Refs new "freedom of movement" rule bans defenders from grabbing off ball cutters like Curry and Klay!!!

[Luigi]

Defenders are basically screwed. Can't handcheck, so it's tough to keep a offensive player in front of them when they have the ball. How do you play defense against that? You make it hard for that player to get the ball, right? Well, by the sounds of this rule, it's going to be even harder to do that.

20 years from now, it is going to be illegal to touch any offensive player, regardless of context, and little kids will be talking about how Lebron James Jr. is the GOAT because he scores 40 ppg while averaging 15-17 FTA/game. I can't wait.

He'll hit 50 when they install the 4 point line.

[aemannarwal]

Holding or stopping someone just because they are quicker or smarter than you is not defense. You have to move your feet. Its a good thing if they want to implement this rule change but to make the game a little fairer to the defenders, zero step and running/shifting violations also have to be changed and implemented better.

[Hangtime84]

encourages more off ball movement

.
.
.
.

Spoiler:

Also phases out the big man even more

[Admiral-Kizaru]

Waa Waa Why can't my team have great offball players like Steph and Klay is all im hearing from this whining. Assaulting off ball players isn't defense. It's not skillful. Your defenders need to learn to defend off ball players by not grabbing them. In fact, how about they improve their cardio to be able to keep up with them?

[Antinomy]

Never understood why that was not enforced heavily before.

Because the officials allow the offense to grab & hold defenders when screening them.


If you can grab/hold a defender on a screen, the defender should be allowed similar physicality.
If you make the physicality illegal for the defender, it needs to be illegal for the screener.

If we have double standards, the NBA should just get their agenda over with and just have the defending team go to the bench on defense so they can have the 210-180 games they want.

The myopic vision of NBA fans is going to ruin the game. All they watch for is the 3 ball. That's going to wear off, and unless they introduce the 4 point line, fans will leave looking for a new high.

It’s this “beautiful game” bull that these talking head, analytic-crazed nerds keep pushing for.

Pretty soon they’re gonna have no-defense zones where guys aren’t allowed to be within 5 feet of.

[Antinomy]

Good god. It’s supposed to be a contact sport for christ’s sake.

Looks like we’ve taken the next step towards team’s having shootarounds to see who can score the most points in 48 minutes.

How many “positive” defensive rules have they implemented in the last 20 years?

Seems like the offenses are allowed to get away with more & more each year while defenses are getting their handcuffs tighter & tighter.

Allowing zone defence was possibly the biggest rule change of the last 20 years.

just sayin

Zone defense is & was very rarely ever played at all.

Most teams play a modified Man-to-Man where guys shade towards the strong-side to prevent penetration but that in turn has opened up this 3 ball festival that we see now once the ball gets back to the weak side.

[Antinomy]

Holding or stopping someone just because they are quicker or smarter than you is not defense. You have to move your feet. Its a good thing if they want to implement this rule change but to make the game a little fairer to the defenders, zero step and running/shifting violations also have to be changed and implemented better.

I’m so tired of people making comments like this. Basketball is a contact sport dude. Do you want them to remove touching period?

If someone is quicker than you but you’re stronger, why can’t you use your advantage the same way that he is trying to use his?

[Bergmaniac]

Chances are the refs will quietly "forget" about this new emphasis after a few weeks since it will make the games too much of free throw fests if it's strictly enforced and the league doesn't want that. Just like the "emphasis" on moving screens was quickly forgotten few years ago.

[xfactor]

Holding or stopping someone just because they are quicker or smarter than you is not defense. You have to move your feet. Its a good thing if they want to implement this rule change but to make the game a little fairer to the defenders, zero step and running/shifting violations also have to be changed and implemented better.

I’m so tired of people making comments like this. Basketball is a contact sport dude. Do you want them to remove touching period?

If someone is quicker than you but you’re stronger, why can’t you use your advantage the same way that he is trying to use his?

We're talking about grabbing, not touching. They have sports for that. It's called Football, or Wrestling. Maybe you've heard of them?



This ain't a football injury..

[clyde21]

Holding or stopping someone just because they are quicker or smarter than you is not defense. You have to move your feet. Its a good thing if they want to implement this rule change but to make the game a little fairer to the defenders, zero step and running/shifting violations also have to be changed and implemented better.

I’m so tired of people making comments like this. Basketball is a contact sport dude. Do you want them to remove touching period?

If someone is quicker than you but you’re stronger, why can’t you use your advantage the same way that he is trying to use his?

What the hell are you talking? Basketball is not a contact sport. Holding, tugging and mugging people off-ball just because you can't keep up with them isn't basketball. In any sense.

[mysticOscar]

I would be training my players how to flop properly to take advantage of this rule.

Ppl wonder why more flops happen more often today? Well because of rules like these in the past 20 years

[Jakay]

Good god. It’s supposed to be a contact sport for christ’s sake.

Looks like we’ve taken the next step towards team’s having shootarounds to see who can score the most points in 48 minutes.

How many “positive” defensive rules have they implemented in the last 20 years?

Seems like the offenses are allowed to get away with more & more each year while defenses are getting their handcuffs tighter & tighter.

Allowing zone defence was possibly the biggest rule change of the last 20 years.

just sayin

Zone defense is & was very rarely ever played at all.

Most teams play a modified Man-to-Man where guys shade towards the strong-side to prevent penetration but that in turn has opened up this 3 ball festival that we see now once the ball gets back to the weak side.

Well it's all a modified zone these days, but it's still a far cry from the illegal defence stick to your man lets clear out the post for some hot 1 on 1 back down days of yesteryear.

I really think that changed the game more than anything, so since the post can be crowded now, doubling can happen ahead of possession, all that stuff. It made the game more ball movement heavy with shooters being a premium.

[yoyoboy]

Waa Waa Why can't my team have great offball players like Steph and Klay is all im hearing from this whining. Assaulting off ball players isn't defense. It's not skillful. Your defenders need to learn to defend off ball players by not grabbing them. In fact, how about they improve their cardio to be able to keep up with them?

The issue arises from the fact that the constant moving screens from players like Draymond, Lee, Bogut, Zaza, etc, over the years is a big reason WHY they get grabbed. It's impossible to play defense when this is happening all throughout the game.

https://media.giphy.com/media/5htHzEVgzaO197zFr1/giphy.gif

Not to mention when Klay and Steph consistently do this before they run their route to get open.

Watch on YouTube

So yes, it's a little annoying that one rule is getting heavily enforced while the league turns a blind eye to the others.

[Admiral-Kizaru]

Waa Waa Why can't my team have great offball players like Steph and Klay is all im hearing from this whining. Assaulting off ball players isn't defense. It's not skillful. Your defenders need to learn to defend off ball players by not grabbing them. In fact, how about they improve their cardio to be able to keep up with them?

The issue arises from the fact that the constant moving screens from players like Draymond, Lee, Bogut, Zaza, etc, over the years is a big reason WHY they get grabbed. It's impossible to play defense when this is happening all throughout the game.

https://gfycat.com/AdorableEcstaticCrow

Not to mention when Klay and Steph consistently do this before they run their route to get open.

Watch on YouTube

So yes, it's a little annoying that one rule is getting heavily enforced while the league turns a blind eye to the others.

What? Heavily enforced? This rule was just implemented lol.... Again I have no problems with calling moving screens. You act like I can't find clips of Tristian Thompson holding people on screens during the finals when they get a switch on Curry. How about teams start defending instead of holding and they also call illegal screens. We'll see how the Warriors and the rest of the league fairs huh?

[Inevitable]

Jesus man, this league is going to ****

Basically impossible to play defense now

If they are going to call that, then they better start calling MOVING SCREENS

Silly guy, that would cut down on all the open threes!

[Clemenza]

League is finally gaining a little traction on the NFL but now with these rules they want to become just like it.. Way too many fouls called in these preseason games. SMH

[yoyoboy]

Waa Waa Why can't my team have great offball players like Steph and Klay is all im hearing from this whining. Assaulting off ball players isn't defense. It's not skillful. Your defenders need to learn to defend off ball players by not grabbing them. In fact, how about they improve their cardio to be able to keep up with them?

The issue arises from the fact that the constant moving screens from players like Draymond, Lee, Bogut, Zaza, etc, over the years is a big reason WHY they get grabbed. It's impossible to play defense when this is happening all throughout the game.

https://gfycat.com/AdorableEcstaticCrow

Not to mention when Klay and Steph consistently do this before they run their route to get open.

Watch on YouTube

So yes, it's a little annoying that one rule is getting heavily enforced while the league turns a blind eye to the others.

What? Heavily enforced? This rule was just implemented lol.... Again I have no problems with calling moving screens. You act like I can't find clips of Tristian Thompson holding people on screens during the finals when they get a switch on Curry. How about teams start defending instead of holding and they also call illegal screens. We'll see how the Warriors and the rest of the league fairs huh?

I would be perfectly happy with off ball contact and illegal screens both being called. Like I said the issue is that they all of a sudden decide they're going to crack down on off ball holding when illegal screens have become such an issue in essentially disallowing defense to be played. Not to mention smaller guys being allowed to get away with murder when switched onto bigger players posting up. Or guys like LeBron driving all game long and getting killed every time he does and yet only having an 81st percentile FTr, behind many guys like Curry, Ingram, Lou Will, Jeff Green, Lillard, MCW, Augustin, Gallinari, RHJ, Canaan.

And you bring up Tristan to say "oh you act like he doesn't do it, too" yet the same thing can be thrown back at you. The Warriors do their fair share of holding and grabbing off the ball. Klay, Iggy, and Dray do it a lot, and Curry is allowed to get away with so much grabbing when he gets switched onto bigger players.

Read on Twitter

I've seen teams maul Korver when he's trying to get open too much over the years to think this is some issue exclusive to Klay and Steph. But if you're going to tell me with a straight face that the poor Warriors are being treated unfairly by the officiating and it's good to see some justice for Klay and Steph finally...then yeah, we're going to call you guys out on it because we've witnessed way too many illegal screens and pushing from Warriors players over the year to think your team is some victim in need of pity and help.

[infintybeyond]

Holding or stopping someone just because they are quicker or smarter than you is not defense. You have to move your feet. Its a good thing if they want to implement this rule change but to make the game a little fairer to the defenders, zero step and running/shifting violations also have to be changed and implemented better.

I’m so tired of people making comments like this. Basketball is a contact sport dude. Do you want them to remove touching period?

If someone is quicker than you but you’re stronger, why can’t you use your advantage the same way that he is trying to use his?

What the hell are you talking? Basketball is not a contact sport. Holding, tugging and mugging people off-ball just because you can't keep up with them isn't basketball. In any sense.

Basketball is a contact sport. It's not as violent as football or hockey, but there has always been contact. It's always been a defensive tactic to grab and hold great off ball players to slow them down a little. You see it at every level from grade school to the pros. A little grabbing and holding is allowed. These guys aren't mugged. Go watch prime Shaq in the post to see a mugging. He was mugged plenty. The league just wants to give offensive players an even bigger advantage especially when coupled with illegal screens.

[clyde21]

I’m so tired of people making comments like this. Basketball is a contact sport dude. Do you want them to remove touching period?

If someone is quicker than you but you’re stronger, why can’t you use your advantage the same way that he is trying to use his?

What the hell are you talking? Basketball is not a contact sport. Holding, tugging and mugging people off-ball just because you can't keep up with them isn't basketball. In any sense.

Basketball is a contact sport. It's not as violent as football or hockey, but there has always been contact. It's always been a defensive tactic to grab and hold great off ball players to slow them down a little. You see it at every level from grade school to the pros. A little grabbing and holding is allowed. These guys aren't mugged. Go watch prime Shaq in the post to see a mugging. He was mugged plenty. The league just wants to give offensive players an even bigger advantage especially when coupled with illegal screens.

Even if you want to classify it as a 'contact sport' (as if that means anything, it's an ambiguous term more than anything), does it justify players mugging and pulling other players off-ball when they've been beat? That's not basketball, and to pretend otherwise is odd.

[Heej]

Lmao they'll call this but they won't call illegal screens. Classic