Intentional foul rule changes

[TRKO [enjin:12664595]]

Who is in favor of changing the rules and what are your ideas?

For me I'm not in favor of changing the rules. I think it's on the players to improve their free throw shooting. I know they talk about the pace of the game being affected, but this is the same league that sends Harden and Lebron to the foul line almost 20 times a game it seems. If they want to help the pace of the games, then I hope they looking into star players always going to the line, many times going to the line for weak fouls or fouls where they are trying to draw fouls instead of making a basketball play.

[Coolbreeze44]

I agree with you. And by the way, Wiggins is also going to be wearing a path to the line in his career.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I agree too. And unlike Harden, Wiggins doesn't engage in any unnatural acts to get to the line. He just goes straight up without throwing his arms into people with the sole intent of drawing a whistle.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

I do feel for the guys who are shooting softballs out there because their hands are so big. It's hard to shoot a softball with touch and I would bet most of us would struggle doing it through a basket scaled to a softball size.

As a whole I am against it because it isn't a basketball play to foul someone who isn't involved in the play. I like the idea of being able to pick your foul shooter if they foul the guy away from the ball. If he has the ball he's fair game, but if he doesn't you shouldn't be able to put him on the line. I just don't think it's a basketball play. It's a gimmick to get back into games because you can't beat the other team straight up.

The spirit of competition in basketball is not a free throw battle. There have always been guys who can't hit free throws and hack a shaq was never an intentional foul off the ball situation. It was a foul him as soon as he touches the ball because he's going to score on you if you don't situation. This trend is just now happening because advanced metrics are just now coming in that it is an effective strategy that is technically within the rules, but not within the spirit of the game.

[Coolbreeze44]

I do feel for the guys who are shooting softballs out there because their hands are so big. It's hard to shoot a softball with touch and I would bet most of us would struggle doing it through a basket scaled to a softball size.

As a whole I am against it because it isn't a basketball play to foul someone who isn't involved in the play. I like the idea of being able to pick your foul shooter if they foul the guy away from the ball. If he has the ball he's fair game, but if he doesn't you shouldn't be able to put him on the line. I just don't think it's a basketball play. It's a gimmick to get back into games because you can't beat the other team straight up.

The spirit of competition in basketball is not a free throw battle. There have always been guys who can't hit free throws and hack a shaq was never an intentional foul off the ball situation. It was a foul him as soon as he touches the ball because he's going to score on you if you don't situation. This trend is just now happening because advanced metrics are just now coming in that it is an effective strategy that is technically within the rules, but not within the spirit of the game.

Not true in bold

[mrhockey89]

I didn't read this thread at all, except the part Coolbreaz bolded on the Hack a Shaq defense. I agree with Coolbreaz, Hack a Shaq involved Shaq getting fouled off the ball a ton. In fact, I remember Mark Madsen, the first year into his Wolves tenure, literally bear hugging Shaq before he got the ball.

[The Rage Monster [enjin:8010341]]

It's going to be interesting to see how this potential rule change plays out as there's a lot of different parts to it.

The main thing they need to determine is if there's a problem. I'd say no, free throw shooting is part of the game and if someone feels there is an issue than they need to address by improving their shot.

The next thing is the impact. A rule change like this will eliminate a players weakness, I think that is pretty stupid. I can't think of any rules that are made to target a specific group of players like this would.

If the league decides to go through with it then question becomes how would they enforce it. Right now intentional fouls are obvious because there is no rule against them but teams could easily disguise them making a rule change pointless in the first place.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

I don't think they would make the change just to cover up a player weakness. They would make it because it slows games to a halt and hurts their watchability. People don't want to watch 50-60 free throw games regardless if they are hack a shaq free throws or regular free throws. The rule has been in place since Wilt Chamberlain was in the league so why would players all of a sudden become good free throw shooters now? It's like the 5 foul rule in college. At times it keeps some of the best players in the league off the floor. How is that good for the league? They took away hand checking so why not intentional off-ball fouls? Dribbling and movement are inherent basketball skills everyone should have and yet they did away with a defensive strategy that made life hard for ball handlers and off-ball movement.

[The Rage Monster [enjin:8010341]]

I don't think they would make the change just to cover up a player weakness. They would make it because it slows games to a halt and hurts their watchability. People don't want to watch 50-60 free throw games regardless if they are hack a shaq free throws or regular free throws. The rule has been in place since Wilt Chamberlain was in the league so why would players all of a sudden become good free throw shooters now? It's like the 5 foul rule in college. At times it keeps some of the best players in the league off the floor. How is that good for the league? They took away hand checking so why not intentional off-ball fouls? Dribbling and movement are inherent basketball skills everyone should have and yet they did away with a defensive strategy that made life hard for ball handlers and off-ball movement.

You can try to twist it however you'd like but the root cause is players inability to hit free throws. If the league makes a rule that doesn't allow a poor free throw shooter to be put on the line then the fact is they have created a rule to cover up that weakness. You can try to mask it with excuses of slow play or watchability but the fact that the rule will benefit poor free throw shooters is undeniable.

[Volans19]

This Clipper-Rockets game is unwatchable. So many free throws, so many unlikeable personalities. Just yuck