It has been widely reported that Luka Doncic did not want to play for Rick Carlisle, which is likely the main reason the former Dallas Mavericks coach was pushed out after last season. Now, we have a better understanding of how and why the drama built so quickly in Doncic’s first three seasons with the team.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon published a story on Wednesday about the relationship between Doncic and Carlisle. According to several former Mavericks players and staffers, Doncic was more concerned about the way Carlisle treated other players. In particular, he thought the way Carlisle acted toward Dennis Smith Jr. was “appalling.”
Smith, who was traded from Dallas to the New York Knicks during the 2018-19 season, became one of Doncic’s closest friends after the Mavericks drafted Doncic in 2018. Carlisle and the Mavericks’ front office were skeptical that the two could co-exist on the court, however, as they are both ball-dominant players. Sources told MacMahon that Carlisle had “completely soured” on Smith midway through Smith’s rookie season, which was the year before the Mavs drafted Doncic.
Carlisle reportedly accused Smith of being jealous of Doncic during a team meeting early in Doncic’s rookie year. Players were said to be shocked by the criticism and considered it unfair.
According to MacMahon, Doncic resented the fact that he felt Carlisle was trying to drive a wedge between him and his friend.
“It wasn’t really about how Rick treated Luka,” a Mavs player on the 2018-19 team told MacMahon. “Luka hated how Rick treated other people.”
Doncic also took issue with the way Carlisle treated other players. The coach publicly blasted Salah Mejri after he was ejected for picking up two technical fouls in a 2018 game, pointing toward the locker room and telling the center, “You’ve got two f—ing points, get the f— out of here!”
We already knew about an incident where Doncic taunted Carlisle over who was running the Mavericks. That and the other spats Doncic and the coach had on the court were apparently just the tip of the iceberg.
Photo: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
