On June 22, 2000, Larry Bird leaves the Pacers bench after beautiful three years and lost finals against the Lakers. Who will be able to replace it? The Indiana franchise is focusing on Isiah Thomas, which closes the door to Rick CarlisleAssistant (and former teammate in Boston) of Bird.
The latter then found himself without a post when he wanted to take the plunge after several seasons on the bench as an assistant in New Jersey and then in Indiana. Gregg Popovich reaches out to him, not to make him an assistant – he has no room to offer him – but to open the doors of the Spurs to him, in order to continue his preparation.
“He invited me an autumn to attend their training camp, to attend meetings and to travel with the team on a few matches”, recalls Rick Carlisle. “It was important for me and it gave me a lot of confidence when I wanted to start my coach career. It was an excellent opportunity to see him work with his team, to observe his approach in terms of relationships, his way of delegating to his staff etc. I learned a lot. He gave power to his players and staff too. This is why there are so many of his assistants who have successfully become coaches. »»
“The number of his heirs is incredible. Its impact on this profession and on basketball is massive ”
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Gregg Popovich was already someone at the time since the Spurs had won the title in 1999. A few months after this outstretched hand, Rick Carlisle moved to the bench of pistons and 24 years later, he is still there, having even won a title in 2011 with Dallas. In addition, it is no longer very far from the 1,000 career successes (993).
In a few hours, he will face the riders in the conference semi-finals and will have a thought for the former Spurs coach, who has just retired. “It’s an earthquake to see him leave coaching, but with more than 1,400 success, his brand is indelible”estimates the technician of the Pacers, who then goes even further.
“It is the biggest in the history of the NBA. He has the record for victories, already. He won five titles, at different times. He has always adapted to the evolution of basketball and was important in this evolution, moreover ”continue Carlisle. “All these things are more than notable. He helped so many coaches. The number of his heirs is incredible. Its impact on this profession and on basketball is massive. The most important thing is that his health is good. He will always remain involved in basketball. »»
