For anybody who thinks Rick Carlisle was a name out of the blue to become the Mavericks' new coach, a history lesson is needed.

President of basketball operations Donnie Nelson has known Carlisle for about 20 years, and they have a connection that goes back further. Both attended Worcester Academy, a prep school in Massachusetts. They were not at the school together; Carlisle preceded Nelson by a couple years. But both played basketball there, then went on to diverse careers in the game.

"I heard all the Rick Carlisle stories," Nelson said. "Every time somebody scored, I'd hear how Carlisle would never make that defensive mistake."

Their time at Worcester has little to do with the Mavericks getting set to hire Carlisle as their coach. But Nelson and Carlisle have long been "good friends," as Carlisle said.

That familiarity helped expedite things in selecting Carlisle, even if contract negotiations are moving ahead slowly.

The Mavericks, Carlisle and his agent were working out details of the agreement Thursday night, and an expected news conference today may be pushed back to allow for the deal to be completed.

There are no serious snags, apparently, meaning Carlisle is on schedule to become the new coach. It's a matter of attorneys clarifying details of the deal.

The team has had only two serious candidates, and one – Nelson – removed his name immediately. Nelson is not interested in coaching again.

So Carlisle was the only candidate known to be interviewed. But this was not a case of the Mavericks taking the first person available. Having watched Carlisle's career unfold, Nelson said there are many things that make him attractive.

"He's shown the propensity to be successful in a lot of different situations," Nelson said. "Everywhere he's been, the record is pretty impressive, even in playoffs. I've known him a long time, and we're big fans of his character as well as his work."