Rick Carlisle receives shocking ranking in coach standings

It has been a little over three years since Rick Carlisle returned to be the head coach of the Indiana Pacers. All things considered, Carlisle has been a great addition for the Pacers.

In his first two seasons back with the team, the Pacers missed the playoffs entirely. However, during the 2023-24 campaign, they officially ended their rebuild, making the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Additionally, they finished with a 47-35 record, their best since the 2018-19 season. Furthermore, they made their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2014, though they ultimately got swept by the eventual champion Boston Celtics.

Much of Indiana's recent success is in large part due to Carlisle's coaching. He has turned the team into one of the true offensive powerhouses in the NBA. Of course, the additions of Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, among others, over the years has helped the Pacers become a contender once again, but it is fair to say that Carlisle has been instrumental in the team's recent success.

Additionally, Carlisle's overall resume has also helped him earn the reputation as one of the top coaches in the league. This was especially true after coaching the Dallas Mavericks to their first, and so far only, NBA Finals victory in 2011. However, when talking about the elite coaches in the NBA, Carlisle's name rarely comes up.

While he is a fantastic coach, the 64-year-old has his flaws. As is clear with the Pacers currently, defense seems to be an afterthought in Carlisle's system. Furthermore, there are plenty of other head coaches around the league that many would consider better than Carlisle—most notably, Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat) and Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs).

However, while most would consider Carlisle closer to a "B-tier" head coach than a top one, CBS' Sam Quinn appears to disagree.

CBS ranks Rick Carlisle as the third-best head coach in the NBA

In a recent article, Quinn ranked all 30 head coaches in the NBA. Shockingly, he ranked Carlisle third. Only Spoelstra and Nick Nurse (Philadelphia 76ers) ranked above him.

This is especially interesting considering who Quinn ranked below Carlisle. Most notably, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, who outcoached Carlisle during the conference finals, is ranked 11th, reigning Coach of the Year Mark Daigneault of the Oklahoma City Thunder is ranked sixth, and Popovich is ranked 14th.

Carlisle is a great coach and the Pacers should be happy he is on their sidelines once again. However, it is certainly a bold move placing him this high.

In his article, Quinn cites Carlisle's ability to come up with unique strategies and schemes to get the best out of his team as the main reason for his high ranking. This is fair, especially as we are seeing right now with players like Haliburton, Aaron Nesmith, and Andrew Nembhard, but the same thing could be said about all the best coaches in the league.

What is even more interesting is Quinn comparing Carlisle to NFL legend and former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl champion as a head coach, did significantly more for the Patriots than Carlisle has done for the Pacers. Comparing the two is a stretch.

Carlisle is certainly a good coach in the NBA. However, it is hard to agree with Quinn's placement here. The Pacers are on the rise once again, but until they prove to be legitimate title contenders, and potentially champions down the line, Carlisle still has a lot left to prove as the team's head coach.