Indiana Pacers fire head coach Frank Vogel
By Jason Parker
The Indiana Pacers have parted ways with their head coach of the last six seasons as the team fired Frank Vogel Thursday morning.
With 22 NBA teams currently watching the remaining eight teams playing in the postseason, some of those franchises are going out and making changes with their team’s coaching staff. The latest move comes from the Indiana Pacers. Larry Bird, the team’s president of basketball operations, announced that the team has decided to fire their head coach of the last six seasons, Frank Vogel:
.@Pacers president announces Frank Vogel is out as coach of team. More to come soon ... pic.twitter.com/2Wal7qyKPA
— NBA.com (@NBAcom) May 5, 2016
Vogel reportedly fought for his job when first informed about the move from the Pacers’ front office:
Larry Bird says he and Frank Vogel spoke for about a half hour on the phone this morning, and that Vogel kept asking him to reconsider.
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) May 5, 2016
Vogel became the head coach of the Indiana Pacers midway through the 2010-11 season, leading the team to a 20-18 record and a spot in the playoffs. The Pacers would make the playoffs in four of the next five seasons, including back-to-back appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals where they lost both times to the Miami Heat.
After finishing with a 38-44 record during the 2014-15 season, Vogel was considered to be on the hot seat from may league sources. Bird and the franchise kept him around for another season, where the team went 45-37 and was back in the postseason, where they lost in the first round to the Toronto Raptors in a seven game thriller.
With Vogel now being let go, the Indiana Pacers will begin the search for their next head coach. Names mentioned have included former Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Kevin McHale (a former teammate of Bird with the Boston Celtics), as well as several assistant coaches from around the league.
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