Lets Face It!

[colts2004]

Lets face it guys, until we get a new coach, a quality coach like we've had in the past, we will suck!

1. We will always have PG issues cause JOB's system blows

2. We will have a ton of money to spend on free agents next summer to help Danny and Roy, but who wants to play for a wanna be coach?

We gotta get rid of JOB before we can get better. Does that mean Bird has to go to? I dont know... He was a hell of a player, a great coach(but he had great players to coach to) and has made some decent GM moves like getting rid of J O'Neal, trading for Hibbert, this incoming rookie class is gonna be good.

FIRE JOB!

[Indy2thaWindy]

FIRE JOB!

[Jackson Jiggle]

I think we can all agree on that

[pacers33]

Yeah I feel you, you're right bro. Get his ass outta here.

[Moooose]

With big money coming up, we can sure sign some free agents, regardless of who's coaching.
We're in the final year of the "3-year plan", and Larry knows it's not just Obie who's on thin ice, his job is on the line too.
I beg to differ but Obie is a respectable coach, with a solid team that has everything he needs, he can bring a team into the postseason. It's just too unfortunate that we're not a solid team.. YET. The guys are still jelling with each other and it can take more than another year. But nonetheless, we now have a good, talented core for the future.
However, if we're not gonna progress next season, firing Obie probably would be considered, and bring in a guy who would fit well with what we have.

[HookShotHibbert]

I beg to differ but Obie is a respectable coach, with a solid team that has everything he needs, he can bring a team into the postseason. It's just too unfortunate that we're not a solid team.. YET.

I think you will be in the minority of felling Obie is a a respectible coach.

I think seeing the games live, you get get a better perspective of that fact than watching them on TV. He doesn't seem to have an offensive strategy, many times I feel like I am watching 3 peremeter players stand at the arc and watch TJ drive to the basket only to jump in the air and have nowhere to throw the ball. It results in a turnover b/c the three peremeter players are out of position as a result of standing around. All the while, you can see Hibbert get discouraged b/c he has expended all his energy getting in position on the block to now have to hustle down court and try to help defend the fast break!!!
He never seems to 'coach' a player about mistakes they make when he subs them out of a game. He just lets them trot to the end of the bench and sulk.
He NEVER calls a timeout when an opponent is going on a run, and we he finally does, the crowd is already so deflated that the players become deflated. He probably takes the crowd out of the game more than any opponent!!!
Any coach with a "SOLID team that has everything he needs" should be able to get a team in the East into the playoffs. Do I think we have a a good team recently? No....Do I think a decent coach could have gotten more out of our players? Yes.... Do I think a decent coach could have gotten us to limp to an 8th seed or better last year? YES!

[Moooose]

Any coach with a "SOLID team that has everything he needs" should be able to get a team in the East into the playoffs.

Exactly, and that's why we're still on the bottom half.
We're working on a long-term goal and we're currently still in transition. Just to be fair, Larry hired Obie to help us "cross" the bridge, knowing that there's no guarantee of a winning season with the roster we have. The situation where OBrien is now, is very much different from his Boston days that had the likes of Antoine Walker and a young Paul Pierce and the Philadelphia team that had a superstar in Iverson.
With the Pacers, i think he did good with making the players know where they fit best, and what they are really capable of like Granger being in the upper tier, Hibbert as a fast developing center, Rush as a defensive stopper, etc. We can expect the same for Hansbrough, George, and Stephenson to find what they do best and how they would fit.
Assuming before the next season starts or maybe after the season, Obrien would get fired, any coach that would replace him will surely benefit from what this team possesses - a young, very talented core that could be legit postseason contenders in 3 years or so.

[8305]

Looking at the collective O'Brien effort I just don't think we have that much to complain about. He has yet to have access to the team he expected at the outset of season. Year 1 two starters at the season's outset O'Neil and Tinsley made virtually no contribution. Year 2 number 2 offensive option Dunleavy misses the entire year and Granger misses about 20 games. Year 3 No contribution from Hansbrough, Foster, Granger again misses 20 games. Give me that information at the beginning of each season and what we got is about what could reasonably be expected.

There were times last year when I questioned the team's effort but by seasons end for better or worse they were still competing. When the team clearly quits on him its time to make a change. In the meantime he is doing here what he has done at every other stop. Getting what can reasonably be expected from his team.

[Wizop]

I've met him several times and he's a nice guy and dedicated to the job. He is really stubborn though. and he has the problem that most pro coaches share, namely he has his system and demands players fit him. I wish he was more like the Colts Tom Moore who believes in changing the system to get the most out of the talents of the particular players he has at a given time. I suppose the redeeming feature though is that Bird and O'B are on the same page with respect to how they want the team to play so that the system does fit with the types of players Bird wants to draft.

unfortunately, trading our bad apples put us in a position where we had to take what we could get and that gave us TJ. you can certainly make the case that O'B needs to change his system to fit TJ's talents. yet, I've been told by a reliable source that TJ's problem is more mental than system and that he's just never adjusted to no longer being the big star he was when he was younger.

if I could pick only one system to watch, it would be Butler's. would it surprise you to learn that Brad Stevens considers O'Brien a mentor and that Butler runs a lot of O'Brien plays?

[colts2004]

So how is Butler sucessful with JOB's plays and the Pacers still arent?

[Miller4ever]

Lots of reasons. Maturity and lack of the proper skillsets mainly.

[ajizzle]

I like Obie, but he's gotta have vets who fit his system to be successful. We're a young team and need a coach with a bit more flexibility, especially on offense. That's one of the reasons I wanted Adelman when he was available. From Portland to Sacto to Houston, he designs his offenses based on his players. He's had Clyde (slasher), CWebb (high post), and now with Brooks & (hopefuly) Yao... All different styles, but all good to great teams.

I'd like to gauge Mike Brown's interest for 2011-12. If we can get him the equivalent of an offensive coordinator, let him return and maybe lure Parker with him. (It's fun to dream...)

[Wizop]

So how is Butler sucessful with JOB's plays and the Pacers still arent?

commitment to team defense

[Miller4ever]

Our players are too busy deciding which picks to utilize and where to run to that they forget to get to the basket and score. I hate this system.

[Kuq_e_Zi91]

Yeah, out of all things to criticize O'Brien for flexibility on offense is probably last on my list.

[Miller4ever]

We definitely need more structure because we don't have the creative passers and playmakers necessary to get the ball to the right people.

[Kuq_e_Zi91]

We definitely need more structure because we don't have the creative passers and playmakers necessary to get the ball to Roy Hibbert.

Agreed.

[Gremz]

Chris Paul George Gervin will make JOB look like a genius.

[basketballwacko2]

The Pacers should hire Kevin Pritchard as GM and move Larry Legend back to Coach!

[Moooose]

^^ Why not? at least Larry's gonna see the continuation of his "plan". Make Obie the assistant.