Ex-Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce joining Rick Carlisle's staff with the Pacers
Rick Carlisle is bringing Lloyd Pierce to Indianapolis.
The former Atlanta Hawks coach and the Indiana Pacers are finalizing a deal that will make him Carlisle’s top assistant, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Pacers are finalizing a deal to hire former Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce as Rick Carlisle’s top assistant coach, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2021
Pierce, per Wojnarowski, will also serve as an assistant under Gregg Popovich for Team USA during the Tokyo Olympics later this month.
Pierce was fired by the Hawks just 34 games into the season this year, after Atlanta started out 14-20. He was in the middle of his third season with the Hawks, and finished with a 63-120 overall record.
The move turned out to be a great decision for the Hawks, as they ended up finishing the regular season with a 41-31 record and made the playoffs for the first time in four years under interim coach Nate McMillan. The Hawks are currently tied 2-2 with the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals ahead of Thursday night’s Game 5.
Atlanta marked Pierce’s first head coaching job in the league. He spent time as an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors, and worked as a player development coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies.
Carlisle reached a deal to return to the Pacers last month following a 13-year stint leading the Dallas Mavericks. Carlisle was the head coach there from 2003-07, and worked as an assistant under Larry Bird from 1997-2000.
Carlisle replaced Nate Bjorkgren in Indiana, who was fired after his first season leading the Pacers.
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