LeBron James does not believe he should be viewed as a flopper, but that doesn’t mean he is totally against the concept. On Monday, LeBron was asked about the art of flopping and Pacers coach Frank Vogel having accused the Heat in the past of perfecting it.
“Some guys have been doing it for years, just trying to get an advantage,” James said when discussing Tuesday night’s upcoming matchup, via ESPN.com. “Any way you can get an advantage over the opponent to help your team win, so be it.”
The NBA has started handing out warnings and fines for pathetic flops like this for a reason. The league has enough problems with poor officiating, let alone referees having to deal with players deceiving them and altering the outcome of a game. LeBron is not one of the league’s biggest floppers, but there have been clips in the past that show he is not opposed to doing a little acting.
Dwyane Wade agreed that flopping “happens” and is never going to be completely eliminated from the game, but that doesn’t mean Vogel has to like it.
“I think it’s well documented,” Vogel said. “I’m not for flopping.”
Before we go blasting LeBron for condoning cheating, let’s remember that most people have no problem with Tom Brady getting a call that he basically begs for. Whether Brady thinks the correct call was made or not, he’s trying to gain an advantage for his team. If he convinces an official to throw a flag that shouldn’t be thrown, I doubt No. 12 loses a wink of sleep. The same can be said of LeBron when his team gets away with a flop.
