Jason Burgos
A popular NBA expert and podcaster has an idea to address the constant flopping by stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and the league should adopt it next season.
There is no doubt that the ongoing series between the San Antonio Spurs and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder has been the best of this year’s NBA Playoffs. The series set to go to Game 7 on Saturday night has been a showcase of great defense and a pair of young superstars in Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama.
However, the games have also added to a narrative that has been growing all season, and that is the tactics of Gilgeous-Alexander to draw foul calls on his shots. The Thunder star is one of many NBA stars who use flopping as a way to get to the free-throw line. However, he is one of the most prominent “foul merchants” because he is a two-time MVP and gets to the free-throw line more than most players.
It is an issue that frustrates NBA fans and analysts alike, and is something the league should try to fix or risk turning more fans off in the years ahead. Well, this week, popular sports podcast Bill Simmons offered up a realistic way for the NBA to address the rampant flopping in the game right now.
Bill Simmons suggests penalty points idea for flopping in NBA
In a new addition of his The Ringer podcast, Simmons suggested a flopping penalty point system. Since the NBA has its “last two minutes” reporting that reviews calls and non-calls in close games, he thinks they should review flops and assess a player points for egregious acts while attempting to get foul calls.
In Simmons’ idea, if a player reaches 15 points during the season, they are suspended from their next game. It mirrors the rule that a player who gets called for 16 technicals during the regular season is suspended for one game.
The league showing it is also unhappy with the flopping and is trying to curtail it would be a big win among fans. Even the public shaming when points for flopping are handed out might make players more hesitant to use the strategy to get foul calls. It is an idea the NBA should seriously consider.
