Pacers coach Rick Carlisle calls league for $100,000 fine, league pushes back
Earlier this month, the NBA fined the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for “violating the player attendance policy in connection with the team’s game against the Utah Jazz on February 3.” On the second straight night, Indiana sat All-Star Pascal Siakam as well as Bennedict Mathurin (who was traded within days), TJ McConnell, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith for the game (a loss to the Jazz). The league said that, in consultation with an independent doctor, it determined that Siakam and two others could play, though perhaps in reduced roles.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle didn’t hold back in addressing the fine during a radio appearance on 107.5 The Fan on Tuesday (hat tip to Atletico).
Announcement
“I disagreed. There was a league lawyer who was doing the interview who unilaterally decided that Aaron Nesmith, who had been injured the night before and couldn’t hold onto the ball, should play in the game, which just seems ridiculous.
“During the interview process – I wasn’t there, but I heard the details – we asked them if they wanted to talk about it with the doctors, our doctors, because it was something that had been documented by our doctors and trainers. They said no, they didn’t need to. They talked to their doctors, who didn’t examine Aaron Nesmith. And we asked them if they wanted to talk to (Nesmith), and they said, no, they didn’t need to.
“That was shocking to me. And during the interview, they also asked us if we would consider treating him to play a game when we were 30 games under .500. So I was very surprised. Obviously I didn’t agree.”
As you might expect, a league spokesperson had a different take on this The Athletic’s Sam Amick reached out.
Announcement
“Coach Carlisle’s description of the process that led to the decision to fine the Indiana Pacers is inaccurate. An independent physician conducted 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 they provided all information requested by the league, and the team reported that an interview with Coach Carlisle or a team physician was not necessary.”
Two thoughts on this.
First, what Carlise accurately sums up is the atmosphere surrounding the NBA: The league’s approach to limiting tanking is haphazard. Scattershot. Utah and Indiana (and probably a couple of teams in the future) will get hit with fines, while other teams sit out stars — with what appear, from the outside, to be very slow-healing injuries (to be generous) — and go unpunished. I have no doubt that the league feels there is an internal logic and they are following the CBA, but outside of NBA headquarters in New York, the feeling is particularly in Utah (because they played some stars but sat them in the fourth quarter), but also in Indiana they were singled out for things that a lot of other teams are doing. Utah basically said, “Okay, we’ll play your game,” and came up with trades for Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic that will sit two key players in the rotation for the rest of the year.
Second, if the price for Indiana of a top-four pick is a $100,000 fine, they’ll pay it with a smile. This is the price of doing business. Utah will feel the same way about a $500,000 fine.