How Frank Vogel Can Improve as a Coach This Year
Frank Vogel became the coach of the Indiana Pacers midway through the 2011 season. Now, less than four years later, he is the seventh-longest tenured coach in the NBA.
The world of NBA head coaching is cold and treacherous. It is a position with an astounding turnover rate. Charles Barkley’s golf swing coach has better job security. Hell, Charles Barkley’s belts have better job security.
So while Vogel’s recent contract extension lowers the temperature of the proverbial seat, it is still warmer than any of us probably imagined it would be 10 months ago, when the Pacers were vanquishing foes and smothering chickens at an incredible rate. His resume is beyond impressive: four straight playoff berths, back-to-back conference finals appearances, and a 167-100 record. He has absolutely earned this extension — and not just to provide a semblance of stability for a team in desperate need of it.
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However, second-half swoons, locker room drama, perceived maturity issues, and home-cooked boo birds are the tell-tale signs of a coach losing his grip. So while Vogel’s job certainly seems secure for this year, it’s safe to assume Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh are watching this already-lost season with the future in mind and whether or not they see Vogel as a part of it.
Despite the franchise’s vow of commitment, one could argue that Vogel’s long-term fate is already sealed — and has been since the moment Paul George snapped his leg on August 1. The sudden loss of a franchise player is often a death blow to a head coach, whether immediate or not.
Indiana fans need not look further than the Indianapolis Colts’ 2011 debacle. When Peyton Manning’s season ended, so did the Colts’. It’s that simple. Vince Lombardi could not have turned that team into a winner — and not only because he has been a corpse for years. (Insert Jim Caldwell joke here.) But when losses pile up, even expected or justifiable losses, the so-called “losing culture” can seep its way into a locker room, necessitating a “culture change.” And while “culture change” can mean a million different things, it only means one to the coaching staff: You’re fired.
This year’s PG-less Pacers should be better than the Curtis Painter-led Colts, and they have also had months to prepare for life without their cornerstone. But it seems almost childishly optimistic to think that the Pacers – a team that struggled to score last year — will be able to manufacture enough points to stay competitive. And that is before you even begin to assess what the loss of Paul George and Lance Stephenson does to the Pacers’ perimeter defense, a crucial element of the team’s recent success.
The Pacers may be surprisingly competitive; no doubt that is what Vogel and the front office expect. But they may also be the sort of terrible that leaves a lingering stench, the kind that isn’t necessarily removed by the return of a supremely talented player.