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There seems to be no love lost between Dennis Smith Jr. and his former Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle.
On Wednesday, the Trail Blazers guard responded to an ESPN story depicting drama within the Dallas organization and the fiery relationship between Carlisle and Mavericks star point guard Luka Doncic.
“This article about my time there is spot on,” Smith tweeted Wednesday. “And that’s coming from staff members n players! Y’all don’t even know the half.”
According to ESPN, Carlisle was determined to make the former NC State star miserable in order to split up the guard pairing.
Smith, whom the Mavericks drafted No. 9 overall in 2017, and Doncic became fast friends when Dallas selected the Slovenian star with the third pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. At one point, they were roommates and inseparable off the court.
Doncic did not like how Carlisle treated his teammates, several former players and Dallas staffers told the outlet. The two would often get into cursing arguments, which the team apparently grew accustomed to witnessing.
During one instance in an early-season team meeting, Carlisle reportedly accused Smith of being jealous of Doncic. Multiple players, according to the outlet, considered the treatment to be unfair, and Doncic believed it was Carlisle’s way of trying to pit the pair against each other.
“It wasn’t really about how Rick treated Luka,” a Mavs player on the 2018-19 team said. “Luka hated how Rick treated other people.”
Carlisle didn’t see Smith as a productive NBA starter, team sources told ESPN, adding that he had completely given up on Smith halfway through his rookie campaign. The coach reportedly wanted the Mavericks to draft guard Donovan Mitchell, who was selected at No. 13, four picks after Smith.
Smith, now a reserve guard for Portland, was traded to the Knicks in January 2019 as part of a deal that would bring Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas.
Carlisle was due to face the Mavericks last Friday — Indiana won, 106-93 — but is currently in COVID protocols.
Doncic declined to be interviewed for the story, while Carlisle, who is now the coach of the Pacers, gave a brief statement but didn’t address his alleged treatment of Doncic and Smith.
“I have extreme gratitude for my 13 years with Mark Cuban and the Mavericks,” Carlisle told ESPN. “I cherish the memory of our 2011 title run and all I learned there as a coach. It’s been an honor to work with generational players like Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic, and to see a long list of players develop with the Mavs organization.
“It was a privilege to witness Luka’s genius for three years. He does and will continue to do amazing things every night. I am excited and appreciative for the opportunity to coach in Indiana and wish the Mavs organization all the best.”
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