Frank Vogel‘s head coaching contract with the Indiana Pacers has expired, and it won’t be renewed, per Larry Bird at a press conference Thursday morning. Vogel, who took over for Jim O’Brien midway through the 2010-2011 season, had a largely successful tenure as the Pacers coach, missing the playoffs just once–last year, during a Paul George-less season–and reached the Eastern Conference Finals in consecutive seasons, falling short of advancing both times at the hands of a LeBron James-commandeered Miami Heat team.
Though the Pacers were a nice surprise this year, winning 45 games and pushing the Eastern Conference’s 2nd-seeded Raptors to 7 games in the first round, Bird feels that it’s time for a “new voice” in Indiana, one that better aligns with his preferred style of play: small ball.
Per SB Nation:
This should be considered a dream job for whoever succeeds Vogel. You’ve got a top 10 two-way player in Paul George, outside shooting prowess in Monta Ellis and George Hill, and vigorous young talent in Myles Turner and Solomon Hill. It isn’t far-fetched to think that the Pacers could be back in the Eastern Conference Finals next year.