nba going to start fining "flops"

this is not going to end well.

i'm all for going after guys who flop, but this sounds like it's going to be more a pr stunt than an actual effective means to end things. basically saying "yes, we agree, flopping is horrible -- we are against it. now, ball's in."

i am concerned by what they'll consider a flop. how much is going to be based on reputation? take a guy like anderson varejao. people think he's a flopper cuz he plays physically and doesn't back down from contact. he is very aggressive on his help side defense so he slides over in front of guys all the time. he take legitimate contact. is it flopping if he doesn't do his utmost to maintain his balance? if a guy gets hit in the jaw with an elbow, is it flopping if he throws his head back to draw the attention of the refs?

instant replay isn't always the best way to tell if a guy really got hit or not or if he's just acting. case in point, marquis daniels got literally knocked unconscious making a move to get around a defender. there was contact, but not a ton and it was not by any stretch a violent collision or anything. he was out of the game for months afterwards.

i guess we'll see how it goes...

 

That means every time Shane Battier steps on the floor he will be fined.

 

seems like this kind of worked in the regular season. you had to flop pretty hard to get a fine, which i'm sure made shane battier happy. he drops on contact, but doesn't throw his hands in the air which seems to be the big key for fines. i think guys figured this out and avoided excessive flailing to sell calls.

however, now that there's something really at stake, the flopping has most definitely returned in the post season. a $5k fine for a guy who makes millions is a ludicrous means to stop something like this and in fact only makes the product look bad if you call attention to a violation you think hurt the game. i mean, why fine a coach for criticizing the refs and then turn around and essentially criticize the refs?


if you want to really avoid refs calling flops, start fining the refs who fall for the flops. they'll complain, no doubt, but you can bet they'll quit calling fouls unless they actually saw what happened and not just a guy flailing like he got shot. they'll compare notes and watch footage more closely. players who flop a lot won't get the benefit of any calls out of fear of a fine.

i'm only being somewhat serious here, but i'd like to see more emphasis put on refs calling fouls based on seeing the foul and not just seeing the reaction.

 

Bosh got a fine for a game 4 flop.

 

yeah, kinda what made me bump this thread. $5k to remove a basket and maybe help swing momentum back to your side in a near do-or-die game.

if you could hit a button on the sideline and it would cost you $5k to remove a basket by the opposition and tack on a foul for one of their stars, how many times per game you think a team would hit that button? small numbers like $5k don't mean shit for these guys.

in the playoffs, you could make them technical fouls. even if you assessed the tech the day after the game, it would still count as a point in the suspension system. and you could even award the opposition ft's based on the tech. i'm sure the spurs would love to get a chance to at an extra point to start the game.

so long as they stick with the obvious arm flail type flops and not get into the normal "did you really take enough of a hit to fall" type ones....

 

James has gotten to be one of the best floppers I`ve seen.
I like the technical fouls idea, but the stars are normally going to get the call regardless.

 

yeah, he really has. dj augustin was able to plant him on the floor trying to get thru a pick he was setting. yet somehow when he's on the break and going to the basket, dwight howard would have a hard time fouling him hard enough to keep him from getting an and-1.

i find those kinds of fouls -- when a guy setting a pick hits the deck on contact -- are absolutely infuriating. the whole point of setting a pick is to make contact with the defender and cause him to stop (or go around you). it's a contact play and often the contact is unexpected on the part of the defender. but the picker certainly knows contact is coming and so they should be prepared for it and accept it as part of the play. if the defender drives thru the pick or shoves them or something like that, sure call it. but don't blame the defender for running into the guy who blindsides him and then hits the ground.