The One Move That Could Push the Celtics Past the Cavs

Since the Cleveland Cavaliers have been sitting pretty atop the Eastern Conference since the return of LeBron James, it has only been a question each year of who is going to take the East’s silver medal and face elimination in the conference finals. This is largely a testament to the skill and depth of the Cavs roster, paired with the majority of talent being pulled out West, making the East seem the significantly weaker conference.

This could however all change with one move that would send shockwaves across the league. Since passing on Paul George and Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline, it is reported that the Celtics are pursuing Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward. In waiting until free agency to make a move, Boston are not forced to give up any draft picks through trading, bolstering their future potential with high picks in the next two drafts.

Acquiring Gordon Hayward for nothing but salary cap seems a perfect move for the Celtics, whos wing spot is one that has needed improving for the past few years. This does however mean that current starting small forward Jae Crowder would have to make way for the signing. In a recent game against Utah in which Celtics fans cheered each time Hayward touched the ball, Crowder was quoted after the game saying: “I didn’t like that at all, it’s disrespectful of the fans.”

With the Jazz currently in the fourth seed in the West, it may be difficult to pry the All-Star forward away from the team that drafted him. Although, several factors may attract him to the historically big market team. The first of which being head coach Brad Stevens who has a history coaching Hayward, giving the two a good relationship. As Hayward has improved statistically across every category each year in the league, the 27-year-old is the type of player every coach wants on his team, so it would be unsurprising for Stevens to reach out to Hayward to lure him to Boston in the summer.

Another major pull for Hayward will be his vastly improved chances at playoff success. The Celtics currently sit just a half game back from the number one-seeded Cavs, meaning that his 21.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game could well push them over the top and buy him a ticket to the finals should he choose to move away from the stacked Western Conference.

It is impossible to tell what will happen this off-season as any GM in the league who can afford him will be hoping to coax him to their team. All we can do is wait.

Front Courts Beware

At last, the rumours surrounding the NBA’s car crash of a franchise, the Sacramento Kings, and their cornerstone centre of the past six and a half seasons DeMarcus Cousins have come to an end. The problematic big man, prone to emotional outbursts, as he leads the league in technical fouls at 16 this season, has frequently told the media that he “wants out” of Sacramento and it appears the New Orleans Pelicans heard his prayers loud and clear. A package of young shooting guard Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway along with a future first and second round pick was put together for the Pelicans and proved to be enough to acquire the league’s fourth leading scorer.

Despite the Kings front office insisting that they were not going to trade Cousins just weeks before this deal occurred, many see this as a step forward for both parties. The Pelicans side of things is the more obvious to see the positives from as they gain the league’s leading centre in points, assists, 3pt FG% and PER, providing some much-needed star power to a team which has found itself stuck in mediocrity since it drafted its franchise player in Anthony Davis back in 2012. The new acquisition also aids the Pelican’s use of Davis, as he is able to move to his preferred position of power forward, where he will no longer get stuck guarding players of much greater weight. The fact that both Davis and Cousins can shoot the three also provides a great deal of spacing, allowing the Pelicans to run five out on the perimeter or allow one of their bigs to work down in the post without too much congestion. The added bonus of the pair being ex-teamates on the USA national side can only help chemistry which should help with the integration of Cousins into the Pelicans system.

The major downside to this is that Cousins has outspokenly been quoted as saying he “doesn’t plan on sticking around” anywhere he is traded. Since his contract is due to expire at the end of the 2017/18 season, New Orleans do not have time to waste impressing their latest roster addition, as Cousins wants above all else to be on a winning team. Chemistry issues with both players and coaches have proven to be an issue with Boogie, meaning that this experimental move had best work out or Cousins could find himself out the door faster than he can get a pair of techs. The Pelicans do lose a substantial amount of depth as they give up several young pieces, making their backcourt ever weaker. However, with a starting front line pair averaging 55.5 points and 20.7 rebounds, these two towers could prove to be enough to give this team a real shot at making a lot of post-season noise. In a worst case scenario, with the salary cap increasing further this off-season, there is the potential to add even more talent to this very top-heavy roster, providing further reasons for Cousins to stick around.

On the flip side, Sacramento may well have made a savvy move by trimming the fat on their salary cap, freeing up room for any potential free agents upcoming at the end of this year such as Blake Griffin. Alternatively it leaves the option for the Kings to go into rebuild mode, hoping for high picks in the draft and to obtain fresh young talent to go alongside a young player with huge potential in Buddy Hield who will develop further with extra playing time.

This move looks to be scary for the rest of the league as it could create a real wildcard in the western conference playoff ppicture. A pairing of two big-men at this level of stardom is something we seldum see, not seen since the days of Tim Duncan and David Robinson in San Antonio and that seemed to work out pretty well when it came to winning a championship. Who knows where this duo could take the Pelicans in years to come? Nobody. But it’s going to be damn fun to watch.

Why Russell Westbrook Will Never Win MVP

The raging hurricane that runs up and down the basketball court for the Oklahoma City Thunder, is one we have all grown to love watching for his dazzling highlight plays and fiery demeanor on the court. This is great for those entertaining mixtapes scattered over the internet, thrown in with a few big number performances and he seems like a lock for MVP right? Wrong.

With the ‘West Beast’ averaging a triple double in the absence of Kevin Durant this year, people are quick to make the connection with the great Oscar Robertson, who averaged a triple double over an entire season with the Cincinnati Royals where he put up 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per contest. This seems to be a rather flattering comparison for Westbrook on the surface. What isn’t so flattering is where this comparisons continue  a little deeper. In the 61-62 NBA season where Robertson averaged these never before seen numbers, the Royals won a distinctly average 43 wins and were booted out in the first round of the playoffs by the Detroit Pistons. Similarly, this year, the Thunder are on track for 49 wins and with a stacked Western Conference, are any non-Thunder fans really expecting any kind of deep playoff run? As history proves, wins are as crucial to a players MVP chances as their stats, as despite Robertson managing this statistical feet, Bill Russell of the 60 win Boston Celtics walked away with the award.

Since this stream of triple doubles appears to be Westbrook’s main redeeming quality, there is a great amount of pressure for him to keep his numbers high, regularly causing him to make poor decisions to pad his stat line. Evidence of this can be found in that he is averaging a career high in turnovers per game at 5.3, tainting his impressive appearing 10.5 assists per game. A large proportion of this does come down to his exceedingly high usage rate at 42.2, making him the league leader which could be a reflection on him having ‘sticky hands’, not something that many coaches want in their point guard. Another drawback to Westbrook’s MVP campaign is his shooting percentage, one of the key statistics voters look at in relation to a player, especially one who takes a career high 23.8 field goal attempts per game. As his numbers remain disappointingly low for a player taking that make shots at 42% from the field and 32% from three, its easy to see how he has been dubbed ‘West Brick’ by many and this could put him at quite a disadvantage. His point totals are also a curiosity, as for all 9 games where Russ has scored 40+ points, the Thunder are 2-7, showing that his scoring may not be as healthy for the Thunder as it seems. He also teeters on the edge with his ‘trip-doub’ numbers, as he is just scraping 10.4 rebounds and 10.5 assists which naturally leads many fans to assume that these numbers may be on a steady decline as the season progresses with fatigue setting in.

In addition to all of this overwhelming evidence pointing towards the fact the MVP will remain elusive for Russ, there are also a huge wall of other superstars in his way on more successful teams such as LeBron, Harden, Durant and Kawhi. If Westbrook continues with his style of play and the Thunder front office continue to fail at putting enough talent around him to make them a legitimate title contender, the MVP may remain just out of reach for the NBA’s angriest point guard.

Is This the Year for the Clippers?

The Los Angeles Clippers have been teetering on the edge of success for the past 5 seasons since acquiring Chris Paul in December 2011 but have never made the next step to become a true title contender. They seem to be the afterthought of anyone who is considering teams that are is in real contention for the NBA championship, coming after a long list of Western Conference juggernauts along with whatever team LeBron James is on in the East, but, could the Clips luck be changing this year?

A lot of fun is poked at Chris Paul and his apparent inability to make it to the conference finals and have any major success. Despite this, he remains a dominant player even at his 31 years, always being one of the leading assist men in the league and with his basketball IQ, it is highly likely that this quality we have learnt to expect from him is not changing any time soon. In the first 11 games of the season he has come out meaning business, shooting over 47% from downtown and with a ridiculous PER of 33.6, showing that we should not forget to put him in the mix as best point guard in the league and that we need to stop drooling over Steph Curry and Russell Westbrook.

The Clips have managed to start the season 10-1, putting them on pace for a big year, out doing this years ‘super-team’, the Golden State Warriors – No Derrick Rose we do not mean the Knicks. Although it may be a little early in the season to give too much credit, the Clippers have taken down some of the tougher teams in the league including the Spurs, Thunder and Trailblazers, showing their current record does have merit.

Production from the other members of the Clipper’s ‘big 3’ has not fallen off either with Centre DeAndre Jordan doing what he does best – grabbing double-digit rebounds, blocking shots and bricking free throws, all with a huge grin on his face. Blake Griffin, by contrast seems to have a look of determined rage permanently fixed on his face, drawing fouls like they are going out of fashion and stuffing the stat sheet across the board. This could be his concerted effort to prove he is still a superstar in this league after coming off a serious quad injury last season and that he deserves to be a dark horse in this years MVP conversation. This may not be a far cry to image as, with the way the voting system favours successful teams, it would not be surprising to see a few votes go his way if the Clippers maintain this high standard of play.

Yet another major reason why the Clippers are experiencing so much success would be the moves made in the off-season such as signing some veteran leadership in Marreese Speights who is still showing sparks of his younger self as well as resigning key pieces such as 36-year-old Jamal Crawford (who still plays like a sprightly 18-year-old in a pickup game) along with defensive specialist Luc Mbah a Moute who is developing well with his points and blocks per game nearly doubling.

How long this glory will last for the ‘other team in LA’, no one knows, but they are certainly a team no one should forget to keep an eye on.

Is LeBron Getting Better or Declining With Age?

The main question that surrounds ‘King James’ as he ages is; how much longer can he keep his throne? With rival superstars such as Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant putting in their claims for being the leagues best, both of whom are significantly younger than James who turns 32 in December, is it possible for him to keep his title as the best player in basketball for much longer?

Every player moves through an arc in their career, the rise during their early years, their prime in their late twenties and from then on a steady decrease in performance. However LeBron, being the transcendent player of a generation that he is, did not appear to get the memo, as at age 31 in these last NBA finals he put up monster numbers showing everyone that he is the ultimate difference maker in any game.

At first glance it may appear as though his performance is declining as, since his return to Cleveland, his scoring is at a career low since his rookie season averaging 25.3 points per game, along with a drop off in his field goal % since his ‘prime years’ in Miami. However this slight fall in his statistics is likely due to his minutes per game moving down to a career low at 35.6 per game. Despite this he is still just as efficient as his younger self, averaging the exact same points per 36 minutes (25.5) as his MVP season in 2012/13. This decrease in minutes could be argued as, not being a sign of LeBron’s inability to play 48 minutes a night but his choice as he has been quoted as saying “I want to look after my body and when the big moments come, I’ll be on the court”. This simply shows his desire to continue playing at the highest level and chase “the ghost that played in Chicago”.

James’ athleticism still remains at an elite level, greatly displayed by his iconic chase down block on Andre Iguodala towards the end of game seven in the 2016 finals. Although, even when his explosiveness does start to fade, that is no guarantee of him becoming any less effective. He still retains a unique passing ability with his incredible court vision and his basketball IQ is only going to increase with age. If he is able to rediscover his shooting touch from his time in Miami at 41.1 percent from mid-range and 36.9 percent from downtown, he will not need to rely on getting to the hoop quite as much, enabling James to retain his elite level of play for years to come.

Will LeBron James be able to stay at the top of the NBA pile until he’s 40, who knows? But one thing is for sure. If you told him he couldn’t do it, he would do everything humanly possible to prove you wrong.

Durant to The Warriors – Are They Unstoppable?

The speculation surrounding this year’s most sought after free agent is finally over as Kevin Durant signs a two-year $54.3 million contract with a player option in the second year with the Golden State Warriors.

Shockwaves have been sent all around the NBA as the team that was just minutes away from winning their second straight NBA title has been blown up with small forward Harrison Barnes being sent to the Dallas Mavericks on a four-year $94 million deal along with centre Andrew Bogut being traded to the Mavs for allegedly nothing in return as his $11 million dollar contract needed to be dumped by the Warriors in order to make the cap space to sign Durant.

The decision made by ‘The Slim Reaper’ as he is often called, has clearly been done in order to contend for a title as soon as possible, yet this has not stopped livid Oklahoma City Thunder fans from burning Durant’s jersey in a way that resembles that of LeBron’s departure to Miami. This move by Durant is seen by some as cowardly, as Stephen A. Smith described it as “the weakest move ever by a superstar”, as it indicates Durant has giving up on the team that drafted him as he opts to move to the very team which defeated the Thunder in this year’s Western Conference Finals. In contrast, this decision to move may be seen as justified by some neutral parties as Durant, who is currently 27 years old, has given his heart into carrying the Thunder as far as possible which appeared to peak at a single finals appearance in 2012. As the 6’11” small forward is fully in his prime, some may see this move as an intelligent one as by moving his talents to the bay area he arguably gives himself the strongest chance at winning a championship, solidifying his legacy which to a great number of stars is extremely important. His departure was not done with bad manor however, as he writes in his player’s tribune ‘My Next Chapter’ that it “pains” him to know that he will “disappoint so many people”.

The issues this new addition may present to the Warriors may be more difficult than many would imagine, despite many rival players and coaches cowering in fear at the thought of this new Golden State line-up. The first of these is where the shots for Durant are going to come from. With a scoring point guard in Steph Curry and fellow ‘Splash Brother’ Klay Thompson combining to take 37.5 shots per game it raises the question of how Durant will fit in. He will need a far more significant role than that of a Kevin Love spot up shooter and will often need the ball in his hands to ensure he is content with his role in the team and make him more likely to stay with the Warriors in the long-term.

Team chemistry is another issue that the Warriors could face, coming off a historic 73-9 record for the regular season, is it possible for them to shatter their own record? It is highly possible with the superstar talent Durant brings but his presence could equally decrease the fluidity of the Golden State offence and cause their production to fall off. It also has to be taken into consideration that some depth has been lost as the Warriors do lose two of their starters in Bogut and Barnes along with relinquishing their free agent in back-up centre in Festus Ezili. This naturally takes away from one of the most productive benches in the league which averaged 51 points per game last season and was key in their historic regular season.

On the flip side, the Warriors now look to be a force to be reckoned with, as new teammate Draymond Green described the signing as “one of the biggest moves in history”. The famous line-up of death consisting of Steph, Klay, Barnes, Green and Andre Iguodala used by Steve Kerr last year which scored 142 points per 100 possessions now appears to have become even more ‘deathly’ as Harrison Barnes – who underperformed greatly in this year’s NBA finals – has been replaced by a seven-time All-Star and a former MVP who averaged 28.2 points per game last season. With Durant’s versatility and length, who knows what is possible for this revamped roster.

This signing has truly rocked the boat of the NBA and we may be witnessing the forming of one of the greatest teams of all time, only time will tell.

New York Knicks Back In Title Contention?

For a place commonly referred to as ‘the Mecca of basketball’, New York has found itself hanging around the bottom of the NBA pile for a number of years. The issue for the Knicks has been getting stuck in mediocrity, not quite falling far enough to obtain any high draft picks in order to start a true rebuild of the franchise, nor being at the standard to make a run in the post-season.

The Knicks had been completely out of public thought after they missed the playoffs once again this season, however, through the magic of Phil Jackson’s persuasion, along with the big market appeal that New York brings, some major pieces have been added to put them right back in the mix of a weaker Eastern Conference.

The point guard position has proven to be problematic for the Knicks, with Jose Calderon running the floor for the last two seasons and only managing a poor 4.2 assists per game in 28 minutes, they were in desperate need of an upgrade if there was to be any hope of winning before Carmelo Anthony’s championship window closes. Enter former MVP Derrick Rose. Coming off his best season since his MVP year in 2011, he is a great upgrade for a relatively low trade cost as the Knicks only give up centre Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon and young point guard Jerian Grant to receive back Rose, Justin Holiday and a 2017 second round pick. Rose’s contract size at $21.3 million is a large cost for the front office to burden, especially when you take into consideration his health issues which he has suffered with both his knees and ankles. Although, his contract does expire at the end of next season, meaning that should he be unable to stay healthy, the Knicks are not invested in him for the long-term. On the flip side, should Rose manage to recapture some of his MVP form in a new environment without the controversy surrounding him and his ex-teammate Jimmy Butler, the Knicks front office will look like a group of geniuses.

In the absence of shooting guard Arron Afflalo, who opted out of his deal with the Knicks to sign with the Sacramento Kings on a two-year $25 million deal, Phil Jackson was able to acquire the services of Courtney Lee, wrapping him up in a four-year, $50 million contract. His ever underappreciated skills on the defensive end and ability to stretch the floor will fit seamlessly in with the Knicks offensive structure and allow room for driving lanes for both Anthony and Rose. After appearing in 79 games of last season, the 30-year-old veteran proved he has the durability to last all year which is something the Knicks could really use, making him a great addition to a team on the rise.

The final major addition made around both Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis is the 2014 defensive player of the year Joakim Noah. He does appear to be another gamble as Noah, like Rose, has been plagued with injuries for the last few seasons. However, Noah is reported to have fully recovered from his shoulder injury which he suffered last season and is said to be “excited” to return to the place where he grew up, New York. His $18 million per year contract over four seasons may seem a little steep for a player on the wrong side of 30 with health issues but with the increase in the salary cap this year, the figure is not astronomical. He will also provide a great locker room presence and much-needed tough interior defence along with his superb rim protection as Porzingis continues to develop and fill out into a more NBA ready body. Should Noah’s decline in performance occur a little earlier than expected, he will still be able to provide a burst of energy off the bench when he approaches his mid-thirties yet he will always play how he has done for his entire career; with intensity and with the roar of Madison Square Garden cheering him on, you can only imagine the kind of play that will evoke in the emotionally driven big man.

The Knicks may have taken some gambles this year but should they pay off, we can expect a deep run in the 2017 playoffs.

Should The NBA Shorten The Regular Season?

1 season. 82 games. 3936 minutes. That’s a lot of basketball and it puts a lot of miles on NBA athlete’s legs, which raises the question; should the number of games in the NBA regular season be reduced?

The majority of the year would feel incomplete without it’s nightly doses of poster dunks and ankle breakers, yet, whether you’re a fan at home or in court side seats, you want to see the best athletes in the world perform at the highest level. This, sadly, is made impossible by players taking nights off when they have back to back games or just feel that they need the rest. This has subsequently led to becoming part of standard coaching practice with coaches such as Gregg Popovich regularly giving his players the night off to ensure they aren’t burnt out by the time the playoffs arrive. This of course makes the game far less entertaining if for instants you’re tuning into a Cavaliers game and LeBron is taking the night off, the game becomes a pretty disappointing affair.

This long season clearly takes it’s toll on their bodies too, as proven by this year’s athletes dropping out of team USA’s Olympic squad like flies due to tiredness such as LeBron, Harden and Westbrook to name just a few. This is to be expected, as on top of the regular season they must play in preseason and often playoff games as well, naturally tiring out many of the league’s best talent, much to the disappointment of many basketball fans in Rio this year. The lengthy regular season also causes many to consider the possible injuries caused with the continuous strain these athletes go under. Who knows, if the regular season was shorter, maybe Derick Rose is still an MVP level player with an ACL that works and is not finding himself being traded for a few role players.

Many players agree with this view such as the Mavericks Dirk Nowitzki who recently said  “I don’t think you need 82 games to determine the best eight teams”, he then later on went to say he understands that it’s “all about money” as every missed game is lost revenue to the league in ticket sales and television broadcasting rights. Not that a few million dollars less would make a dent in the size of most NBA franchise’s budgets.

The quality of the game also has to be considered. When a team comes into an arena at the end of a long road trip and gets blown out, no one is surprised as every player looks absolutely gassed. Kobe has voiced his own opinions saying that the season should be shortened to give the fans a “better product” as more well rested players would be able to give a greater spectacle and likely give us closer, more exciting games.

Whether any measures will be made to shorten the season in some way is in question, but, if it gives us a better quality of basketball, perhaps it’s worth sacrificing a few games a year.

Top Breakout Stars of The Playoffs

Now we all know about the big time stars of this year’s post season but with free agency looming ever closer and a sudden increase in the salary cap, which players are managing to prove themselves on the biggest stage in basketball and increase their chances of landing a huge deal this off-season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder nearly managed to take down the Golden State Warriors in a drama filled 7 game series and some say the most key factor to the Thunder’s success is the play of their big man Steven Adams. His stats may not jump off the page, averaging only 8 points, just under 7 boards and a block per game but this post season he has stepped it up to another level, with increased stats across the board in points, shooting percentage and rebounds. However, all of these numbers do not represent the true impact he has on his team. His ability to set hard screens, be an absolute terror on the offensive glass and rattle his opponents mentally are the attributes which make him so valuable to the Thunder and is likely the reason why they are on track to get to the NBA finals. He is receiving high praise for his play also, with Warriors coach Steve Kerr calling him “the best young big man in the game”. Let us also not forget that he is doing all of this while playing through injuries to his hand, ankle and back, displaying a great amount of toughness and making people around the league wonder just how good this guy can be once he is fully healthy.

The Raptors are making their presence felt the playoffs and despite going down 2-0 in their series against Cleveland, they fought back to win their next 2 games at home showing they will not go down without a fight and this was largely down to the play of Bismack Biyombo. By having a 26 rebound game in the Eastern Conference Finals, people are bound to start noticing you. Throw in the fact he is also averaging 2 blocks in this series as well, all after not getting a huge amount of playing time this season due to coming off the bench behind Jonas Valanciunas (who is now on limited minutes coming off the bench for the raptors after a right ankle sprain), makes his play all the more impressive. This has been a breakout post season for Biyombo regardless of whether the Raptors win or not and will likely lead to a huge pay-day in the not too distant future.

It may seem peculiar to be calling him a break out star as he is a 3 time NBA champion and 12 time All-Star, but Dwyane Wade was doing things this post season that no one really saw coming. He came out all guns blazing against the Hornets to come back and win the Heat’s first series from 2-3 down by hitting clutch shot after clutch shot. Both his points per game and shooting percentage increased moving into post season with the odd highlight dunk thrown in their as a crowd pleaser, showing fans that despite being 34, he can still get up! After expressing his desire to stay with the team that drafted him for the remainder of his career, the Heat may have to fork out a bit more than they may have first expected this off-season to resign Wade as he has shown that he most definitely still has it.

A phenomenal acquisition this year by Cavaliers this year was that of Channing Frye. The 6’9” forward who coach Tyronn Lue can push the centre spot to stretch the flaw in a small ball line up has worked better than anyone could have foreseen. In the series again Toronto so far he has been on fire, shooting 57% from three. That is absolutely insane for a bench player that seemed to just come straight out of nowhere. Factor in his near 10 points and 4 rebounds per game as well and he is proving himself to be an incredibly solid player off the bench and making general managers all over the league keep an eye on him for when he comes available on the free agency market.

The Playoffs are a great time for stars to shine but any NBA player has the potential to go out onto the court and light it up to push their team that step closer towards a championship.

 

 

The Truth About Hack-A-Player Rules

A loophole in the rules which almost every coach in the NBA seems to be trying to exploit is the Hack-A-Player strategy. This allows players to intentionally foul each other outside of the last 2 minutes when they are over the foul limit which forces the ‘hacked’ player to shoot free-throws. Victims of this strategy contain all the usual suspects such as DeAndre Jordan, Dwight Howard and Andre Drummond. However, by taking a closer look, it seems to be getting out of hand. This past season there have been over 350 Hack-A-Player incidents which is over double that of last year and it’s occurring to more and more players such as Clint Capela, Rajon Rondo and Tristan Thompson in an attempt to disrupt the other team’s offence. Despite many coaches thinking, if we look at the facts, is it really the best tactic to adopt?

Most players who get hacked often shoot the ball at around 50% from the stripe, (it’s got to go in sometimes the amount of time they get to practice flinging the ball at the hoop) but with most teams offences averaging less than 1 point per possession anyway, surely that makes this strategy harmful to a team if these hacked players a often making 1 out of 2 as that is more points than they would be getting from their team offence anyway.

As much as this method may be criticized, it could be having an unintentionally positive effect on some players. A prime example of this would be in Hassan Whiteside. When the big man entered the league in 2010, he was shooting a dismal 41.7% from the line but was only averaging 0.7 attempts per game. However, due to his increased role with the Heat, his attempts and percentage has increased significantly, likely due to him being forced to take more foul shots after being hacked by opposing teams. This constant intentional fouling seems to have had a positive effect on Hassan as this past season he shot the ball at a respectable 65%, making him not worth hacking.

A main reason the fans hate this strategy is because of the way it slows the game down, stopping the clock and making the millions of viewers watch the ugly forms of the worst shooters in the league. Whether it’s a clank off the back rim or hitting nothing but net (not in the good way), fans don’t want to see this brutal exhibition. Despite this, some players disagree with this view, with LeBron James being quoted as saying “it’s just part of the game” and the man who started this trend of hacking, Shaquille O’Neal saying he felt it showed “respect” as he saw it as that the other team “can’t play me”.

Another aspect of this strategy which some coaches may not be taking into account would be the fact that they are allowing the opposing team valuable rest and a chance to set their defense, making transition points almost impossible, again harming their own offence. All of these factors just add more reason to outlaw this loophole and make the game an exhibition of overall talent, not who can shoot the ball at a higher percentage from one particular spot.