According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Indiana Pacers have officially signed head coach Rick Carlisle to a multi-year contract extension.
This move is a no-brainer for Indiana. Carlisle is one of the best head coaches in the game today, and he is one of the greatest offensive minds the league has ever seen. Furthermore, he has been crucial to the Pacers' recent success with two consecutive conference finals appearances and an NBA Finals run.
After shocking the basketball world numerous times in recent years, culminating in the team being one win away from defeating the best team in the league in the NBA Finals, it is no surprise that the Pacers opted to extend Carlisle's extension, ensuring that he will be with the team for the long haul.
Rick Carlise has a tall task in front of him next season
There is no doubt that Carlisle is the perfect coach for the Pacers. Not only has he implemented the perfect system and gotten his players to buy into it, but he is also unique in the sense that he is always adapting, which is something many coaches fail to do.
Things have been going incredibly well for him and Indiana over the past couple of years, but their outlook for next season looks very different. With Tyrese Haliburton out for the year and Myles Turner having joined the Milwaukee Bucks, few are expecting the Pacers to be competitive next season. However, Carlisle will look to shock the basketball world once more and prove that they cannot be counted out. Again.
The odds are certainly stacked against the Pacers. They will have to navigate through life without their star guard for the time being, and that is in addition to having to figure out how they are going to replace Turner. However, Indiana still has a talented roster and should be able to make some noise in a wide-open Eastern Conference. A third consecutive deep playoff run seems unlikely. However, if the Pacers have proven anything, it is that they always do their best when nobody believes in them. Carlisle will have a chance to further this narrative next year.
As it stands, the future still looks bright in Indiana. They have a young and gifted team, and they are generally in a good situation financially. Plus, with the former championship-winning head coach sticking around for a little while longer, the Pacers should be able to re-establish themselves as legitimate title contenders in no time.