If Doc Rivers were playing basketball, his views on flopping fines might be a bit different. Rivers said he used to be one of the best floppers back in the day, calling himself the best in the world, adding, "It’s almost natural; when you get hit, you want to sell it."
That seems to be the attitude of his point guard, Chris Paul. CP3 earned the reputation of a flopper last season, drawing several whistles for flopping, but he's been perfecting his craft for years.
Last season, when he was elected to head of the NBA Players Association, reports surfaced that he wanted to get rid of flopping fines he thought were unfair to players and subjectively handed out.
But after CP3 picked up his first warning of the 2013/14 season, Rivers didn't share the opinion of his star player.
“I think the NBA is doing it the right way, honestly,” Rivers said. “It’s not like they’re sending letters every day. If it’s something egregious, they’ll do it. But I think it’s much to do about nothing in the long run, because I don’t think we’ve over-done it. I was worried about that when we first put it in, but I think the NBA’s done a really good job with it.”
It's natural for a player to get caught up in the inconsistencies of new rules they feel unfairly targeted by, and CP3's desire to abolish flopping fines makes sense from his stand-point. But in a way, the response Rivers gave was exactly why CP3 wanted to work with him in the first place. Rivers acknowledges flopping's part of the game, understands the desire to mitigate it, and supports the NBA's path while admitting hesitance. In other words, calm down, focus, and keep the big picture in mind.
