Lost in the DeAndre Jordan emoji war, and in the ensuing fallout that left Dallas' rotation seemingly bare, was that Rick Carlisle is still a damn good coach.
Aside from Gregg Popovich, the gold standard for NBA coaching, the short list of top tier coaches includes Carlisle in some order.
With an aging Dirk Nowitzki, playing less than 30 minutes a night, a makeshift backcourt (Deron Williams, Wesley Matthews, Raymond Felton, Devin Harris and J.J. Barea) and without a legitimate rim protector to complement Nowitzki, Dallas has the third best record (9-5) in the Western Conference.