Rick Carlisle is one of the most respected coaches in the NBA. Even former NBA big man DeMarcus Cousins (AKA “Boogie”) will openly admit that, despite a previously awkward exchange he’ll never forget.
“I don’t know Carlisle that well, but we have had some experiences,” said Cousins on FanDuel TV. “There was a period of time when he was really trying to push to get me to the Mavericks. To speak on those quirky ways, Rick Carlisle would send me weird selfies and say, ‘I’m thinking about you and I really want to coach you.’ It was a little weird.”
Cousins was once one of the best centers in the NBA, and it sounds like Carlisle wanted his team at the time (the Mavericks) to pick him up. The only problem was his recruiting pitch, which came across as downright strange to Boogie.
“He was very interested in me joining Dallas at some point. He told me time and time again that he would love the opportunity to coach me. As far as the selfies, I don’t know what that sh*t was. I left him on read because I don’t know how to respond to that.”
Teams and coaches are known to go to great lengths to recruit certain players, especially stars. Back in the day, that’s exactly what Cousins was as a double-double machine with career averages of 19.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game on 45.6% shooting and 32.4% shooting from three. He could have really helped the Mavericks win more championships with Dirk Nowitzki.
Still, while someone like Steve Ballmer may do anything to keep his stars, he never sent selfies to players with deeply personal messages. Carlisle took it upon himself to do that, and while it may have worked for some players, it never landed with Cousins. Clearly, the two just never really meshed.
It was the same for Rajon Rondo, who experienced the other side of Carlisle‘s attention. He was exiled after Rick refused to coach him, leading to his eventual exit and trade from the Mavericks. Looking back now, one has to wonder how many other stars may have turned away from Dallas due to Carlisle’s strange pitches or grudges. We may never know.
Today, those encounters are nothing more than a distant memory for Carlisle, who is now coaching a Pacers team fresh off the NBA Finals. When Tyrese Haliburton gets healthy again, they are expected to be right back in the mix, with the veteran coach in a position to win a second championship. So, awkward selfies or not, Carlisle continues to have success in a way that suggests he must be doing something right. In fact, had Cousins joined the Mavericks like Carlisle wanted, his career might have been radically different.
