Just My Type

DP: If commissioner Roger Goodell asked you to speak at the NFL Rookie Symposium, would you?

RL: I'd love to do that.

DP: What would you say?

RL: From December until July, have no one even know you exist. Be in the weight room, be watching film, and not out at functions, at anything. People want you to go do stuff—you're a superstar. Just don't. I definitely wasn't prepared for that. If they can learn anything from what ailed me, that's great.

Leaf: What if ...?

DOESN'T IT seem like we've seen an epidemic of flopping in the first round of the NBA playoffs? Usually if you want to see this many men reeling backward at the merest touch, you need to watch professional wrestling. I can just see Raja Bell at home in the kitchen going to the floor when his wife brushes past him, purely out of habit. I'm tired of this. Flopping isn't "smart basketball." It's lazy defense, and I hate to see it rewarded.

Funny thing is, some of the most talented players are among the best at flopping. If there were a Floppers Hall of Fame (all plaques displayed at baseboard level, so you have to get down on the floor to read them), I'd nominate these five for induction:

1. Bill Laimbeer
The De Niro of falling down.

2. Vlade Divac
Did he learn to flop watching soccer?

3. Dennis Rodman
(below) His acting was much better on court than in his flop movie Double Team.