Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that Vogel, despite a 56-win season that secured the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, is "coaching for his job" in the wake of Indiana's alarming slide that has stretched into its third month.
At the start of the year, Pacers management would've been ecstatic if they won 56 games and secured the #1 seed in the East.
The blazing hot start at the beginning of the year made the Pacers seem like some sort of juggernaut when they were simply a very good team on a hot streak. Expectations got a little out of whack at that point. Based on talent the Pacers aren't close to the #1 team in the NBA. But they were playing like it through the middle of the year.
#1 in team DRtg
#23 in team ORtg
If you're going to fire Vogel it's because you think the Pacers should be a better offensive group than they are. They aren't exactly stacked on offense but they probably should be better than 23rd in the league. I think the real problem is that Stephenson and George are still growing as offensive players and are a little too inconsistent at this stage. Maybe in a year or two the Pacers' offense should be better with a more experienced Stephenson/George duo to lead the way.
offense for defense. If i remember correctly you dont often see teams ranked in the top 5 in both.
And honestly IND should be middle of the pack on O so its not really that big of a drop. They dont really have super skilled offensive players except Stephenson and George and George had that long MIA stretch.
The blazing hot start at the beginning of the year made the Pacers seem like some sort of juggernaut when they were simply a very good team on a hot streak. Expectations got a little out of whack at that point. Based on talent the Pacers aren't close to the #1 team in the NBA. But they were playing like it through the middle of the year.
#1 in team DRtg
#23 in team ORtg
If you're going to fire Vogel it's because you think the Pacers should be a better offensive group than they are. They aren't exactly stacked on offense but they probably should be better than 23rd in the league. I think the real problem is that Stephenson and George are still growing as offensive players and are a little too inconsistent at this stage. Maybe in a year or two the Pacers' offense should be better with a more experienced Stephenson/George duo to lead the way.
And honestly IND should be middle of the pack on O so its not really that big of a drop. They dont really have super skilled offensive players except Stephenson and George and George had that long MIA stretch.