Roy Hibbert will benefit from the firing of Pacers head coach Jim O’Brien

Indiana Pacers head coach Jim O’Brien was fired on Sunday. Assistant coach Frank Vogel becomes the interim coach for the remainder of the season.

Team President Larry Bird was unhappy with the lack of playing time that O’Brien gave both Paul George and Tyler Hansbrough. Bird was also bothered by O’Brien’s “public berating” of Roy Hibbert as it appeared to have a negative impact on the 7-foot-2 center’s confidence.

Fantasy Implications:

Roy Hibbert fantasy owners should feel a huge sense of relief over the firing of Indiana’s coach.

Hibbert started the season on fire, averaging 15.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.9 blocks per game, while shooting 49 percent in the month of November. But the New Year has been miserable for Hibbert, averaging just 8.3 points and 6.7 rebounds, while shooting 37 percent from the field in January.

Inconsistent minutes appear to be the main culprit for his 2011 slump. With a new coach and with Larry Bird on his side, Hibbert should turn things around in February.

Both Paul George and Tyler Hansbrough are largely unowned in Yahoo fantasy leagues. It is worth keeping them on your watch list in case their production improves substantially under the new coach.

Written by Win My Fantasy League Senior Writer Justin Hasan (J-Has)