I just read the news today that the NBA is going to institute a new rule next year. Players who “flop” are going to be fined.
And I’m thinking to myself…why in the world do they need to be fined for this practice? Wouldn’t it be enough to just not call a foul on the player whom the floppee is trying to fool the ref into calling a foul on?
And once the players realize they won’t get those fouls called anymore…they’ll stop flopping!
Rather than instituting a rule fining players for flops, I’d like to see a new rule where the offensive player who makes contact with the defensive player while he’s in the act of shooting should be the one called for the foul, instead of the other way about!
I’ve seen it in practically every game. A defender jumps in the air to try to block a shot - the shooter deliberately jumps into the defender, initiation the contact - and it’s the defender who is called for the foul.
It’s been happening for decades - just like flopping - and it’s more egregious than flopping because it’s the offensive player initiating the contact, yet it’s the defensive player getting punished for it.
That’s just flat-out silly.