Pacers fire McMillan
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
Pacers fans got their wish on Wednesday morning. The fan base was (largely) calling for a new coach after their third 1st-round sweep in the last four seasons. Despite a recent 1-year extension, Nate McMillan was still let go as the Pacers Head Coach.
I believe it was the right move, and only move, for the Pacers to make. Yes, they’ve had a ton of injuries. Yes, McMillan has done a good job overall. Yes, the Miami Heat were the better team. And yes, it would have been fair to give him one more year with this group. But you simply cannot ignore the facts. Nate McMillan has 17 career postseason victories, in 16 seasons. He has barely averaged one, (ONE!), playoff victory per season in his career.
After another lackluster playoff showing, it would be hard to find much energy and optimism heading into next year, unless a change was made. You can only hope for a healthy team for so long without taking other steps of action in your process. All of a sudden, instead of feeling apathetic towards next season, Pacer nation now has something to look forward to. Is it possible they hire a coach who is worse for this group than Nate McMillan? Yes. But it’s a risk clearly worth taking.
Who will Kevin Pritchard target? Prepare to hear a huge list of names over the next few weeks. And if you hear a name you don’t like, it doesn’t mean that person will be hired. Pritchard should talk to as many potential coaches as possible, and gather as much information as he needs. This is a massive decision for the future of the franchise. Will they go after the offensive-minded Mike D’antoni? Will they talk to fan favorite Mark Jackson? Will they try to find the *next Nick Nurse- someone unproven but one that has a bright future? And of course, who they hire will have a major impact on what off-season moves are made for this team.
Bottom line: We wish Nate McMillan well. We appreciate his time here and how he handled himself and represented the city and franchise. But we’re also excited to see what’s next. Stay tuned!
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