Hell yeah !! NBA will finally attempt to stop the flop
Today the NBA looks better than it ever did in the post-Jordan era. The talent level is great and looks to get even better. And unlike many of the stars of the previous generation (stars for which Vince Carter is a poster-child), these generation’s stars have the heart and leadership abilities of a champion and they are proving it already. Dwyane Wade led the Heat to a title, Lebron James carried the carcases of his horrible teammates to the finals, Chris Paul took the Hornets from the lottery to the Western Conference Semifinals and was this close to taking them to the Western Conference Finals.
But there is one thing that taints the game: the flop. The never ending theatrics of some otherwise great players (Manu, I’m looking at you) make most fans sick, sometimes too sick to watch the game. And because the refs keep rewarding their acting skills by whistling offensive fouls on the opponents, players are doing it more and more. These days above the rim defense was replaced by laying on your back defense. There are few defenders left who go for the block. Most prefer to go for the flop, and it’s disgusting.
Fans have been asking the league to take measures and stop the insanity and David Stern seems to have finally gotten the message. According to ESPN, fines will be imposed on “clear cases of flopping”.
This will have the benefit of allowing those who are judging to use replays (which wouldn’t be possible during a game). On the down side, “clear cases of flopping” might mean that only a few of the flops will be punished. Furthermore, with the calls not coming during the games, it will take a little more time for the effects of the rule to be noticed. It would be better if refs would have to pay attention and do their job and whistle flops during games. I’d assign a personal foul on a flop, as it is basically trying to illegally stop the offensive player from scoring. Faced with the choice of a sure foul on a flop or a possible foul on a real defensive play, the players will either go for the ball or get the fuck out of the way. But at least this is a start.
