http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2848972 Carlisle won't return as Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle is stepping down as coach of the Indiana Pacers, team president Larry Bird announced Wednesday. Bird said he and Carlisle "mutually agreed its time for him to move on ," Bird said. "It's time to close the chapter on this season and move forward. " Carlisle has a 181-147 record in four seasons in Indiana and a 281-211 overall mark in six seasons with the Pacers and Detroit Pistons. But his victory total has declined each season since the Pacers won 61 games in 2003-04. Carlisle managed to get the Pacers into the playoffs in 2004-05, despite the chaos caused by the team's brawl with Detroit Pistons fans and losing Ron Artest, who touched off the brawl, to a season-long suspension as a result. He also steered the Pacers into the playoffs in 2005-06, when Artest demanded to be traded halfway through the season. But this year, distractions and injuries mounted and the team missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons. Carlisle was the 2001-02 NBA coach of the year, as the Pistons improved from 32-50 to 50-32 and reached the Eastern Conference finals.
I was really surprised to see this. Talk about tossing the baby with the bathwater. I thought Larry Bird was more intelligent than to cut loose a really good coach just to appease a floundering franchise's fanbase. Evan
This is a shame. Carlisle is one of the best coaches in the league. In fact, for all the Nellie worship that goes on, historically, Carlisle is the best at winning with little. I understand that it's a fact of the NBA, but it still sucks.
Carlisle is a damn good coach & will land another job sooner than later thats for sure but you can't really blaim him for all the crap that happined w/ the Pacers. It was one thing after another. Good coach just ran into alot of bad luck...
Carlisle is a good coach and you can't blame him for all the Pacers problems, but this season there were serious motivational issues with the players. If they played hard every game that would be one thing, but it didn't happen. I think it was time for a change. I also think Carlisle's ultra-controlling and deliberate offenses are more and more out of sync with where the NBA is heading. If some of you think JVG is too controlling of our offense you ain't seen nothing at all until you watch a few Pacer games.
Yes you can fire the players. Sprewell was fired, wasn't he? It's just a lot more expensive to fire them than to fire the coach.
Good news. That's one more highly qualified coaching candidate that will be a free agent in the off season. Carlisle, IMO, is as good a coach as JVG. They basically have the same philosophy and he could be used as a 'bargaining chip' by the Rockets in case JVG's asking price is too high or he decides to walk away after these playoffs. Of course, another possible candidate is Phil Jackson, and you already have Rick Adelman and Larry Brown still out there, although the latter is unlikely to be a long term solution for the Rockets should we show any interest. On a side note, isn't Don Nelson a 'free agent' coach after this season?
