And One Technical Foul ...

[Altor]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I'm not going to ignore, but I'm not automatically going to the "nuclear option".

The fact that a technical foul is considered a "nuclear option" is part of the problem. We get hung up on warning them first. The first technical IS the warning.

And in the NBA, this should be even more of the norm. 1 FT and POI. Not even possible loss of a possession.

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by Altor

The fact that a technical foul is considered a "nuclear option" is part of the problem. We get hung up on warning them first. The first technical IS the warning.

And in the NBA, this should be even more of the norm. 1 FT and POI. Not even possible loss of a possession.

The NBA philosophy on technical fouls is the way it should be at the lower levels.

[ilyazhito]

Originally Posted by SC Official

The NBA philosophy on technical fouls is the way it should be at the lower levels.

Hear, hear. I personally use the Respect for the Game guidelines as a starting point in deciding when and how to penalize bad behavior. If it meets at least 2 of the 3 criteria (demonstrative, disrespectful, prolonged), I call the technical foul.

The video in the OP shows Harrell being demonstrative (yelling loudly, raising his hands in disbelief) and disrespectful to the ruling official by screaming "and one" (I.e. that was a foul, why don't I get a free throw?). By the Respect for the Game guidelines, that is a totally appropriate technical foul.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Altor

The first technical IS the warning.

Something like this must be taken in context. Volume. Tone. Direction. Frequency. Situation.

If I were to charge a technical foul for every, "And one" I heard from a player, coach, or bench personnel, this would be my assigner:

[Altor]

I don't disagree. But, to call a TF the "nuclear option" makes it sound like it's something that should only be done in extreme situations. A TF is a tool, one of many in our bag. It hardly blows up the game to call a TF when one is warranted.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Altor

But, to call a TF the "nuclear option" makes it sound like it's something that should only be done in extreme situations.

Regarding the specific situation of "And one", I do believe that technical fouls should only be used in extreme "And one" situations rather than the usual "And ones"s one usually hears being tossed around like penny candy, especially here in my little corner of Connecticut.

In many other situations technical fouls aren't a nuclear option, they are the only option, just one of the many tools we have in our gold tool belts.