It’s not fair — it’s on the players, not him — but Frank Vogel is not coming back as the Pacers head coach next season. He is this season’s Kim Hughes — good guy, good coach, thrown in an impossible situation and not brought back because he could not herd cats.
So who is next?
Mike Brown, the former Cavaliers coach, is the frontrunner, according to Marc Stein of ESPN. But that comes with a caveat — Larry Bird has to return as team president. If he does not, the door swings wide open.
I may be in the minority here, but I think Brown deserves another shot. He got the Cavs to play defense, he got them 60+ wins. Yes, his offensive sets may have been a bit simple and he struggled to get LeBron to thrive consistently at the end of games. He should meet Erik Spoelstra. Brown also struggled because he was a defense first coach who was thrown guys by management who did not fit that mold (hello Shaq) in an effort to keep LeBron happy. Brown did a good job and deserves another chance.
Also on the list Mavericks assistant coach Dwane Casey and Lakers assistant Chuck Person (a Pacers legend, which is why he gets in the door).
