If you moved all the cameras and people sitting under the basket back say 3 or 4 feet, would it reall ybe that big of a deal? Every basketball game I watch I see about 5-10 plays where one of the players goes flying into that area after a lay up or after a loose ball. Why is it that these people are allowed to sit there when players are risking injury everytime they go in there which is several times a game? This is exactly how Devin Harris got hurt, he came down on a camera guys leg after making a full speed lay-up. I jsut don't get it when it is so dangerous and risks so many different types of injuries. If I were an NBA player or coach I would be furious if my star player of as a matter of fact, any player on my team, were to get hurt in such a unnecessary way.

Does anybody else feel this way or am I over exaggerating this? I am just tired of seeing these guys fly into these reporters and camera guys at full speed and pulling up lame because they fell awkwardly on a camera or a person.

They are there exclusively so Dennis Rodman can kick them in the nuts.

Speaking of which...Chris Duhon just hit his head on a camera after attempting to get a loose ball. It is just ridiculous...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ7f9jIzZso...ted&search=

1:42 GO RODMAN!

As a Devin Harris owner, I agree with you that they should move photographers out of the way.

However, as a passionate photographer I would love to get a chance to sit there one day and shoot some pictures!

Honestly, If I am player, I'm bowling over anyone who happens to be in my way. Whoever is sitting near the sidelines, it's their risk, not the player. I don't feel sorry for anyone who gets injured when a 250lb+ 7-footer crashes into them.

Its like bowling for the nba players, they try to knock down as many pinhead photographers as they can.

I agree...and I don't think players have any problem with laying in to them real good. The problem is all those legs and cameras and stuff cause injuries. You can "bowl" someone over while trying to make a contested layup at full speed. The chance that you come down and land on someones body part and roll your ankle is extremely large. It's totally assinine.

Yeah, that is fun for them...about 50% of the time they go into the mosh of photographers they pull up lame because a camera got jammed into their ribs or the rolled their ankle or hit their head.

Problem is, if they move the camera's out, you'd lose all those amazing 'FACE' posters. However, I do agree, there has to be a better solution than this.

Thank you...I was also pining over a few ideas but I think just moving them back 2 or 3 feet would help dramtically as it would give the players an a extra couple of feet to let that first foot come down and then going into them with their body instead of their first step being directly on a camerman.

i think the angle would be insufficient for the photos. And then you'd have to move back all of the seats under the same argument. Maybe a big net that they would bounce off of that was electrified so that you totally wouldn't want to go out of bounds.

The problem is that the cameramen cannot be anywhere else, since the NBA wants the fans sitting courtside to be as close to the game as possible. It is what it is. The incidence of injury due to ramming into a cameraman and his equipment has got to be pretty rare I'd say.

It is just as likely as getting hurt leaping into the scorers tables for a loose ball. If it weren't scorer's tables or cameramen it would be fans. Fans on the other hand can sue the team and arenas if they get injured.

Whatever the rate of injury, Stern has been pretty clear that merchandising and promotion $$$ >>>> players' health in the NBA.

Yeah, but how often does a player go over the score tables compared to how many times a player crashes into the camera crew?




Are you kidding? Rare. Serious injury may be rare but players pull up lame A LOT afetr crashing into the camera crew. I seen it happen 3 teams just tonight and I only watched pieces of 3 different games.

ill go one further to say that I really hate the cameras during the playoffs where the guys run onto the court to sneak into the huddles and stuff or sneak up behind the free throw shooter when he is at the line. Then when they aren't running around distracting the players or taking crotch shots they are sitting on the sidelines ready to pounce fucking up my courtside view and spilling my goddamn beer
bastards

If you are sitting courtside in the playoffs, it sounds like a problem that could be overlooked. Just joking....that would wipe the smile off my face for a few minutes too.

The simple answer to this is money. Posters, t-shirts, media pamphlets, programs etc etc are all sold because of the quality of the pictures. Plus when you're watching an HD game on TV the closer the shot the better.

It's not a necessary evil IMO, but it ain't changing anytime soon.

LMAO!

Like someone has already posted, it can't be any more different than crashing into the bench, the fans courtside, the scoreboard, or the basket stanchion. Landing on equipment and cameramen can be harmful, but it's not like there's a bed of spikes out there like in Mortal Kombat or something. Pulling up lame and being seriously hurt by cameramen on the sideline are different things. Unless you are advocating clearing like 10 feet of space behind the basket and designating it a "landing zone," there will always be people or objects in the way there.

imagine somone sitting on your shoes the entire game
then imagine them telling you to move every five minutes so they can move cables and mess with cables that are running under your seat EVEN THOUGH THE DAMN CAMERA IS WIRELESS
i'm done

not really a 10 foot landing zone, but i was simply thinking moving them back about 2 feet so it will give the player and extra step to come down and maybe go into them with their body instead of their foot on body type of thing. idk...i guess i am the only one that would be upset if i were an NBA player and got injured because some guy wants a close-up to make a poster. I am not saying it will change, i understand that better pictures sell, but I guess I am the only that feels that the health of NBA players should be a littel more important.

As for going over the score tables or into the crowd to save a loose ball happens a lot less than a guy going in for a lay-up. The result of a contested lay-up almost always ends in 1 or 2 players laying across the laps of the camera crew.

Hmm - does Van Gundy read Rotoworld forms?

During Wednesday's game, Hedo Turkoglu tweaked his ankle by stepping on a cameraman's leg and Keyon Dooling whacked his head on a camera. Both players were able to finish the game, but Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was not pleased.

"If Turk can't play Friday don't come...with a camera filming me," Van Gundy said. "We had two guys hurt on cameras tonight. It would be nice if our players could have some safety on the court." Unless something changes, we expect Turkoglu to play on Friday.

I think they sit under the basket because they can't afford a seat. Actually, it is the only place that they can get close enough to the action without being on the floor.

That is ironic...

Wow, how strange that we were discussing this topic just yesterday and then today it becomes a huge issue during the Magics game. What else should we discuss... hmmm... how about slippery floors? Watch, tomorrow an nba star will slip on wet floor and miss 2 weeks.

Yes, we should do away with all blind floor clean-up staff.