Rick Carlisle's experience as an assistant at Indiana was as close to being a head coach, without really being one, as a person could get. He had a tremendous amount of input under Larry Bird. Bird had no coaching experience, so he hired Dick Harter and Carlisle to basically run the team while he oversaw the process.

Carlisle was the offensive architect for the Pacers. He decided what the game plan would be, how they would execute it, and he was responsible for putting all the offensive sets in. The experience in Indiana has prepared him well for the Piston's job.

A new head coach is never the answer for an ailing team, unless they have talent to go with the new coach. Unfortunately, Detroit does not have talent right now, which makes the Pistons job a very tough assignment for a first time head coach. With their existing personnel, no one is capable of turning this team around.

The Pistons have some cap money, so they can hope to attract free agents. They are in dire need of improved talent, and if they get it, Carlisle will have a chance to mold the team in the direction he wants to go.

I'm always glad to see assistants get the opportunity to become head coaches, and many of them have done very well. Carlisle has certainly paid his dues as an assistant, and as big of an opportunity as this is, it is an even bigger challenge. In the minds of management and the public, the coach is ultimately the person who takes responsibility for a team's success or failure, so he'll have to make it work somehow.

It won't be easy.