Looking at NBA’s Hack-a-Shaq rule

Solomon Silver has ruled. The Hack-a-Shaq strategy that has spread throughout the NBA remains legal, but with fewer opportunities.

The intentional fouling of poor foul shooters, which reached its zenith with the Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan in recent years, is now against the rules in the final two minutes of every quarter. Which limits the proliferation of the maddening strategy but doesn’t eliminate it.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced the rule change, which was a compromise between two opposite sides.

Some are outraged at the practice, accurately saying it disrupts a free-flowing game. And sure enough, the constant fouling became absurd. In the Warrior-Thunder series, coaches Steve Kerr and Billy Donovan took turns intentionally fouling Festus Ezeli and Steven Adams, respectively. A rip-roaring series was temporarily turned into a foul-shooting contest. The entertainment value of the NBA was harmed.

But some are outraged that special rules are implemented for inferior players. Why should poor foul shooters get the benefit of special rules? Anthony Morrow can’t defend well. How about a special rule to help A-Mo? If DeAndre Jordan or Festus Ezeli can’t make a foul shot, that should be on them.

I generally fall on the side of the latter. Professional basketball players who can’t make 50 percent of their foul shots should get no relief.

The intentional foul practice is allowed in general because the NBA doesn’t want “unintentional intentional” fouls. Better to just grab DeAndre Jordan than to muscle him or hold him or instigate a foul that might incite retaliation. The NCAA implemented some kind of intentional-foul rule a couple of decades ago, and it resulted in mass anarchy. The NCAA was forced to rescind the rule in mid-season.

If teams want to foul, they’ll foul. Which brings us to now. The anarchy still can happen. In the last two minutes of quarters one through three, teams still can intentionally foul. They just have to be subversive about it. You can’t slow-dance with DeAndre Jordan. But you can hack him if he gets the ball. You can lock arms and not let him free. You can make the ref blow the whistle, and if he blows it against you, no problem. That’s what you want.

Before the last two minutes, you’ll still have the grab-a-guy foul. Which is perfectly fine. It’s a perfectly reasonable response to an opponent trotting out a 38-percent foul shooter.

Category: Basketball