The NBA says it wants to stop flopping, but its actions say otherwise:
Spokesman Tim Frank said Thursday the league is finalizing procedures to deal with flopping, the art of falling down when little or no contact was made in an effort to trick referees into calling a foul.
Frank said the competition committee met two weeks ago and discussed plans that would go in place this season. Commissioner David Stern believes too many players are deceiving referees by flopping and has been seeking a way to properly penalize them.
The procedures likely will involve a postgame review of the play by the league office, rather than an official calling an infraction during the game, Frank said.
Players likely would be fined if the league determined they flopped.
Unless the fines are upwards of $25,000 – $50,000, they’ll be viewed as a joke. Players are already fined a few thousand bucks for technical fouls. Does anyone think these fines are a deterrent?
I do not want officials to make decisions on flopping during the game. They can barely handle their current responsibilities.
While I support the review system, it does open up another can of worms:
Suppose LeBron James drives to the basket on the final possession of a playoff game, with the Miami Heat trailing by a point. He misses the shot, but dupes the official into calling a shooting foul by flopping. James sinks both free throws, the Heat win the game and advance to the next round. But what happens when the league fines James $25,000 the next morning for flopping on the play? What the league would be saying, essentially, is that James shouldn’t have been awarded free throws and the Heat shouldn’t have won. Chaos, would ensue, as it often does with these controversies — be it a disputed Hail Mary in the end zone or a superstar call late in an NBA game.
Maybe the best course of action is to call fewer fouls. There’s no such thing as incidental contact anymore, especially in a block/charge situation.
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