After years of complaints about NBA athletes being actors on the court, the league finally seems ready to outlaw flopping, the act of exaggerating contact to induce a foul call.
League officials are still working on the specifics, but the policy will probably involve a postgame review, rather than an in-game ruling by referees. The penalty for the act will most likely be a fine.
Whether the league will increase fines for repeat offenders, or even suspend habitual floppers, is not yet clear.
For years fans have railed against flopping-the flailing arms, backwards stumbles and comical gyrations designed to fool referees into calling a foul. Many coaches have also been critical of the act as well.
Stern signaled last spring that a policy was probably coming.
"We just want to put a stake in the ground that says,'This is not something that we want to be part of our game,' without coming down with a sledgehammer, but just doing it in a minimalist way to begin stamping it out," Stern said after a competition committee meeting in June. "And I think there are ways we can do that, and we'll have to wait and see exactly what we come up with."
Making flopping an in-game infraction has also been discussed, but it would be tough to determine without the benefit of replay. It would also place a greater burden on referees.
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