Mark Cuban on NBA rule he’d change: "I’d get rid of the rip through"
Mark Cuban breaks down which rules he would remove from the NBA
© Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mark Cuban is an unapologetic and proud Dallas Mavericks owner. Cuban's controversial comments have resulted in fines amounting to more than $3 million from 2000 to 2020. You can say anything about him, but he truly cares for the players and his team. When asked what the changes he would make if he became the NBA commissioner for a few hours, he cited some controversial moves on the court.
"I'd get rid of the rip through"
Cuban made a guest appearance on Colin Cowherd's podcast The Volume and shared some interesting rule changes he would implement if he would become a commissioner temporarily. Mark first joked he would get rid of the referees, which was amusing given his criticisms of how the games were called in the past. But turning serious, he mentioned some basketball plays that need to go away.
"I'd get rid of the rip through. If I took that ball and hit any other part of your body, it's a foul on me, right? It makes no sense the defender has got just as much opportunity to put their hand out as long as it's not on your offensive player's body. If the offensive player can reach you with the ball, they're gonna rip through and it's a foul."
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By definition, a rip-through happens when an offensive player intentionally swings his arms into an aggressive defender and heaves the ball toward the basket in hopes of drawing a foul. We've seen this move frequently from players like Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Damian Lillard, Paul Pierce, and several others.
It's a legit basketball move that offensive players abuse to a point where the NBA needed to change the rules.
NBA rule change on rip through
The NBA changed its rules to lessen foul baiting among players. This season, fouls are no longer called when offensive players throw their bodies on the landing spot of defenders to create a contact and draw a whistle from the game officials. This move was effective in terms of lessening free throws, which slowed down the game's pace.
In the case of rip through, in 2011, the move was already outlawed, as announced by NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson.
"Certain types of contact involving the shooter were all being called in his favor. It doesn't look good for the game. There was a strong feeling that those types of plays were creating an ill-advised reward for the shooter, often with three free throws."
If the move was no longer allowed in the league, why are players still able to do it during games? We go back to the answer provided by Mark Cuban, which points out that the game officials need to do a better job in terms of consistency of calls. In the end, Cuban always says what he thinks is right even if it costs him fines.
