Carlisle is out as Pacers Coach
Owing to a very dismal season for the Pacers, brought about by trades and second chances given to players that did not bear fruit, then capped by the team not reaching the playoffs, Rick Carlisle stepped down as head coach of the team. It was announced as a mutual agreement between the coach and management by team president Larry Bird.
I kinda feel sorry for Coach Carlisle. It wasn’t his fault entirely. Based from my vantage point, the wrong type of players came in at the wrong time. Thugs mostly and their thug mentality spread across the rest of the players like a rabid cancer. The sad reality in professional basketball is that most often than not the Coach takes responsibility for the teams bad record.
Carlisle started out as the Pacers offensive coordinator when Larry Bird was still coach. When Larry Bird retired after 3 years as the Pacers coach, having reached the finals in 2000, he endorsed as his successor Rick Carlisle. They have gone way back as team mates in the Boston Celtics. Management however decided to not get him as head coach but and chose Isiah Thomas instead. This was the guy who would get mental blocked during end-games.
Carlisle, from there became coach of the Detroit Pistons. Where he won 2002 Coach of the year for leading the Pistons with no-name stars to the Eastern Conference finals. After which he was replaced by Larry Brown, duh? right? No offense to Larry Brown who turned around the Pacers during the start of the 90’s and started the defense oriented mentality of the team.
According to the report, Carlisle had been offered a front desk position with the team but he had expressed intentions that he wants to coach again. Any team would be lucky to get him. Wherever you go Rick, all I can say is, you were screwed and didn’t deserve it. Good luck on your future plans.
As an end note, since Pacer management is most likely bouncing ideas off the wall as to who the next Pacer coach will be, I do hope Larry Bird comes back in a coaching capacity.
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Tags: NBA, Rick Carlisle, Indiana Pacers