INDIANAPOLIS — On Tuesday, Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle stated that the NBA’s investigators did not consult with team doctors or players before imposing a recent $100,000 fine for breaching the league’s player participation policy.
Carlisle shared his thoughts during his weekly segment on local radio station 107.5 The Fan.
“The league attorney conducting the interview seemed to have made a unilateral decision that Aaron Nesmith, who was injured just the night before and unable to handle the ball, should have participated in the game, which is quite absurd,” Carlisle remarked in his most detailed comments regarding the incident since the Feb. 3 game. “During the interviewing process — while I wasn’t part of it, I did hear the details — we inquired if they wished to consult our doctors about it, since our physicians and trainers had documented it. They declined, stating they did not need to. They consulted their own doctors, who did not evaluate Aaron Nesmith.
“We also asked if they wanted to speak to the [players], and they insisted they didn’t need to, which was surprising to me. plus, during the interview, they asked if we considered medicating him to play when we were 30 games under .500, which left me quite astonished.”
The NBA took a different stance on the matter.
“Coach Carlisle’s account of the procedure that led to the decision to fine the Indiana Pacers is incorrect,” read a statement from the league. “An independent physician conducted the medical review. and, the Pacers’ general manager and the team’s senior vice president of sports medicine and performance were interviewed as part of the process.
“The Pacers confirmed that they provided all requested information to the league, and the team indicated that interviews with coach Carlisle or a team physician were not deemed necessary.”
The 66-year-old Carlisle is in his 24th season as a head coach in the league and is currently ranked 11th in all-time victories with a record of 1,008-903. He was part of an NBA championship team as a player with the Boston Celtics in 1985-86, coached the Dallas Mavericks to victory in 2010-11, and earned the title of Coach of the Year in the 2001-02 season. He has recently announced he will resign from his long-standing position as president of the National Basketball Coaches Association.
