Kevin Garnett has an outside-the-box idea in an effort to eliminate flopping by NBA players, and it would be absolutely crazy if it were ever implemented.
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Speaking with Paul Pierce on “Ticket & The Truth,” Garnett revealed how he would deter the unsightly tactic that isn’t pleasing to players, coaches, officials, announcers or fans.
The former NBA champion said (at the 27:50 mark) a personal foul should be called on a player who flops, and he’d like NBA commissioner Adam Silver to consider a two-minute type of penalty box for a player caught flopping.
The Hall of Famer may actually be onto something, with reports that the NBA is considering awarding a free throw as a penalty for flopping, with the rule possibly to be tested this offseason.
Steve Kerr would like to see the NBA address its flopping issue and suggests implementing rules similar to FIBA pic.twitter.com/yqg98IPnua
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) May 10, 2023
This comes on the heels of an impassioned plea made by Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr during their playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers. Also during the playoffs, San Antonio Spurs rookie Jeremy Sochan actually called out LeBron James for flopping against the Denver Nuggets during the Western Conference Finals.
And to prove that this has been a top-of-mind problem in the NBA for some time now, Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George in December proposed that referees should be fined themselves for missed calls or allowing a player to flop and get away with it.
The NBA adopted an anti-flopping rule way back in 2012, with the punishment a fine if a flop is determined via video review following games. The amount of the infraction escalates for each subsequent violation by a player.
The personal foul, technical free throw and/or fines seem to be worthy of a reasonable discussion among the game’s rule makers, with the cage and penalty box ideas obviously too far-fetched to become reality. But you can’t fault Garnett for trying to make the game better.
