Yes, I remember him. I also remember that the Pistons, on both ends of the court, were one of the most efficently executed teams in the NBA down the stretches of games. I remember going 10-0 in overtime games, for example, in 2002-03. I remember that the Pistons, before he arrived, were one of the worst down the stretches of games. I remember the same offensive spells when Larry Brown was here.
Isiah Thomas ran an wide-open offense and had great relationships with his players. He never made it out of the first round in 3 seasons. Carlisle's great at minimizing players' weaknesses and for being able to win short-term when a key component is missing from the lineup.
He isn't the problem, and the proof is in the fact he's coached 5 seasons in this league and last night was the first time he didn't win a playoff series.