[ESPN] Stern: Hack-a-Shaq, clock issues to be reviewed

how about addressing the horrible refs, and flopping before these things.

Hack-A- Shaq is bad for the game IMO. It is a disgrace to the game fouling someone as soon as the ball is inbounded... that is nonsense. The REAL Hack-A-Shaq is suppose to be done in the paint when someone has the ball, not as soon as the other teams inbound the ball and your team is leading by 10+ points, it is gutless and a disgrace to the game. But I rather see them address the ref problems before this.

 

flopping is absolutely, positively the worst part of the NBA. It makes the game unwatchable.

And it's so easy to fix. Review every game and suspend the floppers. Rinse, repeat until players stop doing it.

 

Simple solution to stop Hack a shaq....Make your free throws like a professional.

They should not change the rules to cover up for lack of skill.

DD

 

Agreed.

 

how would yall feel if teams started fouling Alston or T-Mac as soon as the ball was inbounded when the other team was ahead by 10?

It kills game flow, and it is disrespecting the game IMO, but how would ya'll feel if every team started doing it nonstop to the Rockets while the other team was ahead?

 

gutless? disgrace? playing to a player's weakness is not a disgrace to the game, its exactly what basketball is about. is it also gutless to not guard yao ming at the 3pt line because he's not a terrific shooter? man, that's gutless the way players cheat on defense by not guarding yao when he's standing at the 3 point line. its also gutless the way teams play zone, zone really takes players like tmac out o the game. real basketball should be man to man defense.

you make teams beat you with their weaknesses. if shaq weren't so horrible at free throws nobody would 'hack-a-shaq' when he doesn't have the ball. shaq's own inability to make free throws is the bigger disgrace to the game of basketball. the fact that this is even being considered is absolutely ridiculous.

changing this rule would solely be for an ostensible aesthetic upgrade. as far as im concerned, there's nothing aesthetic about the way shaq plays nowadays anyway. if they really want to make the game more aesthetically pleasing, do away with the carrying calls so AI and rafer can go and1 and off-the-heezy during games. call a flagrant foul anytime a player is about to attempt a dunk so that fouls don't get in the way of a potential highlight. this is nonsense.

the nba ought to have two concerns right now, and two concerns only:
1. minimize flopping
2. instant replay challenges

the fact that the nba thinks the aesthetic harm hack-a-shaq has on the game is a bigger issue than either of these two problems absolutely infuriates me.

 

i'd be ecstatic. even shooting their tepid percentages at 68-70% this season, being fouled as soon as the ball was inbounded and the other team is ahead GIVES US A CHANCE TO SCORE EASY POINTS, WITHOUT TIME RUNNING OFF, AND GET BACK IN THE GAME. it is unfathomable that a team would not want to have fouls called for them except in very rare circumstances (down 3 with 2 seconds left and a team fouls to prevent a 3). teams being afraid to hit free throws (rockets included) is a far bigger disgrace to the game. the flow of the game would be just fine if nba players knocked em down.

 

First, you and I can complain all we want about things like flopping but it doesn't matter until Stern complains. Then it is a problem because he is always right.

Second, I think this is Stern's delayed reaction to the clock problem in Utah about a dozen years ago - it just took him a while.

This can open the door to instant replay review and the door can be widened every year as owners complain about games lost because of no review on the type of play they were screwed on.

Hack a Shaq - which also intertwine with late 4th quarter fouls - GIVE THE BALL BACK TO THE FOULED TEAM AFTER THE SHOTS. The game speeds up and is based upon normal play just like the first 46 minutes.

 

yeah, but what if the Rockets were in need of 3's instead of 2's? You say this now, but if it happened to our team like Shaqs teams... I am sure 50 million threads would be posted on this forum about it.

If we were trying to run 3 point plays, it would just kill all of our momentum. and that is what i have a problem with.

 

I'd be more pissed off that Alston and especially McGrady are such poor free throw shooters. A sub .700 percent? Come on now.

 

Or make Shaq learn how to shoot free throws.

Fundamentally punishing a team for fouling the poorest free throw shooter on the opposing team hurts the game just as much as letting them do it.

If you give the fouled team the ball back then say your team is down three with minimal time on the clock left. This takes away the ability to foul and make them shoot two from the free throw line too.

Plus it rewards a team for having poor free throw shooters.

Believe me if anyone should like to have Hack a Shaq,and similarly Hack a Chuck eliminated its me, but I don't think that would be a good idea as far as the fundamentals of the game. Plus who's to say its intentional or not. It's too subjective to be able to ref.

 

Because we're heterosexual. Thanks though!

I'm in favor of Hack-a-Shack. It's a good strategy that's used only because Shaquille O'Neal is lazy.

In 2002-2003, Shaq was hitting 62.2% of his free throws. He had worked with a free throw coach for ONE season. He suddenly decided he didn't need help anymore and shot 49% the following season. He's never approached it since.

I'm so freaking sick of his league protecting its stars. Play the damn game! PHOENIS, you don't like Hack-a-Shaq, FORCE SHAQ TO GET A FREE THROW COACH.

I'm so sick of how the league protects its stars. Let them freaking play the game. Stop protecting everyone. And get rid of flopping! How is Hack-a-Shaq, a legitimate strategy designed to take advantage of a lazy player's weakness, a bigger pox on the league than flopping!? If the NFL is the No Fun League, the NBA is definitely No Basketball Allowed. Rasheed Wallace might not be right, but he's not far off.

I would be just fine with it. Tracy is being paid $21,126,874. If he can't make his free throws, screw him. Stop blaming the system and take some personal responsibility. I'm 23, 5'9", 200 lbs, and I suck at basketball. I'm a better free throw shooter than Shaq. I swear that if there's another season of this crap, I may just lose interest in the NBA for another seven years.

David Stern needs to step down. Period. Put someone in there with some cajones.

 

Flopping is the biggest issue. Why would he address the Hack-A-Shaq issue until NOW!? lets wait until he is in the league for 15 years then we will address the strategy that teams use against him.

Suspending and/or fining floppers and the refs that view the flops as legit fouls should be the issue.

 

i think i specifically mentioned that exception. fouls away from the basket to force free throws only hurts a team if they're trying to get off a last-second three to tie or win the game. that isn't something that goes on all game long. its not like any team is trying to run 3 point plays every trip down to try and get back into a game from a double digit deficit. if we're concerned about teams losing their shot at making miracle last second shots, then we should allow a different rule that says you can't foul to prevent another team from shooting the game-tying 3. that rule sounds ludicrous but its much less ridiculous than saying you cant intentionally foul someone who's on the court to play basketball, a game which involves free throws.

bottom line is if you hit your free throws, the other team isn't going to dare you to shoot them. free throws are your friend, not your enemy. if you suck at them enough that they become your enemy, then that's your fault.

 

Another thought on the ridiculousness of punishing hack a shaq:

Does this mean that waiting for a piss-poor free throw shooter to get the ball before fouling is no longer ok?

If you passed up fouling ginobli and waited for the pass to Duncan - is this an egregarious affront to basketball "flow"?

It's horse**** no matter which way you call it. Don't punish teams for knowing that Shaq is useless outside of dunking range. That's just daffy. Should we penalize teams who sag off shaq when he posts up at the free throw line?

 

I agree that I don't think hack-a-Shaq should be outlawed. Free throws are part of the game.

Why all the hate for Stern though? He's one of the best commissioners in sports and everyone is always b*tching and moaning about 'Dictator Stern' this and that. Seriously? After one of the best NBA seasons in recent memory? And then we have people (including sportswriters) talking about how the NBA has conspiracies to fix who is playing in the finals (Boston-LA this year) when the boring as hell Spurs have won four titles. It's ridiculous. There are ref issues in every sport...it's like the NBA (and Stern, who can't fart without being accused of being a slimy powermonger) is held to another standard completely.

 

In any company, after you've had success for a while, you change leadership. You do this because previously progressive leaders who have tried new things now become traditionalists mired in proving the way they originally thought is correct. They stifle the game and force it to become their vision. They don't allow for change or growth and instead cause the company to suffer.

The company is the NBA. Nobody's writing about conspiracy theories on ClutchFans. But many basketball fans from all over are sick of Stern's refusal to adapt and change.

Playoff seeding, Seattle thievery, the 2006 NBA Finals, poor and inconsistent officiating, flopping, sheltering of superstars, the 1997 NBA Playoffs (Knicks/Heat), the Minnesota Timberwolves and Joe Smith in 2000, Stoudemire-Diaw, the microfiber basketball...

I can go on. YES, David Stern is a better commissioner than Bud Selig and Gary Bettman. A 13-year-old girl with no interest in sports would be a better commissioner than Selig and Bettman. And Stern is NOT a better commissioner than Roger Goodell and DEFINITELY wasn't a better commissioner than Paul Tagliabue. Of the big 3, football is my least favorite, and even I can see that.

Just because Stern isn't the worst doesn't mean he should get praise for it. You don't praise a someone for a D- just because it isn't the worst grade in the class. Stern needs to step down immediately following the season. Period.

Chris Rock video NSFW

Spoiler

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no one wants to watch 4 quarters of the worse Free throw shooters
shooting the ball

Rocket River

 

Stern is WAY better than Goddell.

Rocket River

 

With an admitted prejudice because I was pulling for the Suns...Hack-a-Shaq SUX. It was BORING and needs to be addressed. Perhaps a limit to how many times it can be performed without a shot by the offense.

What really irks me...if this would have been done to the Spurs' Duncan and de-railed their start up "dynasty", Greg Popovic (and every Spurs fan in captivity) would have b****ed to high heaven. Too bad it wasn't in vogue when Duncan was as bad as Shaq at the FT line.