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The Indiana Pacers just dumped their head coach and kicked him on his way out
Vaughn Ridley/Getty
On Thursday, Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird announced the decision to let go of head coach Frank Vogel.
Bird had said earlier in the week that he was undecided on keeping Vogel after the sixth-year head coach's contract expired.
Bird told the press that he decided not to renew Vogel's contract after this season, which for the Pacers ended Sunday in a Game 7 loss to the Raptors in the first round of the playoffs.
But Bird, who has never minced his words, threw a bucket of cold water on Vogel's head, providing some brutal commentary on the decision.
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Bird says "it's time for a new voice." Says he had higher expectations than most people for how far the Pacers should go.
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Bird: I think he did fine but it's all about motivating players and getting them to play at a higher level.
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Larry Bird says he and Frank Vogel spoke for about a half hour on the phone this morning, and that Vogel kept asking him to reconsider.
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Bird declined to answer a question on if Vogel nearly talked him out of letting him go. That must have been an intense conversation.
Bird has done well as president of the Pacers, but this is a harsh way to let go of a coach. The workings of such a decision are rarely ever released, yet Bird made it sound as if Vogel were pleading for his job.
Vogel went 250-181 as coach of the Pacers, who made the Eastern Conference Finals in back-to-back years in 2012-2013 and 2013-2014, falling to the Miami Heat both times. Though Bird said the Pacers needed more offense, they were continually one of the league's best defensive teams, and Vogel didn't exactly have a stacked roster to work with this season.
Vogel is now on the market, and there will be no shortage of teams calling for his services.
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