Kayte Christensen: Flopping & Fines In The NBA
Flopping has been so much a part of the NBA, it is now associated with a fine to try and deter players from engaging in overly dramatic displays to try and hood-wink referees.
It's kind of funny to me because, so far, suspensions in professional sports to prevent the use of performance enhancement drugs, recreational drugs, and generally any illegal behavior sure hasn't seemed to deter players from engaging in said behavior.
But I digress.
I saw this yesterday and had to share…
This is one of the most obvious flops I've ever witnessed. The hilarity of it all of course is that I have never witnessed a player flopping after contact with his own player.
Pau Gasol surely tried to sell that contact. Of course, the attempt to downplay the overreaction after realizing it was his own teammate may be more comical than the flop itself!
My question is…will the NBA assess the standard $5,000 fine to Mr. Gasol?
[Just and FYI: Here is how the fines for flopping breakdown. First offense is $5,000, followed by a $5,000 increase per flop. Once the 4th flop has been assessed, the fine increased to $30,000. Suspensions are taken into consideration after the 5th.]
I'm assuming no one asked Gregg Popovich about this incident. If they had, I'm pretty sure the internet would have broken!
