IN went to the playoffs in five of Vogel’s six seasons, including back-to-back Eastern Conference finals appearances.
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The Pacers have called a press conference for Thursday morning with President Larry Bird.
“I think he did fine, but it’s all about motivating players and getting them to play at a higher level”, Bird said.
Bird said Vogel had made repeated requests to stay on during a 30-minute conversation on Thursday following the decision.
With George back fully healthy this season, the Pacers pushed the second-seeded Raptors to seven games in the first round before losing.
Now the big question looming on everyone’s mind is whether Frank Vogel will be allowed to coach the team once more as the franchise tries another shot at nabbing a good 2016-17 comeback.
“I never let my players come in and talk about the coach”, Bird said. “That’s not fair. I respect him too much”, Bird said.
When D’Antoni resigned, even Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak admitted this: “Given the circumstances, I don’t know that anybody could have done a better job than Mike did the past two seasons”.
Keeping Vogel would have required a new contract, and team officials decided it was time for a change.
The young coach has paid the price for Bird’s high expectations of the team and for failing to implement the up-tempo style that he wanted them to deploy. That’s why I hope the Kings can bring Vogel in soon and at least get a chance to convince him otherwise.
Nate McMillan an assistant under Vogel has been named as a possible replacement as has former National Basketball Association player and coach Mark Jackson. He said Vogel tried to convince Bird to delay announcing the decision, to take more time to think about it.
Bryan may want to set a tone by hiring someone new as head coach, and with Mike D’Antoni interviewing for other head coaching positions, he’s not likely to get the Sixers lead job.
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Bird said the move would not be popular amongst everyone, but his responsibility is to do what is best for the IN franchise.
