The Dallas Mavericks shook things up following a second consecutive season without a playoff appearance. Among the more shocking moves was the franchise parting ways with Jason Kidd shortly after bringing in Masai Ujiri.

While the Mavericks seriously explored their options within the NBA, the team went in an unexpected direction. Dallas made one of the splashes of the offseason by hiring Dusty May away from Michigan. After all, May had just led the Wolverines to their second championship in program history.

May doesn't have an NBA pedigree. He didn't play in the league or possess any coaching experience at the highest level of the sport. The Mavericks believed in him anyway, and he's already starting to earn praise from some of his peers.

Former Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle Compliments Dusty May

The Mavericks met up with the Indiana Pacers back on Friday night. Obviously, there's a big connection between the two squads. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle was on the sidelines for over a decade in Dallas, and guided the franchise to its only NBA Championship in 2011.

Carlisle stepped away from the Mavericks in 2021 and was hired by the Pacers a short time later.

Prior to his first matchup against May, Carlisle praised Dallas' new head coach.

"The lessons go on, even when you get a quarter century into it. I could tell you that. Dusty's an amazing coach. One of the best coaches in the world," Carlisle said, according to The Dallas Morning News' Mike Curtis. "He proved that last year. He's gonna mold this team into a team that has the identity of his Michigan teams, I think. I see a lot of similarities."

"They're disruptive. They're long. They're athletic. They play free," Carlisle added. "He really empowers his best players. They're gonna be very good."

It's worth wondering if Carlisle was still feeling complimentary after May and the Mavericks handed Indiana a 121-105 defeat at home. Dallas led by 34 points at halftime. Though Indiana battled admirably over the final two quarters, it never got the deficit within single digits.

May is out to a 2-2 start with the Mavericks. Traditionally, he's a coach who's been able to do more with less.

Florida Atlantic took a chance on May for his first head coaching job back in 2018. May never had a losing record in his six seasons with the Owls, guiding the program to a 35-4 record and a Final Four appearance in 2023. It's a March Madness run that's etched in the history books.

In eight years as a head coach, May is 190-82. If you break it down to the last four years, he's 124-26 (83.3%) with four tournament appearances, two Final Four runs, and a championship.

The Mavericks are hoping his pedigree of success will continue in the Lone Star State, even if it might take a little bit of time.

Dallas returns to action against the banged-up Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, October 28. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

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