The NBA has enacted many rule changes during its 72-year history. Some of us old-timers remember when there was a jump ball at the start of every quarter, the 24-second clock was on the baseline floor in the corner, a player fouled while scoring when his team was in the bonus got two chances to make one free throw (“And Two!!”), and before that blankety-blank three-point line was installed, every field goal was worth two points.
For the upcoming 2017-18 season, the league has taken action to keep the game flowing – particularly in the last few minutes – by reducing the number and length of timeouts.
In addition, opening night has been moved up to mid-October (just like the good ol’ days) and the 82-game slate is now spread out over an additional two weeks to reduce the number of those “dead legs” contests.
Here are some other tweaks they might want to consider in the near future:
Eliminate Video Reviews. Totally.
If game flow is a priority, then let the players play and the officials officiate. Human error – from players and officials – is just part of the deal. A game played in Sacramento should be decided in Sacramento, not at a replay center in Secaucus, New Jersey where they don’t even have a team.
Any time the announcer says, “They’re gonna take a look at it,” you know there’s a replay delay coming, and the video isn’t always conclusive. Even when the video is conclusive, it doesn’t always result in the correct call (see: 2014 Playoffs – Clippers vs. Thunder Game 5).
Meanwhile, the paying audience has to sit through continuous “Final Jeopardy” music or have their eardrums throb with yet another loud rehash of “My Sharona” blaring through the PA system while the video is reviewed.
And before the league suffers the indignity of having a game end before the video of a game-deciding borderline three-pointer can be checked, elimination of the replay system is a must.
No More Timeouts Allowed Off Loose-Ball Scrambles.
It’s the first quarter, the score is 10 to 9 and there’s a scramble for a loose ball. Player A dives on the floor, gains clear possession and calls timeout before an opponent can wrestle the ball away. Announcer says, “Smart play by Player A.”
It may seem like a smart play at the time to gain possession, but when you’re strapped for timeouts at the end of a close game, the one you burned in the first half might have been better spent later on, even with the new rules limiting the number of timeouts allowed in the last three minutes of a game.
It also slows down the game. Let the ref blow the whistle to end the scramble and award a side out to the team that gains possession, call a held ball, or assess a foul on the first player who jumps on a pile.
Shorten the Postseason.
The 1999 New York Knicks’ run from 8th seed to the NBA FInals notwithstanding, the chances of the 8th seed winning three or four playoffs rounds are too slim to justify their presence in the postseason, even in the unlikely event of a first-round upset over the top seed.
Having a system where more than half the teams qualify for postseason, yet fewer than half the qualifiers have any real shot at winning a title results in a bunch of early-round tuneup games for the stronger teams.
Reduce the field to six playoff teams per conference. Let seeds 3 through 6 play a best-of-five series to eliminate two teams while seeds 1 and 2 get to heal for a week as a reward for their regular-season performance. Then let the remaining four teams in each conference go at it.
Of course, due to lost revenues, this could never happen. But one can dream.
Lose the Backroom Draft Lottery Process.
Let us learn the results as they happen. Just because there are a million ping-pong ball combinations and the draw is held in a room full of sportswriters (who are probably being distracted with food) and some partner of a public accounting firm is there to certify the results doesn’t mean there won’t be a few suspicious minds when the results are revealed (see: Enron).
Go back to the old system of pulling the envelopes with the team logos from the drum; let each team rep pull one and let the chips fall.
And show it live.
Remove the Fan Vote from the All-Star Game, the Slam Dunk Contest from All-Star Weekend.
Not holding a grudge or anything, but the revocation of the fan vote should have taken place after 1994 when B.J. Armstrong was selected as an Eastern Conference All-Star starter AND was the leading vote-getter among all guards, thanks to a flood of ballots from casual (and temporary) Chicago Bulls’ fans at the time.
In 2009, Yi Jianlian, then a member of the New Jersey Nets, was nearly selected as an Eastern Conference All-Star Team starter, receiving more fan votes than Allen Iverson, Chris Bosh, Paul Pierce and Amar’e Stoudemire, and nearly as many as Shaquille O’Neal.
Let the coaches, media and the players themselves select the 12-man roster first, then let the fans select the starters online from the chosen rosters if their involvement is needed.
As for the Slam Dunk Contest, the star players want no part of it, the spectators and judges have seen it all and are looking for something they’ve never seen before, and someone is going to get seriously injured while attempting a 1,080-degree dunk over an SUV.
Hopefully, nothing like this has to happen before the event is discontinued, like the short-lived All-Star Legends Game.
Where Possible, Reduce The Number Of Matinee Games
This one is difficult, largely due to arena availability. But in cases where the scheduling of a matinee game can be avoided, it should be. If it’s true that many NBA players are – in the words of Knicks’ color analyst and Hall of Famer Walt Frazier – “nocturnal creatures”, then you may have the misfortune of watching your favorite players stumble through a 12PM contest after partying until 5AM, especially in cities with an active nightlife.
To bring a team of 20-somethings to New York City on a Friday night for a Saturday matinee game without a curfew is potentially disastrous. As a result, over the years there have been some horrific individual and team matinee performances – including by the home team – at Madison Square Garden.
Keeping The Late Regular Season Games Competitive
One of the more important issues the league needs to address is the draft system, which results in teams engaging in, uh, let’s call it “deferred winning”, in hopes of future gains on draft day. There has to be a way to reward the winner of the game between two 25-win teams in March, lest fans end up paying NBA ticket prices for G-League action.
Working on some ideas – results to come.
And after you finish practicing those 15-foot jumpers, let’s hear your suggestions as well.
