The NBA will vote on ‘coach’s challenges and flopping. What impact will it have on the game?

In soccer it’s called ‘simulation’, but really it’s just diving. In basketball, they call it ‘flopping’, but really it’s just embarrassing. No matter how you cut it the point remains the same i.e., it’s a dishonest action that spoils the game. Then there are the coaches. It’s their right to challenge calls, but how should that be managed?

NBA to vote on flopping & coach’s challenges

According to recent reports, The NBA Board of Governors will vote on July 11th to approve changes related to flopping and coach’s challenges. Should they be approved, said changes will come into effect during the upcoming 2023-24 season. It is understood that the Board of Governors will vote to approve an in-game penalty for flopping, which could result in a technical foul free throw for the opposing team. Where the coach’s challenge is concerned, the proposed alteration would see a second coach’s challenge rewarded if the first one is successful. Needless to say, both changes would have a significant impact on the game going forward.

Understanding the coach’s challenge

You may recall that the coach’s challenge was introduced during the 2019-20 season, and subsequently trialed for one year. While there was some criticism - Doc Rivers didn’t like it at all - it was generally regarded as a success, and it most definitely added a level of drama that we hadn’t previously seen in the game. With that in mind, if you were to give a second challenge based on the first one being successful, you could essentially give one team an advantage over the other. If you think about it, this isn’t just the ability to overturn a call which in itself is major in a close game, it also concerns the strategy behind challenges if a coach is certain it will be accepted.

Flopping is faking

Nobody likes to see it and it’s about time something was done. The way in which the NBA intends to address the problem of flopping will have a serious effect on the game. From players dramatically throwing themselves to the ground in an effort to draw an offensive foul, to players doing the same while shooting in the hopes of drawing a defensive foul, it’s the same thing: Not cool. Apparently aware that it needs to stop, the league has now put forward the idea of awarding a technical free throw to the opposing team should a player be deemed to have flopped. As you can imagine, not only will it force players to be more honest, but it will improve the quality of the game itself. Ultimately, should the votes go in favor of implementation, it will be something to see how both players and coaches adapt to these new facets of the game.