Golden Flashes

Etan Thomas has a direct message for Ben Simmons, who hopefully will have an opportunity to shut up his critics.

An open letter to Ben Simmons from Etan Thomas

The <a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/demar-derozan-on-being-replaced-with-kawhi-leonard-and-watching-his-old-team-win-the-championship/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-stringify-link="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/giannis-antetokounmpo-shares-why-he-doesnt-associate-or-practice-with-other-nba-players-in-the-offseason/" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">following article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="http://basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://BasketballNetwork.net" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">BasketballNetwork.net</a>:
Whenever athletes interview athletes, you are very likely to get genuinely authentic and honest interviews. There is a certain level of respect and camaraderie between players, even though they compete against each other and play on opposing teams.
In the latest episode of Bleacher Report's "Chips" <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWACAnGNWO4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hosted by Draymond Green</a>, we saw that, as DeMar DeRozan was open and honest in reminiscing his career. Draymond has a knack for making the best out of these interviews and getting answers to questions that would otherwise be ignored or simply met with, "Next question.&rdquo;
One of the more personal questions, if you will, was when Draymond asked DeMar about the Toronto Raptors trade and the team going all the way the following year; plus, the reaction around his departure and Kawhi Leonard's arrival's role in Toronto winning the title
DeMar was heartbroken after the trade. Two days before the trade, he had a sincere conversation with Raptors president Masai Ujiri, ensuring that everything was fine. Everything had changed only 48 hours following that call because Masai had the opportunity to bring Kawhi to Toronto.
"That whole narrative was just frustrating, to where it was like, alright, damn social media. So by the time they got to the Finals, I think I ended up leaving the country and getting away from everything and everybody and my phone," DeRozan <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWACAnGNWO4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. "I&rsquo;m happy to this day, I&rsquo;m happy for the city, I&rsquo;m happy for those guys that won it and everything, but you know, of course, that was my goal; my goal was to be the one to make that happen."
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One can't help but feel slightly sorry for DeMar being shipped off to San Antonio, replaced with an MVP-caliber player and watching his old team take him the Larry O'Brien trophy. But then again, this is a business. If you were Masai Ujiri, you might have done the exact same thing. It was great watching the bromance between DeRozan and Kyle Lowry in Toronto, but it did not yield the wanted results, and Masai did the best possible thing in his power when he made the Kawhi trade happen.
DeMar joined the revitalized Bulls in the offseason, and with the addition of Lonzo Ball, Nikola Vucevic and Alex Caruso among others, Chicago is looking like a great team. With Zach LaVine and himself leading the offense, the Bulls will definitely turn a lot of heads this year.
Check out more articles from BasketballNetwork.net <a href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

DeMar DeRozan was open and honest in reminiscing his career in Toronto with Draymond Green on Bleacher Report's "Chips"

DeMar DeRozan shares feelings on Raptors' title win after trading him

76ers fan Marc Lamont Hill discusses the Ben Simmons situation, potential trade scenarios and whether a reconciliation is possible.

Marc Lamont Hill: The 76ers coddled Ben Simmons, then turned on him

If there's one thing I can definitively say about LeBron James&rsquo; latest foray into the box office, it's that the sincerity in his performance as LeBron James is endearing. It&rsquo;s not convincing, but it is endearing.
From beginning to end, James is engaged and invested into the script of "Space Jam: A New Legacy," which made the irregular-heartbeat-inducing pace of its editing tolerable for the length of the film. Yes, the wacky cartoon sound effects awakened a conditioned sense of peace that I&rsquo;m sure my inner child experiences every Saturday morning, so that&rsquo;s something Warner Bros. nailed.
Between the erratic scenes held together by a surprisingly sound storyline and awkwardly integrated special effects, there were a couple of spectacles that I found fun &ndash; magic robot Damian Lillard being one of them. As an NBA writer that embraces the entertainment aspect of basketball on the court to satisfy my past as an art kid, I didn&rsquo;t know that Dame Time personified would be so satisfying to see on the big screen. Had "Space Jam 2" explored the more captivating moments as a storyline instead of saving it as the film&rsquo;s dazzling peak, there would've been some fun possibilities... However, that may have been a little too ambitious for the target audience.
Instead, James and the supporting cast give us a simpler, classic journey of how parents should nurture their children and allow them to become whoever they wish to be &ndash; whether that is a basketball superstar or a computer savant (apparently, that&rsquo;s the opposite of hooper). The film is full of choppy scenes meant to keep us captivated, and the final cut felt like it was broken up into a couple of hours of TikTok scrolling &ndash; the kind where you come out of the binge confused and craving Warner Bros. studio films. Some minute-long clips will be worth a second watch, while others will need to be eliminated from your "for you" page. A very effective approach.
The commercial-like vibe didn&rsquo;t end there. The frenzied Warner Bros. cross-promotion in "A New Legacy" has become a running meme from the movie on social media. The famed studio used quite a bit of the production to boost brand recognition without any of the meta humor present in the first movie. At times, these ad placements can take away from the awesome design in "A New Legacy." There was a successful effort to keep the Looney Tunes true to their original characters, so perhaps WB believed this genuine effort to keep Bugs Bunny and the gang allowed for them to sprinkle in references to a host of Warner backdrops.
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Famed film critic Robert Ebert once said, &ldquo;You will find something profound, no matter how silly the film may seem,&rdquo; and it rings especially true with the "Space Jam" series. Instead of panning "A New Legacy" to flex knowledge in cinematic excellence (which I don&rsquo;t have since I frequently watch and enjoy garbage), or even protect it from any criticism as a film for children, not grown ups, let us appreciate these films for what they&rsquo;ve become &mdash; a chance for a kid from Akron and another raised in North Carolina to leave their fingerprints on popular American culture.
Alongside the Looney Tunes, a staple of TVs in every household, both Michael Jordan and James have put exclamation marks on the mountaintops of their careers. Both have used "Space Jam" as an opportunity to place their name next to everything from the legendary cartoons themselves, and in the case of James: "Harry Potter," "Casablanca," "A Clockwork Orange," DC comics and more.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The strength of familiar faces carrying the cameo-packed climax was obvious; every time a character we all know popped onto the screen, the theater burst into whispers. This film was made to appeal to everyone. Every line is written to be quotable. Every scene is shimmering and over-the-top and gaudy. Every highlight is made worthy. From the NBA&rsquo;s most talented player to the cheesy storyline imploring us all to let people be themselves, LeBron James&rsquo; passion project makes for an easy, glitzy watch.
Much to the dismay of the veteran&rsquo;s "&lsquo;haters," he <a href="https://deadline.com/2021/07/space-jam-a-new-legacy-black-widow-weekend-box-office-1234794982/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared a Deadline link via Twitter</a> that stated, &ldquo;Warner Bros.&rsquo; long awaited sequel to the 25-year-old family classic 'Space Jam' -- 'Space Jam: A New Legacy' -- had a four-point shot at the box office yesterday, with $13.1M at 3,965 theaters, for what will be a $32M opening weekend.&rdquo;
And that&rsquo;s mission accomplished for James. He sees himself immortalized for a little bit longer toward the twilight years of his NBA career. We get an original, post-pandemic feature that brings on some welcomed nostalgia for preferable times.

"Space Jam: A New Legacy" came out several days ago, so Yasmin Duale reviews the sequel that stars LeBron James.

LeBron put himself in the history books with 'Space Jam: A New Legacy'

In this series, Matt Babcock shares his experience growing up around the Milwaukee Bucks organization since his dad, Dave Babcock, has been an executive with the team for 23 years. He also provides an inside look at the rise and fall of the Bucks during the late 1990s and early 2000s. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/growing-up-a-buck-millewahque-milwaukee-bucks-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">For Part 1, click here</a>. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/growing-up-a-buck-george-karl-arrives-in-milwaukee" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> For Part 2, click here</a>. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/growing-up-a-milwaukee-bucks-its-reggie-miller-time-indiana-pacers-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">For Part 3, click here</a>.
After finishing the 2000-01 NBA regular season as the top team in the Central Division, the Milwaukee Bucks were headed to the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Thanks to my dad&rsquo;s job within the Bucks&rsquo; front office, I was lucky enough to be along for the ride. As a 16-year-old kid, I routinely shot around with the team before games, spent time in the locker room before and after games, and even traveled with the team. Of all my fortunate experiences with the Bucks during that time, nothing compares to the emotional roller coaster of the 2001 playoff run.&nbsp;
Here&rsquo;s how I remember it happening...
The Bucks' first playoff series that year was against the seventh-seeded Orlando Magic led by head coach Doc Rivers. The previous season, the Bucks and Magic played a &ldquo;do-or-die&rdquo; game on the last day of the regular season. The winner would secure a playoff spot, and the Bucks won in a nail biter. George Karl and Doc Rivers seemed to regularly take jabs at each other in the media during that time and the two teams had suddenly established a testy rivalry with one another.&nbsp;
However, the 2001 Orlando Magic team was a little different than the team the Bucks beat the previous season. The previous Magic team was led by a group of underdog journeymen, including Darrell Armstrong, Bo Outlaw, and Ben Wallace &mdash; they were a scrappy bunch of overachievers, which was their clear-cut identity as a team. Following the 1999-00 season, the Magic really opened up their wallets, signing superstar Grant Hill from the Detroit Pistons and young budding star Tracy McGrady from the Toronto Raptors. Their idea was, presumably, to have Hill be the leader and the face of the team as they slowly brought along McGrady. However, after signing that big contract, Hill only played four games that season as he battled ankle injuries &mdash; injuries that derailed the rest of his career, unfortunately. Subsequently, the idea of slowly developing McGrady was scratched and, suddenly, the Magic were dependent on the 21-year-old to carry their team.&nbsp;
However, McGrady did not have any problems stepping into this role, averaging 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game that season. In the first-round playoff series versus the Bucks, McGrady was outstanding, averaging 33.8 points, 8.3 assists, 6.5 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game &mdash; superstar numbers. He did all of this while also holding All-Star Glenn &ldquo;Big Dog&rdquo; Robinson to only 14.8 points per game and 34.8% shooting from the field, which were well below his normal averages. I also remember McGrady relentlessly trash-talking &ldquo;Big Dog,&rdquo; infamously calling him &ldquo;Puppy Dog.&rdquo; Following that series, McGrady quickly became well known within the basketball world, and I guess you could say &ldquo;a star was born.&rdquo; He was a long, 6-foot-8 scoring machine who could essentially do everything on the offensive end.&nbsp;
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However, in hindsight, based on what I saw from McGrady in that series, I don&rsquo;t think he maximized his full potential over the course of his career (although he was an all-time great player). Although not a bad defender, he had the potential to be elite. He could have had a Scottie-Pippen-type of career on the defensive end and become a two-way star, if he had really applied himself. This was an early lesson for me in evaluating players: just because a player has the tools to be a great defender does not mean he will be. Intent and effort are absolutely necessary for a player to be productive on the defensive end. Regardless, McGrady was great during that series and it is still one of the best individual performances throughout a playoff series that I have ever seen. Nevertheless, despite McGrady&rsquo;s impressive performance during that series, the Bucks far outmatched the Magic talent-wise. The Bucks beat the Magic 3-1, and I suppose &ldquo;Big Dog&rdquo; got the last laugh in that matchup.
And on to the next round the Bucks went&hellip;
In the second round, the Bucks faced the Charlotte Hornets, who were led by star player Jamal Mashburn and second-year point guard Baron Davis. The first two games of that series went as expected; the Bucks protected their home court and won the tough games. The next two games were played on the road in Charlotte and that was an entirely different story.
As I mentioned, the Hornets&rsquo; top player was Mashburn. Having had somewhat of a roller-coaster career up to that point, the 28-year-old had really come into his own as a player. The Hornets traded for him the previous summer and it clearly seemed to be a good fit. At 6-foot-8 and a strong 240 pounds, the small forward from the University of Kentucky was a handful for any opponent. He could shoot from outside, handle the ball, post up, and pretty much score from all over the floor. He was simply a matchup nightmare due to his strength and versatility. He <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-which-former-player-would-fit-perfectly-in-todays-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">would be perfect as a combo forward in today&rsquo;s modern style of play</a>. In Games 3, 4, and 5 of that series, his value really showed, as he was the top scorer in each contest and led the charge for the Hornets to win three games in a row over the Bucks.
And like a whirlwind, the Bucks went from being up a comfortable 2-0 to down a terrifying 3-2. The tide had turned quickly, and the pressure was on the Bucks.
Despite the Bucks having gone to the playoffs the previous couple of seasons, the 2001 playoffs were my first real taste of how intense playoff basketball can be for everyone involved -- including the families of the players, coaches, and management. The NBA is big business, and when a team goes far in the playoffs, everyone wins on some level or another. Player values in free agency increase, coaches and management get raises or new job opportunities, and, of course, playoff bonuses get bigger with each round. The family room at the Bradley Center following a loss in the playoffs felt like a funeral. Needless to say, stress levels were high now that the team&rsquo;s back was up against the wall, down 3-2.
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Game 6 was played in Charlotte and it did not start off well. The Bucks went into the locker room at halftime down 10 points. However, in the second half, the &ldquo;Big Three&rdquo; of Ray Allen, Sam Cassell, and Glenn &ldquo;Big Dog&rdquo; Robinson lit it up. The Bucks outscored the Hornets 61-44 in the second half and won the game by seven points. Allen, Cassell and Robinson combined for 85 points. When it comes to perimeter shooting and scoring, they were probably the NBA&rsquo;s best trio at the time (and they&rsquo;re arguably one of the best ever). When Ray, Sam and &ldquo;Big Dog&rdquo; got hot, good luck trying to stop them!
That intense series would come down to one final deciding game. By that point, the Hornets had earned everyone&rsquo;s respect and in Game 7, Baron Davis put on a show. The 6-foot-3, strong, explosive point guard diced up the Bucks&rsquo; defense off the dribble, scoring 29 points. But that game was played in Milwaukee, in our house, the Bradley Center. The Bucks closed out that series, winning by nine points. &ldquo;The Big Three&rdquo; came through in the clutch again, as Ray and &ldquo;Big Dog&rdquo; combined for 57 points, and Sam chipped in 17 points and 13 assists.&nbsp;
The Bucks were moving on again. Now, to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they matched up against the Philadelphia 76ers, who were coached by Larry Brown and led by that season&rsquo;s NBA MVP Allen Iverson.
The 76ers had the best regular-season record in the East that year, so Philadelphia had home-court advantage. After a few bogus calls, non-calls, and just poor overall officiating at the First Union Center, the 76ers unfortunately pulled out a win over the Bucks in Game 1. The matchup between Allen Iverson and Ray Allen quickly proved to be entertaining in and of itself, as Ray scored 31 points and Iverson had 34 in Game 1. It was pretty evident that this would be a showdown we would all remember.
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The officiating in Game 1 was bad, but the team had to move on and get a win in Game 2 to tie up the series before heading back to Milwaukee &mdash; and that&rsquo;s exactly what they did. The Bucks&rsquo; defense was able to hold Iverson to 5-26 shooting from the field and just 16 points. Just as important, Ray absolutely went off, netting 38 points and hitting seven three-pointers. Heading back to Milwaukee for Game 3, tied up 1-1 with the Sixers, the Bucks&rsquo; confidence was already high, but then the news came out that Iverson was not even traveling with the team because of a sore hip. Going into Game 3 without their star player, Coach Brown clearly instructed his 76ers to &ldquo;muck it up.&rdquo; The team was built around Iverson and his scoring ability; the rest of the roster was made up of tough defenders with relatively little offensive talent and &ldquo;glue guys&rdquo; -- players such as Eric Snow, George Lynch, Tyrone Hill, Aaron McKie, and veteran center Dikembe Mutombo. 
The Sixers&rsquo; plan to make it a physical, sloppy game worked, as both teams struggled to score. Although it was an admirable effort, the Sixers could not overcome the Bucks&rsquo; talent without Iverson. Milwaukee defeated Philly 80-74, taking a 2-1 series lead. At that point, I couldn&rsquo;t help myself from getting excited about the idea of traveling with the team to Los Angeles, where they would most likely face Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal, and the Los Angeles Lakers in the sacred NBA Finals.
The Bucks needed to get past the 76ers first though, and with Iverson returning, that wouldn&rsquo;t be an easy task. Iverson returned from his injury in Game 4 as expected, and the Sixers won the next two games. The officiating continued to become more and more of a focal point in that series and the referees came under major scrutiny, especially after Game 4. There started to be a lot of chatter in the media about a conspiracy theory that the NBA and NBC did not want a small-market team like the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals. Needless to say, this series was quite dramatic.
The Bucks were up against the wall, again, and they needed to win two games in a row in order for my dream trip to L.A. for the NBA Finals to become a reality.
Down 3-2, the Bucks were facing elimination in Game 6 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Before that game, rumors circulated that a bellman at the 76ers&rsquo; hotel had found Iverson passed out drunk outside of his room earlier that morning. I&rsquo;m not quite sure if that story is true or not, but I do know that I watched Iverson drop 46 points on the Bucks that night! Still, despite Iverson&rsquo;s incredible game (in which he may or may not have been hungover), the Bucks won. This meant there would be a Game 7 in Philly &mdash; winner goes to the NBA Finals and the loser &ldquo;goes fishing.&rdquo;
Many fans in Milwaukee theorized that the NBA was trying to clear a path for Iverson and the 76ers to make the Finals. Then, the suspension of the Bucks veteran big man Scott Williams only added fuel to that fire. In Game 6, Williams, the &ldquo;heart and soul&rdquo; of that Bucks team, was called for a flagrant foul on Iverson. The day after the game, the NBA notified the Bucks that Williams would be suspended for Game 7, which was a huge blow.
Game 7 went on without Williams and Iverson was great again, scoring 44 points. The 76ers beat the Bucks, and just like that, the Bucks&rsquo; playoff run was over.
It was devastating...
The saddest part? I don&rsquo;t think that Bucks team was ever able to fully recover from that loss. Within a couple of years, Milwaukee traded Ray Allen (to the Seattle SuperSonics), Glenn &ldquo;Big Dog&rdquo; Robinson (to the Atlanta Hawks), and Sam Cassell (to the Minnesota Timberwolves). The team fired head coach George Karl, and general manager Ernie Grunfeld left to join the Washington Wizards. The Bucks went into rebuilding mode.
I really don&rsquo;t have any interest in debating whether that 76ers series was fixed; I sincerely hope it wasn't. However, there is no question that the poor officiating directly affected the results of that series. Years later, I&rsquo;m still left with a lot of &ldquo;what if?&rdquo; questions that send my mind spinning. If the officiating was better in that series, would the Bucks have beaten the Sixers? Could the Bucks have defeated the Lakers? Would my dad have a championship ring? Would that Bucks core have stayed together longer? Would Ray have retired a Buck and have his No. 34 retired in the rafters? What would Michael Redd&rsquo;s career have been like if Ray was never traded? What number would Giannis Antetokounmpo be wearing right now if No. 34 was retired? Would we even have Giannis? And on and on...
Despite the disappointing conclusion of that 2001 season, I can say, without hesitation, that from 1998 to 2001 were the greatest years of my life from a basketball perspective. I was an impressionable teenager going through a critical time in my life from a developmental standpoint, as a basketball person and as a young man. I was lucky enough to be able to experience the ins and outs of the NBA, learn the game from some all-time greats, make many lifelong friends, and create memories that now seem more like a dream than reality, memories that will certainly last a lifetime.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/growing-up-a-buck-from-ray-allen-to-giannis-antetokounmpo-dave-babcock-remains-milwaukee-bucks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out Part 5 of this series, which fast forwards and looks at the present-day Bucks.</a>
Also, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out Matt Babcock's latest 2021 NBA Mock Draft here.</a>

Matt Babcock provides an inside look at the rise and fall of the Milwaukee Bucks in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Growing up a Buck: The 2001 Playoff Run

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; When Kevin Pritchard hired a new coach in October, he took a calculated risk. This time, the Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations went for the known commodity.
Pritchard hired longtime Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle on Thursday, reuniting the 61-year-old with the team that helped relaunch his head coaching career almost two decades ago.
&ldquo;Rick is a proven winner with a championship and will be a Hall of Fame coach,&rdquo; Pritchard said in a statement. &ldquo;He has demonstrated throughout his career an ability to build something with sustainable success. He has great respect for our franchise and our fans from his previous times here. We are very happy to welcome him back to Indiana.&rdquo;
Clearly, the Pacers believe Carlisle can bring stability to a veteran team that battled a severe rash of injuries last season. The result was a losing record and their first playoff absence in six years.
Carlisle will get a chance to make a quick fix with the same organization he led from 2003-07 and took to the Eastern Conference finals in his first season with the team.
This time, he becomes the third Pacers coach in less than 12 months.
Nate McMillan was fired in August following his fourth straight first-round playoff exit, just weeks after signing a contract extension. His replacement, Nate Bjorkgren, lasted one tumultuous season in his first NBA head coaching gig.
&ldquo;I wanted to take a risk,&rdquo; Pritchard said while announcing Bjorkgren's firing June 9. &ldquo;I wanted to take a chance and have something that had a lower floor but a higher ceiling. This year, maybe it&rsquo;s skewed down and we look at something a little bit different."
The Pacers know exactly what they&rsquo;re getting in Carlisle &mdash; a disciplined, details-oriented, old-school coach who spent three seasons as Larry Bird&rsquo;s assistant during the most successful era in franchise history. Those traits could help the Pacers defense, which allowed 115.3 points per game and was ranked 25th last season.
The bigger question might be whether Carlisle is the right fit.
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After an embarrassing season-ending loss to Washington in the play-in round, Pritchard acknowledged Pacers players described Bjorkgren as a micromanager in end-of-season interviews. The problems even spilled into public view during an in-game shouting match between backup center Goga Bitadze and assistant coach Greg Foster amid reports of locker-room drama.
Carlisle had similar issues in his 13th and final season in Dallas.
Two-time All-Star Luka Doncic occasionally showed his anger by making animated gestures toward the coach during games and there were reports of &ldquo;simmering tension&rdquo; between the two before Carlisle resigned last week. Team owner Mark Cuban said Carlisle made the decision to leave, one day after general manager Donnie Nelson also left.
With all five starters under contract, Pritchard believes the Pacers can contend quickly &mdash; with a healthy roster, a stronger defense and better coaching. He also wants to see more leadership from the players.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a decent team and we&rsquo;re trying to go to good, and those players will give us some feedback,&rdquo; Pritchard said two weeks ago. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to push players. You&rsquo;ve got to get them to be their best. That&rsquo;s what great coaches do. Individually, I really like the locker room. During exit meetings, I was probably as hard as I&rsquo;ve ever been on a group that someone has to be a vocal leader. Right now, I&rsquo;m not sure who that is.&rdquo;
Carlisle is 836-689 overall with the Pacers, Pistons and Mavs. He went 555-478 and led Dallas to its only NBA championship in 2010-11 with superstar Dirk Nowitzki, becoming the winningest coach in franchise history. But after making the title run, Carlisle didn&rsquo;t win another playoff series.
The Mavericks lost in the first round six times, including this year and last year to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first two postseason appearances for Doncic.
Cuban had said he expected Carlisle to return next season. But after the departure of Nelson, who once called Carlisle &ldquo;our Jerry Sloan,&rdquo; Carlisle opted for a fresh start and landed in a familiar place.
&ldquo;My sincere thanks to (Pacers owner) Herb Simon, Kevin Pritchard and the entire Pacers organization for the opportunity to come back to basketball&rsquo;s heartland,&rdquo; Carlisle said. &ldquo;My wife, Donna, daughter, Abby, and I are truly grateful.&rdquo;
Carlisle spent three seasons as Bird&rsquo;s assistant before taking the Detroit Pistons job in 2001. He was the 2001-02 NBA coach of the year. Two years later, Indiana hired Carlisle, who went 181-147 in four seasons.
He also played five seasons in the NBA, winning a championship in 1985-86 as Bird's teammate with the Boston Celtics. Following the end of his career in 1989, Carlisle spent the next decade bouncing around as an assistant before getting his big break in Detroit.

Kevin Pritchard: “Rick is a proven winner with a championship and will be a Hall-of-Fame coach. We are very happy to welcome him back.”

Sincere