UPDATE 1:22 p.m. EST: The Indianapolis Star reports that assistant coach Frank Vogel will be named interim coach.
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star as well as Yahoo! Sports are reporting that Pacers coach Jim O’Brien has been fired. The report comes just days after his job was said to be safe for the remainder of the season as the team evaluated both he and GM David Morway and Larry Bird finished out what may have been his last season as head of basketball operations with his contract expiring.
O’Brien was 121-169 in four seasons with the Pacers. The team never really showed much movement towards progress, even with standout Danny Granger and a hot start to this season. Roy Hibbert has regressed, the point guard play continues to be muddled among their three quality players at the position, and their team defense has lapped significantly. Rumors first surfaced that O’Brien may be on his way out in Indiana as ownership was reportedly more and more concerned with the direction of the team. We’ll keep you updated on who is tapped to replace O’Brien as interim coach and what this means for the organization as the day progresses.