NBA may change rule on intentional fouls as early as this week

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this week that the league will look into making changes to the rules so that the "hack-a-Shaq" strategy of intentionally fouling poor free throw shooters will become a thing of the past. 

But one type of intentional foul is so egregious that a change may be coming to the rules surrounding it as early as next week.

That was the initial report, but it has since been clarified by others.

In case you might be wondering why something as drastic as a midseason change to a rule is needed, we give you Nerlens Noel versus Andre Drummond from a couple of weeks back.

These types of fouls allow teams to send an opposing player to the free throw line without any time coming off the clock, so this particular loophole is worth closing immediately. Changing these plays so that they're ruled as flagrant fouls gives the team possession of the ball after a free throw attempt, which would eliminate the incentive for fouling in the first place. 

There are plenty of people who argue the other side of this, and believe that taking advantage of an opponent's weakness -- like an inability to shoot free throws -- is a perfectly valid strategy. But the commissioner is wise in taking actions to eliminate it from the game, since it's the opposite of entertaining and makes the contests completely brutal to watch.