Longtime Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle stepped down from his position last week in the midst of his reportedly frustrated relationship with superstar Luka Doncic.
The Mavericks, as a whole, are crumbling. They fired Donnie Nelson and Carlisle stepped down just days later. Mark Cuban hasn’t made things any better with his various tweets.
Regardless, Carlisle is putting the drama behind him. According to
Sources: The Pacers are hiring Rick Carlisle as head coach. He will sign a 4-year, $29 million contract.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) June 24, 2021
“>NBA insider Tim MacMahon, Carlisle has agreed to become the next head coach of the Indiana Pacers.
The veteran coach has reportedly agreed to sign a four-year, $29 million contract. The Pacers are getting a championship coach.
Rick Carlisle is arguably the greatest coach in Dallas Mavericks’ history. He turned the organization into a championship program.
He now heads to another smaller market team in need of a resurgence. Carlisle could provide such a lift.
The new Pacers head coach has a star in Domantas Sabonis to build a team around. Sabonis had a breakout year this season, averaging 20.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game. He shot 53.5 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from three-point range.
There’s plenty of reason to believe Carlisle is the perfect fit in Indiana. Most NBA fans seem to be excited about the Pacers’ new hire.
With Rick Carlisle at the helm, the Pacers should be right back in the Eastern Conference Playoffs next season.
Carlisle always tends to get the best out of his players. And Indiana is a young team ready to prove itself. The Pacers’ future is bright.