The NBA may have finally decided it is going to do something about flopping, but how effective it will be remains to be seen. According to an Associated Press report from Thursday, league spokesman Tim Frank said procedures to deal with flopping are being finalized. In all likelihood, flopping will result in a fine this upcoming season.
It is unknown how heavy the fines for acting jobs could be. The proposed plan for dealing with flops would be similar to the way the league reviews flagrant fouls after the game to determine if they need to be upgraded or downgraded. If there is a play in question where it looks like a player intentionally deceived an official, the league will review the play after the game to determine if the player should be fined.
As we mentioned before when David Stern ripped players for flopping during the playoffs, a fine might not be that effective. If the foul is called at a crucial point in the game and a player successfully deceives the ref, the damage is already done. If you think any type of fine the league might levy would stop someone like LeBron James from flopping to get a call to help his team win in the playoffs, think again. Some of these guys make well over $20 million a year when you factor in endorsements. Whatever fine Stern decides to hand out probably won’t be enough, but at least it’s a start.
