The writing was on the wall for the future of Jim O'Brien, but the Pacers decided that they couldn't deal with it any longer. After an embarrassing 0-4 Western swing and blown leads agaisnt the Clippers and Warriors, it felt like Pacers' fans had reached their boiling point. That forced Larry Bird's hand, and as much as he would've liked to have held on to JOB for the rest of the 2010-11 season, he had no choice.
While the last four seasons have been a disaster for the Blue and Gold, this isn't all on O'Brien. Danny Granger has leveled off after averaging a career-high 25.8 points per game in 2008-09. Roy Hibbert talks the talk, but he has yet to walk the walk, suffering through a brutal last two months. And, frankly, I'm tired of waiting on Brandon Rush. He is what he is at this point - an inconsistent player that doesn't have a good enough work ethic to change.
Let's not forget the role that the front office has played in this as well. The cupboard wasn't exactly stocked for O'Brien. That being said, after a pair of 36-win seasons in his first two years, last year's squad took a nosedive. This year's team, despite higher expectations, is just 17-27. In 16 of those 27 losses, the Pacers have led in the fourth quarter. That has to fall on the head coach.
I compared the current state of the Pacers to a new house that is a fixer-upper. There are a lot of issues that need to be ironed out, but when you find out you have termintes, you have to nip that in the bud immediately. O'Brien was the first problem that needed to be solved for this franchise to move forward.
On to the next one.
