In recent years, the NBA has evolved—or devolved, depending on how you look at it—and the Denver Nuggets have been left behind.
While nearly every NBA team has embraced “floppyball,” the Nuggets have continued playing basketball to the best of their abilities. They can't compete.
The San Antonio Spurs, winners of four of the last 13 NBA titles, have two of the league's best floppers in Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker who regularly put on their best acting routines for the world to see.
For the current champion Miami Heat, Chris Bosh is a superb flopper, as you can see in the video of him faking a Carlos Boozer elbow to the face.
The Lakers have had many floppers over the years, including the recently departed Derek Fisher. Although, with their super-star studded lineup, it's uncertain which will be their go-to foul-drawer. It's something they must figure out, now.
In Oklahoma City, it's James Harden. Kevin Martin and Louis Scola in Houston. In Utah, it's Raja Bell. The list goes on an on.
But starting this season, the NBA will try to put an end to the flopping that is making professional basketball look more like professional soccer, with fines and possible suspensions.
On Wednesday, the league announced a new policy in which players will be reviewed following games to determine whether or not they took a fall without truly being run over.
Players will be warned for their first offense, with fines of $5,000, $10,000, $15,000 and $30,000 coming for their second-fifth offenses. If the player continues to flop, they will be more heavily fined and possibly suspended starting with their sixth offense.
This is great news if you're a Nuggets fan, because even though they have the second-most international players of any team in the league, they refuse to flop on a consistent basis. Not to say the Nuggets never flop—they do—just far less than most every other team in the NBA today.
And really, it's good news for the NBA, which has become more and more of a joke in recent years.
First, there are referees that are so biased towards superstars it creates competitive imbalance. As does the late era of the “super-team.” Players are now not only demanding trades, but telling owners the one team they are willing to be traded for. The inmates are running is asylum. It's insane. Add into that this movement towards flopping and the NBA is simply hard to watch.
Of course, it's gotten so bad, many people have concocted conspiracy theories surrounding the league and Commissioner David Stern.
At least Stern got this right, and is acting now against flopping.
Only time will tell if it actually deters players from cheating.
