Rick Carlisle lashes out against the NBA for tanking: "It’s ridiculous and surprising"

The tension between the Indiana Pacers and the NBA has escalated. Their coach, Rick Carlisle, called the $100,000 fine imposed by the league for violating the Player Participation Policy "ridiculous" and "surprising," amidst suspicions of tanking.

During an interview on the radio station 93.5 The Fan on Tuesday, February 24, Carlisle publicly addressed the sanction for the first time, focusing on the absence of Aaron Nesmith in the February 3 game against the Utah Jazz, which ended in a 131-122 defeat for Indiana.

"I didn't agree," stated Carlisle. "There was a league attorney conducting the interview who unilaterally decided that Aaron Nesmith, who had been injured the night before and couldn't even hold the ball, should have played the game, which seems ridiculous."

The Sports Context

The sanction was announced on February 12, a few days before the All-Star break. At that time, the Pacers had a record of 13-37 and held the last position in the Eastern Conference. Currently, the team stands at 15-43, the worst record in the East and the second worst in the entire NBA.

The season has been marked by injuries, notably the Achilles tendon rupture suffered by their star point guard, Tyrese Haliburton, in the seventh game of last season's NBA Finals, after pushing the team to the limit against the champions.

Carlisle also questioned the league's investigative procedure.

"During the interview process—I wasn't there, but I heard the details—we asked if they wanted to speak with our doctors about the case because it was documented by our team doctors and trainers. They said they didn't need to, that they had already spoken with their doctors, and they didn't examine Aaron Nesmith. We also asked if they wanted to talk to the kid, and they said no."

The coach went on to reveal another point that troubled him.

"This was surprising to me. During the interview, they also asked if we had considered medicating him to play a game when we were 30 games below 50% wins, which surprised me a lot."

Other Names Mentioned

In the disciplinary statement, the NBA directly mentioned the All-Star power forward Pascal Siakam and another unidentified "star player," stating that "they could have played under the medical standard of the regulations, even with reduced minutes," and that the team could have managed other absences differently to comply with the policy.

In addition to Siakam, who was listed as DND (did not dress) due to rest, Bennedict Mathurin (rest) and Andrew Nembhard (injury/illness) were also absent, both potentially referring to the second "star player" mentioned by the league. T.J. McConnell and Micah Potter also did not suit up, both due to injury or illness.

Carlisle avoided commenting in the interview on the cases of Siakam or the other player mentioned in the memo.

The League's Stance

Commissioner Adam Silver was firm in announcing the sanction on February 12:

"Clear behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundations of competition in the NBA, and we will respond accordingly to any action that compromises the integrity of our games. In addition, we are working with the Competition Committee and the Board of Governors to implement new measures to eradicate this type of behavior."

In the same disciplinary announcement, the Utah Jazz were fined $500,000 for different but also tanking-related sports management decisions.

The public clash between Carlisle and the NBA adds a new chapter to the debate on roster management, injuries, and competitive integrity in a challenging season for Indiana.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Rick Carlisle estalla contra la NBA por el tanking: “Es ridículo y sorprendente”