The Indiana Pacers’ search for a new head is…not yet underway.
Team president Larry Bird essentially canned Frank Vogel last week, when he didn’t renew his contract. When a decision like that is made, it feels premeditated, and you would think that Bird would have a replacement, or even a list of potential replacements, at the ready. But, um, yeah. That’s apparently reading too much into the importance of, you know, actually looking for another head coach.
Per Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star:
Larry Bird may have a “list” of potential coaches for the Indiana Pacers, but he’s not revealing it to anyone — including the candidates.
On Thursday when asked about progress of the coaching search, Bird, Pacers president of basketball operations, said: “Haven’t started yet.”
…
“I got a list of guys and I’m just putting it together,” Bird said during the news conference.
Okay, so it seems Bird does have a list of candidates. That’s at least a start.
His lack of urgency, meanwhile, suggests that he’s not worried about any of his top candidates getting scooped up by other teams. Though, at the moment, it doesn’t seem like any other coaching hires are imminent, unless the Houston Rockets, New York Knicks or Memphis Grizzlies start to pick up the pace.
Once the Pacers start holding interviews—or to be more accurate, once news of their interviews leak—it will be super interesting to see which kinds of coaches Bird is looking at. He wants the Pacers to play smaller and faster, and that should ostensibly rule out someone like Mark Jackson. But we really don’t know. Bird seems to be playing this one close to the vest, which is not surprising; Vogel’s exit came swiftly and, from the outside, without warning.
Perhaps it’ll be the same story, different side of the coin, for Bird’s decision on Vogel’s replacement.
