It has been just over three weeks since Randy Wittman was let go as Wizards head coach. “His contract is up and I just made the decision not to renew it”, Bird said.
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“Sometimes my job really sucks and this is one of them”, a somber-sounding Bird told reporters. The hope is that Vogel would be open to what would essentially be a return home.
Vogel, 42, was 250-181 in 5½ seasons with the Pacers. The Pacers set a back-to-back conference finals showdown against the Miami Heat in 2013 and 2014.
The Pacers finished the season 45-37 and were eliminated in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in a seven-game series with the East’s No. 2 seed, Toronto. “It’s all about scoring some points”.
“Frank Vogel is a very, very good coach…”
Stephen Curry is unlikely to play Saturday for Golden State in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals at Portland since he still hasn’t practiced on his sprained right knee.
The Indiana Pacers will be getting a new coach.
The team exec hasn’t provided any definite timeline for any change of roster, particularly on the coaching position, as he intends to meet up with Pacers owner Herb Simon before coming up with a decision on Vogel’s fate.
Bird suggested the Pacers would move aggressively in the free agency window. “He’s the real deal”. But his statement’s undertone hints at axing Vogel from his job. “It’s the same with Dwyane [Wade] and [Udonis Haslem], that’s it. But my voice has also been different as a video coordinator, as an assistant coach, as a scout, as a head coach”.
“I had time to think about it and watch the team throughout the year”, Bird said.
– Bird indicated that part of the voice losing impact is in motivating players to play at a higher level and holding them accountable. You can cross Kevin McHale off the list, as Bird said he won’t be hiring his former teammate as head coach.
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“I would not do that to Kevin, have him work for me”.
