Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle alleged Tuesday that the NBA suggested the team medicate injured guard Aaron Nesmith so he could play in a February 3 game against the Utah Jazz, the same contest at the center of the league’s $100,000 tanking fine against Indiana.
“During the interview, they also asked if we considered medicating him to play in a game when we were 30 games under .500,” Carlisle said on 107.5 The Fan.
Carlisle called the league’s overall investigative process “ridiculous,” saying the NBA’s appointed lawyer ruled Nesmith fit to play despite never consulting the player, the team’s doctors or trainers. Nesmith had suffered a left-hand strain the previous night and could not grip the ball.
“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,” Carlisle said. “They said no, they didn’t need to. They talked to their doctors, who did not examine Aaron Nesmith.”
The NBA fined Indiana $100,000 on February 12 for violating its player participation policy. The league ruled that Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard were all healthy enough to play in the nine-point loss to Utah. The Jazz were separately fined $500,000 for substitution patterns deemed detrimental to the league.
The NBA and the NBPA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Pacers enter Tuesday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers with the worst record in the Eastern Conference at 15-43.