I’ll admit that I’m one of the many NBA fans who didn’t quite realize or appreciate how good of a coach Rick Carlisle was until watching him guide the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA title for the first time in franchise history. That’s not to say I didn’t think Carlisle was a solid coach. I most certainly did. In fact, I have long thought he’s one of the very best guys in the business at keeping teams together and piecing together winning seasons. What I didn’t realize was that he was far more than a great candidate to lead your team to consistent 45-50 win seasons.
But I’m just a fan. Those on the inside have long known how great of a coach Carlisle is. A great article on Wednesday taught me just how well-respected Carlisle is amongst his peers.
Amongst the names who have lined up to praise and offer insight about Carlisle the person and the coach are: Larry Bird, USC head coach Kevin O’Neill, Terry Daly, the widow of the late Chuck Daly who Carlisle got his coaching start under, and of course, Donnie Nelson and Mark Cuban, two men who have worked with quite a few other coaches prior to hiring Carlisle.
Anyway, it’s a good read worth checking out. You may already know how special of a coach Carlisle is and why he was the right hire at the right time for the Mavericks. But it’s still nice to see him get the validation from some big name colleagues and peers around the league and sport.