The Indiana Pacers have made it official: Frank Vogel will not return as head coach.
With that being said, several coaching candidates are beginning to emerge — From assistants to associate head coaches to former head coaches — And the Pacers are set to begin a long, broad search in hopes of revamping its offense.
Former Suns’ coach Jeff Hornacek is amongst those expected to emerge candidates for the Pacers’ vacant coaching position, league sources tell Ken Berger of CBS Sports:
Former Suns coach Jeff Hornacek is expected to emerge as a candidate for Larry Bird in Pacers’ search, league sources say.
— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) May 5, 2016
Hornacek, a 14-year NBA veteran shooting guard, was drafted by the Phoenix Suns at the #46 overall selection in the 1986 draft. Hornacek most recently served a three-year stint with the Suns as head coach, a stint that met a rather abrupt end this past February when he was fired by the team.
Several injuries, a cluster of bad luck, and being spurned by LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency had the Suns destined to struggle this season. While some were against blaming it on Jeff, the Suns ultimately decided to move in a separate direction.
In 213 games with the Suns, Jeff Hornacek guided the franchise to a combined 101-112 record (.474). Before being hired by Phoenix in 2013, Hornacek served as an assistant coach of the Utah Jazz from 2011 to 2013.
As Ken Berger noted, Jeff Hornacek was largely responsible for helping improve the Suns’ underwhelming offense throughout his tenure:
Bird wants to score more points; Hornacek lifted Suns from 29th in offensive rating to 8th in 2013-14.
— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) May 5, 2016
Along with Jeff Hornacek, Chicago Bulls associate head coach Jim Boylen is also expected to emerge as a potential candidate, sources told Ken Berger:
Another name emerging as a possible replacement for Vogel in Indiana, according to league sources: Bulls associate head coach Jim Boylen.
— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) May 5, 2016
Jim Boylen served as an assistant coach to Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs in 2013. Boylen helped the Spurs reach the NBA Finals in 2013, and helped guide the team to an NBA Championship in 2014.
Boylen also served as Pacers assistant from 2011 to 2013 before leaving the franchise, something that certainly stands out among his qualifications for the job.
Along with Hornacek and Boylen, ex-Nuggets coach Brian Shaw and Pacers’ assistant Nate McMillan are also expected to emerge as candidates, Marc Stein from ESPN relays:
Pacers assistant Nate McMillan and ex-Pacers aide Brian Shaw are two of the first names you hear in terms of coaches to replace Frank Vogel
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) May 5, 2016
Similarly to Jim Boylen, Brian Shaw also served as a Pacers’ assistant from 2011 to 2013. Following his tenure with the team, Shaw later joined the Denver Nuggets where he served as head coach for two seasons before being fired in 2015.
As for Nate McMillan, he holds the advantage of being the only known candidate currently working for the franchise. However, McMillan is said to be open to leaving the franchise and is expected to interview with the Sacramento Kings for their vacant coaching job before the weekend.
With Pacers President Larry Bird announcing Thursday morning that Frank Vogel will not be returning, expect the number of candidates to continue rising. Bird expects many to be interested, as he reiterated during his press conference:
“There’s a lot of people that want this job and I know why. We’re Hoosiers and we treat people good”, Bird said this morning.
Bird is on the hunt for a coach who can revamp Indiana’s offense, as he stated during the conference. Expect several candidates to be named in the coming days for the Pacers’ job, a job that Larry Bird certainly views as appealing to the majority.
UPDATE:
Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star adds some more names to the potential coaching list including Randy Wittman and Mike Woodson.
VERY early but here's a surprising list of names I'm hearing of possible #Pacers candidates: D'Antoni, Jackson, Shaw, Wittman, Woodson.
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) May 5, 2016
