NBA "Flops" With New Policy

For the past few years the NBA has been plagued by the act of flopping.  Players such as James Harden or Blake Griffin have taken advantage of the flop.  Complaints have risen by fans, players and coaches, stating that flops damage the integrity of the game and players should be punished for it.  But the NBA has gone too far.

Yesterday the NBA implemented its brand new "anti-flop" policy.  Here is the statement released by the NBA.

"Flopping" will be defined as any physical act that appears to have been intended to cause the referees to call a foul on another player. The primary factor in determining whether a player committed a flop is whether his physical reaction to contact with another player is inconsistent with what would reasonably be expected given the force or direction of the contact. Physical acts that constitute legitimate basketball plays (such as moving to a spot in order to draw an offensive foul) and minor physical reactions to contact will not be treated as flops.

Any player who is determined to have committed a flop during the regular season will be subject to the following:

Violation 1: Warning

Violation 2: $5,000 fine

Violation 3: $10,000 fine

Violation 4: $15,000 fine

Violation 5: $30,000 fine

If a player violates the anti-flopping rule six times or more, he will be subject to discipline that is reasonable under the circumstances, including an increased fine and/or suspension.

This is ridiculous. 

First of all, the idea to fine a player for something that has been part of the game since it began is absurd.  There is no doubt flopping has become an issue in the past 2 or 3 years, but it has been in the game for a long time.  It is a part of the game for a player to draw enough or no contact and trick the referee into calling a foul on the opposition.  The answer is not to fine the player, but to punish the player by correctly calling the foul on the "flopper."  

Here is the reason why.  

The NBA is a contact sports.  An extreme contact sport.  Whether fouls are called or not, there are a bunch of 200-300 pound grown, muscular men running around at each other at high speeds trying to get a ball in a hoop (Sounds a little bit goofy when you put it that way).  Contact is at a premium.  And in the flow of the game there are going to be times when players try and draw a foul on someone by making the contact look worse than it is.  It is just part of the game.  Many players do this multiple times a game.  And to fine these players with money for doing this is terrible and unjustified.  It does not affect the game.

A good comparison would be when Reggie Bush won the Heisman football trophy in 2005 and had it rescinded a few years later.  Reggie Bush still won that Heisman, and there's nothing anyone could say to disprove that.

For instance, if James Harden were to flop on a critical play at the end of a game, drew a foul and the Thunder go onto win, it directly affects the game.  What the NBA would then do is go back and fine Harden for his actions, but not change the outcome of the game.  By implementing this the NBA has done nothing in regards to the actual integrity of the game.

The second issue is that the NBA does not plan to make the fines they make against the "floppers" public.  Assuming the fines were justifiable , making them public would be extremely necessary.  The player needs to be hit in the pocket and put into the social media to receive criticism.  And because the players are unhappy with this decision, they are going to tweet their fines of the social media, to cause trouble with David Stern and the rest of the NBA, such as players have done with the NFL replacement referees.  

If David Stern wants to rid the NBA of flopping he needs to implement a rule in which the referee can call a foul on a player when he flops.  This rule has proven to be successful in a flopping sport such as soccer.  Soccer players are known worldwide for falling down or trying to draw fouls when in actuality they have not even been contacted.  Recently, international soccer implemented a rule to where in the action of a flop the referee can award a the flopping player a yellow card.  

The referees just need to be better educated on how to determine a flop from a normal foul.  Fining the players will only make the situation worse.  The players union has already filed a lawsuit against the owners for the new "flopping" rule.  This is just another gag rule by the owners to generate more money to themselves.  Is flopping an issue? Yes, very much so (see videos below).  Should players be fined for flopping?  No.  Flopping is and always has been a part of the game.  If the player can disguise his flop well enough to fool the referee, then all the power to him, but if the flop is blatant and unnecessary, call a foul on the player.  I can guarantee you with only 6 fouls, the players won't want to be wasting them

Examples of flops in basketball and soccer.