Pacers hiring Rick Carlisle as new head coach, reportedly signing him to 4-year deal
The Indiana Pacers and former Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle are reuniting after 14 years apart. The Pacers announced they have reached an agreement to hire Carlisle as their next head coach.
ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported the deal is for four years and worth $29 million with incentives.
This is familiar ground for Carlisle, who was the Pacers' head coach from 2003 to 2007. He had originally entered the organization in 1997 as an assistant under then-head coach Larry Bird, leaving in 2000 after he was passed over for Bird's job.
After two seasons serving as the head coach for the Detroit Pistons (which ended with his unceremonious firing), Carlisle returned to the Pacers (for the first time) as head coach. He was fired after two great seasons and two lackluster seasons, but that twist of fate is what led him to the Mavericks. He was hired in 2008 and would stay for 13 years.
Carlisle's Mavericks had a 1033-555 record over 13 seasons, made the playoffs nine times and won the franchise's first-ever championship in 2011. He stepped down in mid-June amid reports of tensions within the organization, just one day after longtime general manager Donnie Nelson was fired.
Pacers looking to rebound
Carlisle is replacing Nate Bjorkgren, who was fired after just one year as head coach. In that one year, Bjorkgren managed to reportedly lose the locker room and end the team's five-year playoff streak. Plus, their 34-38 record was the first time they'd finished under .500 since the 2009-10 season.
Those are mistakes that Carlisle likely won't make. Bjorkgren took a good team and made them mediocre, and Carlisle is well suited to erase those mistakes. Beyond his lengthy résumé of experience, he's also known to be adaptable, which will go a long way toward winning over the locker room. He's not Nate Bjorkgren, so he's already got a head start.
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