Rick Carlisle Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Curry, Dinwiddie, Carlisle, Clippers

March 25th, 2024 at 8:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Stephen Curry was on the bench for nearly an 11-minute stretch Sunday night as the Warriors dropped a crucial game in Minnesota, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Curry checked out of the game with four minutes remaining in the third quarter and didn’t return until midway through the fourth quarter. He scored 31 points in 30 minutes, but Golden State couldn’t recover as its lead slipped to one game over Houston in the battle for the final play-in spot.

“We can’t expect to just ride Steph game after game after game,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We’ve put the burden of this franchise on his shoulders for 15 years. We can’t expect him to play 35 minutes … If you want to say that him playing 30 minutes instead of 32 is a difference between a win and a loss, I totally disagree with that. We’re trying to win the game. And we’re trying to keep him fresh, too.”

Kerr was determined to not overwork Curry after he played 35 minutes, including the entire fourth quarter, in Friday’s loss to Indiana. Curry said he wants to play as much as he’s “fresh and able to,” but he didn’t question Kerr’s decision.

“The situation will define itself in real-time,” he said. “Every game matters as we’re inching closer to the other end of the standings we never thought we would be in. No one is going to wave the white flag and say we are mailing it in. If that means playing more minutes, I’ll be ready to do that.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

With D’Angelo Russell sidelined by an illness, Spencer Dinwiddie made his second start since joining the Lakers and delivered 26 points in a win over Indiana. He talked to Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter video link) about finding a role in L.A. after signing with the team last month. “It’s just about reading the room and understanding you’re a part of something bigger,” Dinwiddie said.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle became the latest opponent to complain about a foul discrepancy after playing the Lakers, tweets Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. L.A. shot 38-of-43 from the free throw line in the five-point victory, while Indiana was just 9-of-16. “There were certain things that were impossible to overcome,” Carlisle said. “The 27-free-throw differential is one. The 17-foul differential is the other. And I’ll leave it at that.”
The Clippers are in danger of squandering home court in the first round after losing Sunday to the shorthanded Sixers, notes Kevin Baxter of The Los Angeles Times. L.A. is just a half-game ahead of fifth-place New Orleans. “We talk about it every day,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “Not taking shortcuts and doing it the right way. And so I think they’re frustrated as well. I mean, it’s embarrassing. When you come in minus Joel Embiid, (Nicolas Batum) sits out tonight and you’re playing at home, you have to take advantage of those type of things. You keep talking about it. But at some point, you’ve got to do it.”

Central Notes: Merrill, Walker, Pacers, Middleton

December 21st, 2023 at 6:50pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill led Cleveland to a victory over the Jazz on Wednesday behind a franchise record-tying eight three-pointers off the bench. After beginning the year on the outside looking in to the Cavs’ rotation, Merrill is establishing himself as a key depth piece over the past week, which was highlighted by his career-high 27 points against Utah.

In his past five games, Merrill is averaging 14.0 points while shooting a scorching-hot 53.8% from downtown on 7.8 attempts per game.

“This is what the NBA is about. It’s about making dreams come true,” Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Merrill, per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor (Subscriber link). “He’s worked his tail off, and he’s definitely making his dream come true.”

Fedor further explores the Utah State product’s rise to the top of Cleveland’s bench in a separate subscriber-only story, detailing his climb from unheralded high school guard to an eventual 10-day contract with the Cavs late last season, where he has remained since.

“J.B. reiterated the trust that the whole staff has in me and what I can do,” Merrill said. “For me, it’s always going to be a fight to show that I can do more than just shoot. I think they’ve understood that from the moment they signed me that there’s more to it, especially on the defensive end competing and staying in front of guys and being in the right spots and whatnot. I certainly came away with quite a bit of confidence.”

We have more from the Central Division:

Pacers rookie forward Jarace Walker is showing signs of progress with his play as of late, writes IndyStar’s Dustin Dopirak. The 2023 No. 8 overall pick played three straight games with the Pacers, totaling more minutes in those games than he had all season. Still, according to coach Rick Carlisle, the organization is impressed, but is keeping to a specific developmental timeline with Walker and they sent him back to the G League after their Dec. 16 game against Minnesota. Center Myles Turner missed Indiana’s Dec. 18 outing, but per Dopirak, the Pacers stayed committed to their plan of having Walker spend more time with the Mad Ants. When asked what Walker needs to improve, Carlisle said he wants Walker to be “a more disciplined defender than his instincts want him to be” and to “limit willy-nilly gambles.” (Twitter link via Dopirak).
Carlisle refrained from making any drastic changes to the Pacers rotation, even though he floated the idea, after the Pacers lost four games in a row soon after the In-Season Tournament championship, Dopirak writes in another piece. After staying the course with the current lineup, Indiana responded with a 31-point victory over the Hornets on Wednesday. “Coming off a high high at the In-Season Tournament and coming back to regular NBA basketball, it was a transition nobody was used to,” guard Buddy Hield said. “That’s the first time we all went through that. We figured it out, weathered the storm.“
Bucks wing Khris Middleton endured a difficult year in 2022 and into 2023, dealing with personal matters and injury flare ups, writes Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jim Owczarski. Now he’s back to playing a full workload for the first time since April 2022. Middleton went into detail with Owczarski on his difficult journey as of late. “I’ve been thinking and hoping that I’m getting out of that stretch of my life where I can move on to a little bit more positive things,” Middleton said. “But yeah, it got really high then it got really low for me the last year or two. But that’s life. We go through things at different stages and you learn from it and grow from it. I think that’s the most important thing. Try to let a lot of frustration go and realize part of it is life and just try to grow with it and learn from it all and appreciate things a little bit more.” I recommend checking out the piece in full here.

Central Notes: Pistons, Carlisle, McConnell, Harden

October 28th, 2023 at 11:49am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Pistons are trying to build a team that could epitomize both the “Bad Boys” teams of the ’80s and ’90s, as well as the “Goin’ to Work” Pistons of the 2000s, according to The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III. Defense is the key to doing so and, through two games, Detroit’s defense is forming its identity.

The Pistons held the Heat to 103 points in a narrow one-point loss on Wednesday and limited the Hornets to 99 points on Friday, one year after the league-wide scoring average was 114 points per game. Still, there’s plenty to clean up, Edwards writes, as the Pistons have committed 39 turnovers in two games.

“When you have those kinds of turnover numbers and fouls, you have to do something to offset it,” Pistons coach Monty Williams said. “It was the defense tonight. I mean, (the Hornets) shot 37 percent from the field. You don’t see that much in an NBA game. I thought our physicality had a lot to do with it, guarding the ball had a lot to do with it.”

The Pistons have one of the youngest rosters in the league and the oldest player in the starting lineup is 22. Still, they’re buying into the system Williams is setting in place, according to Edwards.

“I credit the guys we have, we understand the game more, but Monty coming in, putting in a system that we can follow easily, and the standard he’s set on the defensive end,” center Jalen Duren said. “Everyone is buying into it. We’ve got guys taking that end very seriously. When everyone is buying into that side of the basketball, this is the outcome.”

We have more from the Central Division:

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle signed a contract extension with the team on Thursday and he’s looking forward to be around the team for the long haul, Dustin Dopirak of IndyStar writes. “I’m excited to continue the challenge here,” Carlisle said. “It’s really not a day to celebrate. It’s a day to be reminded of the daunting responsibility that me and my staff have to continue to develop this group. We’ve done some pretty good things as an organization the last couple of years and we have to keep pushing forward.“
The Pacers are deep at the guard positions, leading Carlisle to make some difficult rotation decisions, including leaving T.J. McConnell out of the 10-man rotation, Dopirak details in a separate piece. “It was obviously a tough conversation as a competitor,” McConnell said. “But I’m just here to do my job. Whatever he thinks is best for the team, he’s got to do. I just have to stay ready.“
The Bulls could benefit from exploring a swap involving Zach LaVine and James Harden, Scoop Jackson of the Chicago Sun-Times opines. Chicago is 1-1 after an overtime victory over the Raptors on Friday, which came on the heels of a players-only meeting on Wednesday.

Rick Carlisle Signs Multiyear Extension With Pacers

October 26th, 2023 at 11:14am CST by Arthur Hill

11:14am: Carlisle’s extension is official, the Pacers announced in a press release.

“It goes without saying that Coach Carlisle is one of the most creative and successful coaches in the history of the league, so there was never a question that he continues to be the right person to lead our team,” said president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard. “His ties to this organization and community run deep, his guidance and leadership are invaluable to our players and staff, and we’re looking forward to working together for years to come as we build something special for our fans.”

8:56pm: The Pacers have reached an agreement on a multiyear contract extension with head coach Rick Carlisle, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Carlisle has posted a 60-104 record over the past two seasons after taking over a rebuilding Indiana team in 2021. It marks the second stint with the Pacers for the 63-year-old coach, who also guided the team from 2003-07.

Wojnarowski didn’t reveal any terms of the new contract, but it ensures that Carlisle will get to continue molding a promising collection of young talent. The 2022 trade for Tyrese Haliburton gave Indiana a franchise player to build around, and Myles Turner has become one of the NBA’s most productive centers.

Bennedict Mathurin is coming off a strong rookie year, and players such as Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin and Jarace Walker give Indiana a solid young foundation. The offseason signing of Bruce Brown in free agency is an indication that the Pacers want to start contending, and Carlisle provides the experience to guide them in that direction.

Carlisle is one of a handful of active coaches with an NBA title, which he won as head coach of the Mavericks in 2011. He was named Coach of the Year with the Pistons in 2002 and served as the Eastern Conference head coach in the 2004 All-Star Game.

After playing in the NBA for six seasons, Carlisle moved into coaching in 1989 as an assistant with the Nets. He also spent time as an assistant with Portland and Indiana before getting his first head coaching opportunity with Detroit in 2001. He coached the Pistons for two seasons before moving on to the Pacers in 2003 and the Mavericks in 2008. Carlisle has a career record of 897-793.

Pacers Notes: McConnell, Brown, Toppin, Nesmith, Haliburton

October 26th, 2023 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has talked about trusting all 15 of his players, but he used a condensed rotation in Wednesday’s season opener, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Carlisle kept at least one of his starters on the floor throughout the first half of the victory over Washington, and only 10 players saw action until the game was out of reach.

Carlisle appears to have a set starting five of Tyrese Haliburton, Bruce Brown, Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin and Myles Turner. Only Andrew Nembhard, Buddy Hield, Aaron Nesmith and Jalen Smith came off the bench before halftime, and Isaiah Jackson saw some minutes in the second half after Turner got into foul trouble.

T.J. McConnell is among the players who are starting the season outside the rotation, and Carlisle said it was extremely tough to break the news to the veteran point guard.

“I had one of the most difficult conversations I’ve ever had with a player about the situation and the minutes,” Carlisle told reporters. “It was T.J. I was almost in tears talking to him about it. One of the reasons was he was so great. He was just him. He said ‘Hey, listen, I’m disappointed. I’ll be ready. I’ll be professional, you know that. I’ll do everything I can to set an example.’ But this is one of the great competitors in the history of this franchise. There certainly are going to be opportunities for him to play, but heading into this game the minutes plan didn’t shake out well for him. So we talked about it, and that was tough.”

There’s more from Indiana:

Brown set a career high by making six three-pointers in his first game with the Pacers, Dopirak adds. The free agent addition struggled with his shot early in the preseason, but he’s been getting better opportunities since Haliburton began playing. “It’s just the offense,” Brown said. “We play fast. Everybody’s running. Myles one time got me an open three just because of his seal at the rim. Our offense is so random. Anybody can score the ball and tonight it was me.”
Toppin is thrilled to have a starting job after spending his first three NBA seasons backing up Julius Randle with the Knicks, Dopirak adds in another story for the Star. Toppin loved playing in New York, where his father was a basketball legend on the local playgrounds, but he never got the playing time he needed to develop his game.
Nesmith said he hadn’t thought much about an extension before the Pacers began negotiations over the weekend, Dopirak states in a separate story. Nesmith signed the three-year, $33MM deal shortly before Monday’s deadline, cementing him as part of the team’s young foundation. “When Aaron Nesmith came in the trade last year, we had high hopes that he would be a long-term piece for us,” Carlisle said on Monday. “This extension obviously solidifies that. We’re really happy for him. He’s a great person, he’s a versatile player, he’s tough, he can shoot the ball, he can play different positions. It’s a great day.”
In another piece, Dopirak takes an in-depth look at how Haliburton was able to put himself in position to land a five-year extension this summer that could be worth as much as $260MM.

Larry Bird No Longer Has Active Role With Pacers

July 25th, 2022 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Larry Bird, who stepped down as the Pacers‘ president of basketball operations in 2017, has continued to work with the team in recent years in an advisory role, but he didn’t attend any of Indiana’s pre-draft workouts this spring, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files, who hears that Bird no longer has an active role with the franchise.

“Yeah, he’s not active,” current Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard confirmed to Agness.

However, Pritchard suggested that he and head coach Rick Carlisle can still reach out to the Hall of Famer for advice or feedback if they need it.

“Larry is a good friend of mine and he’s a good friend of Rick’s,” Pritchard said. “At any time we need help, we know where to look. He’s always available.”

Bird, of course, was a Celtic for his entire career as a player, but the Indiana native – who played his college ball at Indiana State – spent most of his post-playing career with the Pacers.

Bird was named Indiana’s head coach in 1997, resigned after three years, then was hired as the team’s president of basketball operations in 2003. He stepped away for a year from 2012-13 due to health reasons, but otherwise held his position in the Pacers’ front office until 2017. After stepping down in ’17, he held the title of advisor to the president of basketball operations (Pritchard).

According to Agness, while Bird wasn’t an everyday presence around the team in recent years, he enjoyed attending pre-draft workout in May and June to evaluate prospects and also played a role in the rehiring of Carlisle in 2021. However, Agness says he didn’t see Bird at a practice or game at all during the 2021/22 season.

Pacers Rumors: Carlisle, Brunson, Brogdon, Westbrook, Hield, Turner

April 9th, 2022 at 3:46pm CST by JD Shaw

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle appears committed to his role for the future, Marc Stein writes at Substack. As we recently relayed, Carlisle denied that he’s interested in switching to a front office role, addressing the rumors in a brief statement.

“I just want to be completely clear on this. I don’t know what the assumptions are that people are making about this, why this would be the case,” Carlisle said, according to Stein. “When I came here, we had hoped to have a really good season this year. We had some struggles early, and it morphed into a change in direction, but that’s OK. It has not quelled my enthusiasm for being back with the Indiana Pacers or taking on this challenge one single bit.”

The Pacers are viewed as a team that may pursue Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson in free agency this summer, Stein reports. Brunson played under Carlisle for three years in Dallas. Signing the 25-year-old could motivate Carlisle further, though Detroit and New York are also expected to bid for his services.

There’s more out of Indiana today:

The Pacers have left several rival teams with the impression that they’ll attempt to trade Malcolm Brogdon this offseason, Stein relays. Trading Brogdon would open a spot for Brunson, who could pair with Tyrese Haliburton in the backcourt.
If the team doesn’t sign Brunson, it could also examine a possible Russell Westbrook trade with the Lakers, Stein notes. A deal for Westbrook would likely include Buddy Hield, whom the Lakers coveted before trading for Westbrook last offseason. It could also include Brogdon and draft compensation from the Lakers. Indiana acquired Hield in a deal with Sacramento earlier this season.
One player the Pacers do want to keep is Myles Turner, according to Stein. Turner saw his name surface in trade rumors this season. He averaged 12.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 29.4 minutes per game, shooting 51% from the floor. He’s under contract for next season at $18MM.

Rick Carlisle Denies Rumors Of Switch To Front Office

April 7th, 2022 at 1:11pm CST by Rory Maher

Amid speculation that Pacers coach Rick Carlisle desired to make a switch to a front office role, Carlisle adamantly denied those rumors on Thursday afternoon.

“I came here to coach. …I want to put this to rest once and for all,” Carlisle said (Twitter links via Pacers VP of basketball communications Michael Preston). “…Let me be absolutely clear. I’m here to coach this team and coach this team for the long-haul. I’m not afraid of any aspect of a rebuild one bit. Not one single bit.”

The speculation about the possibility of Carlisle transitioning to the front office has been persistent for several months, and popped again last week in Chicago when NBA executives attended the McDonald’s All-America game, as relayed by Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report and Marc Stein (Twitter links).

At 62, Carlisle is the fifth-oldest head coach in the league (per Basketball Reference), so the rumors that he might not have the patience to coach through another rebuild make some sense. I use “another” because the Mavericks, his former team, struggled from 2016-19, going a combined 90-158 over the three seasons.

The Pacers were expected to compete for a playoff spot this season, even if it was on the bottom end, and instead have been one of the worst teams in the league. As shown by our reverse standings, Indiana currently holds a 25-55 record, the fifth-worst mark in the league.

However, owner Herb Simon has previously stated he doesn’t want to undertake a full-fledged rebuild, and that was made evident by the team acquiring a second-year player, Tyrese Haliburton, as opposed to draft picks at the trade deadline (as part of a larger deal headlined by Domantas Sabonis being sent to Sacramento).

Central Notes: Ball, Grant, Carlisle, Guy, Wade

March 28th, 2022 at 6:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lonzo Ball will be reevaluated this week and “wants to come back and play,” Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago tweets.

A week ago, the Bulls announced Ball would not run for 10 days. His rehab from surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee was halted after he felt discomfort in the knee. Ball’s reevaluation is expected to happen when the team returns from its road trip, which ends on Tuesday. There’s hope Ball can ramp up to full-speed running and cutting after he’s reevaluated.

“Lonzo really wants to come back and play. He wants to do everything possible…,” coach Billy Donovan said. “If we do start ramping up and [he doesn’t respond well again], I don’t know what they’ll do because we have not discussed that.”

Ball has been out since January 14.

We have from the Central Division:

Jerami Grant, the Pistons’ leading scorer, will sit out the rest of the season due to a left calf strain, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tweets. Grant suffered the injury against Washington on Friday. A prime trade candidate this offseason, he has one year remaining on his three-year contract.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has returned to the sidelines after leaving the team for two games due to personal reasons, James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star tweets. “Felt very bad about not going on that trip because it’s just a hard set of couple games, given our personnel situation. But we’ve got seven (games) left, and we’ve got to focus,” he said.
Guard Kyle Guy has rejoined the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ G League team, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets. Guy was waived by the Heat on Thursday. Guy signed a two-way contract with Miami in mid-January after playing with the Charge. He appeared in 19 games with Miami, averaging 3.9 PPG in 9.8 MPG.
Cavaliers forward Dean Wade has a six-to-eight week recovery period from his knee surgery, Kelsey Russo of The Athletic tweets. The meniscus surgery on his right knee will be a cleanup procedure and he should be a full participant in Summer League activities, Russo adds.

Pacers Head Coach Rick Carlisle Out Next Two Games

March 24th, 2022 at 4:01pm CST by Rory Maher

Head coach Rick Carlisle will miss the Pacers‘ upcoming road games at Memphis on Thursday and at Toronto on Sunday due to personal reasons, the team announced. Assistant coach Lloyd Pierce will serve as acting head coach in Carlisle’s stead.

As Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files observes, this is the second time that Carlisle has been away from the team this season. He contracted COVID-19 in December and missed four games, with Indiana going 2-2 with Pierce at the helm.

“I encouraged Lloyd to follow his instincts,” Carlisle said in December. “He’s an experienced head coach — and when you’re on the sidelines and you’re making the play calls and you’re calling the timeouts and things like that, there’s a feel element to it. And you can’t have that interrupted just because you work for the guy that’s not there.”

In other Pacers news, rookie Isaiah Jackson was unable to play the second half of Wednesday’s game against Sacramento due to a headache, according to James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star.

Jackson suffered a concussion last week and missed two games. Carlisle said he didn’t know whether Jackson’s headache was related to the concussion.

“I don’t know exactly what’s gonna happen,” Carlisle said, per Boyd. “Doctors felt it was best to keep him out of the game. … The hope is that this is not anything serious, but we’ll know more (Wednesday night) or (Thursday), and whenever we can let you know where things are at, we will.”

Jackson has been ruled out of Thursday’s game, Boyd tweets.