Kevin McHale wont be considered for Pacers coaching job
By Jason Parker
Former NBA coach Kevin McHale will not be considered for the now open head coaching job with the Indiana Pacers according to team president Larry Bird.
For 12 seasons, Kevin McHale and Larry Bird were teammates and friends on the Boston Celtics as they led the franchise to six NBA Finals appearances, winning three of them during one of the best dynasty eras in all of professional sports.
As it turns out, there will be no reunion between the two legends in the state of Indiana. Bird, now the president of basketball operations for the Indiana Pacers, says he will not consider McHale for the recently opened coaching spot with the team:
Bird: Kevin McHale won’t be a candidate: “I would not do that to Kevin, to have him work for me. That’s not fair. I respect him too much."
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) May 5, 2016
McHale has previous coaching experience in the NBA after spending parts of two seasons as the interim head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves (in between stints working in their front office) and four full seasons with the Houston Rockets, where he led the team to the Western Conference Finals last season before being fired 11 games into the 2015-16 season after the team lost four straight games.
The Indiana Pacers are looking for a new coach after firing Frank Vogel on Thursday following his five and a half seasons leading the team. His stint coaching included back-to-back appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals, but Vogel found himself on the hot seat after a losing season in 2014-15. The Pacers made the playoffs this season, but lost their first round series in seven games to the Toronto Raptors.
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