May.8 at 11:10 am

Donn says:
this crap would stop if Shaq would make his free throws…

May.8 at 11:12 am

mamadou n'diaye says:
Great timing for the diesel. The finally review the rule when he’s running on fumes.

May.8 at 11:26 am

Eboy says:
Co-sign, mamadou.

May.8 at 11:27 am

Randy Brown says:
Some obligatory joke about rewarding made free-throws with hamburgers

May.8 at 11:43 am

RV says:
well then let shaq start a flop-a-shaq and then maybe the league can review THAT in a decade and flops will finally end!

May.8 at 11:50 am

Spaceship Jay says:
Shaq: Make your free throws after 1,000 @#$%’n years in the NBA. I’m a basketball player, I get killed in a particular aspect of my game, I work on it till it kills me all over again. Very simple. NBA: Stop being so @#$%’n cheesy, and win your games the honest way. Suns: Fire everyone, then re-hire as you see fit. They said they brought in Shaq so he could specifically deal with the Spurs as a defensive presence. LOL, WHAT!?!?!?!

May.8 at 11:53 am

Jake says:
The Hack-a-Shaq thing is crap. If you wanna foul him when he gets the ball fine, but just fouling him right away when he doesn’t even have the ball is lame.

May.8 at 11:55 am

Jake says:
And I don’t even like Shaq, I’m just saying.

May.8 at 12:42 pm

Mike says:
Eliminate free throws altogether.

May.8 at 12:47 pm

Captain America says:
The point is that this not only pertains to Shaq but most bigs with the rock around the rim. It’s time to eliminate the hack-a-shaq faux defense.

May.8 at 12:48 pm

Captain America says:
Of course, no one talks about the hack-a-Wilt Chamberlain.

May.8 at 12:50 pm

Captain America says:
For my $$$, I gotta see the bigs flush the rock.

May.8 at 1:48 pm

iLL wiLL says:
Where the deuce was this 5 such years ago? Snaq is washed up now, and the league finally decides to look into this matter. Great timing, Stern.

May.8 at 1:52 pm

ericmontross says:
I don’t get the argument against this. People say it’s not aesthetically pleasing, neither is Shaq’s game. Knock someone down and dunk, that’s about as fun to watch as a player going to the line because he can’t shoot. They wouldn’t foul him if he knocked down his free throws. Smart coaching.

May.8 at 1:56 pm

B. Long says:
Ditto Ill Will: This is about half a decade over due. Looks like there is hope for Dwight though.

May.8 at 2:52 pm

celtics=champs says:
the hack-a-shaq thing is crap.its not fun to watch.You don’t even get to watch the other team execute their offense.Its cheap and dirty. Hack-a-Shaq should be banned until the final minute where intentional fouls should be allowed in the final minute in close games.Hack-a-Shaq is cheap but Greg Poplovich proved it effective in Round 1 against the Phoeneix Suns.

May.8 at 3:32 pm

youngmuggsy says:
ericmontross: i’d say shaq has one of the most aesthetically pleasing playing styles and tv ratings from orlando, la, miami and pheonix during his tenure there will back me up on that.

May.8 at 5:56 pm

Jukai says:
This is just a terrible precedent to set. Think about it: A player has a flaw in his game, so the league changes the rules to help the player get around his flaw. Can’t post? Make posting illegal. Or double teaming in the post illegal. Can’t hit a three pointer? Make the three-point line shorter for forwards. The team clogging the lane so you can’t enter the paint? Make a keyword so the other team has to freeze for two seconds so you get a head start. It’s really a lame idea.

May.8 at 5:56 pm

Jukai says:
And no one is going to back you up on that youngmuggsy.

May.8 at 7:13 pm

tealish says:
What complete BS. If you’re in the NBA, I don’t care what position you play, you must be able to hit 60% of your FT’s and then this would be a non-issue. It’s nice if you’re an athletic freak (Desmond Mason), or if you’re built like a bull (Ben Wallace), or if you’re freaking huge (Shaq), but this is basketball - expect shooting deficiencies to be a factor.

May.8 at 8:04 pm

ericmontross says:
This is the basketball equivalent of the intentional walk. A homerun hitter can’t hurt you if you put them on first and Shaq is alot less dangerous on the foul line than he is in the paint. I have always hated Shaq’s game from a basketball purist standpoint. The reason most of the great centers dominated was because their skills were as great as their physical gifts. The reason Shaq was dominant was simply his size. If he wasn’t lazy in developing his game (free throws, lack of faceup or extended hook)he would have been the best center ever, he’s still top 5 but he’s near the bottom of that list.

May.8 at 8:42 pm

B_Easy24 says:
League to review hack-a-Shaq: sometimes I swear thing like makes me feel compeled to say that the league is rigged. Make your free throws Shaq!!!

May.8 at 11:41 pm

Dominic says:
First of all i agree that Shaqs game in his prime was beautiful to watch. Go watch his old games on the magic and the lakers and it was more than pure power. He had a quickness to him that no other center had. Also, it ruins the whole tempo of the game and is a cop out for teams that dont trust their D enough. If you want to put him on the line foul the hell out of him when he gets the ball, but fouling off the ball is lame. Shaq has worked on his free throws his whole career and it doesnt help. Try shooting free throws with tennis balls and you will understand why. His hands are too big for the ball and it makes it hard to hit shots from that distance. And by the way this isnt only for Shaq, teams are doing it to Ben Wallace, Brian Skinner, and anyone else that cant make free throws. Again lame rule that needs to be addressed

May.9 at 12:25 am

Dacre says:
Captain America says:
Of course, no one talks about the hack-a-Wilt Chamberlain.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Obviously…the man aint playing?
What I have a beef with is why do they look at these technicalities SO FAR DOWN THE TRACK? Flamin’ beaurocratic redtape crap.

May.9 at 12:27 am

Dacre says:
I can’t believe how much ‘official reviewing’ and winding back the clock on various decisions have gone on this year???? The whole season from LAST YEAR needs to be restarted from the Western Conference finals….

May.9 at 2:04 am

Kevin Wilson says:
You know what’s aesthetically pleasing to me? A player who closes out the opposing team at the free throw line. Maybe Shaq can place a phone call to Chauncey.

May.9 at 2:18 am

RedRum says:
what the… this league is getting sillier and sillier… It used to be that rules were changed to make it more difficult for stars (Wilt for example…), now they are changing the rules to make their lives easier??? so one player has a deficiency in his game. So what??? he needs to improve his game, not make a rule about it!!! so should we make it illegal to defend brent barry when shooting 3s, as he cannot do anything else? what about mis-matches. some players are shorter than others. we should make it illegal for a taller player to go against a smaller one. or if a player cannot go left, make it illegal to guard him on the right… see how silly this hack-a-shaq thing is??

May.9 at 2:38 am

tealish says:
RedRum: Isn’t there already a rule that states the defender isn’t allowed to force LeBron James to his left?

May.9 at 6:41 am

hursty says:
Kevin Wilson: then they can watch the pistons lose game 4 on the bench together.

May.9 at 10:09 am

Tom says:
I hear what everyone’s saying but hack a shaq technique is really being abused now. Popovich used it in nearly every quarter it seems like and then did it to chandler. Fact is that you have PLAYOFF games turning into free throw contests. If a team can’t beat the other team straight up then they should not advance. i’m all for any rules that allow both teams to actually play basketball.

May.9 at 12:48 pm

Kevin Wilson says:
tealish: That rule also stops people from forcing Manu to go right.

May.9 at 8:01 pm

warr says:
The nba gettin besides it self what next cant play defense on kobe on my bad they already change that rule u know Kobe has the most techs in the league let that would been rasheed

May.11 at 2:09 am

RedRum says:
no, what the rule is going to do is let bad free throw shooters stay bad free throw shooters. Teams can still foul as soon as the player touches the ball .What Pops did was actually quite clever. This is were luck of fundamentals comes. players that cannot make a free throw, centers that cannot make a simple hook shot, guards that cannot make a shot past the 10 foot distance etc..

May.11 at 11:32 am

Dacre says:
Call me old school but isn’t the ‘hack a shaq’ play basically an “intentional” foul dress up as lamb?? Why not make a 2nd intentional foul call an ejection? It is rather “UNSPORTSMAN LIKE….” after all.

May.11 at 2:19 pm

RedRum says:
Well, most fouls are intentional. what about when you stop a fast break with a foul. two of those and you are out? how is that different with the hack a shaq fouls? sorry, but the moment the league tries to cover players deficiencies with rules, then things are not right. there is no excuse apart from laziness for a player not to have a 70% in FTs. and if shaq is not the epitomy of lazy, I dont know who is… heck, my 11 year 5ft nephew can hit 75%