Larry Bird Affirms His Support For Jim O'Brien

by Tom Lewis on Dec 28, 2009 3:21 PM EST in Indiana Pacers News

Everything was set up perfectly fro the Indiana Pacers to change coaches today.

Instead, Mike Wells reports that Larry Bird gave Jim O'Brien a vote of confidence.

“Jim is going to be here, that’s one thing the players have to know,” Bird said today. “The coach is secure. We wouldn’t have picked up his option if we didn’t think he was secure. If the players have a problems with Jim, the players are the ones that are probably going to leave.”

Normally a firing soon follows afte management gives it's coach a vote of confidence. But Larry Bird isn't exactly your normal GM, so I'm not holding my breath for a change.

Too bad to, since the team desperately needs a change in command. After two straight nights of lifeless blowouts, that much is apparent.

A major coaching change may not be reasonable in mid-season for this team, but at least letting the staff's "good cop" Lester Connor take over on an interim basis would shake things up and allow for a different approach.

After falling behind by 40 points to the Heat last night, JOB said he doesn't think he lost his players. If a coach has to say he hasn't lost his player, he's probably lost them. One thing we know for sure, the players are lost on the court.

With Lucas Oil Stadium on fire after the Colts gave up their effort for a perfect season, Larry Bird could've changed coaches today and no casual fan would've noticed until mid-January. Maybe he's hoping no one noticed the beat-down weekend, but the play was utterly hopeless.

I've actually read people looking to fire Bill Polian because he put together a Colts' team that is 14-1. But those are just fans who will be celebrating like crazy if the Colts win the Super Bowl. Obviously fans are fickle, but when the players become fickle there's no recovering.

The Pacers competed after falling behind? Umm, maybe for 5-7 minutes in Miami, but that's not much to grasp onto since the game is 48 minutes long.

JOB has been dealt a bum hand with injuries this year, but he hasn't been able to salvage the team and no matter how good you thing Danny Granger is, he's not good enough to overcome a lack of effort from his teammates. Plus, he's yet to show he can grab the team by the lapels and lead them himself. We're talking about several players on the roster who should be dying to perform given the chance for big NBA minutes, and they can't come together to find a way to play as a team or even give a decent effort.

Bird is right, those players don't need to stay around either, but that's the hard part and needs to be done in concert with a new voice leading the Pacers forward.

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JOB Vote

Ok, Larry Bird has voted to keep JOB. Obviously the 12 players have a different opinion. So lets hear from the Pacer fans. I will be the first. Fire him!!!!! So with Larry’s vote, the players and mine its 13 to fire and 1 to stay.

by Slick4President on Dec 28, 2009 3:31 PM EST reply actions

Count me in!

Add my one vote to your fire JOB tally… How many votes to fire Larry Bird are needed to nullify his lonesome vote to keep JOB? :)

by FortWayneKarl on Dec 28, 2009 3:39 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Get rid of him

There’s not need to keep him around any longer. God bless Larry if he can find a way to get rid of some of the players and their contracts, but I don’t see that one happening. One way or another, something’s gotta give. And it’s going to be the coach.

by smits4ever on Dec 28, 2009 4:03 PM EST up reply actions

Fire him...that's how Bird got his coaching gig.

Bird became coach after Miller, Jackson, and the Davis boys intentionally tanked (and they admitted it later) to run Larry Brown out. Bird knows that’s why he got his job. That team had veteran talent and leadership, but even though this team doesn’t, they’re still screaming the same message…“Coach has to go!!” I know you can hear them Bird. It won’t be the first time players have run a coach out. Didn’t you do it twice in Boston Larry? And didn’t your buddy Magic do it at least once in LA? If it’s good for the goose Larry, it’s good for the gander. I hope he wasn’t serious, and if he is, good going announcing more of our players must go to the media…Did we not learn that makes players hard to trade (see: Tinsley, SJax)? ….Good lord, where’s this mess heading???

Confucious say "He who dives for loose balls need proper fitting athletic cup!"

by Wise Master on Dec 28, 2009 4:52 PM EST up reply actions

Excellent, Insightful Post!

Very good post! :)

by FortWayneKarl on Dec 28, 2009 5:09 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

The players suck,

Dahntay Jones is not very good, Earl Watson is not very good, Brandon Rush is a bust, Roy Hibbert is declining, Tyler is okay but his field goal percentage is hovering around 35%, TJ Ford sucks. I hate blaming JOB for these losses when the players are so bad. Sure, I wouldn’t mind JOB being fired, but I actually want him to stay the rest of the year. If another coach comes in we might creep back towards .500 and miss out on a great lottery pick. I don’t want this.

by ThirtyOne on Dec 28, 2009 3:38 PM EST reply actions

Should be .500

I disagree, I think this would be a .500 team with Danny Granger back and good coaching.

by FortWayneKarl on Dec 28, 2009 3:43 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Yeah,

but where does that leave us. A 7 or 8 seed and out of the playoffs after one round. I’d rather get the high pick this year and start fresh next year with a new coach.

by ThirtyOne on Dec 28, 2009 3:46 PM EST up reply actions

It was a hypothetical...

We are already 11 games under .500 and there is no way we are making the playoffs. Keeping JOB for the rest of the year will sour the rest of the roster on the franchise and all but ruin the young prospects – and that would carry over for 2-3 years. Getting rid of JOB now and getting Granger back in a month or more would leave us with no more than 30 or so victories on the season and probably a 5-10 pick – getting a top 3 pick with a JOB ruined roster would probably be worse, I think.

by FortWayneKarl on Dec 28, 2009 4:10 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

"Tinsley" half the team Larry!

Hey Larry, it out worked out so well with you showing Jamaal Tinsley “who’s the boss”, , why don’t you go ahead and “Tinsley” half the team and kill this team until 2015 – you dumb hick from French Lick!!!

by FortWayneKarl on Dec 28, 2009 3:58 PM EST via mobile reply actions

well said

i’m not sure how much i blame JOB, larry’s vision is really falling flat on its face. 3 years rebuilding? bull crap. maybe if we had an elite, top 10 player to rely on like Brandon Roy or Kevin Durant. as proven by the Kings and Bucks, rebuilding is ONLY done by acquiring elite talent (ie. jennings, evans) not just stockpiling nice guys that work hard. get the right guys and success happens immediately. saying there is a long process to rebuilding is just an attempt to hide blame for failing-

this team is broken mentally, i think in large part because they are aware of their physical limitations.

by BenD on Dec 28, 2009 3:59 PM EST reply actions

It's like,

if you’ve ever played Rec league ball. You know before you step on the court a lot of times whether the other team has a lot more physical talent than you do. If they do it’s just too hard to keep the games close let alone come up with a win. I get the same feeling watching the Pacers most nights. They know they have little chance to win, and it shows.

by ThirtyOne on Dec 28, 2009 4:02 PM EST up reply actions

Which is all the more reason

That Larry Bird has absolutely got to go.

He is the one who has assembled this mess. His vanity and refusal to admit that this team needed to be blown up (for 5 years now!!!!) is why we are where we are.

Instead of blowing this up and rebuilding this thing fresh. We have tinkered and adjusted and shuffled deck chairs on a sinking ship.

Fire Larry and get a real talent evaluator in here to build this thing.

O’Brien is just a scapegoat for Birds shoddy workmanship at this point.

" Tell me something Steve, How does a guy from Puerto Rico loose a ball in the Sun? "

by aaronb on Dec 28, 2009 5:15 PM EST up reply actions

My Mistake

I always thought it was the best prepared and coached team that won a ballgame. The Pacers concentrate on the 3 point shot even though we have no outside shooters. Our inside game has been non-existent since the season has started, mainly because we have all 5 guys outside of the 3 point line. No, I dont go with the talent theory. It’s the coach’s job to bring the team together and compete.

by Slick4President on Dec 28, 2009 4:08 PM EST reply actions

WWHHYYYYYYYYYY?!

NOOOOOOOOOO! This is insaaaaaane! We have talent. We’ve proven that, and when a team doesnt play together, that’s up to the coach. Larry has hit and miss on some of his deals but this one is stupid, cut your losses…

(Oh and tally a vote for me)

by B-Huse on Dec 28, 2009 4:16 PM EST reply actions

WWW.FIREBIRD.COM was taken

fortunately

www.fireobie.com is available if anyone wants to pony up the $20 for the domain name.

yes please tally the vote and report back to the fieldhouse

by Man of Pace on Dec 28, 2009 4:17 PM EST reply actions

Larry, I’ve tried to defend you, but ur making me look stupid. I like some of the deals uve made, but you lack the ability to make necessary steps when they need to be taken. Make a bold move for once…

by B-Huse on Dec 28, 2009 4:20 PM EST reply actions

Seriously?

Blow this roster up! No one on this team is save Danny and maybe Hibbert/Hansborough is going to be apart of a championship contending team. I mean come on we all see the lack luster effort on the court. We might as well try and trade and get something of value. Somebody will take a chance on Murphy, Ford, or Rush.

by HoosierHoops14 on Dec 28, 2009 4:23 PM EST via mobile reply actions

So true,

the talent is just not there. I guarantee none of the players on our team other than Danny will even make it to a title game as a contributing member of a team.

by ThirtyOne on Dec 28, 2009 4:26 PM EST up reply actions

Blow It Up 3 Times In A Row???

The roster was already blown up the past 2 off seasons – you have to have someone in charge that knows what they are doing to put the pieces back together and Jim “Oh-My-God” O’Brien and Larry “The Loser” Bird are not those people!

by FortWayneKarl on Dec 28, 2009 5:05 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Oh and by the way

We are now second to last in the power rankings. Espn is even making fun of JOB.

by HoosierHoops14 on Dec 28, 2009 4:31 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Impossible "to beat" NJ!

It’s probably impossible to sink below NJ in the ESPN power rankings, but if the Pacers keep this up, ESPN can pull in Bird too – maybe come up with some Larry “The Legend” ESPN moments to go alongside that infamous SI cover photo with Larry Bird and Ron Artest!

by FortWayneKarl on Dec 28, 2009 4:52 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

I vote for firing JOB

I have been watching this team all this season. For the past 10 games or so O’Brian makes decisions I don’t understand. It’s like he has a number of minutes for each player set before the game and a plan on where to use them and he uses this plan regardless of the opposition.

I am in NY and I have to listen to the league pass commentators and even them ask stuff like: why isn’t Ford in the game when he torched us the first half. Why is Solomon Jones when is clearly overmatched. Why does he use the short lineup when it didn’t work in the first half.

I strongly believe that a coach does not win a game but his obligation is to put his players in a position where they can win. And I don’t feel JOB is doing this.

Also remember when Bird chose him three years ago. Remember Reggie Miller and what he said that this is not a good choice for the Pacers. He was advocating for Mark Jackson at the time. After listening to Jackson’s commentary during the games I dont think he is a good choice for the Pacers. But I know a good choice: Miller himself. He clearly knows basketball and will be a good choice when he decides to come back.

by Ionut on Dec 28, 2009 5:45 PM EST reply actions

Mark Jackson! PLEEEEEEASE!

by B-Huse on Dec 28, 2009 6:33 PM EST reply actions

I cant even take Bird serious with this

this HAS to be a cover up to cross some i’s and dot some t’s so O’Brien can be fired later in the week. To actually give this coach a vote of confidence at this point isn’t even humorous anymore. JOB will be gone in the next few days.

I still think our main concern now should be the 10’ Draft. Is there any way the fine people running the indycornrows site can give up updates on our top draft prospects for next season? JOB will be gone very soon, it’s time to start looking at what our options are for next year that way I can watch some good basketball with possible future Pacers, and that includes players not named John Wall even though our chances of getting him seem to be increasing every day.

If Youre not First, Youre Last

by drsuessrunner07 on Dec 28, 2009 8:02 PM EST reply actions

Happy New Year

Cheers. (Yeah, JOB has lost his roster, but I think everyone sort of knew that before the season started. Oh to be a fan….)

by Gwen on Dec 28, 2009 9:13 PM EST reply actions

I'd be less surprised if...

I’d have been less surprised over Larry giving his (apparently) unconditional support for JOB than if Larry would have “come out of the closet” and admitted having an “inappropriate relationship” with Jim, that involved Larry B-JOBs or something! At least that would make some sort of twisted sense, whereas what’s going on with this coach right now makes no sense at all!

by FortWayneKarl on Dec 28, 2009 10:47 PM EST via mobile reply actions

I meant "more surprised"

I’ve obviously been drinking… Just trying to kill the pain of following this team… Right now I’m pulling for Philly and Golden State to win because they are lottery competitors with our Pitiful Pacers!

by FortWayneKarl on Dec 28, 2009 11:43 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

I think we have to come to a conclusion here. You can bash JOB and Larry all you want. That’s easy. Coming to a conclusion why is a little more difficult. If the case is that JOB has lost his players, there’s a ‘snowballs chance in hell’ that he’ll get em back. If you’ve ever been part of a team, you know having no confidence in your leadership is a plague to the medium that you conduct business on. In this case, the locker room and the court. Leaders who can have a connection to their players while successfully leading at the same time is a very effective method. It was rumored Larry Brown didn’t have that, and I don’t think JOB has it either. He doesn’t relate to his players, he doesn’t inspire them, and he doesn’t get the most out of them. In a nutshell, JOB ain’t gettin the JOB done. Toss him off the ship. Get a new captain to steer us out of this cluster-fuck of a storm.
Larry is a little easier to analyze through history and third person encounters. I’ve heard all kinds of thing about him. I’ve heard he’s got great worth ethic, I’ve heard he loves the game of basketball, and I’ve heard he’s a Bud-swilling, racist jerk. Who knows? But being respectful to subordinates never really has been his thing, and I think because that’s how they did business back then. It could be any number of things. It’s just his way of doing business. Unfortunately, his way hasn’t really worked all that well. Donnie was great at building talent, albeit he didn’t always hit perfectly. We were down after the finals in 2000, and low and be-hold we were right back to the top four years later in 2004. It’s very tough to judge a man on how you could handle a thing as catastrophic as a Jermain O’Neal flop and a huge fan-player brawl with Detroit fans. I think Larry can really show us something if he blows it up and starts over (he never really blew it up, just replaced parts with other parts), and it’s really hard to do something with the Ghost of Jermaine O’Neals gargantuan contract haunting you. But I feel Larry has not handled the situation well so far. You can argue a lot of things about this organization, but you can’t argue that it’s a team with issues, and Larry is ultimately the man in charge. Winston Churchill was great for wartime Britain, but they gave his ass the boot as soon as the war was over because he wasn’t the right fit for what was needed. Larry was great for the late 90’s Pacers cause he was a good fit for what we needed. I don’t think he fits what we need right now. Blow up a part of the organization by trading murph and duns for mcgrady’s gargantuan contract, scuttle the 09-10 vessel, and start 10-11 a-new with quality, intelligent leadership, a lighter payroll, and a bright future for Pacer nation.

by hoosier3060 on Dec 31, 2009 2:35 AM EST reply actions