The Indiana Pacers fired head coach Rick Carlisle after four seasons in which the team declined rapidly. Although Carlisle is thought by many to be a solid coach, the fact of the matter is that he never had the necessary skills to take the Pacers to the next level. Additionally, it appeared that as each year went by the players began to lose more respect for him both on and off the court. In the end, this led to his demise.

In 2003-2004, Carlisle’s first year on the job, the Pacers finished with a record of 61-21. It appeared that the organization had found their man to lead them to the promise land. But after this season, things started to go down hill in a hurry. The Pacers finished 2007 with an overall record of 35-47; their worst since the 1988-1989 season.

Although the Pacers finished with a poor record this season, Carlisle may have been able to save his job if it were not for a late season collapse. Shortly after the All Star break the team was 29-24, and it appeared that they had an inside track to the post season. But after that, the Pacers lost 11 games in a row and the rest is history.

Early reports show that the Pacers are going to make a strong push to hire current Toronto Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell. He was a past Pacers player, and the team really loves the intensity that he brings to the floor.

Source: sports.yahoo.com (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)