The game should not change to meet the current "we want" mantra. It's the game of basketball, if you don't want it don't watch. I want baseball to be guys throwing the ball at each others nuts but they won't ins ute that for some reason. I want hitters to have to run non stop for 30 minutes prior to batting. I want the NFL to stop the running game and only have passing. I don't want to see "clock management" sequences where someone intentionally steps out of bounds to stop the clock. It bores me. Run run run.. always run. Always dunk. Always pass. Always home run. No bunting, no base hits, no walks. Run run run... change rules to make it so.
You could inbounds the basketball and it could sit on the floor for the entire game if no one touched it. What's the rule there? It's not done because it's not conducive to winning. You do see players roll the ball up the floor though, to save shot clock. The shot clock needs to start when the ball touches the floor or a player on the inbounds. Players playing to get stats, to get the triple double, doing stupid to get meaningless stats. What's the rule there? Westbrook's bowling ball offense that gets him to the FT line 100 times a game. What's the rule there? Same for Harden. Why does it make a difference whether the guy is sent intentionally by the opposition or because he chooses to go? Intentionally getting to FT line has always been a legit game tactic, so the alternate to that is forcing someone there. You cannot just have the really good shooters getting there and the really bad ones being protected from it. There are intentional fouls all the time (they have a foul to give) that are used in strategic fashion. No I don't like it either, but I also don't like Harden's 29 FTA a game.
Let's just get rid of the free throw. Problem solved. If you get fouled while shooting, you get 1 point and the ball out of bounds. That fixes everything and speeds the game up. If you're shooting a 3, too ing bad. You get 1 point and the ball out of bounds.
Then there's the act of taking a charge. That's an intentional foul, is it not? Sure you're forcing the other guy to foul you, or you're getting called for a block, but you've intentionally put yourself in a position for one of those two things to be called. There's the intentional foul with just a few seconds left to force the offense to take the ball out again.
The game is full of intentions and a lot of them are fouls. People like DeMonkey don't need to be made into juggernauts who cannot shoot a ing free throw. That tactic is what levels the field when these oafs get into the league. Get an oaf who can hit a FT, you're in trouble.