May 10, 2008 - 1:24 AM
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The Dallas Morning News reported that the Mavericks and former Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle have reached an agreement in principle on a four-year contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
In Carlisle, who has six years of NBA coaching experience, the Mavericks were looking for someone who could preach a balance between offense and defense, and he was their No. 1 choice in that regard.
According to the Morning News, the two sides had been in negotiations for a week as Dallas sought to replace the fired Avery Johnson.
Carlisle, who served this season as an analyst for ESPN, reportedly was the only candidate interviewed. He brings a significant track record to the position, having led Detroit in 2003 - and Indiana in 2004 - to the Eastern Conference finals.
However, both tenures ended unceremoniously.
Carlisle was fired by the Pistons after the 2003 season when Larry Brown became available and again after the 2007 campaign - his only losing season as an NBA coach.
He was on the sideline for the Pacers during the ugly brawl against Detroit in November 2004 that carried over into the stands and may be best remembered for leading to Ron Artest's 72-game suspension.
Even though Dallas has won at least 50 games, and has been in the playoffs each season Johnson was at the helm, the team suffered disappointing exits from the postseason in each of his three full seasons.
During his 2005-06 NBA Coach of the Year campaign, Johnson guided the Mavericks to their first ever berth in the NBA Finals. The Mavericks seemed to be well on their way to winning the series against the Miami Heat but were unable to win another game.
After leading his team to the fifth-best regular season (67-15) in NBA history in 2007, Johnson and the top-seeded Mavericks were ushered out of the playoffs in six games by the upstart Golden State Warriors.
Even after acquiring nine-time All-Star guard Jason Kidd at the All-Star break, Dallas fell off its torrid pace from a season ago, securing a No. 7 seed and a first-round matchup with the New Orleans Hornets, who blitzed the Mavericks in five games.
