Mavs give Carlisle a four-year deal as coach
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

Updated: May 10, 2008, 9:32 PM ET

Rick Carlisle Reaches Verbal Agreement With MavericksThe Dallas Mavericks and Rick Carlisle reached a verbal agreement on a four-year coaching contract Friday night that seals his hiring as Avery Johnson's successor.

Although a news conference to introduce Carlisle as the Mavericks' new coach won't happen until Wednesday, Carlisle and the Mavs ended two days of slow-moving negotiations late Friday by coming to terms on a four-year contract.

The guaranteed deal is worth $17.5 million and is expected to be signed at 2:30 ET on Saturday, according to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban confirmed the deal in an e-mail to ESPN.com.

"Incredibly excited that Rick has come on board," Cuban said on the team's Web site. "His coaching record speaks for itself. He has a unique ability to coach multiple styles of play, which we think makes him a great fit for the Mavs."

Carlisle arrived in Dallas on Thursday with his family, as both he and the Mavericks were anticipating a Friday news conference after sorting out the final details face-to-face. Carlisle was joined in town by the two former NBA head coaches -- Dwane Casey and Terry Stotts -- who will be hired as assistants on his new staff.

Donnie Nelson, the Mavericks' president of basketball operations, said in a statement Saturday that Carlisle was "our top choice from the onset."

"His integrity, exceptional basketball IQ and balanced approach are exactly what we were looking for," Nelson said. "Rick's playoff experience and success make him a great fit for our team and its future."

The deal was realistically never going to collapse once things got that serious, but it did appear that the sides would go into the weekend with no agreement -- and some tangible frustration -- when an accord was reached shortly before 11 p.m. ET on Friday.


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Carlisle's NBA Career

A look at the professional coaching record of Rick Carlisle, who has agreed to become the Mavericks coach:

Regular Season Year Team W-L Pct
2001-02 Pistons 50-32 .610
2002-03 Pistons 50-32 .610
2003-04 Pacers 61-21 .744
2004-05 Pacers 44-38 .537
2005-06 Pacers 41-41 .500
2006-07 Pacers 35-47 .427
Totals: 281-211 .571
Postseason Year Team W-L Pct
2001-02 Pistons 4-6 .400
2002-03 Pistons 8-9 .471
2003-04 Pacers 10-6 .625
2004-05 Pacers 6-7 .462
2005-06 Pacers 2-4 .333
Totals: 30-32 .484

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Carlisle was the first and only candidate to interview for the vacancy after Nelson turned down Cuban's invitation to move to the bench.

After a sitdown in Indianapolis last Thursday with Nelson, Carlisle flew into Dallas for face-to-face meetings with Cuban and an introductory meeting with star forward Dirk Nowitzki.

It quickly became clear Carlisle was the only serious contender for the job, with Dallas electing not to take advantage of Mike D'Antoni's sudden availability by following Chicago and New York's lead and requesting an interview with the Suns coach.

Johnson was fired April 30, mere hours after Dallas suffered its second straight first-round exit. ESPN.com reported after the Mavericks' Game 5 loss in New Orleans that Cuban considered dismissing Johnson before the playoffs began, specifically after Cuban and Johnson engaged in a heated argument following a March 18 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Although Cuban wanted Nelson to take over, in part because of Nelson's longstanding relationships with Jason Kidd and Nowitzki -- an especially close one with the German after Nelson engineered the draft-day trade in 1998 that landed Nowitzki in Dallas -- Nelson reiterated his long-held stance that he didn't want to leave his personnel post to go back to coaching.

"I think there's better candidates out there," Nelson insisted.

That belief quickly led Dallas to Carlisle, who attended the same Massachusetts prep school as Nelson some 30 years ago.

Carlisle and his new employers will now inevitably face questions about Carlisle's past personality clashes in Detroit and Indianapolis and a coaching style that will be likened to the conservative, controlling Johnson.

But Carlisle, 48, would also appear to offer the best blend of offensive and defensive pedigree after posting a record of 281-211 (.571) in stints with the Pistons and Pacers. Mavericks management and Nowitzki have spoken loudly of the need for better balance since the season ended.

Carlisle knows a big part of his job will be making better use of Kidd, after Johnson sealed his dismissal with what was widely perceived as misuse of Kidd. There is considerable skepticism about how Carlisle and Kidd will mesh as well, since Carlisle has never been known as an up-tempo coach. The Mavs, though, regard it as a positive sign that Carlisle spent a few days at Suns training camp in October as an observer, studying D'Antoni's system in an attempt to broaden his playbook.

Carlisle also served as an offensive coordinator of sorts for Larry Bird with the Pacers during Bird's three-season stint as Pacers coach from 1997-98 through 1999-2000, which included a trip to the 2000 NBA Finals. Carlisle won NBA Coach of the Year honors in his first season in Detroit in 2001-02.

He posted consecutive 50-32 records before the Pistons replaced him with Larry Brown. He then moved to the Pacers and went 61-21 in his first season before losing in the conference finals to Brown during Detroit's 2004 championship run. Carlisle guided the Pacers to two more playoff bids despite seemingly constant off-court turmoil and injury which followed Indiana's infamous brawl in Detroit in November 2004.

Although he interviewed recently with the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks before talking to Dallas, Carlisle was not a finalist for either job. He'll soon be introduced as the first coaching hire of the Cuban era that didn't have a prior working relationship with the Mavs' boss.

For all his perceived volatility, Cuban had never fired a coach before dismissing Johnson, whose relationship with the owner and ability to reach Dallas' players gradually deteriorated after their NBA Finals appearance in 2006.

Cuban inherited Don Nelson as a coach when he assumed ownership control of the Mavs in January 2000 and ultimately gave Nelson two contract extensions after they hit it off in those first few months together. Cuban then targeted Johnson as Nelson's replacement when he was still a player and assistant coach, repeatedly observing Johnson's ability to lead and motivate from his daily seat in close proximity to the Dallas bench. Don Nelson, furthermore, asked out more than he was pushed out in March 2005.

Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com.

Sorry, I would not take this guy over Avery Johnson. This will prove to be a bad move for them.

quote:

Originally posted by The Camera:
Sorry, I would not take this guy over Avery Johnson. This will prove to be a bad move for them.

I agree. He's been run out of everywhere he's been before by the players. I'll give it 2 years, max.

This is the step that will signal the falling of the cards for either Dirk or the Cuban shine, 'cause Carlisle is not the answer.

quote:

Originally posted by hulaw94:
This is the step that will signal the falling of the cards for either Dirk or the Cuban shine, 'cause Carlisle is not the answer.

Well, Carlisle helped in rebuilding the Pistons into the annual winners they are today. He was the coach to get Detroit from point "A" to point "B." At the time he took over Detroit, nobody wanted that job and he helped turn that team from a 30-win team into a championship-caliber unit.

He did the same thing in Indiana by leading the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals and 61-win season. The guy can coach. Period.

His downfall has been his inability to get along with management. That is why Joe Dumars let him go in favor of Larry Brown after the 2003 season and Donnie Walsh fired him in 2006.

But Rick Carlisle can coach. I think this is a good hire by Dallas.

He's officially an NBA retread.

quote:

Originally posted by MARSHALL:

quote:

Originally posted by hulaw94:
This is the step that will signal the falling of the cards for either Dirk or the Cuban shine, 'cause Carlisle is not the answer.

Well, Carlisle helped in rebuilding the Pistons into the annual winners they are today. He was the coach to get Detroit from point "A" to point "B." At the time he took over Detroit, nobody wanted that job and he helped turn that team from a 30-win team into a championship-caliber unit.

He did the same thing in Indiana by leading the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals and 61-win season. The guy can coach. Period.

His downfall has been his inability to get along with management. That is why Joe Dumars let him go in favor of Larry Brown after the 2003 season and Donnie Walsh fired him in 2006.

But Rick Carlisle can coach. I think this is a good hire by Dallas.

Yeah, he can coach. But he's no upgrade from Avery Johnson. They are both great regular season coaches who are absolute garbage in the playoffs. I would say the same thing about Flip Saunders, depending on what happens this year.

quote:

Originally posted by MARSHALL:

quote:

Originally posted by hulaw94:
This is the step that will signal the falling of the cards for either Dirk or the Cuban shine, 'cause Carlisle is not the answer.

Well, Carlisle helped in rebuilding the Pistons into the annual winners they are today. He was the coach to get Detroit from point "A" to point "B." At the time he took over Detroit, nobody wanted that job and he helped turn that team from a 30-win team into a championship-caliber unit.

He did the same thing in Indiana by leading the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals and 61-win season. The guy can coach. Period.

His downfall has been his inability to get along with management. That is why Joe Dumars let him go in favor of Larry Brown after the 2003 season and Donnie Walsh fired him in 2006.

But Rick Carlisle can coach. I think this is a good hire by Dallas.

...and he has won how many NBA finals??? I think Avery makes adjustments better and has better potential to break out of the winless funk in the NBA finals. If it were my decision, it would not be Carlisle.

quote:

Originally posted by MARSHALL:

quote:

Originally posted by hulaw94:
This is the step that will signal the falling of the cards for either Dirk or the Cuban shine, 'cause Carlisle is not the answer.

Well, Carlisle helped in rebuilding the Pistons into the annual winners they are today. He was the coach to get Detroit from point "A" to point "B." At the time he took over Detroit, nobody wanted that job and he helped turn that team from a 30-win team into a championship-caliber unit.

He did the same thing in Indiana by leading the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals and 61-win season. The guy can coach. Period.

His downfall has been his inability to get along with management. That is why Joe Dumars let him go in favor of Larry Brown after the 2003 season and Donnie Walsh fired him in 2006.

But Rick Carlisle can coach. I think this is a good hire by Dallas.

I actually agree with this. It's not to say he's better than Avery but sometimes a guy can only go so far with a particulary team. Then they need to hear a different voice. See D'Antoni, Scott Skiles, Saunders (when at Minn.), Doc Rivers (when in Orlando) etc.
Plus, absolutely correct about Rick and managemnt, he doesn't appear to be well liked.

quote:

Originally posted by MARSHALL:

quote:

Originally posted by hulaw94:
This is the step that will signal the falling of the cards for either Dirk or the Cuban shine, 'cause Carlisle is not the answer.

Well, Carlisle helped in rebuilding the Pistons into the annual winners they are today. He was the coach to get Detroit from point "A" to point "B." At the time he took over Detroit, nobody wanted that job and he helped turn that team from a 30-win team into a championship-caliber unit.

He did the same thing in Indiana by leading the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals and 61-win season. The guy can coach. Period.

His downfall has been his inability to get along with management. That is why Joe Dumars let him go in favor of Larry Brown after the 2003 season and Donnie Walsh fired him in 2006.

But Rick Carlisle can coach. I think this is a good hire by Dallas.

Dumars built the Pistons (as evidenced by the continued greatness with THREE different coaches) and Donnie Walsh and Larry 'Legend" helped the Pacers return to glory. If Carlisle is so GREAT, why weren't the owners beating down his door? And why do the players hate his guts (a better question actually since the players have the juice now)?

He's another one of the coaches who helped me tune the Association out post-80s until Y2K: put my ENTIRE focus on defense because I have no clue how to design one of the most beautiful things in all of pro sports- an efficient, fast-flowing, dynamic NBA offense. No clue. He's in the same lot with Brown of Cleveland and Rivers of Boston- which is why that s!ht is so painful to watch (and kudos to Kenny, Magic, and Charles for FINALLY calling that s!ht out on TNT last night!).

He'll last two years, max.

quote:

Originally posted by mo'betta rattler:

quote:

Originally posted by MARSHALL:

quote:

Originally posted by hulaw94:
This is the step that will signal the falling of the cards for either Dirk or the Cuban shine, 'cause Carlisle is not the answer.

Well, Carlisle helped in rebuilding the Pistons into the annual winners they are today. He was the coach to get Detroit from point "A" to point "B." At the time he took over Detroit, nobody wanted that job and he helped turn that team from a 30-win team into a championship-caliber unit.

He did the same thing in Indiana by leading the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals and 61-win season. The guy can coach. Period.

His downfall has been his inability to get along with management. That is why Joe Dumars let him go in favor of Larry Brown after the 2003 season and Donnie Walsh fired him in 2006.

But Rick Carlisle can coach. I think this is a good hire by Dallas.

Dumars built the Pistons (as evidenced by the continued greatness with THREE different coaches) and Donnie Walsh and Larry 'Legend" helped the Pacers return to glory. If Carlisle is so GREAT, why weren't the owners beating down his door? And why do the players hate his guts (a better question actually since the players have the juice now)?

He's another one of the coaches who helped me tune the Association out post-80s until Y2K: put my ENTIRE focus on defense because I have no clue how to design one of the most beautiful things in all of pro sports- an efficient, fast-flowing, dynamic NBA offense. No clue. He's in the same lot with Brown of Cleveland and Rivers of Boston- which is why that s!ht is so painful to watch (and kudos to Kenny, Magic, and Charles for FINALLY calling that s!ht out on TNT last night!).

He'll last two years, max.

Joe Dumars gathered a roster of talent that were basically cast offs. The coach he hired before Carlisle could not get through to the players and Dumars fired him. Then Carlisle started to hold Wallace, Billups and Hamliton accountable and then they started to win.

Ben Wallace and Billups got tired of how tough Rick was on them and it was one of the reasons why his stay in Detroit did not last long. Plus, Ben Wallace has not liked any coach he has played for during his career. So that should not be held against Carlisle.

You are right. Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh help revive the Pacers. However, when Walsh hired Isiah Thomas, the Pacers started to slide. And once again Carlisle turned the Pacers into winners again. As in Detroit, players did not like him. Most notably Ron Artest and Steven Jackson. Players with not so solid work ethics who wanted to do their own thing.

I really don't understand why so many so-called basketball gurus on this board are so harsh toward incoming coaches.

I mean, none of them have won NBA titles. That is true. However, it's not easy to do so when the last 10 world championship teams have been coached by Phil Jackson, Larry Brown and Greg Popovich. All HOFers. These young coaches need time to grow. But I guess folks are not patient in this win now society.

quote:

Originally posted by MARSHALL:
Joe Dumars gathered a roster of talent that were basically cast offs. The coach he hired before Carlisle could not get through to the players and Dumars fired him. Then Carlisle started to hold Wallace, Billups and Hamliton accountable and then they started to win.

Ben Wallace and Billups got tired of how tough Rick was on them and it was one of the reasons why his stay in Detroit did not last long. Plus, Ben Wallace has not liked any coach he has played for during his career. So that should not be held against Carlisle.

You are right. Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh help revive the Pacers. However, when Walsh hired Isiah Thomas, the Pacers started to slide. And once again Carlisle turned the Pacers into winners again. As in Detroit, players did not like him. Most notably Ron Artest and Steven Jackson. Players with not so solid work ethics who wanted to do their own thing.

I really don't understand why so many so-called basketball gurus on this board are so harsh toward incoming coaches.

I mean, none of them have won NBA titles. That is true. However, it's not easy to do so when the last 10 world championship teams have been coached by Phil Jackson, Larry Brown and Greg Popovich. All HOFers. These young coaches need time to grow. But I guess folks are not patient in this win now society.

M,

Once again, why weren't folks drooling over themselves to get Carlisle? The glue in the Pistons run has been Joe Dumars. Walsh and Bird's work speaks for itself.

Carlisle is okay and no more. He can't get along with the playas and a smart coach would figure out that that is a necessity. Maybe he has- I doubt it (a leopard doesn't change its STRIPES ).

And has it occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, peeps can see things for what they are and, therefore, question rehabbing the same tired-azz coaches over and over again? The poster child for that is Carlisle. Currently, he is best suited, IMHO, as a TV analyst or as the defensive coach for a brilliant offensive-minded, young head coach.

quote:

question rehabbing the same tired-azz coaches over and over again? The poster child for that is Carlisle.

???
He's had 7 seasons as an NBA head coach with two teams and is about 50 games over .500. A couple of 50 and 60 win seasons. If that is a retread then nearly every coach in the league is. Y'all remember when he coached Indiana after the brawl and STILL got a 5 or 6 seed w/o his best players!!!

quote:

Originally posted by joeneek:

quote:

question rehabbing the same tired-azz coaches over and over again? The poster child for that is Carlisle.

???
He's had 7 seasons as an NBA head coach with two teams and is about 50 games over .500. A couple of 50 and 60 win seasons. If that is a retread then nearly every coach in the league is. Y'all remember when he coached Indiana after the brawl and STILL got a 5 or 6 seed w/o his best players!!!

RETREAD. The Association needs some new blood. D'Antoni was fresh and brought life back to the game. Oh, but maybe we should bring Dick Motta back while we are at it. After all, walking that ball up the court was truly "innovative" and showed "great defense".