Pacers done with Isiah Thomas - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

Tony tha Mavs fan · 08-27-2003, 03:05 PM

Indiana Pacers done with Isiah Thomas

Team will pay him final year's salary, but get a new coach

The Indiana Pacers announced Wednesday that Isiah Thomas will not return as head coach for the 2003-04 season. His contract, which had one year remaining, will be honored.

"We have decided to go in a different direction," said Pacers President and CEO Donnie Walsh, who added the search for a replacement will begin immediately. "When I hired Isiah (in 2000), I thought he was the right man for the job at the time and he was. But as our team has evolved, the decision was made that it's time to go in a different direction. We appreciate what Isiah has done in his three seasons here."

"When I was hired (July 11) I told Donnie I wanted to take my time this summer to see how things were with the team going into this season and the future," said Larry Bird, Pacers President of Basketball Operations. "After looking at film, seeing how things were and evaluating the basketball operations, I detected the team's chemistry wasn't what it should be. Donnie and I decided that a change was necessary and a fresh start was important. It's not a reflection on Isiah's job here, but more of an indication of where we want to go in the future."

Thomas became coach of the Pacers in July 2000 after Bird fulfilled his three-year contract as coach. In those three years, Thomas' record as head coach was 131-115 (.532). The Pacers made the playoffs in each of those three seasons, but did not advance past the first round.

kg_veteran · 08-27-2003, 03:18 PM

This decision was long overdue.

madape · 08-27-2003, 03:20 PM

The odds just went up on the Pacers winning the championship.

Dooby · 08-27-2003, 03:24 PM

C'mon, Bird. Name yourself Coach!!!

uberfan · 08-27-2003, 03:25 PM

Galoway just said on ESPN 103.3 FM that rumors are that Mark Aguirre is being considered to take over.

Drbio · 08-27-2003, 03:32 PM

Good move (and long overdue) by the Pacers....

slowmo · 08-27-2003, 03:34 PM

Didn't Jermaine O'Neal say he would stay with Indiana as long as Isiah was the coach? Now that he is out do you think he may want to relocate? Maybe check Dallas out? Could we hire Isiah as an assistant and have him lure Jermaine here? Just a thought!

XERXES · 08-27-2003, 03:53 PM

My money is on Rick Carlisle to get the job. Bird loves him.

Drbio · 08-27-2003, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: XERXES
My money is on Rick Carlisle to get the job. Bird loves him.

Excellent suggestion. Even with Brown on board, I think Detroit was stupid for letting Carlisle go.

MFFL · 08-27-2003, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: slowmo
Didn't Jermaine O'Neal say he would stay with Indiana as long as Isiah was the coach? Now that he is out do you think he may want to relocate? Maybe check Dallas out? Could we hire Isiah as an assistant and have him lure Jermaine here? Just a thought!

I bet O'Neal is PISSED! The Pacers waited until he signed a contract before they did what they had planned to do all along.

Nash13 · 08-27-2003, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Dooby
C'mon, Bird. Name yourself Coach!!!

Diddo. He could come in this league, and automatically become the third or fourth best coach.

Big Boy Laroux · 08-27-2003, 04:12 PM

nice move by the pacers (especially the waiting until after they signed o'neal)

i had the pleasure of watching the pacers in person a few times last year. thomas is an awful coach. it would be great if they could bring in carlisle.

Tony tha Mavs fan · 08-27-2003, 04:13 PM

I think Carlisle will be in , he's the best available coach out there. I think he can make a big difference on a team with some actualy offensive AND defensive players. With more scorers than just billups and Hamilton. I think he'd be a good fit with them.

FilthyFinMavs · 08-27-2003, 04:19 PM

It might be Aguirre. I'm hearing lots of talka bout Mark being the head coach. I'm suprised Carlisle doesn't have a job yet. I would've let Nellie walked if I knew we could've had a chance with Carlisle.

kg_veteran · 08-27-2003, 04:31 PM

I don't think it'll be Aguirre, since he was linked to Thomas. That said, I'd be pumped if it was.

superheadcat · 08-27-2003, 05:01 PM

what is nellie's reaction to this?

Dooby · 08-27-2003, 05:02 PM

What is Mike Dunleavy's reaction to this?

ames7 · 08-27-2003, 05:05 PM

ESPN is widely reporting that Indiana will meet w/Carlisle very soon. The timing of the whole thing is surprising.

superheadcat · 08-27-2003, 05:13 PM

from cbs sportsline, "As first reported by SportsLine.com's Mike Kahn, the Pacers are expected to hire former Detroit Pistons head coach and former Pacers assistant Rick Carlisle by the weekend".

mavsfanforever · 08-27-2003, 07:10 PM

Goodbye Isiah. You screwed up the most talented bunch in the east.

dirno2000 · 08-27-2003, 08:26 PM

I know this had nothing to do with, but the situation is dipping with irony. After losing to the Celts in the WCF, Isiah says Bird would be a "just another player if he was black". Almost 20 years later, Bird is in position to fire Thomas from one of the more attractive jobs in the league (based on teams talent, and competition in the East). It had to happen. What took so long?

one long blue sock · 08-27-2003, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Drbio

Quote:

Originally posted by: XERXES
My money is on Rick Carlisle to get the job. Bird loves him.

Excellent suggestion. Even with Brown on board, I think Detroit was stupid for letting Carlisle go.

Carlisle would be perfect.

But maybe JO will demand a trade. How 'bout Najera and the number 1 for JO, [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

No offense Chiwas

mavsfanforever · 08-27-2003, 09:01 PM

JO will be alright. Carlisle will be a much better coach to play for.

Rod1975 · 08-27-2003, 09:03 PM

Paging Mr. Carlisle.....Mr. Carlisle to the black and gold phone please......

I'm glad Larry Joe is cleaning house....now we see if he chooses a real coach instead of an underqualified former player.

Nash13 · 08-27-2003, 09:30 PM

This should've happened a year ago. Over the 90s, the Pacers were one of the better teams in history to not win the Finals, they even took it to MJ's Bulls. All that changed the day Isiah was hired. I hope Bird had a smile on his face when he fired him. I never have, and probably never will like Isiah Thomas.

MavsFanFinley · 08-27-2003, 10:24 PM

Rick Carlisle would be the perfect choice.

I doubt O'Neal is that upset with the paycheck he got.

jayC · 08-27-2003, 10:37 PM

Rick Carlisle is the perfect fit, former bird assistant and last years coach of the year. Remember JO said I only want to play for Isiah. Tinsley is just not the answer at pg.

Mavs Rule · 08-28-2003, 12:23 AM

Bird left the coaching ranks at Indy after 3 years, and said he left because after three years the players stop listening to the coach. After considering Isaiah has finished his third year of a four year contract, Bird joked, "I've always said, three years and you need a new coach." How is that for some humorous irony? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Big Boy Laroux · 08-28-2003, 07:37 AM

ha ha. that's great.

i didn't know carlisle was a former pacers assistant, and under bird at that. it all makes perfect sense. however, o'neal and other players liked thomas because he was "like a father." meaning they got along like pals. thomas would never get heated or angry. hell, he showed no emotion on the sideline.

carlisle was let go by detroit partly because he is hard to work with (both players and staff reported this). let's see how the young, fragile crybabies of inidana react to that.

Ummmmm Ok · 08-28-2003, 10:07 AM

Didn't Carlisle say he was going to take a year off from coaching and didn't he sign a contract with TNT or somesuch? Indiana is going to open their pocket book to get him, but if they want him, he would be the perfect fit for them.

If Indy does get Carlisle, New Jersey and Detroit are no longer locks for the Eastern Conference Finals..

Nash13 · 08-28-2003, 04:41 PM

Ummmm ok, you're thinking of Doug Collins that's going to take year or two off of coaching to commentate on TV.

uberfan · 08-28-2003, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: jayC
Rick Carlisle is the perfect fit, former bird assistant and last years coach of the year. Remember JO said I only want to play for Isiah. Tinsley is just not the answer at pg.

Based on Aldridge's comments about who may leaving Pacers, next, what if GSW called and offered

Golden State trades: PG Nick Van Exel (12.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.3 apg in 27.8 minutes)
Golden State receives: PF Austin Croshere (5.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.1 apg in 12.9 minutes)
PF Al Harrington (12.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.5 apg in 30.1 minutes)
Change in team outlook: +4.8 ppg, +6.5 rpg, and -1.7 apg.

Indiana trades: PF Austin Croshere (5.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.1 apg in 12.9 minutes)
PF Al Harrington (12.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.5 apg in 30.1 minutes)
Indiana receives: PG Nick Van Exel (12.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.3 apg in 73 games)
Change in team outlook: -4.8 ppg, -6.5 rpg, and +1.7 apg.

TRADE ACCEPTED

Due to Golden State and Indiana being over the cap, the 15% trade rule is invoked. Golden State and Indiana had to be no more than 115% plus $100,000 of the salary given out for the trade to be accepted, which did happen here. This trade satisfies the provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

How would the Mavs/GS trade look from their perspective now?

EricaLubarsky · 08-28-2003, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: kg_veteran
This decision was long overdue.

yeah, it was. It just gets me steamed that they didn't declare their intentions before Jermaine O'Neal resigned with them. That is just deceptive and wrong.

MavKikiNYC · 08-30-2003, 11:05 PM

Surprise......

Carlisle Is Bird's Choice to Be the Pacers' Coach
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 30 (AP) - Rick Carlisle was passed over by Indiana when the team was looking for a coach three years ago and hired Isiah Thomas. It turns out Carlisle will probably get another chance to lead the Pacers.

Carlisle is the top choice of Larry Bird, who in his first move as the Pacers' president of basketball operations fired Thomas on Wednesday and paved the way for the return Carlisle, his former assistant.

"He's my first choice," Bird said. "We've got other guys on the list, so if we can't work anything out with Rick, we'll just move on."

The relationship between Carlisle and Bird dates from the 1980's, when the two were teammates with the Boston Celtics. Carlisle also was an assistant for Bird's Pacers from 1997 to 2000 before Thomas was hired by Donnie Walsh, now the Pacers' chief executive.

Carlisle spent the past two seasons as coach of the Detroit Pistons before being fired in May despite winning two straight division titles and the 2002 Coach of the Year award.

Bird spoke with Carlisle on Tuesday and Wednesday about the vacancy.

"I think a new coach coming in is going to bring some freshness, a new style, and hopefully he can play the game the way I like it to be played," Bird said.

Carlisle, in his first head coaching job, helped turn Detroit from a lottery team into one of the top teams in the East. He led the Pistons to a 100-64 regular-season record and a 12-15 postseason mark.

Like Carlisle, Thomas was abruptly fired after three seasons and a 131-115 regular-season record. The Pacers made the playoffs all three years, with one of the youngest rosters in the league, but never advanced past the first round.

At the end of the season, Thomas received a public vote of confidence from Walsh. When Bird was hired as president in early July and Walsh became chief executive, the power shifted.

The Walsh era is done. This is Bird's team now.

"I was disappointed that Larry and I didn't get a chance to work together," Thomas said. "I truly felt we would have been good together. I'm disappointed we don't get a chance."

Thomas, who had been in Puerto Rico with the United States men's basketball team at the Olympic qualifying tournament, arrived in Indianapolis early Wednesday and went straight to Conseco Fieldhouse to meet with Bird.

"I said I'm disappointed he didn't give himself an opportunity to know me," Thomas said of the conversation. "I think he would have liked me had he got to know me."

Pacers players have continued to voice support for Thomas. Jermaine O'Neal, then a free agent, said before he re-signed with the team last month that he would not play for anybody but Thomas with the Pacers.

O'Neal, in Puerto Rico as part of the American team, said he would not have re-signed with Indiana if he had known Thomas was going to be fired.

"Am I disappointed?" O'Neal said. "Hell, yeah. I'm extremely disappointed for multiple reasons. I was told he would be here before I re-signed.

"If your boss told you your ace is going to be there for you if you come back, and once you come back not even a month later he's not there, that hurts. That hurts a lot. He was more than a coach to me. He was like a father."

Bird said he did not feel comfortable with the Pacers' direction after a second-half swoon that knocked them out of first place in the Eastern Conference and into third.

Bird also said there were other problems with Thomas.

"I spoke to him one day in a meeting, and I talked to him one day on the phone," Bird said. "The communication wasn't really there."

Thomas described their conversations as "positive" ones about the players and the direction of the franchise.

Thomas was hired in July 2000 following Bird's resignation. Bird guided the Pacers to the 2000 league finals and the best three-year record in their N.B.A. history.

Bird, however, said he had a "gut feeling this wasn't going to work" after only seven weeks on the job. He said he would have fired Thomas even if Carlisle were not available.

Bird also said the respect he had for Carlisle as a coach outweighed any personal baggage that led to his firing in Detroit.