Intentionally fouling away from the ball is once again a controversial topic in the NBA. Coaches look for every edge they can get and the strategy is legal, at least for now. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the competition committee will have “full-throated conversations” about changing the rule when they meet in June, according to ESPN’s Tim McMahon.
Adam Silver ‘on the fence’ about intentional fouling rule change
Silver says the league will look at the matter but won’t rush to a rule change.
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Silver is “on the fence” on the issue, saying “my thought used to be that we should definitely change the rule, and then having sat through several general managers meetings, competition meetings and having heard from some of the game’s very best, the view is the players should hit their free throws. That’s changed my view a little bit.”
A change to the rules could involve giving free throws and possession to the team that gets fouled away from the ball. Other options include allowing the possibility to turn down free throws or the ability to choose who takes them. No solution would be perfect and Silver made it a point of saying the league is “very conservative when it comes to changing the rules of the game.”
The fact that it's not a widespread problem should be cause for caution before making any decisions. There are not a lot of rotation players who are bad enough free-throw shooters for the strategy to be worthwhile. The Spurs have used the tactic often on DeAndre Jordan to mixed results, but not many other teams have employed it consistently in the postseason. The Mavericks have intentionally fouled on occasion and the Pelicans tried it out on Andrew Bogut, but the list ends there.
The biggest reason for change has little to do with the integrity of the game. Intentional fouling really hurts the entertainment value of the NBA’s product. It makes games longer and, except for the occasional terrible miss that warrants a chuckle, more boring. Whether that’s enough to warrant a rule change or not will be decided in June, so at least for the next couple of months, the debate will continue to rage on every time a poor foul shooter is sent to the line.
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