Apparently Chandler Parsons’ thinly veiled, humorous response to Rick Carlisle’s criticism of his weight really got to the Dallas Mavericks coach. Carlisle apologized for his recent remarks in a statement released today, calling them “unfair and inappropriate.”
We don’t actually believe Parsons’ shirtless Instagram pic changed Carlisle’s mind. Given the statement below, though, Dallas’ head man obviously believes he erred when discussing his prized free agent acquisition’s summer weight gain.
From ESPN’s Tim MacMahon:
“It was unfair and inappropriate to single out Chandler Parsons after the game Friday night,” Carlisle wrote in a statement issued Sunday afternoon.
“I have apologized to him and the entire team for this error in judgment. Not only is Chandler Parsons one of our best players, he is also one of our hardest working players and the kind of high character person we strive to bring to our city and franchise.
“I also made it clear to our players and staff this morning that this type of bad example is not acceptable and beneath the dignity of a championship organization like the Dallas Mavericks.”
Carlisle initially criticized Parsons’ additional weight early this month, but doubled-down on his assessment after the Mavericks’ exhibition game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.
“An increase of 18 to 20 pounds is just too much,” Carlisle said. “We talked about it today. We talk about it a lot. He’ll get there, but he looked tired out there and a little heavy-legged, and the extra 7 or 8 pounds aren’t helping.
“I don’t mean to call him out in public or ridicule him, but it’s just a fact. He’s an important guy for us. We just need him to get to his right conditioning and weight level so he can play his best because we’re going to need him to play a lot of minutes over the course of 82 games.”
To be honest, there’s not much here. By all reported accounts, Parsons didn’t take personal offense to his coach’s comments – his sarcastic Instagram post lends credence to that belief. And personally, we find nothing wrong or incendiary about Carlisle’s critique. Coaches frequently use the media to push their players certain directions, and the justification of Carlisle’s words were hardly uncommon. It’s not like they carried Phil Jackson-style manipulation, either.
Still, it’s prudent of Dallas to have him issue an apology. The last thing the Mavericks need is to get off on the wrong foot with their new franchise cornerstone, and acknowledging this possible wrong will surely go a long way towards heartening future free agent targets, too. Dallas is always playing the long-game as well as the short one, and Carlisle’s statement is the latest example of that strategy.
Rest assured that Parsons will indeed shed a few pounds, though. You’ll notice that Carlisle’s apology didn’t say anything about taking back the sentiment behind the comments that spurred it. Regardless, kudos to he and the Mavs for getting ahead of this minor issue before it snowballs into anything legitimate.
What do you think?
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