Points of Emphasis

Two weeks ago the NBL released a “Points of Emphasis” (POE) article (http://www.nbl.com.au/fileadmin/user_upload/_temp_/2011_Points_of_Emphasis.pdf) about what the referees should be really focusing on to make the Australian game of basketball better.  They have concentrated on nine areas ranging from illegal screens to the dreaded flopping.  Hopefully this article will explain why these topics are so important that they needed emphasising.

Game Management

Let’s face it, fully timed basketball games go for a long time.  Not that there is anything wrong with watching a game for two hours but when there are unnecessary stoppages time does drag.  Luckily, the first POE is about making the game flow quicker and not having players or coaches berating the officials about a call.  The motto, “Short, sharp, to the point” explains what is needed when someone wants to converse with the umpire.  Yelling at an umpire about a call that they thought was wrong, coaches sometimes overstep this boundary and with this new POE document the umpires need to stamp their authority and stamp this kind of behaviour out of the game. 

Yelling and disrespecting the umpires is childish and should not be in the game.  PERIOD. 

I’m so glad that Al Westover is not coaching anymore because the way he used to yell and carry on like a three year old was embarrassing.  If you want to talk to an umpire then do it with respect and in a proper manner.  If not, then don’t get upset with the technical foul that was awarded against you.  Simple as that.  I was always taught that if you talk to the umpires properly then they will be more accommodating to your side whenever there is a 50/50 call.

On the other hand, players should not get into long winded discussions about plays that hold up the game.  If a player or coach wants to talk about a play make it “Short, sharp and to the point” or do it in a timeout where the umpires have more time to talk about the game.

Screening – Legal and Illegal

Thank you NBL!  I am sick of seeing terrible, moving screens being passed off as legal picks to the advantage of the offense.  A screener cannot set the screen and then push into the on ball defender because he is still moving.  The “backside” screen as the POE calls it should be picked up every time. 

There is a line in the POE that reads, “Players who use their backside to make contact with an opponent, while screening for a teammate, and that contact disadvantages the opponent and takes him/her out of the contest, will be penalised for an illegal screen.”  This gives defenders a great opportunity because if they see that the screener is using his backside while moving then just run into him and you should get the call.  Don’t run around the illegal screen, just run into the screener and get rewarded.  Don’t flop though as we will get to that point later on.

Block/Charge Call

This one is fairly similar to the usual call but the main thing (for me) is that “the defensive player may remain stationary, jump vertically, move laterally or backwards in order to maintain the initial legal guarding position.”  This extends to local basketball as well because when an umpire tells you that the reason the call was a block is that you were moving you can ask (not yell) if the movement was lateral or backwards. 

Hand/Body Checking

I believe that the NBL officials are doing a good job looking for hand checking but the main area that they should be focusing on is using the advantage/disadvantage principle.  If there is incidental contact with the hands that doesn’t disadvantage the dribbler then there should be no call.  On the other hand, if light contact is made by the defender with his hands and the dribbler is slowed or impeded then the call should be made with a dedicated “hand check” fouling motion.  This should give the defender the hint that if you hand check then prepare to get the foul, no matter how small the contact.

Travelling

One of the main areas of concern is all the travelling calls being missed.  Not just small travels, but completely obvious ones that everyone and their grandmother could see.  Before seeing this POE I believed that the league made the decision to turn a blind eye on some travel calls because it made the game more exciting because of the increased advantage of taking that extra step or dragging the pivot foot.  I don’t believe that I am alone in being extraordinarily happy that the league has decided to stamp out this terrible play and bring basketball back to being proper basketball.

Unsportsmanlike Fouls

The new(ish) rule is the ‘fast break’ foul which is when an offensive player has a one on none fast break with a defender behind them and deliberately fouls them it is classed as a ‘fast break foul’ which comes under an unsportsmanlike foul.  I don’t have any problems with this call as it deters defensive players from taking the easy way out.

What I am concerned about is the ‘excessive contact’ point which is very subjective.  What can be construed as a flagrant foul that was out to hurt the player to one person could just be a good hard foul to another.  Sure, it’s easy to call an unsportsmanlike foul when the defender doesn’t make a play on the ball but if it is a clash between two big guys then it becomes a grey area.  I just hope that the umpires use good judgement and common sense in working out if the play is deemed to be an unsportsmanlike foul.

Post Play

Fairly straight forward with arm-bars being allowed and no excessive physical contact permitted in the post.

Flopping

Anyone who knows me knows that I abhor flopping and could write a whole other post about why flopping is the bane of basketball everywhere.  Unfortunately some people disagree with me and call it a pivotal part of defence.  Steve Carfino called an Adam Gibson flop, “experience”.  No Steve, it’s not experience it is poor defence and hoping that the umpire will bail him out.  It exaggerates minor contact and hides poor defensive position.  I hate this look – 

It’s an “I was out of control and threw my hands up in the air so I should get the call” look.  Note the up-turned hands which scream “WHY wasn’t I given the call?” as well as the puppy dog eyes.  Number five for Utah is either celebrating good defence or putting his hands up in disbelief that Ginobili got the call.  Either way he is reacting to a flopping call.  It sickens me.

Anyway, I won’t get into my distaste for flopping but talk about what is outlined in the POE.  I’m worried that the league’s stance is that “a foul should be called rather than a no-call”, which in my opinion is going to make the problem worse because the benefit of the doubt goes to the flopper.  A rule of thumb is if in usual play a player could not knock over the defensive/offensive player then they definitely could not knock them into the front row.  Darren Ng should not be able to make Dillon Boucher fly ten feet with contact in normal play.  I am nearly certain that it is physically impossible, so why do they call a charge when Boucher groans like a zombie on a fresh brain and falls over like he has been shot?

The umpires should tell every player before the game that flopping will not be tolerated and all flops will punished by a technical foul.  No warnings after a flop just T’d up.  The NBL (and every other league in the world) needs to eradicate this practice and the only way to do that is to take a hard line and penalise offenders, every time.  Soccer is renowned as being a flopper’s sport and I would metaphorically turn over in my grave if that reputation was bestowed on basketball.  Guys, use your feet and get into good position.  The umpires will call a charge whether or not you made an idiot of yourself.

Consistency

I harp on about flopping but the single most important Point of Emphasis is consistency.  Players don’t care if certain calls don’t go their way they just care that the same call would be made to the opposition.  If you take only one point out of this article it is the line, “It’s not contact itself that is a foul but rather the effect of that contact insofar as it creates an unfair advantage/disadvantage as a result.”  If an offensive player is bumped but makes no difference then it is play on.  But if the offensive player is bumped and that illegal contact makes him lose momentum or the ball then a foul should be made.

Overall I am happy that the league has released this document but it is so much easier said than done and I for one will be keeping a close eye on the referees in the future to see if they adhere to it or it is all just a big pile of hot air.