Indianapolis, IN (Best E Casino) - The Indiana Pacers gave head coach Rick Carlisle a multi-year contract extension and was also given the title of executive vice president of basketball operations.

"That's something they certainly didn't have to do but part of the agreement is to, at some point, join the front office if I want to do that," Carlisle said. "That's a very unusual gesture to make and me and my family are very appreciative of it."

Carlisle joined the organization in 1997 as an assistant to former coach and current president of basketball operations Larry Bird. After coaching for two years in Detroit, Carlisle returned to Indiana in 2003 and compiled a 146-100 record with three straight postseason appearances.

"I'm glad we got it done," said Bird. "I think he deserves a fair chance and hopefully we'll stay away from injuries and see what we can do."

Throughout his career, Carlisle has a 246-164 record, five playoff appearances, three Central Division titles, two spots in the Eastern Conference Finals and an NBA Coach of the Year award in 2002.

He and Pat Riley are the only coaches in history to win at least 50 games and division titles in each of their first three seasons on the bench.

"I was confident we'd come to some kind of an agreement and things worked out well," Carlisle said. "This is an unusual relationship. This will be the 10th year I've had a very close relationship with Larry and Donnie (Walsh) going back to my years as an assistant and it just shows we've got a common vision for the team not only this year but for the future of the franchise and that's really important."