We’re definitely not all going to agree with that, and I want to respect the other side of the argument here.
So if you’ve ever slapped the ground in unirony and pulled up your shorts thinking it would give you some extra defensive juice for possession, let us put the earmuffs on you just in case.
The accusation is stupid and has to go. Now put down your pitchforks and let me explain.
The indictment isn’t actually a basketball game. I know we’ve tricked ourselves through lore and grainy black and white clips that this is a real sacrifice when we’re trying to play defense. It really isn’t, especially not anymore. Not with today’s sportiness. The prosecution is a rescue call for the defense. It’s a three-card monte game where you encourage collisions like this is some kind of goal-line score in soccer. The alternative would be a better basketball product, but the league seems so determined about (or even considering) changing the rule that it’s willing to keep creating bad situations.
Two of the NBA’s biggest stars were injured Sunday as players attempted to press charges. Ja Morant struggled when Anthony Davis attempted to take over from Grizzlies-Lakers in Game 1. He injured his wrist and his status in the series is “at risk,” according to the Grizzlies point guard.
GO DEEPER
Yes Morant will try to be there for Grizzlies, but body language tells a different story
The other was Giannis Antetokounmpo in Game 1 of Bucks-Heat. The Greek freak drove onto the lane, Kevin Love slipped under him trying to take over an attack and there was an ugly fall that bruised Giannis’ lower back. He eventually exited Game 1 and completed it after playing just 11 minutes.
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Either way, you’ve got players trying to slide into position at the last second, hoping to trick the referee into thinking they were in legal protecting position the whole time to get the call. As Morant takes off, Davis is still sliding into position. I love that this is rewarded, but I can also tell that it’s a bang-bang game that could go either way on the call. In the case of Giannis, he is completely off the ground as Love slides into position, and his fall to the ground was so distorted that it landed squarely on his back.
yes it sucks Yes, collisions happen. Sure, maybe everyone’s soft now. No, they don’t make them like they used to. No, you cannot prevent injuries. But what you can do is stop promoting dangerous games where we try to make our way towards “defensive stops” instead of setting the game up for a better product on the floor.
GO DEEPER
For the NBA to ban the charge would be a radical mistake
I’m sure everyone here has questions and comments about this, so I’ll address as many as I can.
But attacking is the epitome of defense!
It really isn’t. I understand there are people out there in Marcus Smart and Kyle Lowry jerseys, but we reward people for lining up on a basketball court. It’s not allowed to slide under someone when it’s a jump shooter as they may land on the defender’s foot and injure themselves. Nowadays it’s actually a blatant foul. So what’s the point of allowing this to happen if someone’s on their way and throwing themselves up in the air?
So we’re just going to take away all offensive fouls?
Not at all! There should still be offensive fouls. Drop your shoulder into a player and knock them back? That’s a foul. Pull the trigger with your arm? That’s a foul. Offensive foul opportunities are still plentiful. Giannis and other physical players are already using enough of them without putting the charge into play.
A lot of these guys just drive in recklessly, hunt lazily and hope to be saved with a phone call!
To a certain extent I agree. I’d be in favor of the league correcting this by making sure their emphasis on punishing the flop from a few years ago is actually enforced. Remember when players used to receive warnings and fines for flopping? Why did that go away? Why didn’t anyone want to continue this? Have we solved the flopping or do we still allow such grifting? Remember when the league took away offensive players who jumped into defenders to draw fouls? Why isn’t that the case everywhere?
The same goes for foul hunting. It’s essentially a form of flopping and grifting that I’d like to see eradicated from the game. It just doesn’t feel like the spirit of basketball. He’s not taking any charges either.
Isn’t it hard enough to play defense? You just think it’s cool when players are allowed to drive recklessly and score points?
It is and absolutely not. I agree with you that the defense is already at an unreal disadvantage. Back in 2004–05, the league made changes to the game to increase scoring. You didn’t think the game was nearly as marketable with your overly physical game, and teams like the Detroit Pistons routinely challenged you to crack 70 points in a game. Hand control was gone. As the league became more lenient with zone defense (or the NBA version of it), manual review was deemed unnecessary.
The score skyrocketed in a short amount of time, and we finally got down to the positionless, pace-and-space basketball that we mostly see today. The NBA has also allowed illegal screens to be blindfolded, and we rarely see compliance with the call when an actual call is made. It has become almost impossible to play defense in this era. I don’t want to get rid of another defense tool. I’d love to see the league take some of that back, give the defense some help with what they’re allowed to do, and create a version of NBA basketball that hasn’t completely rendered scoring goals meaningless.
What do you mean points are meaningless?
If a player gets 40 points, do you even sit in your chair? Do you expect a player who hit 50 in a game to play the main story in esports that night (on non-NFL days, of course)? We had two players this year who hit 70 in one game and two days later people didn’t care. The Washington Wizards had the same offensive rating this season as the revolutionary seven-seconds-or-less Phoenix Suns did in 2004-05. Have you watched The Wizards this year and thought, “Wow! That reminds me of Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire!” at any point? Of course not.
You know how triple-doubles became an afterthought after Russell Westbrook did it for an entire season? The rating has developed in the same direction. It’s far too easy for the world’s most experienced players to score. The numbers just don’t resonate anymore unless they lead to wins and losses.
What rule changes would you suggest then to balance things out?
What a great question. I’m glad you asked. There are a few things I’d like to see, depending on whether the league is willing to take some or all of the fee call away.
1. Expand the restricted area (if we want to keep a semblance of the charge)
We’ve seen this added to the game when Stephon Marbury, Allen Iverson and Robert Pack were the majority of the little guys trying to all dunk in. Since then there has been an incredible development in sportiness. Everyone dips between their legs. Everyone looks like they’re on trial for being sorcerers if they were to enter a dunk contest in the early 80’s. The mutation of NBA athletics with the way players now train means we should probably reconsider the dimensions of the court and the dimensions of the court.
We’ve seen people suggest expanding the pitch based on the size, athleticism, and skill of today’s players. I am in favor. If we keep the charges, we’ll make sure the restricted area expands, too. We have people that sometimes take off on a foot or two from 8 to 10 feet away. The restricted area is then not really applicable. It might just need to come out another foot or so, but it looks like we’re asking everyone these days to go with a nerf hoop dimension.
2. Eliminate the weak side charge (if we keep a semblance of the charge)
Someone who sneaks up or rushes to slip under a player’s path while driving from the other side of the court is not a good product. Again, we don’t want to take physical contact out of the sport, but it’s not a ball game. We should encourage players to play with the ball, considering that the ball is in the name of the sport.
3. Stop calling the pass-and-crash
There is absolutely no excuse for allowing an attack (without a shoulder being lowered by the offensive player) when a player has already fired a shot (floater, runner, etc.) or kicked the ball away before touching the defender who tries to take an attack. The pass-and-crash turns this into a weird carnival game.
4. Allow hand verification
Whether it’s over a certain point on the floor or under a certain area on the floor, hand control should come back in some form. That doesn’t mean defenders can mistreat players, but we need to create a more competitive energy and environment on both sides of the field. There is a way to allow defenders to play defense without going back into the dark ages of final results.
5. Break up the verticality
If you want to encourage defenders to make real basketball games against driving offensive players, you need to give them more leeway in terms of verticality. That doesn’t mean they can easily hack players, but neither should they be expected to maintain perfect stance and arm position when absorbing contact.
6. Stop calling defenders for fouls when an offensive player unnaturally jumps into them
This was to be a focus for the league, and it was for a while. But we’re seeing more and more attacking players getting away with it. Just natural movements.
7. Bring back penalties on the flop and ensure offensive players have the same standard as defenders
We’ve touched on that before, but the flop in the NBA isn’t a good product. I would even include the swing through moves to concede fouls. Stop rewarding attempts at gripping and get people playing the actual game.
You know what? I understand your argument. I agree.
Thank you very much.
Ban the charge, create opportunities to help defenders without promoting car crashes on the ground, and enjoy when stars are in the playoffs.
(Photo by Giannis Antetokounmpo: Stacy Revere/Getty Images)