The Indiana Pacers went stealth mode in hiring Rick Carlisle, making the hire official on Thursday. The move came as a surprise to some if only because there wasn't a lot of chatter going on leading up to the move. Carlisle will be returning to one of his old stomping grounds and will be doing so after parting ways with the Dallas Mavericks.

Carlisle coached the Pacers from 2003-2007, heading to Dallas after that where he was with the Mavericks up until the end of their postseason run in 2021. Now, he's back in Indiana and it was the perfect hire for the Pacers. Via Tim MacMahon of ESPN, here are the contract details.

 

Not too bad. Now, here are two reasons Rick Carlisle was the perfect hire for the Pacers.

He's been there before and knows the city and the organization well

Carlisle had two separate stints in Indiana with the Pacers before this new go around came about. Carlisle was an assistant coach for the Pacers from 1997-2000 serving on none other than Larry Bird's staff. While Carlisle would leave to take the head coaching spot with the Pistons, he was right back with the Pacers as their head coach from 2003-2007.

Everyone loves familiarity and a sense of comfort. Carlisle being back in Indiana provides the Pacers just that. He knows the pulse of the franchise, he knows the fan base well and the city and state as whole, too.

Nothing is going to blindside or catch Carlisle by surprise and there shouldn't be much of an adjustment period for him going to Indiana. It's new only in the sense that he was most recently with the Mavericks and was in Dallas for so long. But Indiana is a spot he knows very well.

The Pacers have a solid roster in place with pieces like Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner, Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, T.J. Warren and others. The foundation within the roster is already set, they just need the right coach to lay out a blueprint for success. Carlisle is that guy and has proven to be so throughout his different coaching stops in his career.

The Pacers had plenty of success in Carlisle's first stint

Rick Carlisle's first run with Indiana didn't come to a conclusion for a lack of success. Sure, in the final year they went 31-41 and missed out on the playoffs (only time under Carlisle that happened), but the Pacers became quite the squad with Carlisle running the show from 2003-2007.

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In his four years with the Pacers, Carlisle accumulated a record of 181-147 in the regular season and 18-17 in the postseason.

The Pacers made a run all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals in Carlisle's first year back in 2003-2004. They would never get back to that point under him although they reached the conference semifinals the following year.

Had Carlisle been a wash or fizzled out with the Pacers during those years, it's unlikely he'd be getting this second shot with the organization. His success with Indiana and with Dallas (2011 NBA Champions) helped slingshot him back to the Pacers.

Rick Carlisle is back in Indiana and it should turn out to be a perfect fit and a perfect hire for the Pacers.