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Team will pay him final year's salary, but get a new coach

The Indiana Pacers announced Wednesday that Isiah Thomas will not return as head coach for the 2003-04 season. His contract, which had one year remaining, will be honored.

"We have decided to go in a different direction," said Pacers President and CEO Donnie Walsh, who added the search for a replacement will begin immediately. "When I hired Isiah (in 2000), I thought he was the right man for the job at the time and he was. But as our team has evolved, the decision was made that it's time to go in a different direction. We appreciate what Isiah has done in his three seasons here."

"When I was hired (July 11) I told Donnie I wanted to take my time this summer to see how things were with the team going into this season and the future," said Larry Bird, Pacers President of Basketball Operations. "After looking at film, seeing how things were and evaluating the basketball operations, I detected the team's chemistry wasn't what it should be. Donnie and I decided that a change was necessary and a fresh start was important. It's not a reflection on Isiah's job here, but more of an indication of where we want to go in the future."

Thomas became coach of the Pacers in July 2000 after Bird fulfilled his three-year contract as coach. In those three years, Thomas' record as head coach was 131-115 (.532). The Pacers made the playoffs in each of those three seasons, but did not advance past the first round.