The New York Knicks and Memphis Grizzlies have expressed interest in former Pacers head coach Frank Vogel, according to multiple reports.
During his annual end of season press conference on Thursday, Indiana Pacers general manager Larry Bird dropped a bombshell: Frank Vogel will not return with the team as head coach.
With many struggling to fathom the idea of Indiana suddenly deciding not to re-sign Vogel, Knicks general manager Steve Mills wasted no time in contacting Vogel and his representatives after the announcement, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post:
The Knicks made contact Friday with the agent for Frank Vogel, but have not yet requested an interview, according to two NBA sources.
According to one source, Knicks general manager Steve Mills did his due diligence in contacting Vogel’s reps. The source said Phil Jackson has not made a decision on how to proceed. The key to the exploratory phone call was finding out whether Vogel would have interest in the job, triangle offense and all — and it seems he does.
The Knicks, to the surprise of many, decided to fire former head coach Derek Fisher in January after a very brief stint with the team. Kurt Rambis was later promoted as interim head coach and served until the end of the season.
Phil Jackson is reportedly eyeing David Blatt, Kurt Rambis, and now Frank Vogel for the head coaching job.
Along with the Knicks, the Memphis Grizzlies have also expressed interest in hiring Frank Vogel, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical:
Memphis is starting its search immediately and is planning to pursue former Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel, expressing a willingness to pay market value for top available candidates, league sources told The Vertical. Several of the league’s top assistant coaches will be part of the process too, league sources said. For now, Vogel is emerging as the No. 1 target.
This morning, the Grizzlies ultimately decided to fire Dave Joerger after his three-year duration with the team. With their head coaching position now wide open, Frank Vogel likely won’t be the only name you hear tied to the Grizzlies over the next few weeks.
Should the Knicks and Grizzlies get in a long-term duel over Vogel’s services, New York would hold the clear advantage, as David Aldridge notes:
Vogel definitely on Grizz radar, but Memphis knows his NY ties & if Knicks are serious about him, Grizz can’t/won’t get into bidding war.
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) May 7, 2016
Vogel, 42, was promoted as head coach of the Indiana Pacers in 2011 after serving as an assistant with the team for four years. In six seasons serving as head coach, Vogel guided the Pacers to a 250-181 (.580) record and two Eastern Conference Finals appearances. While they never made the NBA Finals during his tenure, Vogel’s hard-pressed defensive teams fought in many memorable battles against LeBron James and the Miami Heat during 2012, 2013, and 2014 — Even pushing the Heat (66-16) to a seven-game series once, too.
As Adrian Wojnarowski noted, Frank Vogel likely won’t be out of work for long. The experienced, defensive-minded head coach will likely find a new home, soon.
