Stern wants a few rule changes going forward

[Finkelskyhook]

-The international goaltending rule is about as bogus as international basketball as a whole.

-I don't much see the benefit of the replay rule as it stands now as they get things wrong after reviewing about as often as they get it right.

-I wouldn't reduce the number of timeouts.  I'd make all 4th quarter real 20 second timeouts.  The reality is that from our vantagepoint, the 20 second timeouts are full timeouts anyway.  Timeout whistle blows...  By the time Rivers does his leisurely lap around his half of the court...Folds his arms for awhile 30 feet away from the players and comes to the huddle, the commercials are already over....And the timeout is just starting...20 seconds or otherwise.

[Fafnir]

The second one he mentions is one that I am 100% on board with. He wants to remove one or two timeouts per game. I have said for years that the game slows down too much in the fourth quarter, remove a couple of timeouts and teams will have to react on the fly rather than constantly stopping the action and getting set. I think this one makes for a much more interesting game.

The problem isn't how many time outs the coaches have. Its the number of TV time outs they take.

In the fourth quarter there are time outs at what 9,6,3? Not to mention they'll actually go to commercial during 20 second time outs at times (at least that's what it seems like to me)

Plus of the timeouts a team has, some of them are bogus that are mandatory at certain TV breaks. I remember a team getting a technical late in a game because he burned through all of his timeouts before that trying to keep his team in the game.

Is that true?  I never noticed; I thought it was only at 6 for every quarter.  If so, that is way too much.  I agree, make teams play more on the fly - it's so exciting. 

That last story is hilarious.  What a flawed system.  Penalized for using all of your given timeouts.

In the playoffs they add the extra TV timeouts.

[jambr380]

I don't know about the international goaltending rule. That seems a bit sketchy and quite subjective.

I would, however, like to see an end to offensive goaltending. I've never really understood the point of it. Obviously if a defensive player takes the ball out of the cylinder (or grabs it before it goes in), then that is a problem. KG would have 50 'blocks' per game. But, I don't understand why players on the same team can't mess around with the ball while it is on the rim. If the ball is going in anyway, why is it a violation if it is touched - just weird.

[wdleehi]

I don't know about the international goaltending rule. That seems a bit sketchy and quite subjective.

I would, however, like to see an end to offensive goaltending. I've never really understood the point of it. Obviously if a defensive player takes the ball out of the cylinder (or grabs it before it goes in), then that is a problem. KG would have 50 'blocks' per game. But, I don't understand why players on the same team can't mess around with the ball while it is on the rim. If the ball is going in anyway, why is it a violation if it is touched - just weird.

Unfair advantage then goes to the offense.  They can go up sooner and grab rebounds (or put them back through the hoop) before the defense. 


How do you defend Howard if all the other team has to do is throw it up so that it hits at or above the rim? He will average 30 points without ever having the ball in hand with a single foot on the ground.  (And you know the NBA, if there is any body contact, even if it is Howard going over the top, it is going to be a basket + one)

[GreenEnvy]

The one change I would like to see above all is a new commissioner.

Looks like two lockouts in 13 years. The first was bad enough, and some believe this one will be worse.

27 years is too long.

[jpd985]

It is nice to see Stern facing the NBA's problems head on. These were the exact things that needed to be fixed in the NBA. 

[ballin]

-Keep the goaltending rule.

-Appoint a 4th ref to monitor the game on video so if there's a referee review the 4th ref just decides the issue quickly and efficiently.

-Reduce touch fouls so the game is called more consistently and the flow of the game is disrupted less. Handchecking is still illegal, but incidental contact is no longer called. Incidental bumping initiated by offensive players is now always a no-call.

-Remove two full timeouts and make one of the remaining timeouts a 20 second timeout. Remove one TV break.

-Make the court 4 inches wider on teach side. Some athletes these days can't really even stand with their toes at the 3 point line without having their heels nearly out of bounds.

Problem solved.

[boscel33]

i'd like a few changes to.  first, get rid of stern.  ok, i lied, i only have the one.

[Section 87]

The second one he mentions is one that I am 100% on board with. He wants to remove one or two timeouts per game. I have said for years that the game slows down too much in the fourth quarter, remove a couple of timeouts and teams will have to react on the fly rather than constantly stopping the action and getting set. I think this one makes for a much more interesting game.

The problem isn't how many time outs the coaches have. Its the number of TV time outs they take.

In the fourth quarter there are time outs at what 9,6,3? Not to mention they'll actually go to commercial during 20 second time outs at times (at least that's what it seems like to me)

Plus of the timeouts a team has, some of them are bogus that are mandatory at certain TV breaks. I remember a team getting a technical late in a game because he burned through all of his timeouts before that trying to keep his team in the game.

Is that true?  I never noticed; I thought it was only at 6 for every quarter.  If so, that is way too much.  I agree, make teams play more on the fly - it's so exciting.  

That last story is hilarious.  What a flawed system.  Penalized for using all of your given timeouts.

In the playoffs they add the extra TV timeouts.

Although timeouts are definitely longer for ESPN games than they are for Comcast-only games, and actual timeouts are almost always longer than the specified duration, the number of total timeouts and the number of mandatory timeouts are the same for the regular season and the playoffs. No extra mandatory timeouts are added for the playoffs.

Two timeouts in the first and third quarters, and three in the second and fourth quarters, are mandatory. Each team gets charged for one mandatory each quarter, and a third mantatory in the second and fourth quarters is not charged to either team. If a team hasn't called its mandatory by the required time in the quarter, the timeout is called at the next whistle.

Mandatory timeouts are supposed to be 100 seconds, other full timeouts 60 seconds. Actual full timeouts are rarely less than 2 minutes, and are sometimes as long as 3:30 or even 4:00 for nationally broadcast games.

[wiley]

definitely keep the goaltending rule!!!  Then get rid of touch fouls!  A foul in a contact sport is when someone does something that affects you....the refs should look to blow the whistle when the offensive player is moved in some way (arm, feet, body, whatever)....The only exception would be a scrape type of action....scraping a player doesn't cause them to move or lose balance but it shouldn't be permitted...in other words an obvious, harsh or dramatic swiping action that makes any sort of contact should be a foul.....Otherwise let there be contact.  Incidental contact that doesn't  impede the offensive player shouldn't be blown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If for the sole reason that these calls end up wrong half the time anyway and slow the game down to a laborious halt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mike-Dub]

If Stern changes the goal tending rule to international style ill stop following the nba even the C's.

[ballin]

definitely keep the goaltending rule!!!  Then get rid of touch fouls!  A foul in a contact sport is when someone does something that affects you....the refs should look to blow the whistle when the offensive player is moved in some way (arm, feet, body, whatever)....The only exception would be a scrape type of action....scraping a player doesn't cause them to move or lose balance but it shouldn't be permitted...in other words an obvious, harsh or dramatic swiping action that makes any sort of contact should be a foul.....Otherwise let there be contact.  Incidental contact that doesn't  impede the offensive player shouldn't be blown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If for the sole reason that these calls end up wrong half the time anyway and slow the game down to a laborious halt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...ok then

despite wiley's erratic writing style and excessive use of exclamation points, I think it's hard to argue with what he's saying

...

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[angryguy77]

If Stern changes the goal tending rule to international style ill stop following the nba even the C's.

All you would need is a couple 7 footers to camp out under the rim and you'd be set....wait a minute.....would this new rule be called the "LA Exception"?

[Fafnir]

The second one he mentions is one that I am 100% on board with. He wants to remove one or two timeouts per game. I have said for years that the game slows down too much in the fourth quarter, remove a couple of timeouts and teams will have to react on the fly rather than constantly stopping the action and getting set. I think this one makes for a much more interesting game.

The problem isn't how many time outs the coaches have. Its the number of TV time outs they take.

In the fourth quarter there are time outs at what 9,6,3? Not to mention they'll actually go to commercial during 20 second time outs at times (at least that's what it seems like to me)

Plus of the timeouts a team has, some of them are bogus that are mandatory at certain TV breaks. I remember a team getting a technical late in a game because he burned through all of his timeouts before that trying to keep his team in the game.

Is that true?  I never noticed; I thought it was only at 6 for every quarter.  If so, that is way too much.  I agree, make teams play more on the fly - it's so exciting.  

That last story is hilarious.  What a flawed system.  Penalized for using all of your given timeouts.

In the playoffs they add the extra TV timeouts.

Although timeouts are definitely longer for ESPN games than they are for Comcast-only games, and actual timeouts are almost always longer than the specified duration, the number of total timeouts and the number of mandatory timeouts are the same for the regular season and the playoffs. No extra mandatory timeouts are added for the playoffs.

Two timeouts in the first and third quarters, and three in the second and fourth quarters, are mandatory. Each team gets charged for one mandatory each quarter, and a third mantatory in the second and fourth quarters is not charged to either team. If a team hasn't called its mandatory by the required time in the quarter, the timeout is called at the next whistle.

Mandatory timeouts are supposed to be 100 seconds, other full timeouts 60 seconds. Actual full timeouts are rarely less than 2 minutes, and are sometimes as long as 3:30 or even 4:00 for nationally broadcast games.

In the second and fourth quarter they also have a TV timeout at the deadball near 9:00 that is not charged to either team. If the structure is the same for the playoffs then the are just adding to the lenghts and turning team time outs into full commercial breaks as well.

So yeah take away more timeouts from the coaches but keeping 3 TV timeouts in the fourth quarter.....

[LooseCannon]

If the Celtics had a bunch of "athletic leapers", would opinion here change in favor of the international goaltending rule?

I like the charge circle.  The only thing I like about the college game more than the NBA is players trying to draw charges.

Get rid of flagrant ones.  Only have what are currently flagrant twos be called as flagrant fouls.