The greatest floppers in NBA history

doublebogey · Jun 7, 2007

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=neumann/070607

The greatest floppers in NBA history
By Thomas Neumann
Page 2
(Archive | Contact)
Updated: June 7, 2007, 2:33 PM ET

It's not a stretch to say that these are the glory days of flopping in the NBA.

The tactic was a heated topic of debate in many playoff series this season, including Spurs-Suns, Spurs-Jazz, Cavaliers-Pistons, Pistons-Bulls and Bulls-Heat.

Even 325-pound Shaquille O'Neal took a couple tumbles after collisions with far lighter players this postseason.

"We're all floppers," Bulls forward P.J. Brown said last month. "We're all out there flopping. Some of us are better actors than others."

"Flopping is an art," former All-Star Dominique Wilkins told Page 2's Patrick Hruby last year. "You have to go home and practice it in the mirror. I don't fault guys for it. Especially against great big guys. It's a smart move. For an older veteran, it can be the only advantage you have."

Beginning Thursday night, two of the game's pre-eminent divers -- San Antonio's Manu Ginobili and Cleveland's Anderson Varejao -- will showcase their skills on the game's grandest stage as the NBA Finals tip off. Just for the occasion, Page 2 decided to rank the game's greatest flop artists:

1. Bill Laimbeer
A cornerstone of the famed "Bad Boys" championship teams in Detroit, Laimbeer was vilified around the league for his aggressive play, head games and the trademark "Laimbeer flop." He was the most hated player in the league during his heyday. Legendary Celtics broadcaster Johnny Most dubbed him, simply, "The Flopper."

A sampling of memorable Laimbeer moments:

• Accused by Chris Webber on Nov. 28, 1993 of flopping on a rebound attempt 70 seconds into the game, then sticking his leg out and causing Webber to sprain his ankle and leave the game -- the only scoreless regular-season appearance of Webber's career.

• The Mavericks reportedly once used clips of Laimbeer flops as an instructional tool.

• Accused by Portland's Kevin Duckworth of flopping throughout the 1990 NBA Finals.

• His flopping performances in nearly every playoff matchup against Robert Parish and the Celtics in the mid-to-late 1980s are legendary.

During the 1989 Eastern Conference finals against Chicago, Laimbeer somewhat acknowledged his use of flopping but said he had moved on.

"You can't pin that on me now," Laimbeer told the Washington Post. "You don't hear about me flopping. Now I'm just a dirty player. What happened was, instead of me falling back and trying to draw the foul, I just started hitting people. It's not malicious or dirty, it's just that now there's a collision instead of me falling."

2. Vlade Divac
Divac was the forefather of the European flop movement, a man ahead of his time. He entered the NBA in 1989 as a horrible defender, and his Lakers teammates -- most notably Magic Johnson -- demanded improvement. "Most of the time, I flopped because I wasn't strong enough to stand up against everybody who was so physical," Divac told the Orange County Register in 1995, referring to his early NBA career.

The Lakers benefited from Divac's flops through the 1995-96 season, after which he was traded to the Hornets for the rights to Kobe Bryant. But they soon found the tables turned when Divac joined the Sacramento Kings in 1998. Who could forget the images of Divac's body flying to and fro in a flopping fiesta in the 2002 Western Conference finals? "I don't know what is flopping," Divac said in a 2002 ESPN.com article by Marc Stein. "I think Derek Fisher does a better job of that than I do. It's taking a charge. It's for the refs to decide. … I'm going to play like I've been playing my whole career."

3. John Stockton
He's severely underrated in the flopping department, perhaps due to his choirboy appearance and playing late games for so many years in a small market. But anyone who watched more than a little Western Conference hoops in the 1990s knows the flop was a staple in Stockton's bag of tricks.

"He's one of the great floppers in the league," longtime NBA analyst Steve Jones told the Salt Lake Tribune in 2001. "He knows how to get into a guy's head."

Even Divac tried to defer to Stockton in the art of the flop: "John's the best," Divac told a Sacramento radio station in 2003. "They told me I'm the Oscar winner for flopping, but hey, everything goes to John!"

Interesting how Stockton didn't seem to get nearly as many calls in his favor, though, when the Bulls came calling in the 1997 and '98 Finals.

4. Reggie Miller
Miller is unquestionably the greatest offensive flopper in NBA history, and also the most vocal member of this list.

He spent almost as much time lobbying the officials as he did feigning victimization. Miller perfected the art of drawing contact in midair -- sometimes with an extra little kick at the end of a jumper -- and often found his way to the floor despite barely being grazed.

Said former NBA guard Rex Chapman during a 2004 TNT telecast: "Reggie is, without a doubt, now that John Stockton has retired, the best flopper in the game."

5. Dennis Rodman
A supporting cog to Laimbeer in the annoyance department for two NBA champions in Detroit, Rodman went on to win three more rings with the Bulls -- thanks in part to the skills he learned from Laimbeer. But Rodman didn't think of himself as a flopper during his days in Detroit.

"Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn are the Bad Boys, and it seems like I get lumped in there, too, because I do all these antics that people get teed off about," Rodman told the Washington Post in 1989. "I bet if I were on another team, people wouldn't do that to me or feel that way about me."

Rodman eventually mastered Laimbeer's head games and the art of calling timeout while falling out of bounds with the ball. He also developed into quite an actor … and we're not talking about "Double Team." By the time he played for the ABA's Tijuana Dragons in 2005, however, his skills had diminished slightly.

6. Manu Ginobili
The fifth-year Spurs guard has long been accused of flopping, but the criticism intensified exponentially during this season's playoff run. The list of people who have recently accused Ginobili of flopping includes Ray Allen, Cuttino Mobley, George Karl and Tony Kornheiser.

In 2005, Allen was quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle as saying Ginobili's "hair goes all wild, and it looks like someone just murdered him. Those fouls aren't that hard."

The Spurs' hometown newspaper even felt compelled to probe Manu's flopping reputation. Could he be mentoring his Argentinian countryman, Fabricio Oberto, in the ways of the flop the way Laimbeer did for Rodman? Stay tuned.

7. Anderson Varejao
Ginobili has the reputation, but Varejao has the stats. Varejao led the NBA in drawing offensive fouls this season -- with more than triple Ginobili's total. Varejao might have even made a tacit admission to flopping last week.

"My team just tries to be in good position all night, to take a charge," Varejao was quoted in the Detroit Free Press. "Maybe sometimes I exaggerate on the charge."

So who is the biggest flopper currently playing in the NBA, Ginobili or Varejao? This Finals series will answer the question once and for all. For the record, Cavs star LeBron James doesn't think Varejao is a flopper.

"He's taking physical charges," James told the Cleveland Plain Dealer earlier this season, with a straight face. "He doesn't flop at all."

But if you see the Brazilian go flying during the Finals, keep in mind that it ought to be difficult to move him -- he's 6-foot-10, 240 pounds, and he's no sissy.

8. Danny Ainge
Just to clarify: We're talking only about on-court flopping here. Flopping in the front office doesn't count. Nevertheless, not to be totally outdone by Laimbeer in the flopping department, the Celtics had their own representative among the NBA's elite.

Ainge could be just as demonstrative as -- and far whinier than -- Laimbeer in trying to sell a foul to referees. Just like Laimbeer had a flopping sidekick in Rodman, Ainge had Jerry Sichting. After winning two championships and playing for the better part of eight years in Boston, Ainge kept the dive alive during flops stops in Sacramento, Portland and Phoenix.

9. Raja Bell
Bell is a rising star in the flopping ranks -- and a successful one at that, considering his first selection to the NBA All-Defensive team this season. He led the NBA in offensive fouls drawn in 2005-06 and ranked fourth this season.

"What he does, he plays you real tight and he holds on to you, and when you try to get him off, the minute you throw him off, he flops," Sonics guard Ray Allen told the Arizona Republic. "It's his game."

With moves like these, Bell is making a strong push for the "best active flopper."

10. Robert Horry
Besides hitting all those famous, game-winning shots, Horry also has a healthy reputation for flopping. Of course, he denies it.

"Apparently, one of the guys with a reputation for flopping is me," Horry told the Orange County Register just prior to the flop-filled 2002 Western Conference finals. "At least, one referee called the block on me because he said I do it all the time. … What they need are taller refs. When the guard sets the pick and knocks you out of bounds, the ref can't see it."

You can deny it all you want Robert, but the proof is in the pudding.

Honorable mention
Shane Battier -- He's perhaps the most prominent of the Duke flopping fraternity, but even Battier never, ever flopped this badly.

Andrew Bogut -- The only No. 1 overall draft pick in this group, Bogut is a long way from scaling the summit of Mt. Divac in the pantheon of low-post floppers. But he's off to a good start.

Bruce Bowen -- For many seasons, Bowen was accused of being a flopper. Now he's accused of being a dirty player. Bowen has also been named to the All-Defensive first team each of the past four seasons. You make the call.

Sam Cassell -- He's still the best offensive flopper in the game today, although Dwyane Wade made quite a push for that claim with this move.

Reggie Evans -- When he's not … uh, inappropriately touching opponents, he's getting in his flops. "Reggie Evans would definitely get best actor in the league," former Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy told the Houston Chronicle. "I am so sick of watching that guy flop I can't stand it. It is an absolute disgrace what he does."

World B. Free -- Reggie Miller may have perfected the "get the defender in the air and jump into him" strategy, but Lloyd, er, World B., originally brought the strategy into vogue.

Derek Fisher -- Contrary to what Divac said, Fish doesn't do a better job at flopping than Vlade. But Fisher has flopped with regularity throughout his career, in part to make up for a speed disadvantage against many opposing guards.

Richard Hamilton -- Rip has taken the torch from Reggie Miller in the "creating contact in midair" department. Hamilton might hit the deck even more often than Reggie did. (Reggie never needed a mask.)

Karl Malone -- Malone is the No. 2 scorer in NBA history and a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He also hit the floor with alarming regularity for a 260-pound, muscle-bound power forward. Malone parlayed his acting ability into a pro wrestling payday in 1998, teaming with Diamond Dallas Page against Hollywood Hogan and Dennis Rodman. It's also nice to see he intends to be a mentor for future floppers at his alma mater, Louisiana Tech.

Andres Nocioni -- No word on whether Nocioni works on his technique with his countrymen, Ginobili and Oberto, but it's interesting that Argentina has apparently become a hotbed for this tactic of late. "[Nocioni] flops a lot," Pistons forward Antonio McDyess told the Chicago Tribune last month. "He just annoys you."

Thomas Neumann is an editor for Page 2. You can contact him here.
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This guy cant be serious. Raja Bell is no way behind Ginobili in flopping.

And even Shane Battier gets honorable mention. Whew!!! This guy doesnt miss by very far.

tinman · Jun 7, 2007

Vlade over Lambiere.
Vlade made it a skill that all euros must have when they enter the NBA.
thats worldwide!

DOMINATOR · Jun 7, 2007

how did Allen Iverson not get honorable mention

Easy · Jun 7, 2007

He seems to equate getting a large number of offensive fouls to being great in flopping. That's why Battier is in there.

Actually, I don't hate defensive flopping as much as offensive flopping. On defense, you have to be in good defensive position to flop. The difference between a legitimate charging and a defensive flop is one of strength of force. A lot of times, if you don't fall, you don't get the call even if that is a real charge.

The only way to eliminate defensive flopping is to make every player wear a force sensor on his chest. The sensor goes off only when a certain amount of force hits it. If it doesn't go off, no call should be made.

Offensive flop is another story. I hate the so-called "create contact" move. If you are the "creator" of contact, you commit a foul.

StupidMoniker · Jun 7, 2007

DOMINATOR said:

how did Allen Iverson not get honorable mention
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We're talking about flopping, man. We're talking about flopping. Not getting fouled going to the rim. We're not talking about taking it hard to the rim and getting some free throws, man. We're talking about flopping. Flopping. We're talking about flopping.

AzCkR · Jun 7, 2007

add devin harris to that list.

No Worries · Jun 7, 2007

Karl Malone is without doubt a top five flopper.

doublebogey · Jun 7, 2007

Easy said:

He seems to equate getting a large number of offensive fouls to being great in flopping. That's why Battier is in there.
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Most floppings result in offensive fouls. Flopping means you act falling down with minimal contacts. A defender will try to flop when drawing a charge or fighting for positions. In the latter case, any minimal contact with an offender's forearm or shoulder, the defender will flop and fall down. So, checking the top players in drawing offensive fouls is a good start to find the suspects of floppers. Varejeo is off the chart leading the 2nd place by 22 more charges with a total of 99. So, this season, Varejo should be the oscar winner.

doublebogey · Jun 7, 2007

AzCkR said:

add devin harris to that list.
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You're good. Harris is in the 2nd place in drawing offensive fouls with 77 in total last season.

DonkeyMagic · Jun 7, 2007

derek fisher should be in horry's spot.

Sextuple Double · Jun 7, 2007

Derek Fisher is definitely top 10.

And Iverson and Wade should be the first honorable mentions. I don't know Horry to be a flopper.

BenignDMD · Jun 7, 2007

No Dirk

vj23k · Jun 7, 2007

Devin Harris!!!

Among active players, I definitely vote him first!

Storm Surge · Jun 7, 2007

AzCkR said:

add devin harris to that list.
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in time my son, in time.

MayoRocket · Jun 8, 2007

I can't stand Ginobili...the way he acts like he's been shot at close range with Dirty Harry's gun after the slightest whiff of contact is disgusting.

DonkeyMagic · Jun 8, 2007

Sextuple Double said:

Derek Fisher is definitely top 10.

And Iverson and Wade should be the first honorable mentions. I don't know Horry to be a flopper.
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yeah i dont quite get that either. i never thought of horry as a flopper

ubigred · Jun 8, 2007

Vlade Divac - Original Godflopper.

Flopsters in the Mob.

Varejo
Ginobli
Derek Fisher
Iverson

in order

saleem · Jun 8, 2007

No Worries said:

Karl Malone is without doubt a top five flopper.
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Top 3 IMO.

BroadwayBelm · Jun 9, 2007

StupidMoniker said:

We're talking about flopping, man. We're talking about flopping. Not getting fouled going to the rim. We're not talking about taking it hard to the rim and getting some free throws, man. We're talking about flopping. Flopping. We're talking about flopping.
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classic

david_rocket · Jun 9, 2007

Vlade Divac should be in first place of all-time floppers

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