Basketball’s Potential Dead-Ball Injuries

As I get older, I find myself getting watching college and professional basketball games with a slightly heightened level of anxiety. As the sport continues to evolve, we’ve seen a change in player behavior over time, as we have in all sports. For example,  we’ve witnessed players in almost every other sport suffer injuries after a play is over, usually during celebrations, but basketball has largely escaped the kind of mishap that comes when nothing is happening on the court – those dreaded dead-ball injuries.

Although injuries are a part of any sport, we hate to see anyone writhing in pain on the court as a result of game action, let alone the freak accident that comes during a stoppage of play. But in recent years we’ve seen some player’s tendencies during dead-ball situations that probably make their coaches cringe. Meanwhile, league officials continue to have to strike a balance between maximizing player safety and over-regulating players.

The Pre-game Introductions

At the risk of sounding nostalgic, I can remember when the starting lineups were inroduced prior to an NBA contest, and upon hearing his name called by the public address announcer, the first player would walk out to the free-throw line with each subsequent player announced coming out and greeting his teammate(s) with a handshake or vertical fist bump.

Now, the players greet each other with a flying leap and a mid-air chest or hip bump at its apex, with the coach praying that none of his starters lands on another guy’s foot.

The Fallen Teammate

The whistle has blown, the play has stopped and there’s a player down on the court. He’s not injured, but perhaps he was caught off-balance or got knocked down purposely. Years ago, a teammate would walk over and help his teammate to his feet and in some instances, an opponent would do it unless it was frowned upon by the coach.

In today’s NBA, in a genuine show of camaraderie, the player’s four upright teammates now sprint over to help him to his feet, as if there’s a cash reward waiting for the first one to reach the fallen teammate.

A couple of things can happen here: 1) If there’s an opponent standing anywhere near the player after, say, delivering a hard foul causing a hard landing on the court, then suddenly sees four guys wearing the other team’s colors charging towards him, it’s easy to misinterpret. I’m waiting for the day a guy goes into a karate stance thinking he’s about to get beat up by the opposing team. 2) With so many guys running a sprint in close quarters, the odds of limbs/ankles getting caught in awkward positions increase.

Basket Protection After The Whistle

The point guard advances the ball over the mid-court line, the defender reaches in to attempt a steal off the dribble and instead makes contact with the point guard’s wrist. Referee raises his arm and blows the whistle for a foul. The clock stops, play stops, dead ball. Then the point guard launches a shot – that obviously won’t count if it goes in – from 35-feet away from the hoop, and the closest defender to the basket, in an apparent act of defiance, jumps up and swats the ball away as if to deny the shooter the joy of seeing a shot go through the hoop.

The first player I can remember doing this with regularity was Amar’e Stoudamire with the Knicks. He wasn’t the first one, but with the condition of his knees he was about the last guy who needed to take unnecessary leaps. Kevin Garnett was another.

Let’s hope no one lands awkwardly, jams a finger on the rim or gets one tangled in the net during one of these exercises.

Exuberance After Opponent Calls A Timeout

Your team is on a 10-0 run to cut an 11-point 4th quarter deficit down to one. Your teammates on the bench are now involved – standing and yelling out encouragement. You’ve just scored, and the opposing team’s coach calls a timeout. Your fired-up team runs over to the sidelines where they are greeted by their excited teammates, almost at mid-court, with those flying leaps again.

I vaguely remember an NBA player doing a flying chest bump with a teammate who was in civilian clothes nursing a knee injury a few years ago.

Many of us remember a couple of NFL players suffering ACL tears while celebrating – including one whose team was down by about 25 points – and baseball has had its share of celebratory injuries as well.

Careful out there, basketball youngbloods.