DALLAS — Rick Carlisle is the front-runner to replace Avery Johnson as coach of the Dallas Mavericks.

Carlisle — a former NBA coach of the year who had successful stints in Detroit and Indianapolis — is the only serious candidate the team has interviewed since firing Johnson on Wednesday. Talks were continuing today.

"We've had a productive series of meetings," said Donnie Nelson, the team's president of basketball operations. "We're very impressed by Rick — not just as a basketball coach, but as a man. We're looking forward to continuing our conversation."

The more they talk, the closer Carlisle likely gets to coaching Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and a club that's won at least 50 games for eight straight seasons.

"Ourselves and Rick are gathering some information," Nelson said. "Both sides will analyze the situation and we look forward to continuing our talks."

Because Mavs owner Mark Cuban was going through his first coaching search, there was only speculation about which way he'd go. All indications were that the Cuban and Nelson were going to take their time, perhaps waiting for Phoenix's Mike D'Antoni or other coaches still employed.

But Carlisle meets many of Cuban's presumed criteria: A coach willing to let Kidd run the offense, perhaps with an emphasis on the "run" part, while also taking defense seriously, something Nowitzki stressed. Plus, he has NBA experience.

Over two seasons running the Pistons and four more with the Pacers, Carlisle has a career record of 281-211, plus 30-32 in the playoffs. He made the postseason his first five seasons.

Temperament is the one area Carlisle doesn't necessarily fit the expected profile for Johnson's replacement. He's almost as intense and demanding as Johnson, nicknamed "The Little General." Teams frequently go from one extreme to the other when changing coaches.

Carlisle got his first head coaching job in Detroit in 2001-02. The Pistons won 50 games and was voted coach of the year. They won 50 again the next season, and reached the conference finals, but he was fired and replaced by Larry Brown. Carlisle went to Indiana and won a franchise-best 61 games, but again lost in the conference finals — to the Brown-coached Pistons, who went on to win the NBA title.

The Pacers won fewer games each of the next three seasons, dipping to 44, then 41 and 35, marking the first losing record of Carlisle's career and Indiana's first in 10 years. He spent this past season as a broadcaster for ESPN.