Rick Carlisle has informed Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban that he will not be returning next season, the Mavs organization confirms.
“Rick informed me today about his decision to step down as head coach,” said Mark Cuban. “On top of being a tremendous basketball coach, he was also a friend and a confidant. Rick helped us bring the O’Brien Trophy to Dallas and those are memories I will always cherish. I want to thank Rick for all he gave this franchise and this city. We wish him all the best.”
Carlisle was hired on May 9, 2008, and spent 13 seasons with the Mavericks, including leading them to the 2011 NBA Title.
Carlisle has released a statement to ESPN stating "After a number of in-person conversations with Mark Cuban over the last week, today I informed him that I will not be returning as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks. This was solely my decision. My family and I have had an amazing 13-year experience working with great people in a great city. It has been an honor to work alongside Mark, Cynt, Donnie, Fin, Keith, Dirk, JKidd and every player and assistant coach I've had here. Dallas will always be home, but I am excited about the next chapter of my coaching career."
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The Mavericks announced Wednesday that longtime general manager and president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson would be leaving the organization, saying Nelson, 58, and the team had mutually agreed to part ways.
It's unclear if the departures of Nelson and Carlisle are related to a recent report by The Athletic alleging front office strife surrounding the role of director of quantitative research and development Haralabos Voulgaris. In a short, two-word tweet on Monday, Cuban used colorful language to respond to the article calling it "total bull****."
