Poll: Hack-a-Shaq fine or needs to go?

[Sedale Threatt]

Don't like it, but never had a problem with it. It's taking advantage of an opposing weakness, no different than any other. Not sure you regulate this anyway. It's kind of like resting players. Instead of blatantly grabbing guys, you can still foul somebody.

[harold lewis]

I hate when teams deliberately foul under a minute to play when they're behind. I mean it's unwatchable because it slows the game down.

I also hate all those timeouts in the last minutes of the game. Terrible viewing for me the fan.

So yes get rid of all 3 elements and we can possibly have a decent sport to watch.

[justinandimcool]

The one that makes the most sense is giving the offense the option to shoot the free throws or take it out of bounds. Reset the clock to 14.

One problem with that:

It's Spurs 90, Warriors 84. 5 minutes left.

Spurs hack Bogut. Warriors have a choice now: send Bogut to the line or take it out of bounds.

Warriors choose inbound, reset clock to 14. They take it out, run a play, and at the last possible second the Spurs foul Bogut again. Warriors elect to inbound again.

Same thing happens. Warriors choose to inbound again.

Next thing you know, there's 3:45 left in the game, Warriors haven't run a play because the Spurs kept fouling and the Warriors kept choosing to inbound. They'd have to take Bogut out or make him shoot, so the strategy works anyways.
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Another rule change is that for intentional fouls off the ball, you let the offensive team choose the shooter. So they can choose Curry every time, 2 shots, no ball back.

I guess you have to do discriminately define the difference between intentional off-ball foul and incidental off-ball foul--otherwise you could just make an "intentional" foul look unintentional.

Giving 2 free throws to the other team's best shooter would be a huge change, because it would encourage more flopping on the offensive end to draw off-ball fouls. Griffin could just flop getting in position and it would mean 2 shots for Paul. It would eliminate a lot of physicality with teams either pretending to be fouled and other teams pretending to make intentional fouls look unintentional

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2 shots and the ball like in college would be the same. Lots of flopping to draw an off ball foul, because it's so valuable in the penalty. If you're called for a hold while getting in defensive post position in the penalty, you may have cost your team 5 points. Way too much penalty for incidental contact, unless you can define precisely the difference between intentional/unintentional.
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I say just make your free throws.

[TSA_Denver3]

Keep it in the game and its good strategy when used in small doses. The league already somewhat protects bad free throw shooters in the last 2 minutes, it would be too much to do it anymore. Ill wait till next year and see if Andre Iguodala becomes the first guard in league history to get constantly hacked.

[Yuri Vaultin]

Practice free throws and then the problem is solved.

[Torres]

If you can make at least 50%, the other team will stop eventually.

Asik is 56%, Marc is 85%, Hibber is 74%, Tyson is 69%. To the Dwight's of the world, just learn to hit your damn free throws. We don't need a rule change for everything.

And if not, just get the guy who can't shoot fts off the floor. Simple.

[abark]

Anyone thats saying "well just learn to shoot free throws." Sure that would be great, but you know its not gonna happen. These guys do practice FT's, and as unbelievable and pathetic as it is, this is the result. The hack a Shaq is not going away just by yelling at bigs to shoot over 50%. There have always been those guys, but the Hack isnt really effective enough to keep them off the court until the closing minutes (where its outlawed anyway). Its either just a thing we'll have to watch and deal with or they will make rules to penalize it. I don't think there is another realistic option.

[Champ1on]

When a team goes over the limit the other team should have a choice of f/t or the ball. The Hack strategy can reward a team for their own fouling shortcomings.

That doesn't make sense. Players would hardly ever practice their free throws if that happens.

[bobbyc]

I don't understand the argument that Hack-a-shaq makes the game boring.

Whenever the tactic is used the crowd gets really into it. The pressure mounts on the player shooting fts and you can see whether he folds under the pressure or succeeds.

I find it makes the game more exciting for small portions of the game. I am always glued to my seat to see whether he hits his shots and whether the coach will keep implementing it.

People are really polarized on the issue though, you are either strongly for it or against it. Not much middle ground. It is definitely not a strategy that is natural in competition though.

[abark]

When a team goes over the limit the other team should have a choice of f/t or the ball. The Hack strategy can reward a team for their own fouling shortcomings.

That doesn't make sense. Players would hardly ever practice their free throws if that happens.

No, shooting a free throw would still be by far the most efficient shot to take for 98% of the league. The fact that a player would ever choose that option is the negative.

An anti-hack rule would impact a very small number of plays, that happen to impact the flow of the game disproportionately when compared to any actual effect that it has. Even terrible FT shooters would need to shoot a ton of hack-throws to average significantly below the league avg for points per possession. So it often can only become relevant by causing significant game delays.

It does seem comparable to the game delays before the the shot clock. Once its gone, no one will miss it, and they'll always wonder why we ever did it like that.

[ClintonDemocrat]

I hate when teams deliberately foul under a minute to play when they're behind. I mean it's unwatchable because it slows the game down.

I also hate all those timeouts in the last minutes of the game. Terrible viewing for me the fan.

So yes get rid of all 3 elements and we can possibly have a decent sport to watch.

How the hell can the league take it away NOW after they made everyone endure watching it happen to Shaq for 20 years AND other players after him... NOW?!!!!!!! they're gonna decide to change up?

[BayWarrior]

I get both sides of the argument and its a good topic. I agree players should just learn to shoot FT's better. But does anyone on here think Shaq didn't put time into it? He was one of the most dominant players in the history of the game, just couldn't hit his FT's. Instead of completely eliminating the Hack-a-Shaq, give each team 4 per game then allow the team to pick the shooter. It can still be a tactic used but won't end up eliminating players we as fans want to see play the game at crucial times.

[Flash Falcon X]

Hack-a-Shaq had been done to Bogut several times this Playoffs and as a Warriors fan I don't mind. It's completely fair to me. Very tactical.

[toodles23]

They're supposed to be easy points for the team shooting them. I have no remorse for players who can't convert easy points and continues to avoid working on them.

This. Don't change it just because a player is incompetent and doesn't have a fundamental basketball skill.

There must be thousands of 12 year old girls in the country who can shoot FTs better than the likes of Dwight or Bogut. If you're a grown man, making millions to play a game, you should be able to make an uncontested shot from 15 feet.

[Mamba Venom]

Any player should only be able to get fouled so many times a game to limit hack-a-Dwight/D-Jordan. Hack-a- is not the spirit of the game.

After 15 shooting fouls (30 free throws) the team gets 2 shots AND the ball.

Fans still have to deal with some of it. But not record breaking FT attempts. The Hack-a strategy has become to common. Hell to watch.

[abark]

Any player should only be able to get fouled so many times a game to limit hack-a-Dwight/D-Jordan. Hack-a- is not the spirit of the game.

After 15 shooting fouls (30 free throws) the team gets 2 shots AND the ball.

Fans still have to deal with some of it. But not record breaking FT attempts. The Hack-a strategy has become to common. Hell to watch.

The issue here is non-shooting bonus fouls, not shooting fouls. Simply add a penalty (such as getting to choose the shooter or technical FT, ect...) once an unusually high number of bonus trips is reached. You are basically getting a hacking allowance if you want, but at least there is some sort of limit.

[SacTownKings4Life]

Try this on for size.
If i know that a particular player has an inability to drive or finish with his left hand, should I be FINED for forcing him to his left, thereby decreasing his probability of scoring points and entertaining his fans?

Why do "scouting reports" exist, if not to discover weaknesses in the opposing team to exploit and increase one's chance of victory? Or should we degenerate the NBA into an elementary school level where "everybody is a winner"? Let's get real here. We're talking about highly paid grown men who can't shoot unguarded 15 footers.

[BruceO]

threads on this issue always come up and i've been on the players must learn to shoot/ defenses should give offense worst shot possible bandwagon.
i'd like to ammend it slightly. If a player has the ball definitely you should be allowed to hack and get him to the line. If he's off ball and you foul him opposing team should have one or two options where in both a foul is counted against fouling player. Option one go to the line with bad shooter for the two shots like usual or option two team can elect to keep the ball with new shot clock reset. So teams will have slightly more difficulty fouling, bad shooter will make offense play four on five cause of threat of line when he does have the ball. It'll be interesting to see what coaches elect on offball fouls, the dynamic will be different depending on if behind, tied or ahead. There won't be a scenario where teams perpetually foul each others bad shooter because one of the coaches will pull his out. It doesn't necessarily kill the entertainment. To me they're like penalties at the end of a soccer game with all the pressure.

[Winsome Gerbil]

Free throws are now a punishment for the offense...lol.

And here I spent two dense paragraphs mocking the same idea you manage to mock in a single sentence.

Just should never happen. Its really kind of like flopping, only in this case its the coaches who figured out an exploit to pervert the rules.

Basketball can and actually normally is played without any refs at all. Now I want you to picture in your mind what would happen in a pickup game if you just ran up and bearhugged a random guy on the other team who did not have the ball. But now we add refs, who are there to protect the OFFENSIVE team, and now all of a sudden its "strategy" to try to use them against offense.

[Quinarvy]

I agree, it needs to go.

To accomplish this, any player shooting under 75% on their Free Throws is not allowed to play in the fourth quarter.