The Indiana Pacers parted company with head coach Frank Vogel on Thursday after five seasons with the franchise.
Pacers President Larry Bird said the team had decided not to renew Vogel's contract despite the coach expressing his desire to stay on.
"Frank's not getting fired. His contract is up and I just made the decision not to renew it," Bird said at a press conference.
Bird said Vogel had made repeated requests to stay on during a 30-minute conversation on Thursday following the decision.
Another move that's kind of callous, given some of the bad luck the team has been dealt in the past couple of years. As discussed here, it could've been handled with a bit more class. It's the kind of thing that could have potential replacements second guessing the opportunity, as could the prospect of Bird being in their ear about how to coach the team.