Frank Vogel Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacers Sign Frank Vogel To Extension

October 8th, 2014 at 10:46am CST by Chuck Myron

The Pacers have signed coach Frank Vogel to an extension, the team announced. The arrangement covers multiple seasons, but no other terms are immediately available. Vogel had been set to enter the final season of his existing deal.

The 41-year-old Vogel revealed last month that he and the team were in extension talks and said that he wanted to remain with the Pacers “forever.” It seemed an iffy proposition this spring that he would hold the job much longer, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported that the Pacers would dismiss him if the team performed poorly in the playoffs. GM Kevin Pritchard dismissed the notion, but Mark Jackson loomed as a potential replacement, as Stein wrote later. There even appeared to be an outside chance that president of basketball operations Larry Bird would oust Vogel and come down to the bench and coach in his place before the playoffs began. Bird nonetheless expressed confidence in Vogel during the final week of the regular season after making comments earlier in the season that seemed critical of Vogel’s coaching style.

Indiana reached the Eastern Conference Finals and took the Heat to six games before falling, nearly matching the team’s achievement the year before, when the Pacers extended the Heat to seven games in the same round. Still, the Pacers took a circuitous path back to that point, with a hot start to this past season and a disturbing post All-Star malaise. Indiana nonetheless held on to grab the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, but the franchise suffered a pair of painful losses in the offseason. Lance Stephenson rejected a five-year, $45MM offer to re-sign and bolted for the Hornets, while Paul George broke his leg during a Team USA scrimmage, likely knocking him out for the season.

Vogel’s tenure as Pacers coach dates to the 2010/11 season, when he took over on an interim basis for the final 38 games of the regular season and secured the team’s first playoff bid in five years. The Pacers removed the interim tag the following summer, and the Pacers went a round deeper into the playoffs the next two seasons before plateauing this spring. Vogel has compiled a 167-100 record in the regular season and a 28-26 mark in the playoffs over the course of his time as Indiana’s head coach.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacers, Vogel Discussing Extension

September 28th, 2014 at 9:11am CST by Eddie Scarito

Frank Vogel and the Pacers have had talks about an extension, the coach said to Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star. No deal has been worked out just yet, and when asked if he would like to have an agreement in place prior to the season beginning, Vogel said, “We just have to see how it goes. I want to be here forever. That’s my thing. I’m interested in being here long-term and when the right time comes, hopefully we can achieve that.”

Vogel is entering the last season of his deal, and one would think that a 167-100 record over four seasons, including four trips to the playoffs and two consecutive conference finals would be enough to guarantee job security. But last year’s Indiana squad that began 25-5 limped into the playoffs and the Pacers seemed badly overmatched by the Heat despite extending them to six games.

A big point of contention involving Vogel during the playoffs was his use of center Roy Hibbert. The big man didn’t match up well with the Pacers’ first round opponent, the Hawks, nor with the Heat in the conference finals. Both teams employed smaller lineups which made Hibbert a liability on defense when trying to match him up with smaller, quicker centers and stretch-fours. Vogel received quite a bit of criticism for not figuring out a way to use Hibbert’s size to his team’s advantage, and allowing their opponents to dictate the style of play that Indiana used.

The concern for the future is if Indiana’s collapse was a fluke, or if there are deeper concerns in the Pacers’ locker room. Vogel has always been considered a player’s coach, and is not a staunch disciplinarian. This was a role that was filled by former assistant Brian Shaw, who left prior to last season to become the head coach of the Nuggets. Chris Huberty of SI.com points out that Shaw frequently played “bad cop” with the Pacers players when it was required, and that new assistants Nate McMillan and Popeye Jones didn’t assist Vogel in that capacity.

If the Pacers and Vogel aren’t able to hammer out an extension prior to the season, it could only add to what looks to be a difficult year ahead for the franchise. They will be without the services of Paul George for what is likely the entire season after he broke his leg during a Team USA scrimmage. The Pacers will also be without Lance Stephenson, who signed a free agent deal with the Hornets this summer.

The Eastern Conference will be extremely top heavy this season with the Cavs, Bulls, and Wizards all looking extremely formidable as training camps begin. The Pacers aren’t in the discussion as a title contender without George, but still should have enough talent to compete for a playoff spot, even without their best player. But if being 4 for 4 in playoff appearances wasn’t necessarily enough to garner long-term job security, it will be interesting to see what the sentiments of Indiana’s front office are regarding Vogel if the Pacers struggle mightily without George and Stephenson this season.

Eastern Notes: Garnett, Vogel, Heat, Walker

September 26th, 2014 at 10:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Kevin Garnett finally dismissed all doubt that he would return for the coming season, telling reporters that while he considered retirement, he’s once more decided to put it off, notes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). A report in June indicated that Garnett would be back with the Nets, but Garnett hadn’t spoken publicly about his plans. Retirement could be a ways off, as the 38-year-old said he won’t rule out playing beyond this season, the final year of his contract, as Bondy also relays (via Twitter). Still, Garnett’s comments gave Tim Bontemps of the New York Post the sense that he’s planning to hang it up next summer (Twitter link). There’s more from the player once known as The Kid as we detail the latest from the Eastern Conference:

Garnett was in touch with Paul Pierce as the Wizards signee went through free agency and called his departure for Washington “bittersweet,” as Bontemps chronicles (Twitter links). KG said he was in the dark during former coach Jason Kidd‘s exit from the Nets, however, as Andy Vasquez of The Record tweets.
Frank Vogel is entering the final year of his contract to coach the Pacers, but he tells Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports that he’d like to remain in the job “forever.” President of basketball operations Larry Bird has suggested that the team is open to negotiating an extension with Vogel before this season begins, as Agness points out.
The Heat never made offers to veterans Andray Blatche, Ramon Sessions, Jordan Crawford, Wayne Ellington and others, team president Pat Riley and GM Andy Elisburg say, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. Winderman surmises that the frustration that many veterans stuck at the end of the Heat’s bench expressed last year made the team wary of adding too many players with expectations of playing time.
The Hornets are just beginning extension talks with Kemba Walker, but GM Rich Cho indicated to reporters Thursday that he’s pleased with the point guard’s growing maturity, as Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders points out.

Pacers Rumors: Stephenson, Vogel, Hill, Rondo

June 2nd, 2014 at 11:36am CST by Chuck Myron

Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird today reiterated a stance he took early in the season, telling reporters, including Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star, that he wants soon-to-be free agent Lance Stephenson back in a Pacers uniform (Twitter link). A report late last week indicated that some within the Pacers had begun to question whether re-signing the mercurial guard was the right idea.

“When it comes down to it, it’s up to him whether he wants to be here or not. … I always want him back,” Bird said, as Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today notes (Twitter link).

There’s much more from the team’s exit interviews today, much of it coming from Bird, via Buckner, who live-tweeted his remarks. Here are the highlights:

Coach Frank Vogel also offered his support for re-signing Stephenson, as Buckner passes along via Twitter.
Bird confirmed that Vogel will return and that his job was never in jeopardy, pinning rumors to the contrary on far-flung reporters, Buckner tweets.
There appears to be less certainty about the future of George Hill, in spite of three more seasons on his contract, Bird indicated. “Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about our point guard situation,” Bird said, according to Buckner (Twitter link). “I like George. But you never know what’s going to happen this summer.”
Bird also cast an eye toward Rajon Rondo, as Buckner notes in a pair of tweets. “He’s a very good player,” Bird said of Rondo, who’ll be a free agent next summer. “Been great for a long time. It’s always good to daydream and wish for these guys, but everything we do has to be through trades.”
The Pacers have only one pick, at No. 57, in this month’s draft, but Bird suggested there’s a decent chance the team will move up, either into the first round or the early part of the second, according to Buckner (Twitter links).
Bird also offered support for Evan Turner, Indiana’s major trade deadline acquisition and another soon-to-be free agent, saying that he loves the swingman’s game and predicting that he’ll average 17 points per game wherever he ends up, Buckner tweets.
Ex-Pacer Danny Granger helped in the locker room, but he “was never this leader that everybody thought he was,” Bird said, according to Buckner (on Twitter).
Bird refused to say whether anyone on the roster was an untouchable, and hedged about the idea of altering the team’s core, as Buckner passes along (Twitter links). “They’re young, I don’t want to make major changes … but we’re open, we’re going to listen and we’re going to see what’s out there,” Bird said.

Pacers To Keep Frank Vogel

May 31st, 2014 at 1:01pm CST by Cray Allred

The Pacers will bring back head coach Frank Vogel next season, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Vogel has one year remaining on the extension he signed before this season. The Pacers just bowed out of the playoffs after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive year.

Normally, a coach with a 267-167 career record wouldn’t be on the hot seat after losing to the league’s two-time defending champion in six games, but poor play and locker room conflict marked Indiana following the All-Star break. Despite ascending the standings and finishing as the one seed, the team struggled to close the season, and was a game away from elimination at the hands of the eighth-seeded Hawks in the first round. It’s believed that Vogel essentially saved his job by surviving that first round matchup, but there were lingering whispers until now that he could still get replaced.

Vogel received his extension while team president Larry Bird was on a year-long hiatus. The offseason and in-season moves that Bird worked to bolster a roster that pushed Miami to a seventh game in last year’s conference finals didn’t pay off, as the additions of Luis Scola, Evan Turner, and Andrew Bynum didn’t significantly improve the production from Vogel’s rotations, still marked by stagnant offense and stifling defense. While many coaches advancing in the playoffs receive extensions after elimination, it’s a distinct possibility that Vogel will be coaching on a contract year next season, as disappointment is still running high in Indiana.

Stein’s Latest On Pacers

May 31st, 2014 at 8:54am CST by Cray Allred

Now that the Pacers season is in the books, it’s time to look ahead to the offseason. After re-tooling this year, Indiana didn’t put up any better of a fight against the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, and had a tumultuous run to end the season. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported on a team he doesn’t think has any positives to show for the 2013/14 campaign. Some of the highlights:

NBA coaching circles still believe Frank Vogel was coaching for his job in the first round of the playoffs, and perhaps second round, too, but the situation is less cut and dry now that the Pacers made it to a Game 6 in the conference finals.
The ESPN scribe hears whispers in Indiana about Mark Jackson as a potential replacement of Vogel, should Vogel get fired. Jackson has history with both president Larry Bird and front office consultant Donnie Walsh.
The personnel grapevine is indicating to Stein that Lance Stephenson‘s free agency market is already drying up, and he suspects Stephenson is more likely to return to Indiana because of it. While Bird has been committed to sticking with Stephenson until at least last week, a team like the Mavericks–normally open to bringing in risky players–has shown no interest in pursuing the guard as a free agent.
Roy Hibbert would be open to a trade if the Pacers decided to try and move him, sources tell Stein. Hibbert hasn’t asked for a trade, and his contract could be difficult to move if Indiana decided to try and do so.
The Pacers covet a more natural ballhandler to add to a roster that didn’t feature a point guard averaging even 5 assists per game this season.
Paul George is still considered untouchable by the Pacers, but Stein wonders if he will be able to live up to growing expectations and pressures next season.

Eastern Notes: Pistons, Woodson, Celtics

April 27th, 2014 at 10:23am CST by Eddie Scarito

Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press thinks that the Pistons should focus on finding a GM before concentrating on filling their vacant head coaching position. By waiting until after the playoffs, the franchise could see the pool of available coaches grow. Ellis notes that if their teams get bounced out of the playoffs in the first round, Pacers coach Frank Vogel, Thunder coach Scott Brooks and Warriors coach Mark Jackson could get lose their jobs and become possibilities for Detroit.

Frank Vogel’s Job On Line In Playoffs?

April 24th, 2014 at 10:35am CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 10:35am: Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard took a poke at Stein’s report, saying on Twitter that Bird’s “sources say” Vogel’s job is safe.

WEDNESDAY, 11:01am: Sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com that Pacers coach Frank Vogel is “coaching for his job” in the playoffs, even with a year left on his contract. A first-round series victory against the Hawks wouldn’t necessarily be enough for Vogel to ensure his return for next season, Stein hears.

Dissension has marked Vogel’s locker room during the team’s second half slide. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote overnight of a fight in practice last week between Lance Stephenson and Evan Turner, and Stephenson has drawn the ire of other teammates lately, as Stein documents. The soon-to-be free agent and George Hill had to be separated on the bench during a loss late last month, while Stein hears that Roy Hibbert‘s recent remarks about selfish play were essentially directed at Stephenson. Still, Stephenson is a favorite of president of basketball operations Larry Bird, and Bird and Stephenson have indicated they have mutual interest in a new contract.

There appeared to be a slight chance that Bird would replace Vogel before the playoffs and take over the coaching duties himself, though Bird expressed full confidence in Vogel during the last week of the regular season. Bird was somewhat critical of Vogel’s style in March, but he added that he was beginning to warm to the coach’s more positive approach. Stein passes along reporting from ESPN’s Chris Broussard, who hears from sources who point to the absence of former assistant coach Brian Shaw, now the Nuggets head coach, who often played the “bad cop” in the Pacers locker room, pushing players when Vogel wouldn’t.

And-Ones: Pacers, Izzo, Donovan, Kings

April 23rd, 2014 at 7:59pm CST by Alex Lee

With a trio of Game Threes on the schedule, let’s take a look at what is going on around the league on Wednesday night:

With Frank Vogel‘s job reportedly on the line in Indiana, Sean Deveney of Sporting News examines the caveats of the recent NBA trend of hiring younger, cheaper and less experienced head coaches in the mold of the Pacers’ front man. Speaking with several veteran coaches, Deveney writes that policing an NBA locker room is all the more difficult without extensive NBA experience, be it as a coach or a player.
There has never been more NBA-centric buzz about Tom Izzo, though the Michigan State head coach remains a long shot to leave East Lansing for a gig in the professional ranks. However should the Michigan-born Izzo need to hire an agent, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets that it would likely be Minneapolis-based Gary O’Hagan. Wolfson confirms reports we’ve heard that the Timberwolves would love to land Izzo as their next head coach.
We know the Wolves are also interested in Florida’s Billy Donovan, who flirted with the NBA seven years ago before eventually backing out. Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, who coached Donovan at Providence, said Wednesday morning on ESPN’s Mike & Mike that Donovan would make an excellent NBA head coach, though Pitino suspects his protege might again get cold feet before making the leap to the next level, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.
Heading into an important offseason in Sacramento, Ailene Voison of the Bee puts the microscope on the Kings‘ front office hierarchy, led by first-year general manager Pete D’Alessandro. As Voison opines, D’Alessandro is challenged with employing an effective small- to mid-market approach in the mold of the Spurs and Pacers, something the previous regime in Sacramento failed to do.

Pacers Mull Replacing Vogel With Larry Bird?

April 8th, 2014 at 2:43pm CST by Chuck Myron

There’s a chance, albeit a small one, that Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird takes over the coaching duties from Frank Vogel before the playoffs begin, as Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star tells Bleacher Report’s Adam Lefkoe in a video interview. Kravitz pegs it as a 5% chance, and cautions that the notion doesn’t come from Bird himself.

Bird told Kravitz nearly a month ago that he thought Vogel wasn’t pushing his players hard enough, and the Pacers have continued their surprising downturn. Indiana was 42-10 before the All-Star break, but the team has gone just 13-13 since and fallen behind the Heat for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The decline has been mystifying, and Bird’s midseason acquisitions of Evan Turner and Andrew Bynum haven’t panned out.

Vogel has turned the Pacers around after taking over the team for the final 38 games of the 2010/11 season, guiding them to the playoffs that season and every year since. Indiana was a game short of the NBA Finals last season, when Bird took a one-year hiatus from his job in the front office. Bird also coached the franchise within a game of the Finals in 1998, the first of his three-year tenure on the bench. His final season as coach ended with a trip to the 2000 Finals, which Indiana lost to the Lakers.

It would be surprising if the Pacers were to bring Bird back to the sidelines for the postseason, as Kravitz suggests. Even if such a move doesn’t happen, it looks as though Vogel’s job security will be in doubt unless Indiana makes a deep run in the playoffs.