Rick Carlisle Gets in Tune With Inner Gregg Popovich With Recent Coaching Hire
Immediately after Gregg Popovich retired, Rick Carlisle led the Indiana Pacers on a surprising run to the NBA Finals, where they put up an excellent fight against the historically good Oklahoma City Thunder.
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With his charge to the Finals, one could very easily argue that Carlisle assumed the title of the best active coach in the NBA, beating out the likes of Steve Kerr and Erik Spoelstra.
The thing that has long separated Popovich from the rest, including Carlisle, is his influence. Sure, he has five titles and more wins than anyone else, but his former players and assistants have gone on to have solid coaching careers of their own.
Kerr, Ime Udoka, Will Hardy, Mike Budenholzer, Monty Williams, Mike Brown, and Brett Brown stand out, although there are dozens of assistants around the league who got their start with Pop.
Carlisle never shared the sideline or bench with Popovich, and his "coaching tree," while impressive, pales in comparison to Pop's, with notable branches like Terry Stotts, Dwane Casey, Kevin O'Neill, and Mike Brown. Jason Kidd played for him on the Dallas Mavericks before starting a coaching career of his own, as well.
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However, Carlisle can claim a new branch. JJ Barea played 11 seasons in Dallas, winning a title in 2011 under Carlisle. After his playing career, he went on to coach in the Puerto Rican league and was recently hired by the Denver Nuggets to be a top assistant on David Adelman's staff.
Adelman took over in Denver with just three games left in the regular season before falling to the Thunder in the second round, also in seven games. With Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Cameron Johnson in town, Barea is expected to go on one of the deeper playoff runs of his career next season.
As former players of Carlisle's retire, his coaching tree will only grow. Perhaps one day it can rival Pop's. Kidd and Barea are the headliners, although Metta Saniford-Artest has expressed interest in an NBA job, and Dirk Nowitzki could be hired by any team if he were to throw his hat in the ring.
As the NBA looks to crown another legendary coach after Popovich retired, Carlisle is certainly a worthy name to consider, even if he remains underrated behind Spoelstra, Kerr, Mark Daigneault, and Joe Mazzulla.
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Related: Indiana Pacers Make Major Free Agency Decisions
Related: Indiana Pacers Get in the Mix for Knicks and Lakers Trade Target
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
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