It’s hard to be a NBA big man these days, what with teams hacking away at just about any opportunity they can get. Much of what we see comes from using a loophole in the so-called “Hack-a-Shaq” rule, which is designed to eliminate teams from intentionally fouling players off the ball.
However, the best intentions have come with major loopholes, as teams just hack away on big men during the majority of the game and adjust to when the rule really has teeth — the final two minutes of regulation and overtime. In that time, teams receive a free throw and possession.
On Thursday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver appeared on the NBA to Z podcast and spoke about this controversial rule. According to a report on the podcast’s content, Silver indicated that the rule is being looked at for reform.
“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,” Silver said. “It’s just not the way we want to see the game played.”
The practice of hacking a player to elongate a game and the chances of a team coming back is up this season. According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, the number of those intentional fouls through mid-December surpassed the number of times it happened last season (164), and the league is closing in on 300 Hack-A-Player instances before the All-Star break.
Just how bad is it beyond those overall numbers? Try the Houston Rockets hacking away at Detroit Pistons big man Andre Drummond 21 times during a late-January game. During one nine-second period of the game there were no fewer than five fouls that all ended with Drummond the recipient.
Zillgitt does go on to indicate that there is not enough support to end the practice outright, but that reform is certainly possible “to eliminate the loopholes.”
Likely those loopholes include the expansion of the two minute rules to the entire game or a longer portion of the game to help force teams in to playing a more free-flowing game.
With the NBA entering perhaps its most entertaining era since the late 1980’s and early 1990’s — largely due to a much more uptempo pace and teams spacing the floor more — getting rid of elements that clog up the entertainment value of the game are always going to be looked at.
It still remains to be seen just how creative the NBA competition committee is going to get with this potential rule change, but don’t be surprised to see something happen in the offseason.
[h/t USA Today Sports]
Comments are closed.