Jeff Van Gundy on "Flopping"
 

I know a lot of you don't watch the NBA, but former NBA coach and now announcer for ESPN, Jeff Van Gundy, went on a nearly 3 minute tirade on "flops" in the NBA. Now this isn't something I've heard limited to the NBA...heard the same thing said all throughout the NCAA tournament...not just by announcers, but from fans...no matter what level of play. Thoughts?

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Correct call...illegal screen. Even if he flopped, he was still fouled.

Now, as far as true flopping goes (which for the purposes of this discussion, I'll consider acts to draw the foul in absence of a real foul) I'd like to see them establish a rule to make it a personal foul against the flopper if there is contact that would otherwise not be a foul....and keep it a T if there is no contact.

I agree on the illegal screen...the defender did embellish the amount of contact, but it still rose to the level of illegal contact IMO. Just because a player embellishes the amount of contact doesn't necessarily make the contact not illegal.

What levels of play would you like to see your rule suggestion for?

All levels. We usually know when the player flops. If we were to call a few as automatic fouls on the flopper when they exaggerate the contact when there wasn't enough for a foul, they'll stop flopping pretty quickly. Now, the same would even more quickly happen if we called the T as specified in the book but a lot more officials would be willing to call the personal foul a long time before they'd be willing to call a T.

First of all that was not a flop and I do not consider that to be really an illegal screen, even though technically it would be. It just seemed like they were going for a loose ball and then the NY player pushed off after to keep the defender away. If it was a flop at all, it really was not that pronounced, it was slight as he got moved off his stop by the forearm. Van Gundy is not the best person to listen to about officiating issues because he goes on and on often about things that are not big issues. You would have thought that someone was fighting and threw a punch and he is going on an on what every player in every sport does to try to get the benefit of calls.

Peace

The contact was small but I don't see that as a flop. I think flops are when there is zero contact or the player goes in a different direction the contact should take him. The judgement plays are where the player is stationary and takes a little contact like they were run over by a truck. When a player is on one leg or in a non stationary position it is easily possible to be knocked over with a little contact.
Either way... Illegal screen. Good call. Van Gundy is a minority, at least I think, in this issue.

Flop. You can see after the initial contact there's a tiny pause and then the defender throws himself backwards.

Also an offensive foul.

Maybe they need the NHL rule, where a player can be called for a hook/slash/hold/etc. but a player that embellishes can also simultaneously be called for "diving".

Last night
 

I worked a game, I'm going to guess 6th grade boys. I had never seen a game like this, one team had kids that were jacking around the whole game, throwing behind the back passes, off the glass, crazy jumpers, they were having fun with the game and I had no problem with how they were playing. We'll call this team B.

Team A was playing serious, they were obviously outgunned though and lost by a fair amount.

My point is, on one play, Team A player drives to the basket and comes about 5 feet from contact on a player B, who just throws himself to the ground as if there had been contact.

I must admit I did not call a T. And after the game I wish I would have. That one play kind of stuck out in my mind after the game. I didn't react because it was so unexpected.

I've found in my games a quick word normally takes care of it. "If you'd have stayed in position longer, he would have fouled you." I've gotten better at finding a moment to express it to the player.

I will say, if a player embellishes the contact (or starts to bail early), I'm a lot more likely to go with a no-call because it becomes harder to tell if the contact was illegal or not; and I'm giving the benefit to the offense in that case.

I've rarely had to even no-call this more than once in a game at the high school level. Once, I had a player repeat-offend after a no-call, so now I try to get a word in as quickly as possible.

The one time I called this, it was about this level, and I had already warned the kid and his coach. After the warning, he flew backwards when the dribbler got to about 5-6 feet away; complete with Monica Seles grunt.

I would have warned him in your game, or talked to his coach. If he only did it once, though, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I have a hard time taking anything Van Gundy says seriously - usually turn the channel if he is announcing a game. All because of the Heat/Knicks "fight" years ago when he was holding on to Alonzo Mourning's leg and getting drug around like a little grandchild. So his opinions are really worthless in terms of rules and officiating, imo.

As far as the call - I liked it. It was an illegal screen attempting to keep the defender away from the shooter. Was the contact severe enough to cause the defender to go to the floor? Don't think so...but that doesn't mean it's a bad call.

Flopping
 

Van Gundy, I believe, is right regarding flopping, but wrong on this particular example.

I am seeing way too many youth and junior high coaches teaching "the flop" as part of their defensive philosophy. They are encouraged and rewarded for acting, rather than fundamental basketball. Like others, I am reluctant to toss a T for this, going for the no call. However, next year, I think I will just make the minimal contact flop an automatic blocking call.

I would love to see penalizing the flop be a point of emphasis next year.

I cannot speak for what they are doing at the JH or youth level, but when they get to HS, that stuff often goes uncalled. I think the guys in the NBA are much more talented to get away with it if it is taking place. Even this play it is possible the defender embellished, but he was pushed. But then again it does not take much to push down a guy that is off balance either, which is why JVG really needs to shut up on this particular play. I would understand if the situation was so obvious that hardly any contact took place, but this was not the play.

Peace

Wow.

Really???

Regardless of LGP? Regardless of who initiated the contact? Just gonna go with a block as an automatic call if you deem there was minimal contact?

Good luck. Let us know how that goes for you.

I thought he said he minimal contact "flops" as a block.

I was told if you want the flops to stop, call it a block & if you get pushback from the coach... "Would you prefer the T, by rule?"