How I'd improve the NBA (easily)

[yoursweatersux]

It seems to me that the biggest problem people have with watching NBA games is the refs. The refs, by calling literally EVERYTHING, slow down the game, turn it into a free-throw contest, and make it boring to watch dominant centers (b/c it turns into a hackfest). Not to mention, the end of games are pretty hard to watch too on account of all the fouling.

But fixing these problems would be relatively easy. Only two things would need to be done:

1) Tell the refs to tone it down a notch with the whistle-blowing. Don't call fouls unless they're very obvious. This is something that refs could easily be instructed/trained to do. The result would be that games are more free-flowing, faster-paced, and more exciting. Players might actually get to use their strength a little more. Hand-checking  would be allowed again so guards don't get a free pass into the lane. This would mean skills like shooting and passing would become more important again, instead of just "athleticism". After all, I want to watch basketball... if I wanted to see athleticism I'd watch track and field.

2) Part of raising the standard for what constitutes a "foul" would be reducing the personal foul limit to 5 or possibly even 4. This would mean that players like Dwight Howard aren't constantly hacked every time they make a move. Players won't be able to afford picking up voluntary fouls, but they'll also probably foul out less anyway since ticky tack fouls will no longer be called. So the stars will still stay in the game, but cheap tactics like hacking players will be greatly discouraged.


I think that if you were to enact both of those rules the refs would no longer be as much of a factor and the game would be way more exciting. What do you think?

[PosImpos]

Free throws are a part of the game.  Some players depend on their ability to draw contact and get to the charity stripe.  As long as free throw attempts are limited to roughly 20-25 per team in a game, I think it's fine.

The main thing that bothers me is not the amount of fouls called but the inconsistency with which they are called - how a foul for one player is not a foul for another.

[yoursweatersux]

Free throws are a part of the game.  Some players depend on their ability to draw contact and get to the charity stripe.  As long as free throw attempts are limited to roughly 20-25 per team in a game, I think it's fine.

The main thing that bothers me is not the amount of fouls called but the inconsistency with which they are called - how a foul for one player is not a foul for another.

I hate players that make a living off of drawing fake fouls. Really, rewarding those players just encourages "offensive flopping" if you get my drift. Sometimes players actually throw up INTENTIONALLY horrific shots to make it look like they got fouled. That's a mockery of the game.

I'm all for somebody shooting free throws if they were actually fouled, and legitimately in the act of shooting. But I'm not a fan of somebody like AI simply throwing his body into a defender who's standing still or jumping straight up, and all of a sudden that's a foul on the defense. That's horrific.

To address your point though, if fewer ticky tack fouls were called the calls would be way more even. The problem you talk about always always always arises when the foul was borderline between being a really light foul and no foul at all.

For example, when somebody is driving to the hoop, there is GOING to be a level of contact on pretty much every drive that the current NBA refs can call a foul on. This allows the refs to make a discrepancy... "ok, everybody is technically getting fouled on their drive to the basket. but, you know what, i'll just call it for lebron james because he has earned the benefit of the doubt, but i won't call it for tony allen." So if there's a non-call, it's tough to say they're wrong. And if there is a call, it's tough to say they're wrong. So they get to do what they want because with that type of incidental contact it's impossible to say objectively whether the right call was made.

But if only hard(er) fouls were called, that same discrepancy would be taken away. It's OBVIOUS when somebody gets hacked, their shooting arm gets hit, etc. And if it's not obvious, it probably shouldn't be called. Non-calls are better than ticky-tack calls, period, end of story.

[scoop]

It seems to me that the biggest problem people have with watching NBA games is the refs.

I think NBA referees are the best refs in basketball far and away. Fans just have unreasonable expectations. Basketball is a tough game to officiate.

The refs, by calling literally EVERYTHING, slow down the game, turn it into a free-throw contest, and make it boring to watch dominant centers (b/c it turns into a hackfest). Not to mention, the end of games are pretty hard to watch too on account of all the fouling.

But fixing these problems would be relatively easy. Only two things would need to be done:

1) Tell the refs to tone it down a notch with the whistle-blowing. Don't call fouls unless they're very obvious. This is something that refs could easily be instructed/trained to do. The result would be that games are more free-flowing, faster-paced, and more exciting. Players might actually get to use their strength a little more. Hand-checking  would be allowed again so guards don't get a free pass into the lane. This would mean skills like shooting and passing would become more important again, instead of just "athleticism". After all, I want to watch basketball... if I wanted to see athleticism I'd watch track and field.

No, thanks. This would bring the game back to the 90s, with all the mugging, pushing, hacking, bumping, "the refs can't call a foul every play, so we're gonna foul in every play", Riley filling his team with as many stiffs as possible to have dozens of fouls available, guys like Oakley deciding games by their willingness to play dirty and just push people around.

That's not how basketball is supposed to be played. With the current rules on defence and the improved quickness and strength of players, things would be even worse. You'd turn games into jump-shooting contests.

Yeah, I could live with the shooters/penetrators being less over-protected, there are too many touch fouls called for those guys, but it's a very minor thing.

If you want to see a more physical game, watch college or, even better, the European game.

2) Part of raising the standard for what constitutes a "foul" would be reducing the personal foul limit to 5 or possibly even 4. This would mean that players like Dwight Howard aren't constantly hacked every time they make a move. Players won't be able to afford picking up voluntary fouls, but they'll also probably foul out less anyway since ticky tack fouls will no longer be called. So the stars will still stay in the game, but cheap tactics like hacking players will be greatly discouraged.


I think that if you were to enact both of those rules the refs would no longer be as much of a factor and the game would be way more exciting. What do you think?

Why would this make the refs less of a factor? And I'd consider getting rid of the foul out rule before diminishing the number of fouls. The best players are supposed to be on the floor. And Howard is frequently on foul trouble.

[wdleehi]

Want to fix the part of the NBA that drives us crazy?  (the star centered way the rules are set and enforced)

Convince David Stern that the league could do financially better being team driven instead of star driven. 

Until then, nothing major will ever change.

[Schupac]

If the NBA has the best basketball refs in the world, they don't act on it.  A good referee wouldn't call something different between Lebron James and Ramon Sessions.  A good referee wouldn't miss travelling calls consistently, or ever give make up calls.  They wouldn't call things differently in the last 120 seconds of the game.

No, the NBA may have very talented and knowledgeable referees, but they do a terrible job officiating.

The best way to fix it would be to fire David Stern and have a comissioner who is sports fan first, business man second, the opposite of how it is now.

[RAcker]

Want to fix the part of the NBA that drives us crazy?  (the star centered way the rules are set and enforced)

Convince David Stern that the league could do financially better being team driven instead of star driven. 

Until then, nothing major will ever change.

I'll do you one better...get rid of David Stern.  Problem solved.

[wiley]

I agree with the OP, basically.  And maybe a middle ground could be found to avoid the Thug-Ball of the nineties someone mentioned....

Also agree about Stern.  He's helped turned the game into a family trip to the arcade.

[Bahku]

1. Retire Kobe's jersey, (and Kobe with it).

2. Fire Leroy Richardson, Olandis Poole, Scott Foster, Dick Bavetta, Eddie F. Rush, Violet Palmer, Joey Crawford, Bill Kennedy, Kenny Mauer, Joe Forte, and Bennett Salvatore.

3. Lower ticket prices and salaries of players, coaches and officials.

4. Increase the number of players allowed on each team.

5. Institute instant replay for coach challenges on disputed plays/fouls ... limit three challenges per team per game.

6. Institute fines/suspensions for excessive flopping.

7. Relax definitions/standards for fouls and flagrant fouls.

8. Increase the number of Officials in each game to 4 - one lead official, 3 subjective.

9. Set up an impartial board of review, (of basketball experts with no financial interest or local bias), to analyze, assess, and adjudicate/discipline officials, rules and changes in propriety.

10. Start an NBA mentoring program to directly involve players and coaches in an NBA off-season youth league that affects not only host cities, but their out-lying areas and burroughs as well, and encourages parental/family involvement.

(I can dream, can't I?)

[yoursweatersux]

^^I think the two guys that posted above me are on the same page as I am

And actually yes, I would like to see a more physical game that's somewhat like college ball. College is physical, but it's not a hack-fest like that one poster seems to think the NBA would become if touch fouls were no longer called.

In fact, you know what the best part about college ball is? The refs are pretty much a non-factor. The kids just go out and play basketball... I've never seen a college game decided by the refs.  And I think a lot of it has to do with their willingness to swallow the whistle on questionable plays. Yeah, maybe players get away with a few more shoves here and there, but honestly it's part of the game. How many of you guys on here play pickup ball on a regular basis? I do, and that works just fine in the complete absence of refs. Obviously organized ball isn't the same thing, especially with so much more on the line, but frankly the refs just don't need to be calling touch fouls.

The less of a factor the refs are in a game, the better.

[jdpapa3]

I'm fine with what is called a foul in the rulebook and what isn't at this point in time.

Some things I do have an issue with:

1. Let us gamble the spread on the team website to raise more revenue for the league.

2. Get rid of the jumpball for tie-ups. It's senseless that if Rondo and Zydrunas both have the ball that Z will get the ball 98% of the time since he is taller. It's just idiotic.

3. For every overtime, the amount of fouls before ejection should go up one. This would be interesting if you could bring a guy like KG back off the bench after fouling out. And David Stern: your stars will play more! I have seen some games go pretty long and you have players like Brian Cardinal playing.

4. I'm sick of guys getting a contract and mailing it in. Allow every team to have the option to cut a guy and lose his contract every other year. I feel bad for Knicks org that they have to sit there and be awful because of the previous regime.

5. A referee gets fined or suspended because of a certain team/coach and is not allowed to do their games anymore as there is no way for them to call games objectively. I want this for the regular season, too. It's just mind boggling to me how I saw Joey Crawford doing a Spurs playoff game last year. Wow.

6. Draft lottery re-done. The order of #'s is randomized instead of in order. (Note: you'd have to know the details of the process to understand what I'm talking about)

Note: I've definitely seen college games decided by the refs. They can knock a big time player out of a game easily with 2 early fouls. I am pretty sure Nova was robbed (or helped) a few years ago with a mysterious travel call.

[yoursweatersux]

Well when I said college refs don't decide games, I really just meant for the most part. For example, I just watched the first half of the UTEP-OKLA game right now and I think the refs had to blow their whistles like 3 times, and one of them was for a travel. It was awesome