Oklahoma City Thunder: Thunder players pleased with NBA's new 'flopper' rule

          “Good,” said Thunder guard James Harden, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year and one of the better penetrators in the league. “Guys can't be flopping and getting away with it anymore. It was bound to happen at some point and obviously the league got fed up with it and put it in, so I'm happy they did it.”

According to a statement released by the NBA on Wednesday: “Flopping will be defined as any physical act that appears to have been intended to cause the referees to call a foul on another player. The primary factor in determining whether a player committed a flop is whether his physical reaction to contact with another player is inconsistent with what would reasonably be expected given the force or direction of the contact.

“Physical acts that constitute legitimate basketball plays (such as moving to a spot in order to draw an offensive foul) and minor physical reactions to contact will not be treated as flops.”

Thunder reserve forward Nick Collison consistently ranks among the league leaders in taking offensive charges, but he is not considered a flopper. Collison draws fouls with his superb positioning rather than by exaggerating contact.

“We'll see how it plays out,” Collison said of the new rule. “I'm not really sure how it's going to work. I think it's something the league feels like they need to do something about, but they're not sure exactly the best way to do it. I guess until I hear what the system is going to be and what exactly is going to define a flop, I don't really know exactly what to say about it. ... So I'm definitely interested, curious to see how they regulate it.”

Any player who is determined to have flopped during the regular season will be subject to the following:

Violation 1: Warning

Violation 2: $5,000 fine

Violation 3: $10,000 fine

Violation 4: $15,000 fine

Violation 5: $30,000 fine

If a player violates the anti-flopping rule six times or more, he will be subject to discipline, including an increased fine and/or suspension.