I have heard some stupid suggestions for rule changes in my time, but this one might just take the cake.
According to Fanhouse, Former NBA coach (maybe for a good reason) and current broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy said that he is sick of having to see players sit early in NBA games, and would like to see the NBA get rid of the fouling out rule.
“I’ve been against fouling out, the rule. I don’t like the idea. If you say the NBA won’t change to a “no-foul-out” rule, well, let’s at least give them an extra foul. Because no one came here to watch who’s in foul trouble. They’d like to see the Lakers’ best, the Celtics’ best, and … I think it’s one of the problems with basketball in general.”
Until today, I have never had an issue with Jeff Van Gundy. I actually heard a rumor last week that he could be on the list for coaches that could replace Mike Brown in Cleveland, and for a split second I thought it might not be a bad idea. But this comment is just ridiculous.
Hey Jeff, last time I checked the NBA did give players an additional foul more than College and High School. And to be perfectly honest, most of the time when I watch the NBA I almost feel they let more fouls go than they should already. The addition of extra fouls would not only make defenders play even lazier, but it would also take away the advantage of having a deep bench.
But wait, Van Gundy gives brilliant reasoning as to why he thinks they should change the rule.
“In football they don’t say three holding calls and you’re out, in baseball they don’t say two errors and you’re out. I just think it’s bizarre that we would want our best players to be sitting out.”
(Scratching my head)
In football if you are an offensive lineman and you have 3 holding fouls, you better f**king believe you are coming out. That’s 30 yards you just cost your team! And in baseball..HA!…If you commit 2 errors, then yes, you should probably come out because you suck!! And besides, if they are the best players then they wouldn’t be committing errors or holding penalties anyway.
I am trying to figure out his point but I am really struggling. Defense is an extremely important part of basketball, so why would he want the game to turn into a sloppier version of street ball than it already is?
I understand he is saying that fans want to see the best players play, but if you have to foul all the time, then you probably aren’t that great of a player. The last thing I want to see is 10 Rasheed Wallace’s playing against each other.
So even though Jeff Van Gundy might act like he knows what he is talking about when he is broadcasting games, a couple more comments like this and he might be joining John Madden and Bill Walton in broadcasting crazy town.
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Why is this such a bad idea? A bad call by a ref shouldn’t force a team’s best player to come out of the game.
the games would take about 8 hours if there were unlimited fouls. shaq would get foulded everytime he touched the ball. van gundy needs to think about things before he opens his stupid mouth on the air.
This is not a dumb rule change suggestion. Can the guy that wrote the article please tell us all what other major sports you can foul out of and completely change the outcome of a game. Nothing, and people want that changed because officiating is horrible. IE: Kobe getting a foul called in the fourth where no one even touched him. Now, had the person committing the foul, fouled out, that would be stupid. 20 yrs ago it would have been a stupid suggestion, now its almost necessary because of the obscene amount of no touch fouls called. I mean, have you watched any game at all the last 5 yrs?
2 errors/game and you’re out in baseball…Washington Nationals, please report to the commissioner’s office.
I agree that his idea is ridiculous. Although I would support his return to the NBA. I think another foul should be added though, especially since touch fouls are being called more than ever.
david stern needs to crack down on the officals and let the players play more. 6 fouls is plenty, you dont see college coaches and players bitching they only get 5 fouls. unlimited/more fouls is a rediculous idea, it’s part of the game. even if they add another foul it will not solve the problem of the touch fouls.
[...] have to agree with atom on Jockpost.com: this argument is retarded. Essentially, Van Gundy and the rest make the case that other sports [...]
I realize this is an old article but the reason games wouldn’t go on forever is because of the foul limit per team. Teams don’t want to send the other team to the line when they reach in. Fouls wouldn’t see a huge increase but it would lead to an increased effort on all ends of the court thus bringing a more intense game