Why the Indiana Pacers should be optimistic: Rick Carlisle’s credentials as a head coach
Here’s a list of some of Carlisle’s achievements and experience:
- 2001-02 Coach of the year (Detroit)
- 2011 NBA Champion (Dallas)
- Most wins in Mavs history (555)
- 19 seasons as NBA head coach (Ind, Det, & Dal)
- 14 playoff appearances out of 19 seasons
Carlisle was the longest active tenured coach for one franchise besides the legendary Gregg Popovich in San Antonio. Thirteen years for one team, littered with playoff appearances, tons of regular-season wins is something to be proud of. Especially when so many coaches don’t do it, and especially when getting fired after a few seasons is part of the job generally speaking.
Carlisle might not have even had to interview for the position. He could’ve “cc’d” his resume over email with an attachment of Dirk hoisting up the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2011. If I was Chad Buchanan, I would have hired rick after that without a doubt.
Every championship is special, tough, and memorable. Some are tougher than others in my opinion, especially in the NBA. To me, the higher degree of difficulty, the more memorable. If you look back to 2011, the year the Dallas Mavericks defeated the team responsible for what the NBA is today, the Miami Heat. This was the first year of the LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh squad.
The finals where LeBron fell apart. To say Carlisle didn’t have a big part in that series would just be untrue. Yes, Dirk was a superhero in that series and for the entire playoffs. However, it can’t be understated how many great subs, schemes, and overall game management were excellent in that series. That championship was one of the most memorable ones of recent time simply because they were such heavy underdogs.
The Heat was the favorite, they had more talent, they had two top 5 players and another top 15-20 player in Bosh at the time. To beat them seemed not just unlikely, but impossible. It took six games, insane performances from Dirk and Jason Terry, and a monumental collapse from LeBron, but they got it done. It’s up there with one of the toughest, most satisfying sports championships in history in my opinion.
So that there, would be in bold, times new roman, 72 size font, as the heading of my resume if I’m Rick Carlisle, “HEAD COACH OF THE 2011 NBA CHAMPIONS”.