In this particular article, I’m going to be very personal and honest. Besides watching for the sheer enjoyment of competition, I also watch sports for research and as a source of reflection. It’s extremely baffling to me when I’m watching an NBA game and the commentators (Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Breen) continue to call the game as if they’re the officials. It has just become a ridiculous and repetitive topic. I truly believe that Van Gundy’s complaints during last year’s post season are the main reasons that the commissioner implemented the new established “flopping” rule. INSANE!
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It’s so ironic how a guy or guys in this case, can have such a high opinion on flopping and neither has competed at a high level of basketball ever! That’s part of the problem in sports today. You can have an opinion and the majority of people will probably respect it but when it comes to determining the quality of a sport, those who’ve been a part of the game should be the decision makers. Antonio Davis, Derek Fisher, and other former players are members of the players association. There should’ve been a panel of former players and the rules committee put together to determine the best course of action. This way, you’re getting an objective point of view. Not from a bitter former head coach with no major accomplishments to date, and a commissioner known for pushing his weight around whenever he feels like it.
Flopping in a strange way is connected to defense and acting. When I participated in AAU competition, my coaches always preached the art of taking charges. Along with teaching how to take a charge, our coaches also told us that letting out a loud yell, or bellow upon contact, would increase our chances of picking up the charge.
When playing defense against a really good offensive player and you know you’re at a disadvantage, you dig into your bag of tricks and try your very best to get that player out of the game. People, once again we are trying to pass the tradition of good sportsmanship and smart play down to the next generation. How can we be effective in this process when the so called “experts” are constantly screaming about flopping at every opportunity that they get? It’s getting out of hand and personally I’m sick and tired of it! Once again David Stern has taken the suggestions of people who have never played the game of basketball on a serious level, and got together with the rules committee and implemented this ridiculous rule.
So basically what Stern, and this idiot, Van Gundy, is saying, “because the defensive player is smart enough to entice the official into calling an offensive foul, he should be punished in the form of a fine?” What? That’s one of the defensive player’s tools out on the court; his smarts. It’s the equivalent of when a quarterback is using a hard count to force the defensive line to jump before the ball is snapped. When this occurs, the defense is slapped with a penalty and the chains are moved in favor of the offense. When the defensive line draws a false start on the offensive line, the offense is penalized and the ball is moved back. There is no fine involved! Why? No fine is involved because the players are being rewarded for smart play not enticing the other players.
If, and when, his offense goes south and nothing else is working for him on the court, a great player digs down deep, pulls his shorts up, slaps the floor, bends his knees, and with arms extended at his side, defend to the best of his ability. You see, not all shots are going to fall and you’re not going to get every rebound or make the perfect pass. That’s the nature of basketball. It’s a very complex creature and with years of practice and preparation, you learn to lean on your other strengths that make you a complete player.
Courtesy: Sports Illustrated/CNN
Bill Russell, Derek Harper, Dennis Rodman, Ben Wallace, Reggie Evans, Thabo Sefalosha, Iman Shumpert, Lebron James, Scottie Pippen, Michael Cooper, Dennis Johnson (R.I.P.), Ron Artest, Andrei Kirelinko, Chris Paul, and a host of other great defenders should be insulted by this new rule. You’re basically handicapping defenders! So now if Kevin Durant has five fouls in the fourth quarter and I’m defending him with the game on the line, I now have to play him with the utmost of caution? Any basketball player knows that you don’t react on a basketball court. You play basketball. You do what comes natural to you. You play with your instincts. I wouldn’t want to be in close quarters with KD and have to think about “am I flopping or how should I shuffle my feet to beat him to a specific spot on the floor, without being called for a blocking foul”. That’s not DEFENSE!!
When you take the instincts out of the game, the players become ROBOTS! Once again, non-players are dictating how players should do their jobs. I’ve never seen a player conduct an interview and give suggestions on how Van Gundy or Mike Breen should call the games. Everyone should stay in their respective lanes and let the chips fall where they may.
