The Indiana Pacers have been seeking their big break since losing Reggie Miller. They have not made the playoffs in the last couple of seasons, and this season looked like another losing one. But then, they made their big move. They dumped their coach Jim O'Brien.
Jim O'Brien, or Obie to some, was a decent coach. He was never one of the best offensive or defensive minds in the game, but he was able to turn around the Boston Celtics after Pitino left. He had the ability to turn around struggling franchises. That is something that the Pacers hoped O'Brien would work. But O'Brien also had a couple of problems. He needed certain players, and he kept other players in the dog pound. In Indiana, that included Tyler Hansbrough, a talented college power forward whose game didn't seem to translate in the NBA. But that was partially because Jim O'Brien kept these developing players in his dog pound. So the Pacers fired him, and the Pacers are back in the race.
Maybe Jim O'Brien did have reason to keep Hansbrough in the dog pound. But other issues included his inability to determine talent in the game. He kept hot players on the bench and substitutes them with his personal favorites. He kept players with high potential on the bench, while working out his personal favorites. He was needed to be dumped in order to get the Pacers into the race. And now they've locked up the 8th seed, so far...
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