It’s the end of flopping as we know it, and do you feel fine?

The NBA Board of Governors approved some new in-game rules for the 2023-24 season and in doing so targeted flopping.

Pablo Torre and David Samson had some thoughts on Wednesday’s edition of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz.

Pablo points out that with the two rule changes seen in the tweet above involving flopping and coaches' challenges, the NBA is changing the physics of in-game decision-making.

David does think the challenge rule change is a big one because before everyone would question why a coach was using their challenge so early but now if you challenge and win you get another challenge. The big takeaway is to have good video people.

Going back to flopping, Pablo believes this has long been a letter of the law issue that had been exploited to the consternation of everybody, but it had become an “art form,” as he puts it. Marcus Smart, Trey Young, James Harden. These men have become stuntmen, Pablo says, and have a craft that has been wildly effective because they had not been a penalty. The NBA was flummoxed by the question of how do you keep up with people gaming the system?

David says the league office is always going to be playing from behind. David is enthralled by the literal definition of flopping, which states that you can be deemed to have flopped if your intent was to deceive the referee.

Pablo believes the new flop rule will encourage referees to be judges and juries. They’re going to assess whether a player’s fall/injury is actually something done with malice to deceive. This means, according to Pablo, that there will be a theater to it all, a pleading of authenticity, which David points out already exists in soccer (thanks, Ted Lasso!), but Pablo says it happens in all sports.

Jessica thinks referees make these judgments already anyways and doesn’t see the distinction. Pablo thinks the distinction will be the technical foul because now there are teeth, now you get penalized for the attempt at dishonesty. It’s an attempt to deter people from the calculation that they lose nothing from trying to lie.

Also, did you know that MLB umpires practice and plan their strike-out calls and it’s actually a part of their JOB EVALUATION?!?!?!?

Meanwhile, Stugotz has reached a peak level of Stugotz-ness in Lake Tahoe ...

Check out the breakdown of Wednesday’s show below.

SHOW BREAKDOWN

Local Hour: Human Texas Hold ‘Em

• Pablo Torre and David Samson discuss if the MLB All-Star Game is the best all-star game in sports. Samson mixes his overly huge bag of candy and explains how he layers it. Plus, reaction videos are Pablo’s new rabbit hole obsession and if you could pick two people on the planet to have their lives, who would they be?

The Big Suey: Pre-Canceled

• The NBA has installed new rules involving flopping and coach’s challenges. So naturally we talk about our favorite referee signals. Plus, would you shower before getting in a pool?

Hour 1: Don Van Natta Jr Bombshell Story On Dan Snyder + Domonique Foxworth

• Pablo and Samson are joined by Don Van Natta Jr to discuss his bombshell story on Gruden’s email leak and Dan Snyder’s blackmail powerpoint. Plus, the always sexy Domonique Foxworth talks Usher and coaches Samson in the content game.

Hour 2: Andrew Whitworth & The Inflatable Couch

• It’s Day 2 of Tahoe content and Stugotz kicks it off with his best George Clooney impression. Stu, Mike, and Jeremy discuss their newest version “Game For Your Life” for this week’s festivities and highlight other major storylines in Tahoe including a foot fondler on the loose and the napkins in the clubhouse. Then, Andrew Whitworth joins the crew on the inflatable couch to discuss the nerves of playing golf in front of a crowd, the real reason he didn’t return to the NFL this season, excelling in the media game, and more. Plus, Mike welcomes back the audience in a...unique...way, Stu tells us about a legendary conversation booking Aaron Rodgers for the show, and Jeremy shares how the show is putting him in an awkward spot with Kyle Lowry.

Postgame Show: Stugotz Made The Worst Mistake In The History of Talking

• Stugotz. Jake Owen. Aaron Rodgers. Monumental mistake. Collision course.

Watch more below!

VIDEO:

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