NBA weighs flopping penalties

[Brendan]

The reason players flop, is you can charge into a player and if he stands his ground and takes the contact, you will get a no-call or a foul. Fix this and you fix flopping IMO.

Players didn't start flopping because they wanted to get knocked over and miss a play, they did it because offensive players who are big enough can drive with impunity UNLESS you fall down.

A bigger restricted area, plus eliminating defensive three second, plus post game review of flops with fines and ultimately suspensions seems like it would work.

[Finkelskyhook]

Penalties for "flopping"  is not a good road to go down.  "flopping" is subjective and the rulings will be inconsistent and unfair. 

If they insist on doing this, i suppose fines to individual players based on such "flopping" might be allright.  But imagine a team in the playoffs losing a player for "flopping" or losing a posession or points in a tight game for "flopping"  the rules are controversial enough.  If a ref is not good enough to see flopping and stop giving away calls , and if a player is is skillful enough (a good flop is not easy to pull off it takes timing and intelligence) just let it be.

im fine with flopping, i can even appreciate a well executed and well acted flop, i just wish refs would stop calling sooo many fouls. 

If you're fine with flopping, ben....Watch professional wrestling.  In theory, if we're tuning into an NBA game, I think most of us are hoping to see an athletic competition....Not the Oscars.

I think it's despicable...And celebrates the flopping that is a mockery of basketball....That the NBA keeps stats on offensive fouls drawn.

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I'd love to see us go back to the players policing themselves...The taunting, flopping, grandstanding etc would be rewarded with an enforcer's elbow. 

[CoachBo]

Battier's on his way out of the league, then.

[Chris]

Battier's on his way out of the league, then.

The frustrating thing about guys like Battier is that he doesn't need to flop.  He is almost always in the right place.  But, because the refs will call a defensive foul instead of an offensive one if you flop (even if it should be offensive), smart guys like Battier turn into the biggest floppers in the league.

[Bingbangbarros]

I agree with some of the last few posts. I would like to see the floppers fined, as I believe it will be embarrassing for them. But it will definitely be difficult to determine what is or isn't a flop. A good charge is typically a flop, when you feel the contact you fall back to sell it. The NBA gave the offensive player so much freedom making it so difficult to play defense that you literally have to fall down in order to pick up the call.

The NBA needs to overhaul the way they call the game. Eliminating hand checking was great but other than that its very frustrating to see the freedom the offense has especially the way they are allowed to jump into their defender and draw the call every time.

I would like to see them keep the offensive fouls (if the offensive player pushes off, lowers shoulder, etc,) but get rid of the charge forcing the defender to block the shot instead.

[angryguy77]

Battier's on his way out of the league, then.

The whole team will be screwed then.-fixed

[guava_wrench]

here is a simple solution.....

dont reward flops with calls.  if the refs dont reward the flop, the players will eventually stop flopping, as it takes them out of plays.  i understand a ref can occasionally be deceived, but the vast majority of the time, the reward the flop.

This.  The league has created the flopping, by essentially requiring it to get a charge call, and rewarding it probably 90% of the time on any other call. 

The first rule I would love to see changed is to make the refs start calling charges, even when the defender stands his ground.  If he has the spot, let him stand there without flopping, and still get the call, and things will change quickly.

That is already the rule so what would be changed?

The problem is observers can't tell how much force was involved. That is why defenders will always have to no resist if they want charges to be called.

The only solution I see is special uniforms that register force - though players would like just start hitting their own jerseys. There needs to be good software to identify jersey to jersey contact and whose arm/hand is making contact.

Or we can face the reality that there will always be inaccuracies and there will always be fans that get riled up because of how much they want their team to get calls.

[TripleOT]

I hate flopping.    I've hated the influx of euros into the league because they brought the flopping act that's so prevalent in soccer to the NBA.  When a guy like Ginobli reacts like the top of his head just got blown off whenever there's the slightest bit of contact on his drives in order to get a call, it messes with the integrity of the game.

Flopping when trying to draw a charge is another matter.  I hate is a bit less that the above-mentioned flopping, but at least the player is trying to make a basketball play. He's trying to sell the fact that he's takes a defensive stand.  When an offensive player fakes a reaction to contact, or a Veragao flies tot he ground when someone touches him on a box out, all they're trying to do is trick a ref in order to get an advantage.

I have no problem with the NBA retroactively penalizing players for trying to trick refs  into making calls.  I also think the ref who fell for the trick should get penalized.

First flop - 1 game suspension
Second Flop - 3 game suspension
Third flop 5 game suspension
Fourth flop - 7 game suspension

I  guarantee that this kind of penalty will take flopping out of the game.

Ref penalty:  Each flop fell for costs the ref a half a game's pay.  Too many flop calls and that ref cannot work playoff games.    

[Celtic#9]

Allow the player who had an offensive foul to curb-stomp the face of the flopper. Should clean up the floppers nicely 

[guava_wrench]

I hate flopping.    I've hated the influx of euros into the league because they brought the flopping act that's so prevalent in soccer to the NBA.  When a guy like Ginobli reacts like the top of his head just got blown off whenever there's the slightest bit of contact on his drives in order to get a call, it messes with the integrity of the game.

Flopping when trying to draw a charge is another matter.  I hate is a bit less that the above-mentioned flopping, but at least the player is trying to make a basketball play. He's trying to sell the fact that he's takes a defensive stand.  When an offensive player fakes a reaction to contact, or a Veragao flies tot he ground when someone touches him on a box out, all they're trying to do is trick a ref in order to get an advantage.

I have no problem with the NBA retroactively penalizing players for trying to trick refs  into making calls.  I also think the ref who fell for the trick should get penalized.

First flop - 1 game suspension
Second Flop - 3 game suspension
Third flop 5 game suspension
Fourth flop - 7 game suspension

I  guarantee that this kind of penalty will take flopping out of the game.

Ref penalty:  Each flop fell for costs the ref a half a game's pay.  Too many flop calls and that ref cannot work playoff games.    

You will get a league of players running over defenders and guys not playing defense. Horrible ideas. Miami wins every year with those rules because refs can't afford to go out on a limb.

Uncalled illegal contact by offensive players is just as bad a problem in the league but doesn't get complained about because it isn't as ugly to watch.

You don't get better judgment calls from refs by penalizing them. That is not how human brains work.

[freshinthehouse]

Not quite on the same subject, but while we're talking about things that should be changed in the NBA, I'd love to see them widen the court about ten feet.  It would really help spacing and give the game a better offensive flow.  Today's athletes are so gifted that they can nearly shut down one baseline by themselves.  Widening the court would eliminate this.

[Finkelskyhook]

You don't get better judgment calls from refs by penalizing them. That is not how human brains work.

I'm fascinated at how sharp an NBA official's brain works.  To be able to interpret the rulebook based on player status...And do it on the fly with the consistency that they do it is actually pretty phenominal.

It just seems so much easier to just call the game by the rules.