James Harden recently received the first fine for flopping
(say that five times fast) of the 2013-14 NBA season. Chris Paul and Anderson
Varejao also received “warnings” for flopping. And you know what?
It’s ridiculous.
Flopping in the NBA has become a hot topic over the past few
years because it has become a more prevalent practice. Maybe the NBA stars are
trying out for Hollywood while they’re still on the court but it has certainly
become commonplace for NBA players to act like they’ve been bulldozed after a
6’1” guard touches their jersey on a crossover. And it’s not just the average
player that does it but LeFlop LeBron James has had his fair share of pretty blatant flops (see video parody below).
This acting should be something covered by the NBA’s
referees during training and something that they can appropriately recognize
during the games. The league office doesn't need to get involved. If a 220-pound man flops like a fish after getting nudged by
a 180-pound point guard it doesn’t take a physics major to realize that there
was some acting going on.
James Harden was fined $5000 for flopping…a penny in the
bucket of a multi-millionaire. What’s the real incentive against hitting the
deck prematurely? The torrential downpour of hate from the public after media
coverage. Being “soft” is as heinous as it gets in the realm of a professional
athlete’s image—and ESPN personalities talking about the flopping is as the
most significant way to impact these players. Then it hits Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube…and there goes a player’s reputation. But trying to hit their bank
account with a $5000 fine is a joke for NBA players.
More importantly, if a player gains the reputation of being
a flopper among the NBA referees, the solution on their part is simple: watch
out for these guys and don’t give them any close calls or suspiciously dramatic
incidents. If they complain, all you have to say to them: “we’re not fish out
of water here, this is the NBA. Once you stop flopping around, you’ll get the
benefit of the doubt. Until then, we won’t be making calls based on exaggerated
reactions.” If there’s any debate, a no-call option is always there.
If a player is able to duke the refs in the game, then it’s
on the refs. The league office should not be able to review every minute action
of players. They’re not reversing bad judgement calls for other plays, and
flops should be no difference.
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