By Jordan Long
The Indiana Pacers made a surprising move, firing Head Coach Mate McMillan. The Pacers had extended his contract just 2 weeks ago. They will start a new search for the next Head Coach immediately.
McMillan took over the Pacers as Head Coach for the 2016-2017 season after Indiana fired Frank Vogel. In his 6 seasons, Vogel coached them to a record of 250-181 in the regular season, a winning percentage of .580. The Pacers went to the playoffs 5 times under Vogel including two trips to the Eastern Conference Finals. It wasn’t enough for him to save his job. The Pacers were hoping McMillan would lead this franchise to the NBA Finals.
McMillan brought in 12 years of NBA Head Coaching experience. He was with the Seattle SuperSonics from 2000 to 2005 and the Portland Trailblazers from 2005 to 2012. McMillan coached his teams to 5 playoff appearances. The furthest they went was the 2nd round. McMillan spent 2013 to 2016 as an assistant on Vogel’s staff.
In his first season, the Pacers ended 42-40, reaching the postseason. They were knocked off in the 1st-round. The Pacers made the postseason every year under him. They couldn’t get past the 1st-round.
This year the Pacers were 45-28, 4th in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers even gave him an extension. The timing of the extension was puzzling because the year wasn’t over. Most teams wait until the end of the season to talk about extending a contract. The Pacers were eager for better results in the postseason.
McMillan knew he needed to coach this team to a playoff series win. It didn’t happen. The Pacers weren’t competitive against the Miami Heat and were swept in the 1st-round. The Pacers decided it was best to move on from him.
According to USAtoday.com, President of Basketball Operations for the Indiana Pacers Kevin Pritchard said, ”On behalf of the Simon family and the Pacers organization, I’d like to thank Nate for his years with the team. This was a very hard decision for us to make; but we feel it’s in the best interest of the organization to move in a different direction. Nate and I have been through the good times and the bad times; and it was an honor to work with him for those 11 years (in Indiana and Portland).”
McMillan ends with a 183-136 record with the Pacers, a winning percentage of .574 and 4 playoff appearances. There are some franchises that would take those results. The problem is he couldn’t help this team win in the playoffs. Another team will take a chance on him because of his coaching knowledge.
For the Pacers, they will start looking for a new Head Coach. One name they may consider is Mark Jackson. Jackson played for the Pacers from 1996 to 2000. Jackson has been a Head Coach in the league with the Golden State Warriors from 2011 to 2014. Golden State went 121-109 and made the NBA Playoffs in 2013 and 2014 with him. He hasn’t coached since the end of the 2014 season. He deserves a second chance to coach in this league. The Pacers make a lot of sense as a landing spot. Jackson is familiar with the organization. Indiana will take their time to hire their next Head Coach who will hopefully lead them to an NBA title.
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