Originally Posted by
JoeyBagels
Pacers had the best record in the east this season even with losing Miami who they took to 6 games in the ECF. So who exactly will you replace Vogel with that will achieve more than that as HC? Some college guy, or a washed up vet that cycles in and out of teams in the league every few years like Mike D'Antoni?
The problem with the Pacers is chemistry. They had horrible team chemistry in the 2nd half of the season and I'm surprised Vogel even managed to get them as far as the ECF.
There's a lot of rumors swirling around that will likely come out there this summer. Some of which include:
-Paul George falling into a honey trap impregnating a stripper who is taking him to court for max support
-Paul George being catfished by some dude and having naked pictures of him leaked on the web.
-A team member allegedly banging another playerswife. This is sketchy but they say it was Hibbert's wife and either PG/Bynum who did the dirty.
-Lance Stephenson being extremely unstable in the locker room - fighting Evan Turner in practice and in the locker room (see below for reasons). It looks like Danny Granger even hobbled as he was by injuries was an important factor in their locker room and kept Stephenson in check. When the Pacers traded for Evan Turner it created a problem because
1 - Pacers felt betrayed by management for letting go of someone they got along well with and who had been with the team for a long time
2 - Stephenson went apeshit because Evan Turner was basically Bird's backup plan if Stephenson got a contract he couldn't match because of CAP space this free agency season. So if Stephenson went elsewhere for more money Bird would exercise Turners team option for next year effectively replacing Stephenson.
- Roy Hibbert bucking under the pressure of his contract. Hibbert got such an extension that more was expected of him and he couldn't take it. Before he was an unsung hero that played well and was underpaid. But now that he's paid you see what can happen in a pressure microcosm like the playoffs.
So as counter-intuitive as it may seem Pacers front office (including Bird) are partially to blame for the problems. The players themselves shoulder the rest but I think it's misguided to blame Vogel for the alledged "failure" in the playoffs.