Fellow Clutchfanners (Clutchfanians?), We all despise flopping. A player reeling from the slightest amount of contact in order to get the whistle. So why is a charge any different? Why should standing still and not making a play on the ball be rewarded? I personally get a chuckle out of seeing seven footers hit the deck when bumped into by a guard, or when a defender slides into position whilst the offensive player is in mid air, which happens a lot. This is defense? It's radical, but I'd like the league to do away with charge calls. There are still plenty of offensive foul calls to make like using the off-arm excessively, but having rules that eliminate a players strength as an advantage while allowing a quicker player not to be touched seems unbalanced and unfair. Shaq tried for it here and failed. Rightfully so. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Oyk7IrlPjpQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Any thoughts? Is it an essential part of the game or could the game improve by being rid of it? Note: I also considered the thread title: I've grown to hate offensive charge calls.
The charge wasn't intended to reward defenders for doing nothing, it was to prevent the offensive player from just flat out running over people using pure strength. NBA taking the right steps by emphasizing verticality to allow defenders more leeway to defend a shot without having to resort to drawing charges.
Just because players flop on some play does not mean that the rule is wrong. They flop on all kinds of things. Flopping on allege off-arm pushing happens a lot, for example. If you do away charging, you give unfair advantage to strong players and punish weaker but quicker players. All rules favor some skills/attributes. The high position of the basket favors tall players; the dribbling favors shorter players, etc. It's just a matter of what kind of a sport you want basketball to be.
Exactly. Matt Bullard has some good thoughts regarding charges, like, eliminating them on pass-offs. Flops should truly be fined. The league claimed they would start fining players, but they've been too far between. The league should review plays during games and penalize teams immediately. Players should be motivated to stay on their feet.
I generally agree with this, although I really do not like the charge call when the player sets up after the offensive player is already in the shooting motion. Maybe that's supposed to be a block in the rulebook, but it gets called a charge way too often. Also, I agree with Bullard that the restricted area needs to be extended. If a guy is on a fastbreak and he wants to attempt a layup, he should be able to. How is a player supposed to attempt a layup if he doesn't move forward? Guys just sprint in front of the offensive player and fall down, that shouldn't be a charge, IMO. Charges should largely be called when an offensive player pushes off with his arm, or if he runs over a guy in the open court but not in a shooting motion. Totally agree, there are like two or three plays a game that are fine worthy. The NBA is extremely weak, as predicted, in assessing these fines. Ah well.