Mike Brown said something recently that a lot of NBA fans have been thinking for a while: there is simply too much foul baiting in the NBA. “SGA, he’s a tough cover, and he does a great job of convincing the referees – probably better than anybody in the league – that he’s getting hit” is Brown’s exact quote. And you know what, he’s right. But it goes much deeper than just SGA.
Just to get it out of the way, SGA is obviously an incredible player. This is not a blog attacking SGA. He’s an incredible scorer, crafty, smart, but also very good at getting the whistle. Even if the foul wasn’t really there. These examples are just scratching the surface:
Hop onto YouTube and you can find plenty more examples. But you know what, if I’m SGA and I’m getting all these calls, why would I stop? I’ll flail my head all over the place and dive on the floor all day if you’re going to keep blowing the whistle. Absolutely keep giving the opposing team fouls and keep sending me to the free throw line. This is an NBA problem, not an SGA problem. They need to stop rewarding the foul baiting. Players are literally just hunting whistles and it kills the momentum of this awesome sport. In fact I wrote about this exact issue earlier in my Why the NBA Isn’t Fun to Watch Anymore blog.
Coaches in the NBA complain about officiating all the time. That’s nothing new. Steve Kerr even called out the foul baiting issue directly before saying players “BS their way to the foul line” and that foul baiting made a game “disgusting to watch.” Brown’s comment is a little more surprising given he mentioned SGA by name, but I’m still happy these coaches are saying something. When NBA coaches start publicly calling this out, it becomes harder to ignore.
Foul baiting has been an issue in the NBA for years. That’s why it’s refreshing when coaches like Kerr and Brown call it out publicly. If the league wants the game to remain as exciting as it should be, it may be time to stop rewarding the whistle hunters.
Is foul baiting ruining the NBA, or are fans like me just overreacting?
Have a take on this? Leave a comment below.