NBA Needs To Curb ‘Hack-A-Shaq’ Fouling Strategy

There is a problem with intentionally fouling bad free-throw shooters early in NBA games. The NBA’s commissioner’s office needs to end this notion because it’s hurting the game.

NBA teams have been using the “Hack-a-Shaq” strategy late in games to send bad free-throw shooters to the free-throw line for a decade. The phrase originates from when teams would foul Shaquille O’Neal to put him on the free throw line, since he shot 52.7 percent in his career. While that doesn’t seem so bad, it’s beginning to get to an all-time low.

It’s OK to foul bad free-throw shooters, but to do it before the four-minute mark in the fourth quarter (in a worst-case scenario) is when it gets out of hand. That’s exactly what teams are doing to Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond.

In a game against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, Drummond was fouled five times in nine seconds to open the second half. Rockets’ interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff previously used this strategy in the third quarter of a 116-105 loss to the Pistons to get his team back in the game from a 20-point deficit.

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In that game, Drummond was intentionally fouled four times in the third quarter alone and went 2-for-8 from the free-throw line. Fouling forced Pistons’ head coach Stan Van Gundy’s hand in sitting Drummond for the rest of the quarter and inserting Aron Baynes.

During the third quarter, the Rockets trailed by as many as 24 points and by the end of the quarter were only trailing by 11. Drummond was 4-for-18 from the free-throw line in that game.

Back to Wednesday’s contest, the Rockets fouled Drummond 11 times in the first 2:33 of the third quarter. Drummond was 5-of-16 from the free-throw line during that time and he was well on his way to a 13-for-36 performance from the free-throw line. Drummond set a NBA record of 23 missed free-throw attempts in a game.

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The biggest problem with this is that it makes some of the game’s biggest stars look like fools. Drummond isn’t the only player that has to deal with being intentionally fouled. Other stars such as the Rockets’ own Dwight Howard and Los Angeles Clippers‘ center DeAndre Jordan, among others, have experienced this.

Not only do they look like fools because of their poor free-throw shooting and occasional air balls, it provides an excuse for team’s not to play defense. That was apparent when Pistons played the Rockets twice this season. Houston fouled Drummond because they were bad defensively. In fact, the Rockets are fourth-worst in opponents points per game, allowing 105.7 points per game.

When fouling becomes an excuse to not play defense, that is when the “Hack-a-Shaq” method has gone too far. It’s no longer enjoyable for fans. While watching a professional basketball player completely miss the rim may be comical to some, it doesn’t the excessive fouling any less boring.

Taking a look at fans’ faces early in the third quarter of the Pistons-Rockets game said a lot about the method. It was apparent that many fans were bored and were not enjoying the game at that point. While the Rockets did come back to tie the game and take the lead during that two-minute stretch, fans were not treated with a fair experience.

Many fans pay high dollars to sit close to the court, and it’s not fair for any fan to sit there and watch players walking from one end to another to take free throws. It really subtracts from the entertainment value of the NBA, where fans want to see fast-paced games.

One of the NBA’s superstars was asked about the “Hack-a-Shaq” strategy, and his message was simple. Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant was asked on his take of fouling the Clippers’ Jordan.

“If you don’t want to get hacked then work on your f—ing free-throws,” Durant said, according to ESPN‘s Royce Young.

Washington Wizards head coach Randy Wittman agrees with Durant’s take.

“Hey, listen, it’s part of the game,” Wittman said, according to the Washington Post‘s Jorge Castillo. “I know it’s a debate and everybody on TV says to get rid of it. But, you know what, now you’re rewarding people for having faults. If you can’t shoot the three-point shot, are we not allowed to guard you anymore? Because you’re not a very good three-point shooter so now we can’t close out on you?

“You can bleed this down to everything so, you know what, someone said it the other day. Kevin Durant or somebody. Get in the gym and improve your free throws if you don’t want to get fouled.”

But what does NBA commissioner Adam Silver think about the fouling issue? He sees both sides of the issue, how boring it is to watch players clank free throws and that those same players need to hit their free throws. He addressed the issue on Martin Luther King Jr. day when he was in Detroit.

“You know, we hear from our fans,” Silver said, according to the Detroit Free Press‘ Vince Ellis. “We know it’s not the most attractive basketball to have guys out there shooting free throws for long periods of time during the game, so it’s something that we have to look at closely. I’m a bit on the fence personally.”

“It’s not as if people are tuning out. Having said that, I’m trying to balance the aesthetic of the game – ultimately, this is an entertainment product – with the fundamentals.”

While it may seem the NBA would be rewarding players for being poor free-throw shooters, there needs to be a rule in place to curb the intentional fouling. It has gotten to the point where some games are unwatchable, which does take the entertainment value away from the NBA.

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Nobody wants to watch players miss free throws or see the pace of the game slow down. The NBA’s pace of the game is what separates it from college and high school basketball. Fans have other avenues to watch hoops if the NBA doesn’t change the rules surrounding intentional fouls, especially when it’s not late in the game.