Several NBA teams, including the New York Knicks, are already said to be interested in hiring Vogel. Some speculated that McHale might have withdrawn so he could partner up with his former teammate Larry Bird in IN, but Bird quickly dismissed that notion.
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Carmelo Anthony repeatedly has said he would like Jackson to conduct an open coaching search.
Bird didn’t meet face-to-face with Vogel, instead talking through the situation on the phone on Wednesday night, before finalizing the split on Thursday morning.
It seems Vogel does have interest in the job, the report said.
Memphis stunned the basketball community by firing head coach Dave Joerger on Saturday, May 7.
“I think the Knicks wanted to see where Frank’s head is at”, Berman’s source said. Bird had higher goals for IN this season, and felt Vogel didn’t get everything he could out of the team. After retiring from the league in 2002, Ewing has spent the past 14 seasons as an assistant with the Wizards, Rockets, Magic and Hornets, where he has been the associate head coach since 2013.
Despite a valiant effort in the NBA Playoffs, coach Frank Vogel is out as coach of the Indiana Pacers after five years at the helm. Vogel led the team to the playoffs four of the next five years, twice advancing to the Eastern Conference finals.
He made the play-offs in every season aside from 2014-15 when they lost Paul George in the off-season.
“Frank Vogel is a very, very good coach…”
Starting point guard Mike Conley will be a free agent, however, and that could complicate the appeal of what Memphis has to offer. The defense was in shambles in 2015-16, but both Trevor Ariza and Patrick Beverley are regarded as high-caliber on-ball defenders.
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“I think it’s important to get someone they all respect”, Bird said. Over his six years with the Pacers, he had a record of 250-181, and the team made the playoffs in all but one year of his leadership.
