Rick

Carlisle

The Pacers were fined $100,000 for violating the Player Participation Policy in relation to the team’s February 3 game against the Jazz. After an investigation that included an independent review, it was deemed that Pascal Siakam and two other starters could’ve played under the medical standard in the policy. The team could’ve also held those players out in a way that “better promoted compliance” with the policy, according to a release from the NBA.

The exact terms of the deal weren’t reported, but after leading Indiana to the NBA Finals, the Pacers will make sure Carlisle will be around the team for years to come. Indiana will be without Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) this season, and Myles Turner left for the Bucks this offseason, so the expectations will be much lower. However, Carlisle will have some added insurance in the form of a new deal if the team struggles this year.

A week removed from trading their first-round pick (23rd overall) to New Orleans, the Pacers have reportedly acquired a second-round pick from San Antonio. While this transaction gets Indiana back onto the 2025 draft board, as they did not have a second-round pick, it will not significantly impact the team’s economics in the short term. The pick can be used to potentially add depth in the aftermath of Tyrese Haliburton’s Achilles injury. However, this move hard caps Indiana at the second apron, which will be something to watch when free agency begins.

With just over four minutes remaining in the second quarter, game officials called a halt to Saturday’s game due to a speaker fire in the ceiling. Firefighters cleared two sections of Scotiabank Arena while play was still ongoing, and the decision was ultimately made to evacuate. Whether or not the game will be resumed Saturday night has yet to be determined, but we’ll have an update once that information is made available.

Shams Charania is reporting that Carlisle will miss several games and this is presumably why the Pacers cancelled practice Thursday.

Shams Charania is reporting that Indiana is cancelling out of “abundance of caution,” and the Raptors have done the same. Both these teams recently played the Wizards, so contact tracing could be the reason. Hopefully we get more clarity soon.

The Pacers have started the season 1-4 and haven’t looked very competitive for stretches. “We’ll look at the film and address what we can in terms of match-ups and those kinds of things,” Carlisle said. “But we’ve just got to be more solid. It’s got to start with defense. And we’ve got to be able to come up with loose balls.” Indy may soon welcome back Caris LeVert (back), but they’re dealing with injuries to Malcolm Brogdon (hamstring; day-to-day), T.J. Warren (foot; out indefinitely) and Isaiah Jackson (knee; out indefinitely). There are no obvious pickups in 12-team leagues at the moment, but guys like Oshae Brissett and Torey Craig could find themselves earning more minutes if Carlisle mixes it up.

One week after resigning as Mavericks head coach, Carlisle has reportedly accepted a four-year deal worth $29 million to coach the Pacers. This will be his second run with the franchise, as he served as head coach from 2003-07. After going with a first-time head coach in Nate Bjorkgren and watching that move fail in spectacular fashion, the Pacers are going the experienced route for a roster that is headlined by Malcolm Brogdon, Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner and Caris LeVert.

Carlisle has spent the past 13 years in Dallas and had two years remaining on his contract, but the two sides have decided to part ways. “After a number of in-person conversations with Mark Cuban over the last week, today I informed him that I will not be returning as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks,” wrote Carlisle in a statement to ESPN. Carlisle concluded his statement saying he’s “excited” about the “next chapter” in his coaching career, so while he’s out of Dallas, it doesn’t sound like he plans to retire.

The Mavs played this game without coach Rick Carlisle, who had a false-positive COVID-19 test earlier on Friday. Assistant Jamahl Mosley took over on the sidelines tonight, but Carlisle has been vaccinated since January and he’s been cleared to travel with the team. Carlisle, Doncic and company will go for their fourth straight win in the second half of this back-to-back set vs. Washington on Saturday.