Pacers team president Larry Bird announced the decision not to renew Vogel’s contract Thursday morning.
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“I think he did fine, but it’s all about motivating players and getting them to play at a higher level”, Bird said.
Bird gave no timeline for a decision on Vogel’s fate and said he needs to first speak with Pacers owner Herb Simon.
Vogel went 250-181 as coach of the Pacers, who made the Eastern Conference Finals in back-to-back years in 2012-2013 and 2013-2014, falling to the Miami Heat both times.
Vogel reportedly took part in the players exit interviews at the Fieldhouse Wednesday, something he’s done after each of his six seasons as head coach. His stint in IN included two Central Division titles and two runs to the Eastern Conference finals, where the team was defeated both times by the LeBron James-led Miami Heat.
Frank Vogel will not return as Indiana Pacers coach next season.
The Pacers were knocked out of the first round of the National Basketball Association playoffs after losing to the Toronto Raptors in Game 7.
Vogel became head coach on an interim basis January 30, 2011, replacing Jim O’Brien and was granted the full-time job July 6, 2011.
“Sometimes my job really sucks, and this is one of the toughest things I’ve done because the respect that I have for Frank”, he continued.”.
Vogel’s contract expired at the end of this season.
When told that he was now the second-longest tenured head coach in the Eastern Conference, Spoelstra called that fact “disturbing”.
Bird wanted Vogel to play faster, which meant having George play power forward during stretches this season.
The search for the next head coach of the New York Knicks became significantly more interesting on Thursday, May 5.
“He’s busy, so it could be a week or it could be tomorrow”, Bird said early Monday evening.
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Houston is now under the tutelage of interim head coach J. B. Bickerstaff after he replaced Kevin McHale when the latter was sacked in November of previous year. IN fans would certainly welcome him back home with open arms and it would be very entertaining to see the two sides work something out. But who will Bird hire as the next Pacers’ head coach?
