Pacers fire O'Brien, Vogel takes over for rest of season

After losing seven of their last eight games, the Indiana Pacers fired head coach Jim O'Brien on Sunday.

O'Brien compiled a 121-169 record over 3½ seasons with the Pacers. Indiana faded after a strong start this season to now rank third in the Central Division with a 17-27 record.

"This isn't all on Jim," said team president Larry Bird. "All of us share in the responsibility for where we're at and where we need to go."

Frank Vogel, a longtime assistant to O'Brien, will takeover for the rest of the season, though others are reportedly in the running to land the full-time job.

Former Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, the Pacers' associate head coach under Rick Carlisle from 2003-05, is among them. While one league source told SI.com that Brown is a strong candidate for the job, another confirmed that Brown has had no contact with Indiana about its coaching position.

Vogel joined O'Brien as assistant in 2007 after spending the previous two seasons as an advance scout for the Lakers and Wizards. He entered the league as the head video coordinator for Rick Pitino's Celtics in 1997.

Vogel will make his head-coaching debut on Monday when the Pacers host the Raptors.