The Hack-A-Shaq. Named after Shaquille O’Neal who famously couldn’t drop two free throws in a row to save his life. The strategy to intentionally foul a player with terrible free throw shooting so they have a better chance to win a game is something that has become an issue for the NBA fan.
Nobody likes it, coaches don’t like it, yet they do it, but that’s besides the point. The question is, should the NBA make a rule on it? You’ll hear a lot of opinions on this throughout the coming months, today’s two cents came from general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers Neil Olshey.
“Aesthetically, we do have an issue,” said Olshey. “But I think it’s more isolated than people want to believe. This doesn’t go on all season… I think it’s a unique situation because you have two people who are vulnerable to this kind of strategy playing in the same series. I think look at Atlanta and Washington, we don’t see it. I think when you look at Memphis and Golden State, you don’t see it. So to throw the baby out with the bathwater because we happen to have to live through a matchup where this kind of strategy is being employed, I think is premature.”
Olshey then went on to say that Blake Griffin used to get intentional fouled all the time, but that he did what many say is the answer to the issue: he improved this free throw shooting.
Said Olshey: “To legislate against a player having issues with one specific skill, it’s a slippery slope.”
That mention of Griffin is very poignant. He changed his free throw motion and poof! No more intentional fouling. The problem with players like DeAndre Jordan, Dwight Howard and Andre Drummond is that they keep saying that they practise shooting, but they have never bothered to switch up their motion. Change your foot position, move back from the free throw line, do something different please!
