2:34 pm: An NBA spokesperson issued a statement to Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link) to push back against Carlisle’s framing of the investigation into the Pacers.
“Coach Carlisle’s description of the process that went into the decision to fine the Indiana Pacers is inaccurate,” the spokesperson said. “An independent physician led the medical review. In addition, 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 it had provided all of the information requested by the league and the team reported that an interview with Coach Carlisle or a team physician wasn’t necessary.”
1:36 pm: The Pacers were one of two teams fined by the NBA ahead of the All-Star break for the manner in which they were managing their players. While Indiana’s $100K fine paled in comparison to the $500K penalty the Jazz received, commissioner Adam Silver‘s statement at the time suggested that the league believed both clubs were prioritizing “draft position over winning.”
The Pacers were disciplined for holding out Pascal Siakam and two other players for a February 3 game against Utah. According to the league’s statement, the NBA determined, with the help of an independent physician, that all three could have played in the game, perhaps in reduced roles.
The league fined Indiana for violating the league’s player participation policy, noting in its statement that the Pacers also could have held out those players in other games in order to better promote compliance with the policy.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle didn’t address the fine at length at the time it happened, but he was more open about it during a radio appearance on 107.5 The Fan on Tuesday, making it clear to Kevin Bowen and James Boyd that he didn’t think the NBA made the right call (Twitter video link).
“I didn’t agree with it,” Carlisle said (story via Boyd for The Athletic). “There was a league lawyer that was doing the interview that kind of unilaterally decided that Aaron Nesmith, who had been injured the night before and couldn’t hold the ball, should have played in the game, which just seems ridiculous.
“During the interview process – I was not on it, but I heard details – we asked them if they wanted to talk to the doctors, our doctors, about it because it was something that was documented by our doctors and trainers. They said no, they didn’t need to. They talked to their doctors, who did not examine Aaron Nesmith. And we asked them if they wanted to talk to (Nesmith), and they said, no, they didn’t need to.
“This was shocking to me. And during the interview, they also asked if we considered medicating him to play in a game when we were 30 games under .500. So I was very surprised. Obviously didn’t agree with it.”
It’s worth noting that Siakam (who sat out on Feb. 3 due to “rest”) was the only player specifically named in the NBA’s statement, and he meets the criteria of a “star” under the player participation policy. So if the league felt that the Pacers’ management of Siakam violated the policy, it could make the case for a $100K fine (the penalty for a first-time offender) without requiring any additional reasons.
Still, the NBA’s statement suggested the league determined that two additional starters held out of that Feb. 3 game – believed to be Nesmith (left hand strain) and Andrew Nembhard (low back injury management) – were healthy enough to play. Carlisle’s comments call into question how the NBA made that determination and whether or not it was accurate.
nba is f’ing ridiculous
maybe they wanna fine indy for not playing hali too? they guy’s got a torn achilles AND shingles
mayb silver wants to hire more lawyers and more doctors
jesus f’ing christ does silver do anything all day long but whine and cry about tms not starting players and tanking and the draft? stfu alredy
it’s almost like silver’s nba is selling its soul to gambling companies and is trying to distract us from it by turning these non-issues into huge narratives, or something
It’s all about gambling. The big money gamblers are in total control. It’s terrible.
Instead of this, just ban trades that have any sort of protection. All picks unprotected. It’s a lotto, trade
The pick they are trading a lotto too. Don’t like the risk, don’t trade it.
What if the clips get the 26 pacers pick, oops.
Yeah, there are a lot of people that think the NBA draft is rigged by the league.
i haven’t seen anything that seems super egregious from indy, they just aren’t very good this year
At the same time 100,000 isn’t egregious either to these ppl
Earlier in the season, their top 4 point guards (first string, second string, third string, etc) were out due to injury. Pretty sure any team will struggle in that situation.
To not talk to players, coaches and team doctors on this type of decision is ridiculous. To tell any team they have to play certain players even if it’s reduced minutes is also ridiculous. Even more ridiculous is the fact that the Jazz played their players reduced minutes and still got fined, so what’s Indy to do?
This is ridiculous. Look at all the games that Kawhi Leonard, Lebron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant have sat out to rest due to “load management” on back to backs over the years and not a single fine from the NBA. Yet when the Pacers use load management on Pascal, the fine comes right away. I guess the Pacers should have somehow known that the NBA wanted Pascal to play in the second game of the back to back vs the Jazz instead of the first game vs the Rockets.
Steph, LeBron and Leonard are all 25 plus. So they should not be expected to play 82 games a year. The problem is the 33 and under crew constantly sitting game over and over. Putting players out there that have no business making the NBA. Using 2 way contracts to tank instead of develop. The NBA product is watered down. Imagine the dad who’s kids been waiting all season to see a team on his birthday in January, February or March. Only to show up to the game and see G-league and 2 way players getting 25 minutes so your team can get a hypothetical 19 year old that might or might not turn the franchise around. Fans just thinking of their team. The pacers went to the finals last year and brought back the whole team. No way your a bottom 6 team with out one star.
Same with Utah. They have been tanking for 3 years holding players out. It’s time to start Winning. It’s bad for the NBA to have all these losing teams
Fake News. Kawhi Leonard is NOT 35 plus (however, he will turn 35 later this summer). Further, Kawhi hasn’t played in more than 70 games in a season since his Age 25 season. So while he is older NOW, he has been on load management for the last DECADE.
The league’s response isn’t at all convincing. So an “independent doctor” made the determination without examining the players?
BS!
The league is too profit focused and lost it’s soul…
The league was always profit-focused. It’s just become big enough that it can care less about doing the right thing by the players or fans.
It was always profit first… but wasnt at oligarch level luke soccer…
Pacers are biggest tankers this year. Look at Celtics. That’s what a proud franchise looks like. They lost more players than Pacers.
Silver should just make sure Pacers get the 5th pick. Tank on that ……
Don’t the clips get Pacers 2026 first, protected 1-4 in the Zubac trade? 5th in the draft heads to L.A. ouch, that would hurt.
The Pacers have NEVER finished dead last with the worst record in the NBA for any season. The Knicks can’t make that same claim.
Thank you AL. This has to stop. Only teams that should be tanking are
Brooklyn- no real talent on the team
Memphis- just traded the team a blow it up
Sacramento- played there player and still lost
Washington- last year they should be tanking. Trade was made at the deadline.
Everybody else should just be playing the season out. It’s hurting the NBA more than it’s helping
Absolute nonsense. You cannot “allow” certain teams to tank and not allow others – either it is permitted or it is not.
For how much longer will the NBA hold its prejudice against the ABA teams?
I don’t think it’s ABA teams. More small market teams. This would never happen with the Lakers or Spurs.
Those fines were a boneheaded move by the league even if you agree with the league’s position. The tanking battle was lost once you entered with no new rules in place to address the issue. What good was a couple of tiny fines going to do other than potentially piss teams and coaches off? Adequately address it in the offseason but until then let the issue go.
I have generally been a fan of Silver as commish (mostly given the low bar to clear for good commishes), but he’s made some pretty dumb decisions lately.