David Stern would like to stamp out ‘Hack-a-Shaq’ tactics (Ball Don’t Lie)

 LA Lakers  No Responses »
Dec 062012
 

Back when Shaquille O’Neal was the most dominant force in the NBA, several teams utilized the “Hack-a-Shaq” strategy that essentially turned every Los Angeles Lakers possession into an opportunity to see a gigantic man attempt to shoot a ball through a small hoop even though he was really, really bad at it. It was slow, lacked flow, and generally had very little to do with the reasons fans like watching NBA basketball. So David Stern and the NBA’s competition committee created a new rule: fouling off the ball in the last two minutes of the game would give the fouled team two shots and the ball.
The tactic disappeared for a while, in part because Shaq became less effective and also because no truly dominant players proved to be sub-50 percent free-throw shooters. However, this season has seen a massive uptick in “Hack-a-Shaq” incidents, primarily because Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard is shooting below 50 percent from the line for the second consecutive season. But other players have become targets, as well, including Detroit Pistons rookie Andre Drummond (Slay-a-Dre) and Clippers big man DeAndre Jordan (Hack-a-DJ, which is not an off-brand remake of “PaRappa the Rapper” ).
Coaches employ it because it works. But it’s also pretty terrible to watch, which Stern seems to have noticed once again. While guesting on the New Orleans Hornets broadcast Wednesday night, he commented on his desire to stamp out the tactic with another rule change. From Henry Abbott for TrueHoop :
Stern was quick to point out that the league has instituted a rule that successfully stopped the tactic in the last two minutes of games: Foul a player away from the ball, and after the the free throw, the fouled team gets the ball back. The penalty is so steep that the tactical advantage of fouling is gone.
Stern said he wanted to make that rule last all game.

David Stern would like to stamp out “Hack-a-Shaq” tactics (Ball Don’t Lie)

 LA Lakers  No Responses »
Dec 062012
 

Back when Shaquille O’Neal was the most dominant force in the NBA, several teams utilized the “Hack-a-Shaq” strategy that essentially turned every Los Angeles Lakers possession into an opportunity to see a gigantic man attempt to shoot a ball through a small hoop even though he was really, really bad at it. It was slow, lacked flow, and generally had very little to do with the reasons fans like watching NBA basketball. So David Stern and the NBA’s competition committee created a new rule: fouling off the ball in the last two minutes of the game would give the fouled team two shots and the ball.
The tactic disappeared for a while, in part because Shaq became less effective and also because no truly dominant players proved to be sub-50 percent free-throw shooters. However, this season has seen a massive uptick in “Hack-a-Shaq” incidents, primarily because Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard is shooting below 50 percent from the line for the second consecutive season. But other players have become targets, as well, including Detroit Pistons rookie Andre Drummond (Slay-a-Dre) and Clippers big man DeAndre Jordan (Hack-a-DJ, which is not an off-brand remake of “PaRappa the Rapper” ).
Coaches employ it because it works. But it’s also pretty terrible to watch, which Stern seems to have noticed once again. While guesting on the New Orleans Hornets broadcast Wednesday night, he commented on his desire to stamp out the tactic with another rule change. From Henry Abbott for TrueHoop :
Stern was quick to point out that the league has instituted a rule that successfully stopped the tactic in the last two minutes of games: Foul a player away from the ball, and after the the free throw, the fouled team gets the ball back. The penalty is so steep that the tactical advantage of fouling is gone.
Stern said he wanted to make that rule last all game.

David Stern vs. "ludicrous" hack-a-Shaq

 Rumors  No Responses »
Dec 052012
 

Much of the NBA is discussing Dwight Howard’s inability to hit free throws, and the tactical opportunity that creates for Laker opponents to foul Howard early and often. Even if Howard is nowhere near the action, if an opponent grabs him, it is Howard who must step the free throw line, and he’ll bring his career 58 percent free-throw shooting average with him.

Before Wednesday evening’s games, Howard had shot a league-leading 203 free throws on the season, of which he has made just 95.

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David Stern threatens the San Antonio Spurs for sitting their players, chases down another irrelevant point (Ball Don’t Lie)

 Chicago  No Responses »
Nov 302012
 

So David Stern didn’t like San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich resting four of his starters — three of them superstars in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili — against the superstar-laden Miami Heat on Thursday. Get in line.
The Spurs players, superstars included, probably didn’t like it. Players want to play, always. Ask Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, who routinely plays his men past the point of exhaustion, and once fielded center Omer Asik even as the former Bulls was suffering through a broken fibula.
A great many Spurs fans, anxious as the team attempts to make the NBA Finals this June for what will be the first time in six years, wanted their stars to suit up. Once again San Antonio looks like contenders, and a road pairing against the defending champs can go a long way toward wondering if your team is going to mean much in June.
In June. In JUNE. There are 25 shopping days left until Christmas, and yet Tim Duncan is expected to be daisy fresh for what could be a deciding Game 7 some 200-plus days from now.
If David Stern, who has threatened “substantial sanctions” against the Spurs for sitting their starters on Thursday, wants this sort of thing to go away? Then make 20 games off of the NBA’s schedule go away. Make inter-conference battles go away. Make a potential 27-game postseason run to lead up to Game 7 of the Finals go away. Make international play during the exhibition season go away.
Make all the things that make David Stern and his owners untold millions go away. Once you’ve locked the players out and cost the thousandaire-set that makes your league hum night in and night out millions of unreported dollars between the lockout stages of July to December of 2011, of course.

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