The recent feud between the Indiana Pacers and the NBA is quickly escalating. What began as a six-figure fine from league offices for tanking this season has now turned into a back-and-forth between the league and head coach Rick Carlisle, with the most recent NBA statement directly contradicting the coach’s version of events.

“Coach Carlisle’s description of the process that went into the decision to fine the Indiana Pacers is inaccurate,” A league spokesperson told The Athletic. “An independent physician led the medical review. In addition, the Pacers’ General Manager and the team’s Senior Vice President, Sports Medicine and Performance were interviewed as part of the process.”

According to the statement, the Pacers had also provided the offices with all the information they had requested, and told the league that an interview with Carlisle or any other team doctors either. This statement also directly rebuts the coach’s claim from earlier about the mishandling of the investigative process.

Earlier in the day, Carlisle has called the league’s approach ridiculous when discussing the fine during an appearance on a radio show. According to him, the core disagreement centered on Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith, who was ruled out of the game against the Utah Jazz on February 3rd. Carlisle stressed that Nesmith couldn’t play, and claimed the Pacers offered access to team doctors and even Nesmith himself, but was reportedly declined.

The league ultimately decided that Nesmith, along with stars Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard, was healthy enough to participate, and charged the Pacers $100,000 for violating the Player Participation Policy.

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“There was a league lawyer that was doing the interview that kind of unilaterally decided that Aaron Nesmith … should have played in the game,” Carlisle said. “They also asked if we considered medicating him to play in a game when we were 30 games under .500.”

The Player Participation Policy Leaves Room for Interpretation for Pacers

As fans might know, the NBA updated it’s Player Participation Policy ahead of the 2023-24 season to target “star players” who sit out of games, defining them as those who have made an All-Star or All-NBA selection within the last three seasons. Notably, Nesmith doesn’t fit under these categories.

This fine is based on a secondary clause, which allows commissioner Adam Silver to penalize teams for absences which are determined to be “prejudicial or detrimental to the NBA.”

Under the league’s guidelines, an independent physician evaluates documentation and determines is playing would add to the risk of substantially worsening an injury, and if reduced minutes would better align with the compliance to the Policy.

According to Carlisle, that standard was interpreted poorly, and the medical context wasn’t properly weighed. It’s rare for the NBA to directly label a well-respected coach’s statement as inaccurate, but the exchange highlights a growing tension around tanking throughout the league, and teams are pushing back on how much authority the NBA should have over medical decisions.

This is just the latest chapter in the saga of Silver and the league offices trying to take on tanking as a leaguewide issue, and all we can do is wait and see.