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Smooth move, Draymond: NBA to make 'groin shots' point of emphasis for refs

Dan Devine
Senior NBA writer
Draymond Green, in the process of making folks start thinking about rule changes.
Draymond Green, in the process of making folks start thinking about rule changes.

The NBA took a firm stance on Thursday: referees are going to be super serious about and focused on players hitting one another in the genitals this season. And to think, all it took were a few dozen nard strikes, hits and swats during the highest-profile games of the season!

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Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press has the scoop from the referees’ preseason meetings and traning camp:

The hits to the groin — termed “unnatural acts” by the league — are a point of emphasis after a number of situations involving [Draymond] Green during the postseason. Golden State’s All-Star forward had a habit of flailing his arms or legs and a few times made contact with opponents in the groin area.

He was finally suspended after hitting Cleveland’s LeBron James during the finals and missed Game 5 because of an accumulation of flagrant foul points. Cleveland rallied to beat Golden State for the title in seven games.

Joe Borgia, the NBA senior vice president of replay and referee operations, said players are no longer just swinging their arms in attempt to draw a foul when taking a shot.

“Now all of a sudden legs are coming out in different directions at weird times, they’re coming higher,” he said. “Well, for the protection of the players, we’re going to stop it.”

Reached for comment, Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams said, “Oh, now you’re going to stop it? Seriously? Gee, thanks, guys. Appreciate it.” (OK, not really.)

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Now, the NBA’s Borgia wasn’t about to specifically identify which player’s actions prompted the renewed emphasis on what testicular trauma, but, well …

… at least we can see where his hands are, I guess. Draymond and nether-regions just stay in the news, man; it’s very wild that, after skyrocketing from second-round pick to one of the most valuable players in the NBA over the past two years, he presently seems in line to have a legacy more closely associated with what the great Ray Ratto calls, um, “the legacy bucket” than with championships or All-Defensive teams. As Walter Scott once wrote: What tangled webs we weave when first we practice to knock an opponent’s nasty bits.

Other points of emphasis for the season ahead, according to Mahoney:

• Traveling, which will surely come as welcome news not only to coaches displeased by players getting away with too many steps when they catch the ball on the perimeter, but also to the folks who send me 3,000-word emails about why I shouldn’t have posted that dunk highlight;

• Freedom of movement away from the ball, which Green’s teammate Stephen Curry and coach Steve Kerr probably would have appreciated seeing applied more liberally as the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player got banged around off the ball during the last two rounds of the postseason;

• Increased responsibility for the refs in the Replay Center in Secaucus, N.J., which may include a plan to have replay officials rather than the zebras on the floor make rulings on all reviewed plays save flagrant fouls and fights, an alteration that proponents believe could improve game flow. The league’s owners will vote on that proposal at a meeting in October.

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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!

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