Two Miami Heat Assistants Linked to Head Coach Vacancy at the Indiana Pacers

After an embarrassing exit in the playoffs, the Indiana Pacers fired head coach Nate McMillan. He spent seven years at Indiana, three as an assistant to Frank Vogel, and four as the head coach. But under him, the Pacers lost in the first round every year, including three 4-0 sweeps. So now they are looking for some change.

Kevin O’Connor from the Ringer reveals that five people are in the running for the job now. The newest names on the list are Miami Heat assistant coaches, Chris Quinn and Dan Craig, who are going to have an interview soon.

Quinn is a former player who had stints with the Heat, Spurs, and the Cavs before retiring and joining the Heat as an assistant. He has been with them since 2014 and finally looks poised to get the long-awaited promotion.

Can a new coach turn the tide for the Indiana Pacers?

Unlike Quinn, Craig never played in the league. He has been with the Heat for over 17 years and has an inspiring story like the current head coach Erik Spoelstra. Craig joined as a video intern for Heat back in 2003 and rose the ranks to become the assistant coach. Perhaps this is why Spoelstra is fond of him.

“DC is much like myself, he started at the bottom,” said Spoelstra back in January 2019.

“Learning the business from the video room of the Miami Heat is different, to say the least. (Craig) is extremely polished now, he’s done basically everything, including coaching at Sioux Falls (Miami’s G-League affiliate) and he’s somebody that I lean on a lot. I lean on him like he’s a head coach, but he’s also one of my closest friends.”

The Pacers have an exciting team, but their inability to perform in the playoffs is their biggest problem. The Pacers will look for someone who can help them be better playoff performers and cause a few upsets.

Indiana isn’t a free-agent dream destination, so the coach has limited resources. But they already have a solid team, so it will be an interesting season for them next year.