Hack-a-Shaq officially changed

[GreenWarrior]

yeah why force players to get better. let's just change the rule... it's easier.

[LilRip]

yeah why force players to get better. let's just change the rule... it's easier.

To be fair, using another lens, why force players to play defense?

[GreenWarrior]

yeah why force players to get better. let's just change the rule... it's easier.

To be fair, using another lens, why force players to play defense?

yeah strategy is overrated.

[hpantazo]

I'm normally against any rule that covers up players' lack of skill, but at this point in the NBA I think a rule that protects big men is one that i can support. The way the game has changed, largely in part to subtle rule changes over the years, has all but taken big men out of the game completely. Any rule that returns more power to them and allows them to be on the floor at the end of games is one I can support fully.

[Snakehead]

I'm normally against any rule that covers up players' lack of skill, but at this point in the NBA I think a rule that protects big men is one that i can support. The way the game has changed, largely in part to subtle rule changes over the years, has all but taken big men out of the game completely. Any rule that returns more power to them and allows them to be on the floor at the end of games is one I can support fully.

This is how I feel.  But a secret is a lot of well respected bigs in the past might have this issue too, particularly Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.  It was just not a tactic used how it is today.  It is clearly not in the spirit of the game and slows everything down.

I think there are usually talented bigs who can shoot FTs too.  Right now I think the NBA is a little lacking there for young bigs but there are a few and more on the way I should imagine (Towns and Davis at the front of that).  But often some of the guys most dominate as re bounders and defenders just can't shoot very well.  It is not something that just suddenly happened.

[MBunge]

The obvious way to solve the issue is to just call the blatant away from the ball fouls as flagrant fouls.  Unfortunately, the NBA doesn't trust their officials to call the game and deservedly so.  Almost all the rule changes are because refs won't call the game the right way.

I mean, why couldn't refs simply call Hack-Shaq's technical fouls right now?

Mike

[Eja117]

My gut reaction:  I don't like it.  It is a response to the fact that certain professional NBA players have not learned a fundamental basketball skill, and it's not even a skills that involves other players.  Free throws are like a putting green in golf: It's all up the player alone.

True but defense is a fundamental basketball skill too. There was nothing fundamental or skilled about what Nerlens did.

[Eja117]

I think the hacking is a slly exploitation of a rule and has no place in professinal basketball. I also think there are a number of common sense solutions to stop it from happening. This is not one of them.

Anyone care to explain why these rules should apply to only the last 2 minutes of a quarter and not the entire game?

Agreed. In the Nerlens case it's like the difference between an intentional walk and just intentionally beaning a buy in baseball.

Or it's a little like in the NFL when you're out of timeouts you fake an injury. The rule in the NFL should be if you get injured while your team has no timeouts or in the last 5 minutes of the 4th quarter and have to come off the field you're done for the game.

[LilRip]

yeah why force players to get better. let's just change the rule... it's easier.

To be fair, using another lens, why force players to play defense?

yeah strategy is overrated.

And apparently for you, so is playing defense.

Besides, with the new rules, new strategies will need to be used. If you're getting killed inside, then box someone out, gang rebound, send a double team, don't play 5 guards on the floor at the same time, find a solution! Not a loophole.

[danglertx]

They should have found a way to punish teams that put players on the floor who can't hit foul shots more, instead of punishing the team that can play the fundamentals.

Let me also point out how flawed this is.  Say we are down one against Golden State on the road.  Curry is lighting us up for 50.  Thompson has the ball, 35 seconds left on the clock.  They waste out 10 seconds then start their offense, oh wait... Smart gets called for a foul fighting over a screen on Curry.  One shot and the ball back with less than 24 seconds.  Pretty much game over with them up by 2 and the ball back with a new shot clock.

Ridiculous over reaction.  It would have been better to go back to the three to make two after 10 fouls in a quarter.  Then you can still employ the tactic for bad shooters, but it gets less effective against them and puts you in a bigger bind if you do it for the good free throw shooters.

 

That's not what it is for.  Intentionally fouling someone without the ball, not a foul during an actual basketball move. 

Should extend it to the whole game instead of rewarding teams that can't learn to play defense.  It is only half the game.

Obviously this isn't what it is for, but that is the result of monkeying around with the rules.  When I read the rule it doesn't distinguish between off the ball fouls on good or bad free throw shooters.  At what % would you like this rule to be implemented?  For a guy who shoots under 50%, under 60%, under 70%?  Would you like a time amount on the clock where you can foul a guy off the ball?  The rule doesn't state any of this.  The only reason it isn't a problem now is because the officials basically let you molest and assault someone in the last two minutes of a game before they call a foul.  You might actually have to take a swing at someone to get a foul called away from the ball in the last minutes of a close game.

[Moranis]

I've been saying it for years, time for the potty shot and finally in summer league someone was doing it.  Much higher chance to go in using the potty shot.  You get a lot more control.

[GreenFaith1819]

And - somewhere in Los Angeles - DeAndre Jordan is grinning like a Cheshire cat.