COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Kings coach Keith Smart has seen miracles on the basketball court thanks to flopping.

"A guy flops and falls as if he was killed and came back from the dead, and then you look at him one play later and he's been healed," Smart said. "Now you look at let's get beyond that part and get back to basketball."

The NBA announced a new anti-flopping rule Wednesday, an attempt to keep players from "acting" as if they've been fouled.

The league defines a flop as "any physical act that appears to have been intended to cause the referees to call a foul on another player."

Floppers show a "physical reaction to contact with another player … inconsistent with what would reasonably be expected given the force or direction of the contact."

The first violation earns a warning, followed by fines of $5,000, $10,000, $15,000 and $30,000. Players are subject to increased fines and/or suspension for more than five violations.

"Flops have no place in our game – they either fool referees into calling undeserved fouls or fool fans into thinking the referees missed a foul call," NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson said in a statement.

Guard Isaiah Thomas said some players are tough to guard because they are good actors.

"I bet you it's going to be hard to enforce it, but I'm glad they're doing something about it because guys are getting away with a lot of non-fouls that they're calling fouls," Thomas said. "Hopefully they stop the whole thing, but we'll see how it goes."

The league will review film to determine flops. Players trying to draw charges won't be penalized, nor will "minor" reactions to contact.

"I don't see how they can judge if it's a flop or not," center DeMarcus Cousins said. "(Players) have gotten so good at it."

Following Wednesday's announcement, the National Basketball Players Association said it would file a grievance and unfair labor practice charge against the league, claiming the NBA has no right to impose such fines without first getting approval from the players' union.

Body language – Smart was bothered by the lack of proper defensive positioning and stances during his offseason study of his team.

He noted that out of approximately 7,000 defensive possessions, there were only 30 where all five Kings were in a defensive stance at the same time.

Changing that will be emphasized during training camp.

"I'm just looking at trying to get our posture right," Smart said. "I think emphasizing more of our posture to be ready to play defense."

Two-a-days – Wednesday's morning practice consisted of conditioning and more defensive drills.

According to Smart, the evening session, closed to the media, would consist of five-on-five play. Teams are allowed one contact practice a day.

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