Indiana Pacers: What Manner Of Team Do They Want To Be?
Who Else Could Be The Head Coach?
The tension with the head coaching position was not resolved with a firing. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported Sunday that Frank Vogel’s contract was up, and he was without an extension:
Sources: Indiana coach Frank Vogel's contract expires at season's end and so far there's been no discussion of a contract extension.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 2, 2016
Larry Bird turned the uncertainty into actuality Thursday morning, announcing at a press conference that Frank Vogel would no longer be the coach of the Indiana Pacers. A number of teams currently looking for head coaches were waiting for the resolution of the situation, as Vogel will vault towards the top of their lists. The Houston Rockets, in particular, interviewed Vogel in 2011 before the Pacers formally lifted the interim label on Kevin McHale and installing him as their full-time head coach.
Who should Bird tab as a replacement for Vogel? There are two types of coaches he may go after. One is the small step, looking for a strong defensive coach who has had more success offensively. If Bird wants a coach along these lines with more pedigree, hiring Jeff Van Gundy and pairing him with a top offensive assistant holds some appeal. Van Gundy has demonstrated through the media he understands the modern NBA and the importance of offensive spacing. But Van Gundy’s Houston teams were slower than this Indiana team has been recently, and they were only once above average on offense.
Another coach along these lines is David Blatt, whose teams overseas were strong on both sides of the ball. He has solid credentials and genuinely succeeded in Cleveland given the situation he was placed in; his firing from the Cavaliers shouldn’t scare teams off to any real extent. Other coaches in this mold include Jeff Hornacek (an early name to emerge in connection with Bird) and current Pacers assistant Nate McMillan.
The other, more radical option is to trust the defensive ability of the current personnel and hire a coach who can specifically spark the offense. The most obvious name here is Mike D’Antoni, who saw great success in Phoenix on offense and whose principles have changed the entire approach of the league. Turner would seem to be a perfect fit for a D’Antoni offense, and the Pacers would certainly solve their pace issues overnight.
Another option that would be a dramatic offensive change is Ettore Messina, an assistant with San Antonio with experience coaching overseas. The egalitarian, free-flowing offense San Antonio used the last few years would seem to fit the personnel in Indiana well, and Larry Bird has spoken about his admiration for the Spurs organization.
One option that comes about from “reading the tea leaves” is Kevin McHale. The former Boston teammates could look for a reunion in Indiana. McHale recently removed his name from consideration in Sacramento, an act that preceded Bird’s announcement about Vogel by hours. Is this reading too much into the situation? When asked about hiring McHale, Bird said, “I wouldn’t do that to him. I wouldn’t make him work for me.” Was that a smokescreen? The next few days will tell.
Frank Vogel is a really good coach, and teams generally shouldn’t let really good coaches walk. But Bird has decided to go in another direction, and that will open wide the possibilities for the Pacers in the draft and free agency.
Next: The Draft?