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[XiaNaphryz]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14719848/adam-silver-says-changes-needed-hack-player-rule

NBA commissioner Adam Silver, a little more than three months after saying that rules regarding the "hack-a-player" strategy were unlikely to change, has changed his mind.

"I'm increasingly of the view that we will be looking to make some sort of change in that rule this summer," Silver told USA Today Sports. "Even for those who had not wanted to make the change, we're being forced to that position just based on these sophisticated coaches understandably using every tactic available to them. It's just not the way we want to see the game played."

Silver told ESPN in October that he was "conflicted" on the issue because he sees both sides of the argument about whether the league should do more to try to prevent teams from intentionally fouling poor free throw shooters.

In October, Silver put the onus on players being fouled to get better at fundamentals, saying "a guy's got to be able to make his free throws." Now, however, as coaches have increasingly employed the strategy this season, Silver has heard enough public outcry to take a side.

"As I travel around the league, there's that one school of thought [that] 'guys have got to make their free throws,'" Silver told USA Today. "But then at the end of the day, we are an entertainment property, and it's clear that when you're in the arena, that fans are looking at me, shrugging their shoulders with that look saying, 'Aren't you going to do something about this?'"

Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, meanwhile, said he doesn't have a problem with using a hacking strategy.

"At the end of the day, it's a strategy of the game and whatever it takes to win," James said. "If that's a part of the game and you have a guy that is a bad free throw shooter and you put him on the line, that's a part of strategy. That's no different from a guy that can't shoot well from the outside and you try to make him shoot bad from outside or if a guy is turnover-prone and you put pressure on him. It's all part of strategy."

The majority of the "hack-a-player" fouls have been committed against the Clippers' DeAndre Jordan, the Pistons' Andre Drummond and the Rockets' Dwight Howard. According to USA Today, of the nearly 300 intentional fouls in the NBA this season, 69 percent have been committed against those three players.

Drummond, for instance, was intentionally fouled 21 times and set an NBA record when he missed 23 free throws -- out of 36 attempts -- in a victory against the Rockets on Jan. 21. A week later, the Sixers' Nerlens Noel hopped on Drummond's back -- piggyback style -- during a teammate's free throw attempt. The Clippers' J.J. Redick also jumped on Drummond's back earlier this season.

"Clearly that's not a natural basketball move," Silver told USA Today. "That's something that, in my view, we need to address quickly because ultimately there's nothing more important than the health and safety of our players. Again, I think that's an accident waiting to happen with guys jumping on each other's shoulders just trying to attract officials' attention to call a foul."

Obligatory link to the Ginuwine version of the Noel jump on Drummond.

 

[entremet]

Finally.

Hack a player is horrible as a spectating product.

 

[Captain.Falafel]

Is this referring to the intentional fouling at the end of games which ultimately stretches out the last 20 seconds into an additional five minutes?

Or is this some relatively new phenomenon that is occurring regularly throughout the duration of the game?

 

[Line_HTX]

Please ban this "Hack-a-whoever." It should never be considered a legit "strategy" when it's no longer a game.

 

[Team Alucard]

Finally.

Hack a player is horrible as a spectating product.

 

[PadWarrior]

Is this referring to the intentional fouling at the end of games which ultimately stretches out the last 20 seconds into an additional five minutes?

Or is this some relatively new phenomenon that is occurring regularly throughout the duration of the game?

Some teams weren't even waiting to the end of the game to do this

 

[The Light]

I never had a problem with it.

 

[LyleLanley]

I'm conflicted, I hate watching Drummond get fouled 5 times in 9 seconds or whatever it was but I also don't like changing the rules just so a handful of guys can get away with being awful free throw shooters.

Some teams weren't even waiting to the end of the game to do this

Fouling at the end of the game is different. This is intentionally fouling a poor free throw shooter even when he doesn't have the ball so that he has to shoot free throws.

 

[Sulik2]

How exactly do you ban it? The only thing I can think of is making it a technical if the foul isn't a normal basketball move so at least the play has to start before the fouling occurs. In reality, if those three guys could shoot free throws you could drop this number 69%? Seems like the onus should be on those three players.

 

[dragonyeuw]

Is this referring to the intentional fouling at the end of games which ultimately stretches out the last 20 seconds into an additional five minutes?

Yes. It completely breaks the flow of a game.

 

[TangoAlphaLima]

Kornheiser was wrong, Silver does have a pulse!

 

[Randolph Freelander]

Just give the team the option to take the ball side-out instead of shooting free throws when the foul occurs away from the ball. It would end hack-a-player overnight.

 

[Chris R]

So this wasn't an issue during Hack-a-Shaq but is now?

Or is it just because the commissioner has changed?

 

[LyleLanley]

How exactly do you ban it? The only thing I can think of is making it a technical if the foul isn't a normal basketball move so at least the play has to start before the fouling occurs. In reality, if those three guys could shoot free throws you could drop this number 69%? Seems like the onus should be on those three players.

You ban it by either giving the opposing team the option to pick the shooter or make it two free throws and they get the ball back.

 

[3rdman]

There was a recent game where the Hack-A-Player strategy was being implemented throughout the game turning the entire event a chore to watch/play. I can only imagine that it was the straw that broke the camel's back...

 

[BadAss2961]

Is the jumping on back necessary? That could be considered flagrant.

Just let the ref know you're going to intentional foul.

 

[B1gg_Randall]

Good!

 

[Clevinger]

Force anyone under 60% to throw underhanded

 

[Randolph Freelander]

Is this referring to the intentional fouling at the end of games which ultimately stretches out the last 20 seconds into an additional five minutes?

Or is this some relatively new phenomenon that is occurring regularly throughout the duration of the game?

No to the former, almost to the latter.

Coaches are instructing players to foul opposing players who are bad at free throw shooting at potentially all points during a game while that player might be nowhere near the basketball. However, it's not new, it has been employed for years, though it's simply becoming more common.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Automatic 2 points and a foul for hacking. Done and solved.

 

[uncredited male]

I guess they could increase the penalties for off the ball fouls. Like keep possession after a certain number or them or something.

Or get crazy and let any player on the floor shoot the free throws for off the ball fouls.

 

[Cyan]

Just give the team the option to take the ball side-out instead of shooting free throws when the foul occurs away from the ball. It would end hack-a-player overnight.

And maybe reset the shot clock when they take the side-out option.

 

[theechrisfox]

Good. Its boring to watch someone do something they are terrible at. The idea of sports as entertainment is to see humans pushing the limits of their physical ability, not bottoming out. If people actually enjoy the "strategy" involved with this practice, maybe you should just watch chess or something.

 

[Violence Jack]

Good. Makes the games a chore to watch when they do this. Thing is, I don't know how they could change it. Maybe no intentional fouls before 2 minutes left in each quarter? But then, how would you know what is an intentional or regular foul call? That's going to depend on the ref's judgment, and that scenario just leave too much open for interpretation.

I'm fine with if when a team intentionally fouls, the coach can choose who shoots the free throws or something like that. Usually the ones that suck at free throws are the big men who are going to get hacked in the paint anyway, so it's not like you're taking them completely out of the game.

 

[Twenty7KVN]

So how are they going to solve this? Make the team take one free throw and get the ball back our something?

 

[teruterubozu]

So this wasn't an issue during Hack-a-Shaq but is now?

Or is it just because the commissioner has changed?

Shaq went to the temple of Master Ed Palubinskas and reemerged a new man - at least for one season.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

You ban it by either giving the opposing team the option to pick the shooter or make it two free throws and they get the ball back.

I like it

 

[ntropy]

any statistics on W/L when employing this strat?
ostensibly, ineffective

 

[winjet81]

Yes. It completely breaks the flow of a game.

Oh, you mean like the 12 timeouts allotted to each team, not including the numerous TV timeouts as well?

 

[Marauder Shields]

I'm more annoyed at their being a billion timeouts towards the end of the game that ruin the flow of the game for me. One of the main reasons I can't get myself to watch the NBA anymore.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

So this wasn't an issue during Hack-a-Shaq but is now?

Or is it just because the commissioner has changed?

We all know Stern never truly left, he's just handling things from behind the scenes now.

 

[rokkerkory]

How about a free throw and possession?

 

[entremet]

Oh, you mean like the 12 timeouts allotted to each team, not including the numerous TV timeouts as well?

And when you add hack a player you see why this is a problem.

 

[RobNBanks]

lmfao that gif

jesus

 

[uncblue]

You ban it by either giving the opposing team the option to pick the shooter or make it two free throws and they get the ball back.

Whenever people complained "how exactly do you fix it", this was always my answer. Two free throws and ball back.

 

[pa22word]

Ultimately, I can't really see the fault here.

If an NBA player can't hit his damned free throws, then that's a team problem. If it's causing you to lose games because you have an easy target then I guess it's on said team to decide if it's worth keeping his ass around if he can't shoot a free throw vs trading him.

That being said, I despise the end of games turning into 5 min foul fests. Take on that, not foul-a-player. Basketball is the only game I know that gets most boring in its last 3 mins vs the rest of the game.

 

[davepoobond]

as someone who doesnt watch a whole lot of basketball, this is fucking stupid to have players jumping on people's backs.

this is almost as awful as laying down on a soccer field for 5 minutes trying to get a delay of game.

don't support this shit.

 

[ChaoticBlue]

taking the skill out of basketball.

 

[thefro]

If you foul and aren't making a basketball move, it should be an intentional foul.

It's really pretty simple.

Fouling a big dude who sucks at free throws to stop him from dunking by going hard for the ball it is part of the game. Hopping on someone's back isn't.

 

[alr1ght]

So this wasn't an issue during Hack-a-Shaq but is now?

Or is it just because the commissioner has changed?

Now there's about 5 guys that can't make free throws.

I understand this is ultimately an entertainment product, but you shouldn't change the rules for 5 players.

 

[LyleLanley]

taking the skill out of basketball.

These guys will, probably, still be practically unable to touch the ball on offense in the final two minutes.

 

[True Savior]

Next, they are going to disallow Curry shooting from 28+ feet. It's not entertaining. It's just unfair

The two changes the nba should make to be more entertaining are
a) cut the timeouts in half (at least).
b) free throws should be 1+1

This type of ruling is protecting incompetence. It's a disaster.

 

[Skux]

If it's allowed by the rules, people will exploit them to find a way to win. It's a legitimate strategy under the current system.

The solution, then, is to change the rules. The suggestions in this thread sound pretty good.

 

[3rdman]

Foul someone with the ball - 2 free throws

Foul someone without the ball - 3 free throws

Would that solve the problem?

 

[slyfox]

How about reducing the amount of timeouts. The NBA slows down to a crawl during the most intense parts of the game due to the amount of timeouts that coaches save till the end. On top of that we having refs taking timeouts to review plays and as a spectator its unbearable.

 

[teruterubozu]

Foul someone with the ball - 2 free throws

Foul someone without the ball - 3 free throws

Would that solve the problem?

What's the difference if people stand around and watch a shitty free thrower miss 3 shots instead of 2?

 

[Rentahamster]

Exploits IRL games. The adventures of a hardcore min/max coach.

 

[AnAnole]

taking the skill out of basketball.

League wide free throw averages have historically been the same with similar variances in averages. There have always been bad FT shooters and there will always be bad free throw shooters. The current rules simply allow teams to exploit weaknesses that have always existed by committing an act that is arguably outside of the scope of the game.

 

[FyreWulff]

Good. I'd start watching basketball again if it stopped being timeoutball/hackaball.

Ultimately, I can't really see the fault here.

 

[EatinOlives]

Should players be able to get their FTs? Sure.

Is hack-a-player still a bullshit strategy? Absolutely. Nobody wants to stand around seeing shitty free throws being thrown for the last half hour of the game. And now it's starting earlier and earlier.