NBA Rumors: Dallas Mavericks believe Rick Carlisle will lure free agents
The Dallas Mavericks are expected to be real players in free agency this offseason.
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Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban believes one reason free agents will flock to the Mavericks is because of head coach Rick Carlisle. Cuban pointed to the Mavericks’ first round series with the San Antonio Spurs as proof of how good of a coach Carlisle is. The Spurs defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in five games in the second round, took down the Oklahoma City Thunder in six games in the Western Conference Finals, then easily disposed of the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals in five games. The Mavericks pushed the Spurs to seven games and even had a 2-1 lead in the series.
“Everybody thought we were going to get crushed,” Cuban said via Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas. “That allows us not to say, ‘Hey, we played them the best,’ but allows us to say, ‘Look, when it comes to the playoffs in particular, Rick has got the skill set and we’ve got veteran guys who know how to implement offensive and defensive strategies that really give us a unique opportunity.’ That’s something that very few teams can say.
“If you look at other teams with cap room and then you just look at their coach and if they’ve made the playoffs, you look at how their playoff runs went, you’re not looking at them and saying, ‘Wow, that team really … .’ I don’t want to throw anybody under the bus, but their coaches are not as good as Rick Carlisle.”