Kevin Martin of the Oklahoma City Thunder became the third player to receive a warning for flopping under the NBA’s new policy, but his infraction was a little bit different than those who have been warned earlier this season.
While J.J. Barea and Donald Sloan received similar warnings for infractions that occurred on the defensive end of the floor, Martin’s warning came after he seemed to be the recipient of a foul on the offensive end, after releasing a shot from behind the three-point arc.
The play occurred with 10:16 remaining in the fourth quarter of the game between the Thunder and the Pistons on Nov. 12.
I’ve seen a lot of basketball from the time the first warnings were issued and the time Martin received this one, and I can tell you there have been far worse offenders than this. But the league is clearly trying to send a message, one that says in part that they’d like to eliminate players trying to get a favorable call from the officials by falling down intentionally after receiving minimal contact on a shot attempt.
This description fits Martin’s action here perfectly, so the warning, in the league’s eyes, was justified.