By Jayar JacksonRemember when your parents would tell you to clean yourself up, straighten up the house, and pick up your mess when company was coming over?
Sure, your dirty little friends came over all the time and they were never this strict with the rules.
They just didn’t want important people to come in the house and think that they were raising a slob.
Well, the NBA has been welcoming the company of more than just the average everyday fan for over a month now that the playoffs have taken center stage.
In the never ending goal of taking advantage of the increased exposure to expand the fan base, Daddy David Stern and the league have announced plans to impose fines on players for clear cases of flopping. Apparently, they are hearing the chorus of complaints that is growing daily from dedicated fans that see the natural feel of the game slipping away.
The flopping phenomenon that many attribute to being founded by Vlade Divac back in his playing days has become a league wide plague that has seemingly infested every player. The opportunity to add a foul to your opponent’s tally, frustrate the hell out of him, and get control of the ball in crucial situations is just too much of a juicy result to pass up for many.
We see contemporary versions of Divac in the league, making a living off of flailing their arms and stumbling to the floor from the slightest touch, or sometimes no contact at all. As long as bad acting gets rewarded with a trophy, this live theatre on the floor will continue to be commonplace.
Sometimes out of pure retaliation, the “tough guys” of the league have begun to face plant in hopes of sending the league-leading floppers in a tizzy. It’s a horrific cycle that needed to be addressed. But is this the answer? Will this simply put more pressure on the referees to spot, identify, and call the ghost fouls the other way in the heat of the moment while many other things are going on around them?
There are times that they have a bad angle on a play and impromptu meetings are needed to determine the correct call. What will the fate of the refs be when they miss an obvious one simply because some dude that happens to be 6’10” and weighs 270 lbs stands in front of them?
If the fines are retroactive once the league reviews a game from the night before, what will they decide about the outcome of the game being affected by the flop? Can a “flopping ref” be added to the already three refs occupying the floor crowded by giants, cameramen, and pompous millionaires with courtside seats? I don’t think they will agree to moving back 5 feet, as they won’t be able to give high fives to their favorite players as if they know them.
Let’s not forget that these refs deal with home crowds, superstar players, hall of fame coaches, and everyone at home yelling at them for 48 minutes, telling them they’re getting everything wrong. This just might just alter the problem the NBA faces from falling for the flop and turn into how to truly and effectively eliminate it’s stronghold on the league.
There will definitely still be some loose ends to tie up in order to exterminate the virus that so many complain about, but at least the NBA has realized that it left it’s bed unmade, dirty dishes all over the place, and filthy sneakers in the doorway. “You’re not going to embarrass this family when company comes over next time, I know that!”
Jayar is holding it down over there at The Young Turks