According to Ken Burger of CBS Sports, NBA GMs are not in agreement about changing the rules to stop the hack-a-whoever.
The NBA general managers all got together at their annual meeting in Chicago and there was no strong consensus to go against the hack-a-shaq strategy. One executive commented, “There is not enough support to change it, it’s one of those perception is bigger than reality issues.”
All of the discussions of have just been “investigatory” right now. Data was presented at the meeting to show that 76% of the intentional fouls in the playoffs and regular season have been committed against five players. DeAndre Jordan, Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, Joey Dorsey, and Andre Drummond were the main five players that were victims of the hack-a-shaq strategy. DeAndre Jordan, the man who is hacked like it’s no one’s business, accounted for about half of all intentional fouls this season.
There will always be people on either side of the fence and some in the middle as well. People don’t like to watch the hack strategy, but it still is a smart thing to do when it comes to certain players. To be honest, the bottom line is that free throws are a part of the game, and at least one executive agrees.
“It’s part of the game,” one executive said. “You need to make your free throws.”
