3 players that are above the law

It's unfair to accuse anyone of foul-baiting because that diminishes the bruising and punishing that typically comes with earning two trips to the charity line.

Most freebies are earned. But it definitely exists.

Call it flopping, exaggerating contact, or taking advantage of strict officiating, there are plenty of players who are above the law when it comes to coaxing calls. There doesn't even need to be any shame in it, either. It takes skill to frame somebody - the attacker needs to put the defender in a bad spot, create contact, then make a case for officials to blow the whistle.

These three players are the best when it comes to getting the call:

James Harden

Harden is an elite scorer who primarily gets his points through attacking in the pick-and-roll. He has the ball at all times, he plays heavy minutes, and he's a master at absorbing contact while Eurostepping his way to the cup. He's going to draw fouls - a lot of fouls.

But does Harden occasionally exaggerate contact? Of course.

He even has a signature move for getting to the line where he holds the ball in front of him as he drives, then rips his arms upwards when defenders try to block him from entering the lane. It frustrates opposing teams to no end.

By hook or by crook, Harden led the league with 837 free-throw attempts last season, which is 26 percent more than DeMarcus Cousins (663 attempts) who ranked second.

DeMar DeRozan

DeRozan is really similar to Harden in many respects.

They're both high-volume scoring shooting guards who thrive at the basket, they both tend to switch off on defense, and their respective teams ride them for heavy minutes. Harden is a much better player, but stylistically, he and DeRozan are cut from the same cloth.

Like Harden, DeRozan also has some patented tricks to draw fouls. DeRozan typically pays a heavy price on his trips to the line as he routinely gets hammered on his drives, but he has a supernatural propensity to get fouled on his jump shot. He loves to drive to a stop around the elbow area, bust out a series of shot fakes, before launching himself into a flying defender.

The trick with DeRozan is he's most dangerous when he gets to the line. DeRozan is a crafty finisher in the paint (who will posterize fools when given half a chance), but his mid-range jump shot is fairly innocuous. That's why it's somewhat perplexing why defenses consistently take the bait when he threatens to hoist an 18-footer. Just let him shoot.

Lou Williams

Williams doesn't get nearly enough recognition for his foul-baiting ways. Whereas DeRozan and Harden earn the bulk of their free throws by hurling themselves into the lane, Williams mostly floats out around the perimeter for pull-up jumpers.

A combination of quick-twitch shiftiness and a shameless gunner mentality is what gets the job done for Williams. The former Sixth Man winner likes to find his range (which extends well beyond the 3-point line), force defenders to play up on him, then he cooks them with the crossover. Williams is far too quick for defenders to play him tight, especially when he calls for a screen, and defenders are usually trailing the play once he rises for the shot. Once the defender also gets up in the air, Williams will either shift his body into the shot contest, or hang in the air and change his release point to ensure contact is made.

That ability to draw fouls is what makes Williams a perennial Sixth Man candidate rather than a ho-hum bench scorer. He's more than capable of shooting the lights out, but he's at his very best when off-balanced defenders gift him freebies. That's how Williams puts together nights like his 44-point outing against the Oklahoma City Thunder last season.

Related: 3 NHL players that are above the law

Honorable mention: Jamal Crawford, Kevin Durant, Kevin Martin, Kyle Lowry, Chris Paul, Nikola Mirotic, Danilo Gallinari.