Rick Carlisle Passionately Defends Tyrese Haliburton, 'Overrated' Label 'Bulls***'

An anonymous NBA player poll dubbed Tyrese Haliburton the most overrated player in the league ... but don't bring that up to Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle -- 'cause he believes the results are absolute "bulls***."

Carlisle was asked about the questionnaire published by The Athletic following the Pacers' 123-115 win over the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday night ... and he made it clear he isn't a fan of the yearly piece.

"The other guys on the list were Jimmy Butler and Giannis [Antetokounmpo]," Carlisle said. "I wanna see the guys' faces that voted those guys, I wanna see the faces of those guys. This is a bulls*** poll."

"Not everybody even answered in the poll. Guys were able to answer if they wanted to. They weren't asked on camera or with a microphone. The whole thing is bulls***."

"It's really a shameful thing. Just a shameful thing."

Outside of his shock at Haliburton being on the poll, he was equally baffled by how some players considered Butler and Antetokounmpo overrated.

"Jimmy Butler would be a finalist for MVP if he had gotten to Golden State a month and a half earlier. And Giannis, are you kidding me?"

Haliburton isn't letting the poll bother him nearly as much as Carlisle ... saying he "must be doing something right if that's the case."

"I know who I am," he said. "I'm confident in my own skin and not worried what anybody thinks."