Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird announced Thursday that head coach Frank Vogel will not return to the team next season.
Vogel, whose contract expired after the Toronto Raptors bounced the Pacers out of the postseason in the first round, led Indiana to the playoffs in five of his six seasons.
Yet Bird had high praise for Vogel, much to the bewilderment of ESPN's Rachel Nichols:
But he explained his decision, per the Pacers: "I’ve decided that it’s time for a new voice around here. … This is one of the toughest things I’ve done. Frank’s not getting fired. His contract is up, and I just made the decision not to renew it."
Bird added that he believes "good coaches leave after three years," which is half of Vogel's tenure.
Now it is on to looking for a new head coach, and Bird thinks plenty of candidates will be interested, per Nichols:
However, he was quick to take former Boston Celtics teammate Kevin McHale out of consideration, per Andre Vergara of Fox Sports.
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Joe Pantorno
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