Author: Monojit Mandal
Flopping, a well-known problem in the NBA over the last decade, will finally be strictly enforced. Officials have been trying to resolve this issue for a long time, as the distinction between defensive and offensive fouls is sometimes subjective and open to interpretation. As the changes to the rules increased the offensive favoritism, the defenders resorted to exaggerated contact on some occasions to change the decisions in their favor. Every season, there are several glaring flaws, and this pattern has continued until the current 2023 NBA Playoffs.
To tackle this problem head-on, the NBA is finally ready to act, and a new regulation could be tested during the upcoming Las Vegas Summer League in July. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the NBA is considering implementing an in-game punishment for flopping, which would result in a technical free throw. A Summer League test for this new regulation is being considered.
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The NBA’s current commitment to combating flopping follows Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s passionate appeal to the league. Kerr emphasized the importance of action rather than flopping during his team’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Throughout the season, the Lakers accumulated the highest number of fouls, with their players routinely being accused of flopping (yes, Dennis Schroder, we’re looking at you). Over the years, the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, who are currently playing in the Eastern Conference finals, have been accused of flopping.
Kerr discussed flopping with the media earlier this month, according to NBC Sports: “I think, for me, what I learned as a coach in FIBA… There is a flip rule. If a referee believes that a player has flopped, he will call a technical foul, which is quite severe. So flopping has effectively been banned from FIBA, and we have the ability to do the same in the NBA if we want to.”
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Kerr asked the NBA to solve the problem, citing the players’ intellect and the frequency of jokes during the regular season. He encouraged the league to take similar measures to minimize flopping. Kerr also recognized and praised the Lakers for their ability to sell these moves.
The NBA implemented an anti-flipping regulation for the 2012-2013 season. For the first offense, offenders receive a warning, followed by penalties ranging from $5,000 to $30,000 for successive offenses. However, the officials do not judge whether a player has flopped during the game; instead, this is assessed after the match through video review.
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Although the suggested punishment for in-game flopping is a positive measure, it still leaves room for interpretation. Ideally, the regulation should also apply to offensive players who exaggerate contact in order to win free throws. The NBA must also address the issue of non-primary defenders who slip under players who are going up to receive charging fouls.
Flopping in the NBA is widely known as a problem. The implementation of this new rule could be the first crucial step towards reversing this negative trend.
The NBA’s plan to experiment with an in-game flopping penalty in the 2023 Summer League shows a commitment to solving this long-standing problem. Although the proposed regulation is not a perfect solution and may still leave room for interpretation, it indicates that the problem has been identified and that measures are being taken.