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NBA: Greatest head coach in each team’s franchise history

By Josh Cornelissen

Gregg Popovich, Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Gregg Popovich, Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Rick Carlisle, Dallas Mavericks
Rick Carlisle, Dallas Mavericks. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

Greatest head coach in Dallas Mavericks history: Rick Carlisle, 2008-Present

The Dallas Mavericks are not an infant franchise, playing their first NBA game in 1980 under the coaching of Dick Motta. 39 seasons later and the Mavericks have had just nine different head coaches, ending with current coach Rick Carlisle.

Carlisle wins out here over Don Nelson and Avery Johnson based on longevity and the ever-elusive title. Nelson coached the team for 590 games from 1997 to 2005, overseeing the growth of Dirk Nowitzki from gangly European unknown to dominant offensive forward. Johnson took the team to the NBA Finals in 2006 and racked up 23 playoff wins in just three seasons.

What neither could do was win a title, something Carlisle did in 2011, defeating the superteam in the Miami Heat and avenging the 2006 NBA Finals loss in the process. His 27 postseason wins are the most in franchise history, as are his 886 games coached and 470 wins totaled.

With Nowitzki officially retired after the end of the 2018-19 NBA season, Carlisle is overseeing a new chapter in the Mavericks’ history with young stars Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. His track record suggests he is fully capable of leading them to another dominant stretch of play for the Mavericks franchise.