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Mark Cuban suggests a change to the charge rule to prevent serious harm to players in light of injuries suffered by Giannis and Ja Morant

Mark Cuban offered a suggestion that could prevent players from getting hurt on collisions near the basket.

Matthew Dugandzic

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Plenty of conversations have been had over the last 24 hours regarding the injuries suffered by both the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant. These two young stars were both taken out of their respective games due to hard fouls, and many are calling attention to a rule change that could prevent similar situations in the future.

Hard falls

The rule in question is the charging or offensive foul call wherein defenders slide in while players are in mid-air. This can often result in hard falls and injuries to the player with the ball, which obviously happened to both Giannis and Morant during their respective Game 1s on Sunday.

Giannis played in just 11 minutes against the Miami Heat, while Morant exited the fourth quarter of their game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Morant suffered a hand injury, and his status for Game 2 remains very much in question. Giannis, on the other hand, is still feeling soreness in his lower back and is questionable for Game 2.

Novel proposal

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban spoke up about this issue and has offered a proposal, saying the league should move the restrictive area circle further away from the basket. The outspoken team owner believes this may prevent further injuries and therefore provide a better product for the fans.

Cuban’s proposal could give players more space to operate, which would provide them with an opportunity to avoid contact and make plays without worrying about collisions near the rim. We will have to wait and see if other owners support this idea, but it could be beneficial in the long run.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.