Flopping/floppers absolutely drive me insane, which you already know if you read my post titled: One Thing I Hate About You. The offenders are countless, from superstars to scrubs, and it seems that the longer the league does nothing, the more normal these pathetic acts of deception become. I applaud sites like ESPN's TrueHoop blog for their "stop the flop" campaign. Also, I applaud players like Rasheed Wallace, who honestly, openly and unforgivingly speaks against it the instant it happens. Now Wallace is a personal fan of mine because he continues to call out floppers even though he probably received over half of his league record 317 (and counting) technicals for these kind of statements. In my book, every effort that applies pressure to the league office was helpful and as a result, we basketball fans have some forward progress.
Now, I claim to be a pure fan of the game of basketball first, and a completely biased Mavericks fan second. So, since the sanctity of the game is my top priority, I can only believe that this change in policy will only benefit the future of basketball. As far as the actual rule goes, this is how the league office has outlined and defined this fantastic new feature:
Players will receive a warning the first time, then be fined $5,000 for a second violation. Fines increase to $10,000 for a third offense, $15,000 for a fourth and $30,000 the fifth time. Six or more could lead to an additional fine and/or a suspension.
Violation 1: Warning
Violation 2: $5,000 fine
Violation 3: $10,000 fine
Violation 4: $15,000 fine
Violation 5: $30,000 fine
Violation 6: Suspension
The NBA defines flopping 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."
Source: NBA.com
Unfortunately, there are still some issues with this system, like the fact that all penalties are determined after games, when in fact a well-timed flop could change the outcome of a game. Also, who decides, and how closely will they monitor, each game? So many questions, so little answers.
I don't expect this tiny rule book addition to rid the game of flopping entirely, or of superstars overzealously "selling" all contact, but I do believe it is a step in the right direction. As frustrating as it is to watch some of these flops, even a baby step in the right direction could be monumental in the long run.
In case you still aren't on board with this new rule, just watch the video below that was uploaded to YouTube by user: DN83Productions. A compilation of called flops that shame the beautiful game of basketball.
