By Jordan Long
The Dallas Mavericks’ season ended in game 7 to the L.A Clippers in the 1st round of the NBA Playoffs. Head Coach Rick Carlisle took his time to determine his future after the year ended. He decided to step down as Mavericks’ Head Coach. Dallas will start a search for his replacement.
Carlisle had been the Mavericks’ Head Coach since the 2008 season. This was after Dallas let go of Head Coach Avery Johnson after 4 years. Johnson was successful with Dallas going 194-70, a winning percentage of .735. Dallas made the playoffs every year but Johnson couldn’t help them win an NBA title. Carlisle was hired to help them get over the hump.
Carlisle ended up with a record of 555-478 with Dallas, a winning percentage of .537. Including this year, Dallas earned a playoff spot 9 times with Carlisle. The best they finished was in 2011 when they won the NBA Championship.
Carlisle choosing to step down was a surprise. He is the winningest coach in Mavericks history with his 555 wins. Dallas was always a threat to make the playoffs with him. He turned them into a title contender.
According to NBA.com, Owner Mark Cuban said, “Rick informed me today about his decision to step down as head coach. On top of being a tremendous basketball coach, he was also a friend and a confidant. Rick helped us bring the O’Brien Trophy to Dallas and those are memories I will always cherish. I want to thank Rick for all he gave this franchise and this city. We wish him all the best.”
Cuban is now going to look for a new Head Coach. Outside the organization, Cuban could go after Jason Kidd, Terry Stotts, Scott Brooks, and Becky Hammon. One inhouse candidate is Jamahl Mosley.
Kidd is a familiar name for Dallas. He played 2 stints for the organization from 1994 to 22 games into the 1997 season and from 2008 to 2012. Kidd has NBA Head Coaching experience with a record of 183-190 with the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks. His teams went to the playoffs 3 times. For the past 2 years, Kidd has been an assistant with the L.A. Lakers. The lessons he learned with the Lakers may translate to improving Dallas back into a title contender.
Stotts and Brooks also have Head Coaching knowledge. Stotts would bring in 13 years of NBA Head Coaching practice. He has coached the Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Portland Trail Blazers. His overall record is 517-486, a winning percentage of .515.
Stotts was just let go as Portland’s Head Coach. He was productive there for the past 9 seasons. 8 of those years ended in the playoffs. Stotts makes a lot of sense. Dallas has a young “superstar” in Luka Doncic. Stotts knows how to coach a top name in the NBA. He had Damian Lillard with the Trail Blazers. He also showed he can turn a team into a winner. Stotts understands what it takes. Cuban knows him because Stotts was an assistant coach for the team from 2008 to 2012.
Brooks would bring in 12 years of NBA skill to the franchise. His overall record is 521-414 for Oklahoma City and Washington. His teams earned a playoff spot 8 times.
Hammon and Mosley have never been NBA Head Coaches. Hammon has been an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs for the previous 7 years, learning from one of the top coaches in NBA history in Gregg Popovich. She knows how to coach a team and deserves a shot. If she is hired, she would be the first woman to be a head coach for an NBA team.
Mosley might be the pick. He has been an assistant coach for Dallas since 2014. Mosley knows the team well. It could be Cuban likes what Mosley brings to the team. He could still help Doncic’s development in the league. It may not help them become NBA champions.
These are just a few of the candidates for the Dallas Head Coaching vacancy. Cuban will pick the best coach he feels is a fit for this team. He would love nothing more than to win another NBA title. Time will only tell who he decides is the coach moving forward.
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