The NBA is one of the most popular leagues, with many household names, and fantastic story lines, but it’s also a league with one major problem…
Raise your hand if your heart skips a beat each time Bucks MVP candidate, Giannis Antetokounmpo rises for a dunk or lay-up and you see a defender slide underneath him for a “defensive” play…
If you’re like me, yesterday was the cherry on top, and it’s time for Adam Silver and the NBA to get rid of the charge play for defenders.
Two of the games biggest stars, on the same day, just hours apart, both left a playoff game would not return after a defender, instead of, oh I don’t know playing defense, decided to undercut them as they were in mid air.
Both Ja Morant and Giannis left their games early and would not return due to a defender siding underneath them late to force a charge.
Morant would leave with a wrist injury, and Giannis with a back injury, both unsure of statues for their game twos.
It is the most dangerous play in all of basketball, and there really is no debate.
Outside of it being dangerous, the referees have ZERO idea how to call it consistently. Every game, the question is always debated – What is a charge? What is a block? No one has an idea, and at best, it’s a guess in real time.
Whether it’s a charge or block, once you stop incentivizing the play, the less injuries will occur.
What happened to just defending the player and the shot? There is nothing special about taking charges, in my opinion.
I’m not sure I’m breaking any news here, but, despite what Marcus Smart does night in and night out, it is possible to play defense without finding yourself on the floor each time.
During this past season, the Bucks top five ranked defense proved that – Finishing second in contested shots, while drawing the second fewest charges in the league.
If it was up to me, and clearly it’s not, I would just go back to letting guys play defense, and less worried about flopping like a fish.
Bottom line – The NBA before has made changes quickly following safety concerns, and this off-season, Adam Silver must really think about banning the charge, it is, without a doubt, the most dangerous play in the game today.
