NESN

Doc Rivers Thinks Taking Flopping Calls Out of Officials’ Hands Is Good Move

WALTHAM, Mass. — As a member of the NBA's competition
committee, Doc Rivers presumably is still working on passing a rule that
stipulates the Celtics start every game with 10 free points. In the meantime,
he has helped address an issue that is of even more importance to the league at
large.

Players exaggerating contact in an attempt to draw fouls –
otherwise known as "flopping" — has become more prevalent in the
last 20 years. The activity has been a predominant issue in the playoffs in the
last few years, a time frame that not-so-coincidently coincides with some of
Manu Ginobili's best years with the San Antonio Spurs.

But I digress.

The NBA's competition committee proposed a rule that would retroactively penalize floppers, and league
spokesman Tim Frank said Thursday that the NBA was finalizing a procedure to
review games and institute fines from the league office. The process appears to
be similar to the current postgame review of all flagrant fouls, although it
differs in that officials on the court would not be responsible for calling
flops.

"It'll be interesting to see how it is
instituted," Rivers said Sunday at the Celtics practice facility. "One
of the things I thought we did a good job of was keeping it out of the
officials' hands. It's hard enough for them to call a block and a charge. We
don't need them calling flops as well. That's just too much, so you call it
later."

The exact amount each player would be fined, and how the
league would react if it were determined that a game-changing foul was actually
a flop, is unclear. Rivers, the competition committee and the league simply
hope that the threat of lost wages will be enough to prevent players from
trying to trick the officials.

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