NBA Commissioner David Stern determined to weed out flopping from the game – NBA Update
The NBA playoffs this year have been pretty enthralling but one thing that has stuck out like a sore thumb is the tendency of players to flop, i.e. to go to the floor acting to be fouled when they haven’t been. Players in the NBA have taken up the practice
in order to fool the referees and gain an advantage. Miami Heat in particular have been accused of other teams of using the practice.
NBA Commissioner David Stern has reacted to the noise around flopping and after initially calling for referees to try and control the menace, has now taken it on himself to bring remedial measures. Stern and NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver are set to
meet the league’s competition committee where they will take up the matter.
"I think we are going to approach something that many tell me is impossible, which is deciding whether someone was acting or was actually, and thereby tending, intending to trick the fans, and the referees; or, whether there was a legitimate reason for that
particular person to go sprawling," Stern said.
The commissioner said that once the culprit had been identified, the committee shall decide on the subsequent actions to be taken.
"And then the question is, what to do in that case, and that's the kind of discussion that I look forward to having with the committee."
Another matter that the Commissioner and his deputy had on their mind was the flagrant calls. Things got out of hand during the Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers series in the Eastern Conference. The series was physical right from the start and turned ugly when
the Heat committed to outrageous flagrant fouls.
Udonis Haslem and Dexter Pittman were the guilty players but the officials initial calls against both were just flagrant 1s. Once the calls were made, the officials couldn’t change their decisions even though replays showed the violent play of Miami.
That should change as well, in Stern’s view.
"I think that we ought to have video review of flagrant ones and twos, and that's something that the committee should look at," Stern said.
The Heat players were both awarded more severe punishments after the league reviewed the fouls.
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