Dallas Mavericks superstar questions how the new penalties will be imposed and where the line would be drawn between flopping and genuine foul calls.
The NBA’s new penalties for punishing the act of flopping during games may have gone down well with players such as Kobe Bryant, James Harden and Rasheed Wallace. However, the Dallas Mavericks do not seem too impressed by the effort
on the part of the league. First, the Mavericks vocal and often controversial owner, Mark Cuban, downplayed the league’s effort by saying that the penalties would be hard to enforce and he does not see it achieving the ultimate objective of discouraging flopping.
And now, Mavericks franchise player and big man Dirk Nowitzki has also come out against the new penalties.
Speaking to media personnel after the Dallas Mavericks arrived in Germany to play an exhibition game against Alba Berlin over the weekend, Nowitzki said that he could not see where the league would draw the line and how they would
enforce the new penalties.
“I never looked at myself as a big flopper. If you play me physical then, obviously, I got to sell the call and get to the (free-throw) line. That’s just part of the game. We’ll have to see how they enforce that. I think it’s a
bunch of c**p to be honest with you. Are they going to come back after a game and fine you for flopping? That’s tough to do to me,” said Nowitzki.
The NBA decided on Tuesday to impose penalties on players who were found guilty of flopping, and said it intended to use video replays after the game to determine if any particular suspicious incident was indeed a flop or not,
much like they do with flagrant fouls at the moment. A warning has been put in place for the first offence, where as a $5000 fine will be imposed on the second offence and a $10,000 fine will be imposed for the third offence. The fine goes up to $15,000 for
the fourth offence and $30,000 for the fifth offence. Six or more offences can result in a suspension being handed out to the player in question.
Since the league made the announcement, their newest strategy to discourage flopping has been met with a mixed response, with many players and commentators welcoming the decision, while others doubting the effectiveness of the
proposed method.
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