The Indiana Pacers find themselves at the crux of recent drama across the league. With head coach Nate Bjorkgren catching attention in the NBA community for all the wrong reasons, a coaching change may be inevitable at this point, especially with the disappointing campaign the team is having so far.
Long-lived coaching tenures are rare in the NBA, but those as short-lived as Bjorkgren may end up having are equally unusual. The Indiana Pacers are one of the league’s most unyielding believers in loyalty and continuity, but even that may be challenged with the recent rumblings about his mishaps in the locker room amplifying a season of underachievement.
Coaching change looming for the Indiana Pacers
With that in sight, if the front office ends up cutting ties with the rookie coach, who still has one more guaranteed year in the contract he signed last offseason, the job of manning the Navy and Gold still figures to garner a lot of traction. After all, this is a squad with talent on all positions, relative youth, and considerable roster control, with all key players under contract until at least next season.
Thus, let’s zoom in on three potential coaching candidates for the Indiana Pacers if they fire current coach Nate Bjorkgren, a move that will signal that the franchise is ready to veer away from its prized principles and take bolder measures to become more potent in the much-improved Eastern Conference.
Honorable Mentions: Becky Hammon, Kenny Atkinson, Will Hardy, Sam Cassell