Rick Carlisle Has 'Mellowed' Since Leaving Mavericks For Pacers

[RealGM Wiretap]

Rick Carlisle and the Dallas Mavericks parted ways early in the tenure of Luka Doncic as the two didn't always get along. But Carlisle has reportedly evolved with that experience and has been easier to get along with since joining the Indiana Pacers for his second stint. 

"I also firmly believe that Rick's experience late in his tenure in Dallas have benefited the Indiana Pacers," said Tim MacMahon on Wednesday's Hoop Collective Podcast. "Because, I'm not around the Pacers on a regular basis, but everything that I hear is that Rick has mellowed. "Like, he's still Rick. He's still going to be intense, but the relationship stuff he's done a much better job of that in Indiana. And, look, the basketball stuff... Rick is a brilliant basketball mind, always has been and always will be."

With the Pacers, Carlisle has a more easygoing star guard in Tyrese Haliburton. The Pacers reached both the Conference Finals and the final of the In-Season Tournament last season.

Via Tim MacMahon/ESPN

[Ethan Winters]

He knows he’s done after this job. Duh. Gotta rebuild goodwill

[Nbafan91729]

Rick didn't have issues with Luka. He treated Luka well. The thing is he treated the role players and bench guys badly and Luka didn't like that.

[dantas]

Yeah, some bizarre incidentes with carlisle and mavs players

Salah Mejri and Rick Carlisle had a notable incident during a game in January 2018. Mejri was ejected after receiving two technical fouls, and as he approached the bench, Carlisle was caught on camera yelling harsh words at him. Carlisle later apologized, calling his behavior "emotional, uncalled for, and unprofessional."

After a playoff game during his time with the Dallas Mavericks, Kristaps Porzingis expressed frustration about his role in the team's offense under Rick Carlisle. Specifically, Porzingis felt underutilized and mentioned that he wasn't getting enough opportunities to contribute, particularly in crunch-time situations.

The relationship between Rick Carlisle and Dennis Smith Jr. during their time with the Dallas Mavericks was reportedly tense. One notable incident occurred during Luka Doncic's rookie season when Carlisle accused Smith of being "jealous" of Doncic in front of the entire team. This accusation, made during a team meeting, shocked many players and was seen as unfair to Smith, who was making an effort to build chemistry with Doncic