Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle will turn 67 years old this October, but he still has multiple years left on his contract and is ready to lead a team with championship aspirations. He recently reflected on where he’s at in his coaching journey with Draymond Green on Green’s podcast (video link), making it clear that he’s not planning on hanging things up any time soon.

“Nobody wants to overstay their welcome… I still love it,” Carlisle said. “It’s a pleasure to go to work every day. … I’m going to ride this as long as I can.”

Carlisle hardly has a one-track mind, as his hobbies include playing piano and flying airplanes, according to Scott Horner of the Indy Star. At least for now though, his heart is still with coaching.

We have more from around the Eastern Conference:

• Prior to signing a one-year deal to return to the Magic, veteran center Nikola Vucevic held exploratory talks with the Serbian club Crvena Zvezda. Those discussions went so far as to be described by team president Zeljko Drcelic as a “gentleman’s agreement” that he would join Crvena Zvezda if an NBA offer didn’t materialize, according to the Eurohoops team. “If he did not receive an NBA offer, he would put on the Crvena Zvezda jersey,” Drcelic said. “Since he is an elite athlete who continues to take care of his body and his career, it is clear that the door is not closed.”
• After signing a three-year extension with the Celtics this summer, 22-year-old forward Jordan Walsh is looking forward to the newfound stability propelling his growth forward. “I think it’s a new starting point, kind of a checkpoint for my career. I think that the first three years of my career was trying to prove that I could play in the league,” he said in an interview with NBC Sports Boston (video link).”I think I’ve proven that … I’m an NBA player; now it’s about getting better at the areas that I’m weak so I continue to get better and earn more and produce more.”
• Tyler Nickel‘s confidence and quick-trigger ability from deep stood out in the Knicks‘ Summer League run. His former Vanderbilt coach, Mark Byington, knew that the Knicks were an ideal landing spot for Nickel early on in the draft process, Andrew Crane writes for the New York Post. “You got to guard him,” Byington said. “And look, if a team’s trying to take him out, well, that’s more room for [Jalen] Brunson and [Karl-Anthony Towns] and everybody else out there. But if they don’t, if they help off of him, well, he’s going to make them pay.” Byington knows that the opportunities will likely not be there for his former player early on, but given how Knicks coach Mike Brown allocated minutes last season, there’s a likelihood that he’ll get a chance at some point during his rookie year. “When his opportunity comes, he’s just got to be ready, and he’s the type of guy that will be,” Byington said.