Rick Carlisle Could Be An Option For The Los Angeles Lakers Next Season

Troy Taormina - USA TODAY Sports
Troy Taormina – USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers were unable to land any big name free-agents this summer, and will likely once again struggle to make the playoffs. However, their fellow Los Angeles team received unexpected news when star center DeAndre Jordan changed his mind and decided that he wanted to remain with the Los Angeles Clippers. This created shockwaves around the league, as he had already verbally committed to the Dallas Mavericks, who seem to have no fallback option. Now they will likely need to rebuild, which means another possible playoff spot open, as well as potentially a top coach becoming available next summer.

Coach Rick Carlisle does not always receive the same attention as other well-known coaches around the league, and has generated publicity for butting heads with players. He has had trouble with Jason Kidd in the past, and more recently could not get Rajon Rondo to fit in with the Mavericks despite a very talented starting five. But Carlisle is one of the brightest minds in the game, and does not get as much credit as he should for putting his players in an efficient and well-run offense, while getting the most out of them on defense.

Carlisle does an excellent job of utilizing the whole floor to create space for his playmakers. He utilizes ball movement and plenty of on-ball screens to allow his ball handlers to attack the basket with shooters on the outside and a big man rolling to the basket. Defenses are always in constant motion and have to pick their poison between a potential alley-oop or leaving a player like Dirk Nowitzki open. He also does a very impressive job of getting his scorers in their favorite positions on the court, allowing them to be successful.

He has had an elite option in Dallas with Nowitzki, but over time has also gotten the most out of an aging Kidd, decent role players like Jason Terry and J.J. Barea, a one-dimensional threat in Tyson Chandler, and even a ball-dominant player such as Monta Ellis. Up until Rondo joined the team, he has done a very good job of meshing different parts together to create a well-oiled machine.

His defenses have not been as good as of late, but they really only had one above-average option since Shawn Marion left, and Chandler only rejoined the team last season. He recently had a developing prospect in Jae Crowder and an athletic big man in Brandan Wright, but both players were traded away.

With that being said, we have seen him do an excellent job in the playoffs, including when they were able to beat the Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Miami Heat on their way to the championship. While many people remember Nowitzki and company on fire on the offensive side, it was their defensive schemes that slowed down three offensive juggernauts.

Coach Byron Scott is a true Laker who understands the winning culture of the organization and respects its history. He will have another year to prove himself, although the team will still be young and will likely struggle in the loaded Western Conference. Although he did alright motivating a young and inexperienced group last season, he is not an elite option, and the Lakers could potentially be able to pursue Carlisle or coach Tom Thibodeau next season. The Mavericks are clearly in a rebuilding phase, and Carlisle might decide that the Lakers are further along and represent a better option for him.

 

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