Why Rick Carlisle Is a True Players' Coach for the Pacers

Former Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Darrell Armstrong spent 12 of his 16 seasons on the bench with former Mavs Head Coach Rick Carlisle, including winning a championship in 2011. Before the Hall of Fame coach parted ways with the team in 2021.

“This was solely my decision,” Carlisle said in a statement released to ESPN shortly before the team announced that he was leaving.

“Dallas will always be home, but I am excited about the next chapter of my coaching career,” Carlisle said.

“Rick informed me today about his decision to step down as head coach,” former majority team owner Mark Cuban said in a statement. “On top of being a tremendous basketball coach, he was also a friend and a confidant. Rick helped us bring the O’Brien Trophy to Dallas and those are memories I will always cherish. I want to thank Rick for all he gave this franchise and this city. We wish him all the best.”

A week after Carlisle parted ways with Dallas, he was hired by the Indiana Pacers for a second time on a four-year contract worth $29 million plus incentives, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon at the time.

"You never want to get to a point where you ever feel like you're overstaying your welcome, and I just felt like this is the right time," Carlisle said. "I just have such great respect for [Mavs owner Mark Cuban] and everyone there, and I'm fortunate to move on to another great opportunity."

"It's an exciting situation because there's upside here," said Carlisle. "Getting back healthy is going to be a big part of that.

"[General manager Kevin Pritchard] and I have talked extensively about the roster. I like their roster. It's a team of skilled, unselfish guys that play hard. It's always possible that moves could be made before the season, but I think Kevin and I are both very excited about getting the roster healthy and seeing what this team can be."

Darrell Armstrong a former member of the Pacers during his time with the organization as player in 2007, recently shared something that the media and fans don’t get to about Carlislie that makes him a players’ coach.

“Just the way he approaches the game, you know, he's business,' Armstrong said. "He's all about business, and you understand he's all about his work. But he has a funny side to himself too. He says some funny stuff, but you know what you're going to get. You've got to come in ready to play, ready to practice, and that's the fun thing about being under Rick. He's been there as a player, won a championship, and now he's won as a coach too and got back to the NBA Finals. So, for me, watching from afar, I thought he was relaxed and ready, and different; even his second time around in Indiana, you could just see it the way he was with his players. Those guys were playing hard for him."

“Yeah, that's what you want: you want your players to play hard for you, and those guys did. They got to Game Seven of the NBA Finals, and unfortunately, Tyrese tore his Achilles. That series, that last game, could have been strange, because Indiana came out ready to play.”

Carlisle and the Indiana Pacers are looking to get back to the playoffs this upcoming season after they failed to make the playoffs this past season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google