The Hack-A-Shaq is here to stay, for now

The hot-topic issue in the NBA right now is inserting a rule that would ban the “Hack-a-Shaq.”

The Hack-a- Shaq is when a team would intentionally foul a terrible free-throw shooter before the offensive team gets into their play set, in hopes of getting ahead in multiple ways during the course of the game; obviously this originates from fouling legendary big man Shaquille O’Neal excessively. 

The Hack-a- Shaq has been on prominent display and in the spotlight during the NBA Playoffs, where players such as the Mavs’ short-tenured Rajon Rondo, the Rockets’ Josh Smith and Dwight Howard, and all-time Hack-a-Shaq player, Los Angeles Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan. 

In a memorable Spurs-Clippers first round playoff series, the intentional fouls on DeAndre Jordan were the dark spot in those games. 

According to ESPN.com’s Kevin Pelton, Jordan was intentionally fouled 30 times in the Spurs series, which is almost as many times as the 2013 and 14 NBA Postseasons combined (32).

Fast forward to the present, weeks later and we have a Clippers–Rockets series where it is nearly unwatchable at times. In a game four win against the Rockets, Jordan was 10-28 in the first half, and went on to finish 14-34 throughout the whole game. That is a whole lot of free throws for a player who doesn’t create his own shot. 

Hack-a-Shaq destroys the flow of the game and also draws out the duration of it, which probably makes East-Coast hoop fans cry into the fetal position every night when intentional fouls ensue. 

At times, the Hack-a-Shaq technique backfires on the fouling team, which happened to the Spurs in their losses in Games 1 and 4.  In game four, they somehow lost their lead when they started to repeatedly foul Jordan. 

The repeated fouling then led to a Spurs team who couldn’t score on offense for most of that second half.

After all the fussing, discussing, and complaining about the intentional fouling tactic, it’s here to stay, for now. 

At the annual meeting of NBA general managers on Wednesday in Chicago, there reportedly was “no overwhelming consensus to change the rules to discourage teams from intentionally fouling poor free-throw shooters.” (Via CBSSports Ken Berger).

During that meeting, data was presented that showed the problem of Hack-a-Shaq is a very isolated one. According to that data, 76% of the intentional fouls this entire season have been committed against only five players, who were: The ones mentioned included; DeAndre Jordan, Josh Smith, Dwight Howard, with Joey Dorsey and Andre Drummond being the remaining two.

Also the data showed Jordan has accounted for around half of all intentional fouls this season.

It seems that league officials aren’t ready to impulsively pull the trigger on something that hasn’t been proven to be a huge problem recently, as well as in the past. 

With evidence as recent as the Clippers 128-95 Game 4 win against the Rockets (Jordan’s 34 attempts), sometimes the tactic can backfire. 

Another argument with a few coaches, is that why should a rule be placed for someone who can’t make free throws? It isn’t the other team’s fault they can’t make them. 

As of now, it seems like we will have to wait another season to see where the Hack-a- Shaq strategy goes and what the data will show. I suggest bringing a pillow to the couch if there’s a poor free throw shooter on your teams roster.