INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle said Tuesday that NBA investigators did not talk to team doctors or players before recently issuing him a $100,000 fine for violating the league’s player participation policy.
Carlisle made the comments during his weekly appearance on local radio station 107.5 The Fan.
“The league lawyer who was doing the interview made a unilateral decision Aaron Nesmith“The guy who was injured last night and couldn’t catch the ball should have played in the game, that sounds ridiculous,” Carlisle said in his most extensive comments about the situation after the February 3 game. He said no, he does not need it. He talked to his doctors, who did not examine Aaron Nesmith.
“And we asked them if they wanted to talk [players] And he said he didn’t need it, which was shocking to me, and during the interview he also asked if we were considering giving him medication to play in a game when he was 30 games under .500, which was very surprising to me.
The NBA had a different view of what happened.
“Coach Carlisle’s description of the process for imposing fines on the Indiana Pacers is inaccurate,” a statement from the league said. “An independent physician led the medical review. Additionally, 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 he provided all information requested by the league and informed the team that an interview with Coach Carlisle or the team physician was not necessary.”
The 66-year-old Carlisle is in his 24th season as a head coach in the league and is 11th in wins while compiling a record of 1,008-903. He won an NBA title as a player boston celtics As coach of in 1985–86 dallas mavericks in 2010–11 and was selected as the league’s 2001–02 Coach of the Year. He recently announced that he would be stepping down from his long tenure as president of the National Basketball Coaches Association.
