CBS Sports ranks Rick Carlisle among best head coaches in the NBA

Carlisle has been with Indiana for multiple stints

May 21, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle watches from the sideline as they take on the Boston Celtics during game one of the eastern conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

CBS Sports ranked all 30 NBA head coaches from best to worst this week, and Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle graded out well in the exercise.

The list, which was put together by author Sam Quinn, ranked each sideline general and put them into tiers. Carlisle finished third in the ordering, which put him in the second tier of head coaches.

Indiana's leader has been with the franchise since 2021 — it's his second stint with the blue and gold after guiding the team from 2003-07. He was also an assistant coach with the Pacers in the 1990s. His ties to the city and team are longstanding.

This past season was his best in his current stint with the organization. Carlisle steered a building Pacers squad to a 47-35 record before leading a run to the Eastern Conference Finals. It was his best postseason performance since 2011. The offensive style he built, led by guard Tyrese Haliburton, is one of the fastest in NBA history, and it led to immense success and efficiency last season. Indiana had the second-best offensive rating in the regular season and best in the playoffs.

"I think he's been phenomenal. He's accepted essentially a team that's rebuilding down a different path. He's a Hall Of Fame coach, he's won a championship. He could have easily said 'I'm not going to coach a team that's going to take a longer term look'. To his credit, he's embraced it and he's loved it," Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said of Carlisle earlier in the offseason.

Quinn's ranking has Carlisle in a tier with three other coaches — Nick Nurse from the Philadelphia 76ers, Ty Lue from the LA Clippers, and Steve Kerr from the Golden State Warriors. Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is in the top tier by himself. "Carlisle is probably the NBA's most creative coach," the ranking says.

Quinn's entire list can be found here.

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