LA Clippers

Cuban wants to keep 'hack-a-player' rule; is he still upset about DJ?

Published Feb. 6, 2016 3:03 p.m. ET

foxsports

The "hack-a-player" strategy is one of the most controversial loopholes in the NBA, and despite Commissioner Adam Silver coming out earlier this week in favor of change, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban really wants to keep thing the way they are.

This is silly for many reasons—Silver is correct; the league needs to make changes—but here's why Cuban thinks everything is perfect as is (via ESPN):

Cuban disagrees with the notion that it is hurting the game's entertainment value and told ESPN.com on Saturday morning that he believes fans actually feel more part of the game in hack-a-player situations, citing the example of fans getting on their feet to challenge an opposing player at the free throw line. Cuban also said hacking adds an element of intrigue. "Will they leave him in or leave him out?" Cuban said. "How do both teams feel about it? How will they foul? Is it a new creative way, or is it just chasing?" The hack-a-player strategy has been on the rise around the league. As of Friday, according to tracking by ESPN Insider Kevin Pelton, there had been 266 hack-a-player instances this season, already far exceeding last season's total of 164. There were 52 instances through the All-Star break last season, and the NBA has surpassed that total by more than 200 ahead of next week's All-Star Weekend in Toronto.

Cuban's reasoning may or may not have to do with the fact that DeAndre Jordan—a career 41.9 percent free-throw shooter—spurned Dallas in free agency last summer. The Mavericks currently rank ninth out of 30 teams in free-throw accuracy.

Zoom out and look at the big picture, though. The bottom line is that no fan enjoys watching 25 free-throw attempts from a guy who can't make his free throws. It's boring, and mind-numbingly inane to keep a rule that disrupts the natural ebb and flow that makes basketball such a beautiful, exciting and spontaneous sport.

There's just about no chance Cuban would be feel this way if Andre Drummond or Jordan were a member of his team. Thankfully, he's only a man with an opinion.