Report: Pacers HC Rick Carlisle Enters Covid-19 Protocols, Could Miss Multiple Games

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has entered the COVID-19 protocols, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

The coach could reportedly miss "multiple games," per Charania.

Indiana's next game is scheduled for Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks before a stretch of three games in four days from Dec. 13-16.

Assistant Lloyd Pierce will coach in the interim if Carlisle misses any games, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Pierce spent the past three seasons as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks.

Carlisle, 62, is in the first season of his second stint as head coach of the Pacers. The team is off to a slow start with an 11-16 record. Despite two successive wins, Indiana could be soon headed to a fire sale.

Charania and Bob Kravitz of The Athletic reported the Pacers are receptive to calls on Caris LeVert, Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner.

A stretch without the head coach could lead to more struggles and a quicker move to rebuild.

Carlisle is in his 20th NBA season as a head coach, leading the Dallas Mavericks for the past 13 years before parting ways at the end of last season. Through his time with three organizations, the coach has led his teams to the playoffs in 14 of 19 seasons.

In 2011, he helped the Mavericks win their only championship in franchise history.

Indiana hasn't been quite as successful in recent years, missing the playoffs in 2021 while suffering first-round losses in five straight seasons before that.