NBA Owners Implement New Rules To Combat Hack-a-Shaq Strategy

NBA owners have decided they are sick of watching DeAndre Jordan shoot free throws.

The league announced Wednesday that there will be rule changes implemented for the 2016-2017 season, aimed at reducing the effect of the hack-a-Shaq strategy that has become so common.

Previously, the NBA restricted teams from committing “away from the play” fouls by levying a penalty akin to a technical foul.

NBA Owners Implement New Rules To combat Hack-a-Shaq Strategy

Last season, if a player was fouled away from the ball in the final two minutes of either half the team that was fouled would receive a free throw and retain possession.

Now, Commisioner Adam Silver and the NBA owners have agreed to take it a step further.

A press release from the league helps to clarify the rule changes decided Tuesday in Las Vegas:

1. “The current rule for away-from-the-play fouls applicable to the last two minutes of the fourth period (and last two minutes of any overtime) – pursuant to which the fouled team is awarded one free throw and retains possession of the ball – will be extended to the last two minutes of each period.”
2. “For inbounds situations, a defensive foul at any point during the game that occurs before the ball is released by the inbounder (including a “legitimate” or “natural” basketball action such as a defender fighting through a screen) will be administered in the same fashion as an away-from-the-play foul committed during the last two minutes of any period (i.e., one free throw and possession of the ball).”
3. “The flagrant foul rules will be used to protect against any dangerous or excessively hard deliberate fouls.  In particular, it will presumptively be considered a flagrant foul if a player jumps on an opponent’s back to commit a deliberate foul.  Previously, these type of fouls were subject to being called flagrant but were not automatic.”

Silver, whom used to be hesitant to alter the rules for fouls to combat teams from employing the hack-a-Shaq against poor free throw shooters, signaled a departure from his past reservations.

“I’ve said it before, for example, when Hack-a-Shaq (is) done something like more than roughly ten times a game, it adds about 15 minutes to the length of the game,” Silver said at his NBA Finals news conference. “Not only is that something that is bad for our network partners, but for all of the fan research we have shows that the fans hate it. So there may be a compromise in there where we can cut it down significantly. It still remains an advantage for those teams that don’t have one of those players or, said differently, a disadvantage to those teams.”

Silver has earned a reputation as a fiscally responsible-first commissioner since taking over for the retired David Stern two and a half years ago. The new commish made a splash a couple months ago when he signed off on NBA teams using corporate logos on its game uniforms in order to increase revenues.

Silver was also quick to remind reporters that the league and its owners were not willing to go so far as to outright outlaw the hack-a-Shaq, despite a push from some owners to do just that.

The commissioner said that hack-a-Shaq incidents had multiplied 16 times over the last five years.

But, and maybe begrudgingly, the hack-a-Shaq is here to stay… For now.

“I’m also being a realist in terms of how much we can get through,” Silver said.