucks last season. Magic fans are cautiously optimistic Skiles could have the same effect on our young guys.