Erik Spoelstra Comments on Frank Vogel's Departure, NBA Coaching Turnover, More
The Indiana Pacers and president Larry Bird announced they would not renew head coach Frank Vogel’s contract on Thursday after more than five seasons on the sidelines, which caught the eye of Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star shared Spoelstra’s takeaways from some of Bird’s comments:
Spoelstra’s remarks came after Bird said, “I’ve decided that it’s time for a new voice around here,” when talking about Vogel, via the Pacers. Bird added, “My experience has been good coaches leave after three years.”
While Bird played for four different coaches during his career with the Boston Celtics from 1979-92 (Bill Fitch, K.C. Jones, Jimmy Rodgers and Chris Ford) and actually coached the Pacers himself for exactly three years (1997-2000), coaches such as the San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich (started in 1996) and Spoelstra himself have found extended success during longer tenures.
Buckner mentioned Spoelstra has the support of Heat president Pat Riley, which is largely because he won two titles and lost in the NBA Finals two other times since he took over in Miami before the 2008-09 campaign.
That Spoelstra discussed Vogel’s situation is notable because the two squared off in a handful of head-to-head battles in recent postseasons. The Heat beat the Pacers in six games in the 2012 Eastern Conference Semifinals, seven games in the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals and six games in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals.
Indiana was essentially the biggest obstacle in the East for the Heat during LeBron James’ tenure with the team from 2010-14.
It is not just that Indiana made the playoffs five times in Vogel’s six years (he took over for Jim O'Brien during the 2010-11 season) that made Thursday’s move surprising. The Pacers took the No. 2 seed Toronto Raptors to seven games in this year’s postseason and were going through a transition with superstar Paul George playing in his first full campaign since his significant knee injury and Roy Hibbert and David West playing elsewhere.
Vogel was a constant presence amid those changes, but he will no longer get to see the process through after his contract wasn’t renewed.
Elsewhere around the league, the Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks are all in the market for a head coach, and the Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets each hired a new one this offseason. Despite Spoelstra’s insistence that continuity helps teams evolve, the coaching carousel is in full swing.
Spoelstra and star Dwyane Wade have been the symbols of continuity for Miami as it battled back from James’ decision to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Heat have reached the playoffs every season except 2014-15 (the year after James left) with Spoelstra at the helm, and they are three victories over the Toronto Raptors away from reaching this year's Eastern Conference Finals.
Spoelstra’s voice has been one of the constants throughout that entire stretch.
