Carlisle Press Conference on right now

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Carlisle sees plenty of potential in current Dallas Mavericks team

09:46 PM CDT on Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Rick Carlisle held his introductory press conference Wednesday.

One theme came through loud and clear. He doesn't buy the notion that this is a team in decline. He then offered two pretty good reasons: Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd.

"This team reminds me a lot of the team that we took over about 11 years ago in Indiana when I went with Larry Bird as an assistant coach," Carlisle said. "It was a 39-win team that a lot of people had written off and thought it had run it's course, needed to be blown up, turned over and everything else. Larry came in there with a different approach, very positive, gave the guys a lot of confidence, we became re-committed defensively and had what at that time was the best year in the history of the franchise in wins.

"Whether that's possible here next year or not I don't know. I do know that you never underestimate the pride of veteran players, particularly Hall of Fame caliber guys like Dirk and Jason that really are committed to winning.

Carlisle said the ability of great players to lift the performances of those around them shouldn't be underestimated. He views Nowitzki and Kidd in those terms.

"We've got some challenges ahead," Carlisle said. "I know that. But I'd rather be in this position than to be with a lottery team that no one knows about, trying to win a few more games. That doesn't appeal to me.

"I just feel like we're going to find a way to do better than people think we're going to do."

David Moore

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Carlisle tells Dallas Mavericks training will be tough

12:01 AM CDT on Thursday, May 15, 2008

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

The Mavericks want a looser hand on the sideline, a coach who will let them run and do what they do best.

That's fine, Rick Carlisle said Wednesday.

But they better be ready to pay the price.

At his introductory news conference, the Mavericks' new coach said his team is in for a meat-grinding training camp full of sprints and sweat when they convene in October. While making it clear that some of the players who finished the season won't be here then, the ones who are will get a punishing month of workouts.

"They're going to find out that playing faster and with momentum isn't just a matter of going out there and having a little more fun," Carlisle said. "It is a lot of work. This will probably be one of the tougher training camps these guys have ever had.

"The physical commitment to being an uptempo team is something that very few guys have experienced. We made a commitment to run my last year in Indiana, and the players were shocked how difficult training camp was.

"The thing that Jason Kidd does better than any point guard probably in history is push that thing ahead. If you're going to play at a faster tempo, there's unbelievable physical commitment to doing that."

The point can be argued whether a team with the 35-year-old Kidd and several other key players over 30 can handle a training camp that forces players to run, run, run.

But if Kidd's talents are to be emphasized, it's essential. Dirk Nowitzki knows Kidd was not at his best in Avery Johnson's isolation offense.

"We just had to get a change here," said Nowitzki, who sat in on Carlisle's news conference at American Airlines Center. "We need somebody now who can get the best out of this team, the best out of everybody.

"We need to find a way to make Kidd more efficient for us. By just dropping the ball in the post and being a weakside shooter, I don't think that suited his game. In the half-court offense, besides posting him a little bit, we've got to find other ways to have him put a stamp on the game. That's the coach's job."

Carlisle took questions on a variety of topics, including:

•His passion for defense: "Having said all that about the offensive end, we've got to be vigilant about preserving what Avery did here in establishing the defensive end. This team didn't get to the championship round until they really made a commitment defensively. "One of the real challenges of coaching is to be able to have a flow mentality offensively and maintain a possession-type disposition defensively. It takes a special group of players to do it. But that's our mission."

•The ceiling for this team if Nowitzki, Kidd and [Josh] Howard remain its core: "I'm not sure if Avery said this or not. But [a radio host] said, 'Yeah, Avery came out and said this team is not a playoff team next year, in his opinion.' "I don't know if he said that or not. But I'm just sure that this is a veteran team with a lot of pride, and that will provide a lot of motivation for these guys over the summer to get in great shape and come into training camp in the best possible condition to really go at this hard. Because this is going to be work. No question. It's a lot of work, a lot of sweat."

•On why the Mavericks' window isn't closed: "In Dirk and Jason Kidd, we have two great, great players. I just feel like we're going to find a way to do better than people think we're going to do. I don't underestimate the ability of great players to lift the guys that play around them a little bit beyond their means. The other thing is these two guys [Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson] have a history of being able to do some really terrific things. We're going to find a way. I can't tell you exactly what it's going to be right now."

•On the perception that he lacks people skills: "I don't believe you can stand at a podium and beat a drum and say: 'You guys are all wrong.' You go to a new situation and you got to assume that people are going to give you the benefit of the doubt, and they're going to make their judgments based on their experience with you. I don't have any preconceived judgments about you guys."

•On whether the Mavericks' coaching job is a daunting task: "I don't know of any easy jobs in this league. Every owner has made a monetary commitment, and everybody wants to win. I don't think this is any more daunting than any others. It's a high-profile situation, for sure. And we got some challenges ahead of us. But I'd rather be in this position than be with a lottery team that nobody cares about trying to win a few more games. That doesn't appeal to me."

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New Dallas Mavericks coach – so far – on the mark

12:01 AM CDT on Thursday, May 15, 2008




Here's what we learned about the Mavs' new coach once the lawyers finally got done:

•Rick Carlisle didn't burn any bridges with ESPN at his introductory news conference, calling the worldwide leader "the greatest sports organization I've been a part of until today." And this from a guy who played for the Celtics.

•He's not as dull as you heard. He laughed, he told stories, he perspired profusely. Probably saving the poker face for the bench.

•He made it clear that the Mavs have two great players, and one of them isn't Josh Howard.

The public restructuring of the team's organizational ladder gives you a clue that there actually is a difference between the Mavs' new coach and the former. Now if only Carlisle holds to it under duress.

Avery Johnson couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. He simply couldn't let go of the offense.

Not for Paul Westphal, not for Jason Terry, not for Devin Harris, not even for one of the greatest point guards ever.

Of course, as we were surprised to learn at Johnson's exit interview, his opinion of Jason Kidd changed greatly the last couple of months.

Johnson may yet prove to be right about the wisdom of putting the offense in Kidd's hands. A full training camp – Carlisle promises a veritable track meet – should give us a better idea.

But Johnson didn't help Kidd's cause any, either, transforming a free-flow genius into what Dirk Nowitzki called "a weakside spot-up shooter."

"We've got to find other ways," Nowitzki said Wednesday, "to let him put his stamp on it."

Nowitzki no doubt delivered the message in his first meet-and-greet with Carlisle. The talk lasted more than four hours, ruining the 7-footer's lunch.

Carlisle plans other player consultations this summer. In fact, he was scheduled to have dinner with Howard last night. Carlisle wants Howard to return to his previous All-Star form. Even better, he wants Howard to do what he does best, which, as we learned, does not include living up to the responsibilities of the team's second-best player.

Carlisle will learn much about his new charges this summer. The prospect of player input excites Nowitzki, who didn't think he or anyone else had Johnson's ear.

"It's still a player's league," Nowitzki said, "not a league for coaches."

As for the Mavs' new coach? He says don't judge him on offenses he ran in Detroit and Indiana. Sure, they were half-court walk-ups. But personnel dictated it.

"You've got to play to your strengths," Carlisle said, "and you've got to adjust."

Pat Riley understood the concept. He went from Showtime glitz in LA to street brawl in New York, and he won both ways. Most coaches basically stick with what they know.

Can Carlisle adjust and stay with it? Hard to say. But he notes that Indiana played several styles in what he referred to as "the brawl year."
Can he turn the offense over to his point guard? "If I've got a point guard who can run a team," he said.

He thinks Kidd is still capable at 35. If the Mavs are to have any shot at the playoffs next season, he'd better be.

Carlisle had better be committed to the cause, too. The fact that he wants to bring in assistants, Dwane Casey and Terry Stotts, with backgrounds different from his indicates some willingness.

Otherwise, you need to hold him to this statement: "We've got to make sure we're putting Jason Kidd in the best position."

And if Carlisle can't and it doesn't work out? No worries. They're probably leaving a light on in Bristol.

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