28 Dec 10 More Flopping Than Skill? How The NBA Has Changed Throughout The Years

As NBA teams continue their quest through the 2010 NBA playoffs, one can't help but notice how much the game has changed.NBA games have turned into a battle of who can draw the foul. Underlying this concept is the "flop."The "art" of flopping has been around since basketball's existence, but has undoubtedly become more prevalent in the past 20 years.Manu Ginobili, Reggie Miller, Robert Horry, Dennis Rodman, Vlade Divac, Raja Bell, and many other notable players have contributed to the flop's emergence.The flop is defined as a player's Reebok Green Bay Packers 21 Charles Woodson Realtree camo Jersey
ability to draw a foul upon the opposing team with a dramatic, over-acted fall, trip, lunge, jump, leap, etc.In layman's terms, it is dramatic acting designed to deceive an official.Notice the word acting. To incorporate this term with basketball is to go against basketball's foundation that NBA players are in the league because of their skill and not their acting ability.So here's the question: Do NBA players focus more on the flop, and drawing fake fouls, than they do on their actual talents?There is no right answer to this question, as not all players flop, but it is safe to say that the majority of them practice it. Some players have it down to an art.These players are here for a reason: they have extraordinary basketball skills. Why not use these offensive and defensive gifts instead of flopping?Watching these grown men get a little nudge from an opponent, and then fly across the floor with limbs flailing in the air, is as comical as it is sad.As if the dramatic performance weren't enough, players often complain to the officials, like little children, if they did not get the call.Complaining over something they knew they acted out. Very mature.The theatrics are used on both sides of the ball. Offensive players purposely lean into an opponent, throw up a shot, and use their acting skills to draw a foul. Defensive players try to draw charges in an over-dramatic fall.Many people view the officials as instigators of flopping. They call fouls that were raised from clearly seen flops. This may hold true in many circumstances, but the players Reebok Minnesota Vikings #84 Randy Moss Realtree camo Jersey
are at fault.Rasheed Wallace voiced his opinion on flopping after the Pistons' loss to the Celtics in Game Five of the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals.Wallace stated that the Celtics were "flopping all over the floor" and the officials were falling for it. He furthered with "that [expletive] ain't basketball. It's all [expletive] entertainment" and the officials should have known that.Wallace had it right, this isn't basketball. Entertainment should come from the players' ability to play the game, not from their sub-par acting.The National Basketball Association is not blind to these unsportsmanlike behaviors. In 1997, they added the four-foot dotted line area underneath the basket in hopes of eliminating defensive flops. Any flops that occurred within the dotted off area were charged as blocking fouls or no-calls.On March 28, 2008, the NBA also announced that player who displayed an excessive use of flopping would be subject to fines and even suspensions for repeat offenders. Although this sounds nice, it hasn't been very effective.In the end, there is no logical answer for the NBA in regards to flopping. They could add a new rule in which the player is penalized during the game for a so-called flop, but how would the officials differentiate what is and what is not a flop? The Reebok Pittsburg Steelers #83 Heath Miller Realtree camo Jersey
rule would not solve the issue.The only way to eliminate flopping is for the players to play real basketball.Steal the ball from a defender, block a shot, or use fancy footwork instead of trying to draw a charge. Make a couple of difficult shots instead of trying to get to the foul line.Let's bring the skill part back into basketball.