Reporters got a surprise Friday evening when Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle’s pregame Zoom interview beamed not from Madison Square Garden, but, rather, Carlisle’s hotel room.
That surprise, though, was mild compared to Carlisle’s shock when he was informed that the COVID-19 test that he took in the morning turned up positive. Carlisle said he feels fine, and in fact has been fully vaccinated since January, and that he is hopeful the test result was a false-positive.
Carlisle, 61, took another COVID-19 test, but missed Friday night’s game against the Knicks.
“Well, in this year of the unexpected, this morning — head coaches in the league are now doing game-day testing with the players — and so I had an unexpected positive test this morning,” Carlisle explained at the outset of his Zoom interview. “There’s a chance and a hope that it will be a false-positive.
“This seems like possibly a mistake, but for these reasons I’m entering the [NBA health and safety] protocol. I’m still at the hotel here in New York.”
Carlisle said he informed assistant coach Jamahl Mosley that there is a good chance he will take over head coaching duties Friday, which he did.
“This is a great opportunity for [Mosely],” Carlisle said. “He’s obviously, in my opinion, ready for this kind of opportunity. I think this is something he’ll thrive in.”
Asked if it feels odd to be sitting in his hotel room less than 90 minutes before a game, Carlisle smiled.
“It definitely was unexpected. I have no symptoms. I feel great. I worked out earlier this morning. But this is just one of these situations where we’ve all got to be light on our feet.”
Four known Mavericks players have tested positive for COVID-19 this season. Another player, Jalen Brunson, missed four games due to contact tracing, and center Willie Cauley-Stein has been in the health and safety protocol since March 18.
