Carlisle on Mavs: ‘Nobody is going to want to play these guys’

Whatever ailments the Dallas Mavericks are currently experiencing, Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said they’ll eventually break out of it and become a major factor in the upcoming playoffs.

“Nobody is going to want to play these guys,” Carlisle said. “Nobody. Dallas has a way of getting things worked out in the second half of the season.

“They did it last year and went on a big run. I expect them to do the same now.”

Last year the Mavs started the season with a 16-18 record, then caught fire and finished the regular season 52-30. From there the Mavs ousted Utah in six games in the first round of the playoffs, then knocked off the No. 1-seed Phoenix Suns in an epic Game 7 in the second round before losing to the eventual NBA champion Golden State Warriors in five games in the Western Conference Finals.

Carlisle was the Mavs’ coach when this franchise won its lone NBA title in 2011. Dirk Nowitzki was the Mavs’ legendary player at the time, and he and Carlisle made beautiful music together.

“Probably the greatest stroke of good luck of my career was coming here (in 2008) when (Nowitzki) was in his prime,” Carlisle said. “It allowed us to have a realistic shot at a championship (and) to win an awful lot of games.

“For me and my family, you don’t have this kind of extended run normally unless you have a player like that. Being with him for all those years — Jason Kidd certainly was a big part of it. Jason Terry. But Dirk was the constant.”

Carlisle coached the Mavs through the 2020-21 season before becoming the Pacers’ coach. And he said he plans to be in Springfield, Mass., in August when Nowitzki will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

“(He’s) the most coachable historically great superstar that I’ve ever been around,” Carlisle said, referring to Nowitzki. “I can’t wait to hear his Hall of Fame speech.”

As far as the current Mavs are concerned, Carlisle stopped short of predicting where they’ll land this season. But he did say the addition of forward/center Maxi Kleber will be a bonus for the Mavs.

Kleber missed 35 games with a torn right hamstring before returning Tuesday to play against the Pacers.

“Adding him to the mix is going to help a lot – with his defense, shooting and the way they can play small and do all the switching,’ Carlisle said. “I don’t have any concerns about them. They’ll have a real strong finish to the season.

“Both conferences, it’s interesting the way the standings are going. It’s really a lot of parity — more than there ever has been that I can recollect. They’ll get things figure out.”

KLEBER’S EARLY YEARS: Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle remembers when Maxi Kleber was trying to get his foot on the NBA ground.

That was in 2014, when Kleber was an undrafted forward/center out of Germany. At the time, Carlisle was coaching the Mavs and was trying to find out where Kleber would fit in his rotation.

“When he first got here he was a mid-range shooter, and his game is really more geared to the FIBA-type of game,” Carlisle said. “The way he got to the court initially, it was kind of the beginning of the rebuild and he got on the court because of his defense.

“He basically started at the (small forward) position, and it helped us because it helped us get a better matchup for Dirk (Nowitzki) to start games defensively. And his shooting came around very quickly. Within a year he was in the mid-30s (shooting three-pointers), and it was just a matter of time before he was going to be a 40-plus percent three-point shooter.”

Kleber was back on the court Tuesday against the Pacers. In the Mavs’ 124-122 loss to the Pacers, Kleber played 24 minutes and finished with nine points and two assists.

“He’s just a unique guy because of his ability to protect the rim,” Carlisle said. “You ask any analytics (person) and they’ll tell you that people that can shoot long range and protect the rim both are like gold in this league.”

WORKING IN A NEW CREW: Before Tuesday’s 124-122 loss to the Indiana Pacers, Mavs coach Jason Kidd talked about his team going through a process with so many new additions on the roster.

Within the last three-plus weeks, the Mavs have acquired Kyrie Irving, Markieff Morris and Justin Holiday. Plus, Maxi Kleber returned Tuesday after missing 25 games while recovering from a right hamstring tear.

“With Maxi it’s going to be a process, with the team it’s a process,” Kidd said. “We have new players. Kai is still new to the situation, so we’re working through this on the fly with not enough practice time, and with in-game situations.

“You’ve got to get the guys in position to be successful. We’re trying to get better at late-game (situations), but our defense is going to be our offense, too.”

That defense gave up 69 points in the first half to the Pacers one game after dropping a 27-point lead and losing this past Sunday’s contest to the Los Angeles Lakers, 111-108.

“We’ve got to be able to score,” Kidd said. “We’ve got too many guys who are shooting the ball well, and too many guys that can get to the rim or to the free throw line. We’ve got great playmakers. When you look at our offense, our offense should be one of the best in the league, and that’s going to be part of our defense is putting the ball in the basket. And at times we’re not going to stop anybody. We just have to outscore them.

BRIEFLY: Mavs point guard Luka Doncic turned 24 years old on Tuesday. Asked if he bought Doncic a birthday gift, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said: “I brought him (Pacers guard Tyrese) Haliburton. Haliburton’s birthday is today, too.” Haliburton turned 23 on Tuesday, although he’s a Leap Year baby and actually was born on Feb. 29. In recalling the past, Carlisle said: “I just remember Luka’s birthday (party) three years ago in Miami. That was epic. It was a night to remember.”. . . The Pacers had their shootaround Tuesday morning at the North Dallas home of Pacers guard Buddy Hield. “It’s an amazing setup,” Carlisle said. “He’s in Preston Hollow. It’s a beautiful house.” Carlisle said a lot of his daughter’s  — Abby — classmates live in that area. “So when Buddy was building the gym a lot of people thought he was opening some kind of a public health club thing,” Carlisle said. “The story is people were thinking about doing a petition. Buddy said, ‘No, no, it’s just my gym where I can shoot.’ “ Carlisle said: “Any time you can do anything to kind of break up the normal routine and do something that involves one of your guys or his family – and coincidently his mom is in his town and his two brothers are in town – and so it was nice photo opportunities with those folks and the team.” By the way, Carlisle said the Mavs had a breakfast meeting in Orlando at the home of former Mavs forward Vince Carter during a road game in Orlando when Carter played for the Mavs. “Vince has a regulation NBA court in his home,” Carlisle said. “Buddy’s a little smaller. Vince and Buddy are the only two guys I’ve seen that have homes with courts that you can actually have a practice on.”. . . The first game Carlisle ever coached in the NBA was the night American Airlines Center opened in 2001. At the time, Carlisle was coaching the Detroit Pistons. “It’s always good to come back here,” Carlisle said. “In the NBA after a certain number of years, everything kind of normalizes. It’s a great city. I have a lot of friends here.”. . . Former Mavs forward Eduardo Najera will drop the puck on Wednesday night at 7:30 when the Dallas Stars host the Arizona Coyotes at American Airlines Center. Najera’s appearance is in conjunction with the Stars celebrating Noche Mexicana. Najera played for the Mavs from 2000-04 and again in 2010 and is currently one of the team’s scouts.

Twitter: @DwainPrice