Perhaps Avery Johnson ran too tight of a ship, but he was an excellent
motivator. To date, I have not been impressed with Carlisle. With his
laissez-faire "coaching" style, his appointment to head coach of the
Mavs seems, in hindsight at least, an overreaction to AJ's alleged
heavy-handedness. Not only that, but Carlisle seems to lack any
passion for the game at all with his downcast eyes and dispassionate
and constantly depressed demeanor. He appears, from the outside at
least, to lack all motivational skills. Without drive, excitement, and
passion from their head coach, players will certainly lack motivation
and even confidence. To be sure, the Mavs could do better on the
court. After all, with 3 and perhaps 4 all-star calibre players in
Dirk, Terry, Kidd, and Howard, how can this team be so average?!

Ultimately, I have to wonder....Just how culpable is Carlisle?