On flopping
Posted by Kevin Arnovitz on Tue, 05/01/07, 01:39pm:
In case you haven't noticed, there's been an uptick in kvetching about the rise in flops in recent seasons, as the flopocracy has expanded far beyond guys like Battier, Bell, and the entire San Antonio roster. But you know what's been just as widespread as the flop? This:
A wing player gets a high screen from his big men who, rather than rolling toward the basket, steps out on the perimeter. Meanwhile, the guys set up on the weak side hang back, clearing the lane for the penetrator. When the defense collapses on him, the slasher throws his body into the primary help defender, earning two shots from the stripe. Does the shot fall? Who cares? That was never the driver's primary concern.
Clipper fans have watched Corey Maggette and Sam Cassell work this scheme to perfection. With the Clippers’ abysmal outside shooting, getting to the line actually keeps the Clippers in games. And the naçion eats it up. But to blame the current wave of egregious charge-taking solely on the floppers is specious because their strategy is no less disingenuous than the guys throwing their bodies into the lane with no intention other than to draw a foul. By no means am I excusing flopping, but when you've got dozens of guys around the league whose sole mission is to get to the line, there isn’t much recourse for a defender. A little…but not much.
A wing player gets a high screen from his big men who, rather than rolling toward the basket, steps out on the perimeter. Meanwhile, the guys set up on the weak side hang back, clearing the lane for the penetrator. When the defense collapses on him, the slasher throws his body into the primary help defender, earning two shots from the stripe. Does the shot fall? Who cares? That was never the driver's primary concern.
Clipper fans have watched Corey Maggette and Sam Cassell work this scheme to perfection. With the Clippers’ abysmal outside shooting, getting to the line actually keeps the Clippers in games. And the naçion eats it up. But to blame the current wave of egregious charge-taking solely on the floppers is specious because their strategy is no less disingenuous than the guys throwing their bodies into the lane with no intention other than to draw a foul. By no means am I excusing flopping, but when you've got dozens of guys around the league whose sole mission is to get to the line, there isn’t much recourse for a defender. A little…but not much.
John R. wrote:
If one wants their mind blown, check out Making the Call with Ronnie Nunn. You will find a man making obviously random proclamations about what is and is not an infraction. There is little search for truth or understanding and instead only propaganda and conspiracy. I heard the man utter in reference to maybe the closest loose ball play I had ever seen, "There was contact. He had to call something." No Mr. Nunn, he didn't. He really, really didn't.
The state of the game is no mystery.
Problems:
1) The "restricted area". A worse idea than the synthetic ball. Repeal it.
2) Complete and utter bastardization of the notion of charge/block.
3) If a player trips over his own damn feet, it is a travel and not a foul. Jerry Stackhouse turned this into an artform in game 4. Two consecutive possessions he fell down and got the call.
4) Section II--By Dribbler
a. A dribbler shall not (1) charge into an opponent who has established a legal guarding position, or (2) attempt to dribble between two opponents, or (3) attempt to dribble between an opponent and a boundary, where sufficient space is not avail-able for illegal contact to be avoided. I've never seen that called right. Not once. Awful.
I'm tired and angry now.
I blame Jordan and Shaq for ruining the game and league for letting it happen.