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Rule #1

Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:

"Anyone who __________ is a liar / a fool / an idiot / a blind homer / has their head buried in the sand / a blind hater / doesn't know basketball / doesn't watch the games"

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"Remember when PosterX said OldCommentY that no longer looks good? "

In general, if a comment goes from purely on topic to something 'ad hominem' (personal jabs, personal shots, attacks, flames, however you want to call it, towards a person, or a group of people, or a given city/state/country of people), those are most likely going to be found intolerable.

We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.

Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.

That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.

A slip up every once and a while is pretty normal, but, again, when it becomes repetitive or excessive, something will be done. Something occasional is probably going to be let go (within reason), but when it starts to become habitual or otherwise a pattern, odds are very good that we will step in.

There's always a small minority that like to push people's buttons and/or test their own boundaries with regards to the administrators, and in the case of someone acting like that, please be aware that this is not a court of law, but a private website run by people who are simply trying to do the right thing as they see it. If we feel that you are a special case that needs to be dealt with in an exceptional way because your behavior isn't explicitly mirroring one of our above examples of what we generally discourage, we can and we will take atypical action to prevent this from continuing if you are not cooperative with us.

Also please be aware that you will not be given a pass simply by claiming that you were 'only joking,' because quite honestly, when someone really is just joking, for one thing most people tend to pick up on the joke, including the person or group that is the target of the joke, and for another thing, in the event where an honest joke gets taken seriously and it upsets or angers someone, the person who is truly 'only joking' will quite commonly go out of his / her way to apologize and will try to mend fences. People who are dishonest about their statements being 'jokes' do not do so, and in turn that becomes a clear sign of what is really going on. It's nothing new.

In any case, quite frankly, the overall quality and health of the entire forum's community is more important than any one troublesome user will ever be, regardless of exactly how a problem is exhibiting itself, and if it comes down to us having to make a choice between you versus the greater health and happiness of the entire community, the community of this forum will win every time.

Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.

If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!

All of the above is going to be subject to a case by case basis, but generally and broadly speaking, this should give everyone a pretty good idea of how things will typically / most often be handled.

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If this is done the wrong way, those comments will be deleted, and if it's a repeating problem then it may also receive an infraction as well.

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When you ignore a user, you will unfortunately still see some hints of their existence (nothing we can do about that), however, it does the following key things:

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To utilize this feature, from any page on Pacers Digest, scroll to the top of the page, look to the top right where it says 'Settings' and click that. From the settings page, look to the left side of the page where it says 'My Settings', and look down from there until you see 'Edit Ignore List' and click that. From here, it will say 'Add a Member to Your List...' Beneath that, click in the text box to the right of 'User Name', type in or copy & paste the username of the poster you are ignoring, and once their name is in the box, look over to the far right and click the 'Okay' button. All done!

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Regarding infractions, currently they carry a value of one point each, and that point will expire in 31 days. If at any point a poster is carrying three points at the same time, that poster will be suspended until the oldest of the three points expires.

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When you share or paste content or articles from another website, you must include the URL/link back to where you found it, who wrote it, and what website it's from. Said content will be removed if this doesn't happen.

An example:

If I copy and paste an article from the Indianapolis Star website, I would post something like this:

http://www.linktothearticlegoeshere.com/article
Title of the Article
Author's Name
Indianapolis Star

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The legal means of watching or listening to NBA games are NBA League Pass Broadband (for US, or for International; both cost money) and NBA Audio League Pass (which is free). Look for them on NBA.com.

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However, once the discussion seems to be more/mostly about the political issues instead of the sports figure or his specific situation, the thread is usually closed.

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Improving the NBA....what changes would you make?

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  • #1

    Improving the NBA....what changes would you make?

    I love basketball at all levels....I love watching it, playing it, talking about it, coaching it, and writing about it. Being that this is an NBA forum, I wanted to see what everyone thought could be done to improve the NBA to make it an even better product to watch. Ive put together a list of ideas, some of which are realistic, some of which I know wont ever happen, and some that Im sure people will disagree about. I'll list mine, and you all can comment or list your ideas as well.

    1. Adopt the rules of FIBA, and change to the trapezoid lane, allow any type zone defense, and go to the shorter 3 point line. I like the international game rules, except in the NBA game Id keep the 12 minute quarters (no reason to change that). The NBA defensive 3 second rule is stupid, so get rid of that. These rules would help us in international competitions, but I mainly like it because the rules help promote a more team oriented, more pleasing to watch type game. I even like the goal tending rules in FIBA and the ball they use....lets have that be the same too.

    2. Contract from 30 teams to 28 or less. Too many teams saturates the marketplace and thins out the talent pool. There are teams in the league that don't draw well on a consistent basis, and overall are just poorly run franchises. New Orleans, Toronto, Atlanta, Seattle.....you are on the bubble.

    3. If I were to relocate a team instead of contracting them, Id consider putting a team in Kentucky, St. Louis, or Oklahoma City full time, and Las Vegas definitely needs a team.

    4. I'd cut the regular season schedule to 60 games or so. I know this will never happen for financial reasons, but the quality of play in the marathon season of the NBA is poor many times, due to the teams being exhausted from travel, and because the games are somewhat meaningless. Fewer games would help on both counts.

    5. I also know this would never happen, but id have fewer playoff teams....I think 5 is the right number for each conference...3 division winners and 2 wild cards.....the teams with the 2 worst records would play a 3 game series to see who would advance to the next round and play the team with the best record. This way every reg season game would be BIG, and some good teams might get left out...as it is now over half the teams make the playoffs, and I think thats silly....it makes the preceding games more unimportant.....that isnt good.

    6. I'd radically tweak the All Star game. I'd make the centerpiece of the game a US vs the World format, instead of the unwatchable east vs west conference like it is now. I'd also eliminate the dunk contest (it is stale now, and no one enters it), and replace it with a 1 on 1 contest between the top 16 players voted on by the fans. Imagine how much fun that would be....first round matchups would be done by a blind draw televised right before the event. No one would be allowed to not participate unless injured ( No one would, it would be considered cowardice). Pretend for a sec you have first round matchups like this: Kobe vs. McGrady, Lebron vs. Iverson, Yao vs Wade, Nowitzki vs Carmelo, JO vs Artest, Nash vs. Arenas, Pierce vs Stoudamire, Dwight Howard vs Iverson.....or some such combination of players. It would be great television!

    6. I'd have a midseason, single elimination, old fashioned Indiana High School basketball tournament during the week between Christmas and New Years, played at 4 sites around the country, culminating into a "Final Four" played at Madison Square Garden on January 1st....teams play in the morning ( like the old state finals), winners play on prime time that night.

    7. Id organize a series of games after the season (in my schedule remember the season would end in early May, not end of June) with the Euroleague champions, and the champions from other leagues around the globe. Call it the "Champions Cup" or something like that. Play it over Memorial Day Weekend......Let it be the basketball equivalent of the Ryder Cup. This year our rep wouldve been the Miami Heat obviously....whoever won the other qualifying leagues would send their champions too.

    8. Every team (remember Id have less teams) would have their own NBDL affiliate in a good basketball city, like they do now for instance. In the first half of the season, the teams would play a 30 game season or so. In the last half of the season, these "affiliates" would play each other before the scheduled NBA game on that night, to help promote the players who will be playing in the future, and to keep the players in the spotlight and used to the NBA atmosphere. Consider it like the NASCAR Busch series almost (if you choose to play the games the night before, for instance), or like a high school JV team, playing before the varsity game.

    9. Preseason games would be played "jamboree" style, with 4 teams to a venue, barnstorming the country to generate excitement to the preseason.

    10. I'd schedule each team with some "nuetral site games" on college campuses near them.....good to expand the fan base to young people, and would help create a great atmosphere potentially. It would let fans who can't see an NBA game live see one, and would be interesting to watch. The Pacers could play one regular season game at IU for instance, and maybe 1 at Purdue or Notre Dame even....every team would lose say, 2-3 home games a year to try this.

    11. Id make a technical foul count as a personal foul, like FIBA and high school and college basketball do. it might really limit the amount of harping at the officials.

    12. I'd quit promoting so many individual talents, and start promoting and marketing the teams themselves.

    13. I'd wire every coach and official for every game to add to the broadcast experience for the viewers at home.

    14. Every team would play every week on Friday nights, and either on Saturday or Sunday afternoons (Sundays only after football was over) and on one other night during the week. I hope the limited schedule would improve the quality of play, as teams could practice more and travel less.

    15. Id have a referee advisory board, and would monitor the officials more than the league does now. Id grade them harder, and come up with a more scientific approach to monitor and improve them.

    16. I'd have each coach have a "replay challenge" each half to challenge any call he felt was wrong.....if there was clear and irrefutable evidence on video (limited to out of bounds, goal tending, shot clock, 3 vs 2 points, stuff like that, not just anything).

    Ok, those are my ideas....some of them radical, some of them more probable than others........what are yours?
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Improving the NBA....what changes would you make?

    Get rid of the "no charge" zone.

    Get rid of the "Defensive 3 Second" violation.

    Technical fouls should also count as a personal foul. They should also give the other team 2 free throws instead of 1.

    No back to back schedules games (Playing Friday and then Saturday, for example).

    4 Preseason games instead of 8.

    Referees would have press conferences after the game like the coaches and players to explain their decision-making.

    Official fines and suspensions would go from private to public (if related to calls made).

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Improving the NBA....what changes would you make?

      First of all I want to say this was a great post, and I enjoyed reading it a lot. Thank you!

      Now, just some short stuff, until I have more time to digest your suggestions:

      Originally posted by thunderbird1245 View Post
      4. I'd cut the regular season schedule to 60 games or so. I know this will never happen for financial reasons, but the quality of play in the marathon season of the NBA is poor many times, due to the teams being exhausted from travel, and because the games are somewhat meaningless. Fewer games would help on both counts.
      I agree to this one with all my heart, and you haven't even mentioned the injuries that plague the NBA. Just imagine how the Pacers could do with a ~60 games year.

      Originally posted by thunderbird1245 View Post
      12. I'd quit promoting so many individual talents, and start promoting and marketing the teams themselves.
      I really related to this one. Its nice looking for the 'hero' (Like in films), but basketball is a team's play, and I feel it is sometimes forgotten.


      Generally I would add - placing a much harsher limit on the player's payrolls. There is an urgent need to limit the effects of money on the court. I know it sounds bad, but limiting payrolls significantly will turn out for the best. I know the players organization will kill the league for that, but somewhere this sport has become a money machine. This drives the teams and the players themselves crazy.

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Improving the NBA....what changes would you make?

        Get rid of the "no charge" zone. no. the refs have always considered there to be one there and just a few years ago they actually put it there. I don't want players trying to take charges while standing right under the basket

        Get rid of the "Defensive 3 Second" violation. no, I don't want a huge shot blocker just standing under the basket

        Technical fouls should also count as a personal foul. They should also give the other team 2 free throws instead of 1. no, I think they should do away with players fouling out, what other sport do players get disqualified like that

        No back to back schedules games (Playing Friday and then Saturday, for example). , I think no back to backs is unrealistic, I'd be happy with no 4 games in 5 nights and no 5 games in 7 days especially when a long road trip is involved.

        4 Preseason games instead of 8. yes I agree 100%

        Referees would have press conferences after the game like the coaches and players to explain their decision-making. no, no, no, that would turn into a circus, refs would want to look good on TV at the press conferences

        Official fines and suspensions would go from private to public (if related to calls made). the last thing we need is for some yahoo fans to know about this stuff

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Improving the NBA....what changes would you make?

          I love the 60 game suggestion, I have been thinking that for awhile.

          Season could be just as long just 1 or 2 games between Fri-Sun, one during the Week. Will never happen though.

          Why Not Us ?

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Improving the NBA....what changes would you make?

            1. Adopt the rules of FIBA, and change to the trapezoid lane, allow any type zone defense, and go to the shorter 3 point line. I like the international game rules, except in the NBA game Id keep the 12 minute quarters (no reason to change that). The NBA defensive 3 second rule is stupid, so get rid of that. These rules would help us in international competitions, but I mainly like it because the rules help promote a more team oriented, more pleasing to watch type game. I even like the goal tending rules in FIBA and the ball they use....lets have that be the same too. no, I like the way it is now



            2. Contract from 30 teams to 28 or less. Too many teams saturates the marketplace and thins out the talent pool. There are teams in the league that don't draw well on a consistent basis, and overall are just poorly run franchises. New Orleans, Toronto, Atlanta, Seattle.....you are on the bubble. , that would be OK

            3. If I were to relocate a team instead of contracting them, Id consider putting a team in Kentucky, St. Louis, or Oklahoma City full time, and Las Vegas definitely needs a team. , I don't have an opinion


            4. I'd cut the regular season schedule to 60 games or so. I know this will never happen for financial reasons, but the quality of play in the marathon season of the NBA is poor many times, due to the teams being exhausted from travel, and because the games are somewhat meaningless. Fewer games would help on both counts. yes, yes that would help the NBA more than anything

            5. I also know this would never happen, but id have fewer playoff teams....I think 5 is the right number for each conference...3 division winners and 2 wild cards.....the teams with the 2 worst records would play a 3 game series to see who would advance to the next round and play the team with the best record. This way every reg season game would be BIG, and some good teams might get left out...as it is now over half the teams make the playoffs, and I think thats silly....it makes the preceding games more unimportant.....that isnt good. no, I like the 16 teams, the playoffs are the best time of the year, so why shorten then

            6. I'd radically tweak the All Star game. I'd make the centerpiece of the game a US vs the World format, instead of the unwatchable east vs west conference like it is now. I'd also eliminate the dunk contest (it is stale now, and no one enters it), and replace it with a 1 on 1 contest between the top 16 players voted on by the fans. Imagine how much fun that would be....first round matchups would be done by a blind draw televised right before the event. No one would be allowed to not participate unless injured ( No one would, it would be considered cowardice). Pretend for a sec you have first round matchups like this: Kobe vs. McGrady, Lebron vs. Iverson, Yao vs Wade, Nowitzki vs Carmelo, JO vs Artest, Nash vs. Arenas, Pierce vs Stoudamire, Dwight Howard vs Iverson.....or some such combination of players. It would be great television! no


            6. I'd have a midseason, single elimination, old fashioned Indiana High School basketball tournament during the week between Christmas and New Years, played at 4 sites around the country, culminating into a "Final Four" played at Madison Square Garden on January 1st....teams play in the morning ( like the old state finals), winners play on prime time that night. You can't be serious





            10. I'd schedule each team with some "nuetral site games" on college campuses near them.....good to expand the fan base to young people, and would help create a great atmosphere potentially. It would let fans who can't see an NBA game live see one, and would be interesting to watch. The Pacers could play one regular season game at IU for instance, and maybe 1 at Purdue or Notre Dame even....every team would lose say, 2-3 home games a year to try this. no

            12. I'd quit promoting so many individual talents, and start promoting and marketing the teams themselves. I've got no problem with this

            13. I'd wire every coach and official for every game to add to the broadcast experience for the viewers at home. would it be R rated

            14. Every team would play every week on Friday nights, and either on Saturday or Sunday afternoons (Sundays only after football was over) and on one other night during the week. I hope the limited schedule would improve the quality of play, as teams could practice more and travel less. , good idea to come up with a schedule where fans know that on a certain night your team is going to play, that has really helped the NFL, no one ever has to guess when the next Colts game is

            15. Id have a referee advisory board, and would monitor the officials more than the league does now. Id grade them harder, and come up with a more scientific approach to monitor and improve them. , from what I know the refs are watched so closely now that it is hurting their performance, so I wouldn't agree with you on this one

            16. I'd have each coach have a "replay challenge" each half to challenge any call he felt was wrong.....if there was clear and irrefutable evidence on video (limited to out of bounds, goal tending, shot clock, 3 vs 2 points, stuff like that, not just anything). my first reaction is to say no, but I'll leave it at maybe

            v
            Ok, those are my ideas....some of them radical, some of them more probable than others........what are yours?[/QUOTE]

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Improving the NBA....what changes would you make?

              Originally posted by thunderbird1245 View Post
              I love basketball at all levels....I love watching it, playing it, talking about it, coaching it, and writing about it. Being that this is an NBA forum, I wanted to see what everyone thought could be done to improve the NBA to make it an even better product to watch. Ive put together a list of ideas, some of which are realistic, some of which I know wont ever happen, and some that Im sure people will disagree about. I'll list mine, and you all can comment or list your ideas as well.

              1. Adopt the rules of FIBA, and change to the trapezoid lane, allow any type zone defense, and go to the shorter 3 point line. I like the international game rules, except in the NBA game Id keep the 12 minute quarters (no reason to change that). The NBA defensive 3 second rule is stupid, so get rid of that. These rules would help us in international competitions, but I mainly like it because the rules help promote a more team oriented, more pleasing to watch type game. I even like the goal tending rules in FIBA and the ball they use....lets have that be the same too.

              2. Contract from 30 teams to 28 or less. Too many teams saturates the marketplace and thins out the talent pool. There are teams in the league that don't draw well on a consistent basis, and overall are just poorly run franchises. New Orleans, Toronto, Atlanta, Seattle.....you are on the bubble.

              3. If I were to relocate a team instead of contracting them, Id consider putting a team in Kentucky, St. Louis, or Oklahoma City full time, and Las Vegas definitely needs a team.

              4. I'd cut the regular season schedule to 60 games or so. I know this will never happen for financial reasons, but the quality of play in the marathon season of the NBA is poor many times, due to the teams being exhausted from travel, and because the games are somewhat meaningless. Fewer games would help on both counts.

              5. I also know this would never happen, but id have fewer playoff teams....I think 5 is the right number for each conference...3 division winners and 2 wild cards.....the teams with the 2 worst records would play a 3 game series to see who would advance to the next round and play the team with the best record. This way every reg season game would be BIG, and some good teams might get left out...as it is now over half the teams make the playoffs, and I think thats silly....it makes the preceding games more unimportant.....that isnt good.

              6. I'd radically tweak the All Star game. I'd make the centerpiece of the game a US vs the World format, instead of the unwatchable east vs west conference like it is now. I'd also eliminate the dunk contest (it is stale now, and no one enters it), and replace it with a 1 on 1 contest between the top 16 players voted on by the fans. Imagine how much fun that would be....first round matchups would be done by a blind draw televised right before the event. No one would be allowed to not participate unless injured ( No one would, it would be considered cowardice). Pretend for a sec you have first round matchups like this: Kobe vs. McGrady, Lebron vs. Iverson, Yao vs Wade, Nowitzki vs Carmelo, JO vs Artest, Nash vs. Arenas, Pierce vs Stoudamire, Dwight Howard vs Iverson.....or some such combination of players. It would be great television!

              6. I'd have a midseason, single elimination, old fashioned Indiana High School basketball tournament during the week between Christmas and New Years, played at 4 sites around the country, culminating into a "Final Four" played at Madison Square Garden on January 1st....teams play in the morning ( like the old state finals), winners play on prime time that night.

              7. Id organize a series of games after the season (in my schedule remember the season would end in early May, not end of June) with the Euroleague champions, and the champions from other leagues around the globe. Call it the "Champions Cup" or something like that. Play it over Memorial Day Weekend......Let it be the basketball equivalent of the Ryder Cup. This year our rep wouldve been the Miami Heat obviously....whoever won the other qualifying leagues would send their champions too.

              8. Every team (remember Id have less teams) would have their own NBDL affiliate in a good basketball city, like they do now for instance. In the first half of the season, the teams would play a 30 game season or so. In the last half of the season, these "affiliates" would play each other before the scheduled NBA game on that night, to help promote the players who will be playing in the future, and to keep the players in the spotlight and used to the NBA atmosphere. Consider it like the NASCAR Busch series almost (if you choose to play the games the night before, for instance), or like a high school JV team, playing before the varsity game.

              9. Preseason games would be played "jamboree" style, with 4 teams to a venue, barnstorming the country to generate excitement to the preseason.

              10. I'd schedule each team with some "nuetral site games" on college campuses near them.....good to expand the fan base to young people, and would help create a great atmosphere potentially. It would let fans who can't see an NBA game live see one, and would be interesting to watch. The Pacers could play one regular season game at IU for instance, and maybe 1 at Purdue or Notre Dame even....every team would lose say, 2-3 home games a year to try this.

              11. Id make a technical foul count as a personal foul, like FIBA and high school and college basketball do. it might really limit the amount of harping at the officials.

              12. I'd quit promoting so many individual talents, and start promoting and marketing the teams themselves.

              13. I'd wire every coach and official for every game to add to the broadcast experience for the viewers at home.

              14. Every team would play every week on Friday nights, and either on Saturday or Sunday afternoons (Sundays only after football was over) and on one other night during the week. I hope the limited schedule would improve the quality of play, as teams could practice more and travel less.

              15. Id have a referee advisory board, and would monitor the officials more than the league does now. Id grade them harder, and come up with a more scientific approach to monitor and improve them.

              16. I'd have each coach have a "replay challenge" each half to challenge any call he felt was wrong.....if there was clear and irrefutable evidence on video (limited to out of bounds, goal tending, shot clock, 3 vs 2 points, stuff like that, not just anything).

              Ok, those are my ideas....some of them radical, some of them more probable than others........what are yours?
              So basically change the game to the 1980's version of NCAA basketball?

              In reading this I think you are longing for some old fashioned IHSAA basketball with a one winner tourney & all.


              Basketball isn't played with computers, spreadsheets, and simulations. ChicagoJ 4/21/13

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              • #8
                Re: Improving the NBA....what changes would you make?

                Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
                Technical fouls should also count as a personal foul. They should also give the other team 2 free throws instead of 1. no, I think they should do away with players fouling out, what other sport do players get disqualified like that.
                Try another world famous sport,, Soccer.

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                • #9
                  Re: Improving the NBA....what changes would you make?

                  Ill go into more detail later but i think half court shots that go in should be worth 4 points.
                  If you havin' depth problems, I feel bad for you son; I got 99 problems but a bench ain't one! - Hicks
                  [/center]
                  @thatguyjoe84

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                  • #10
                    Re: Improving the NBA....what changes would you make?

                    Originally posted by Hicks View Post
                    Get rid of the "no charge" zone.

                    Get rid of the "Defensive 3 Second" violation.

                    Technical fouls should also count as a personal foul. They should also give the other team 2 free throws instead of 1.

                    No back to back schedules games (Playing Friday and then Saturday, for example).

                    4 Preseason games instead of 8.

                    Referees would have press conferences after the game like the coaches and players to explain their decision-making.

                    Official fines and suspensions would go from private to public (if related to calls made).

                    I actually like the "no charge zone", so Id be ok with keeping that or eliminating it either one. I actually think that is a rule that FIBA should incorporate, to make it easier on the officials.

                    We agreed big time on the stupid stupid stupid defensive 3 second rule.
                    To UB: if the defense leaves a guy to stand under the bucket, just be a good enough team to draw him out by making jumpers....thas has never been an issue at any level of play in either high school or college.

                    We agreed on the tech rule, and Im ok with 2 shots instead of one....make a technical really matter, and be a penalty...it would cut down on them big time.

                    Im Ok with back to back games if they are in the same city for instance....id be ok if the NBA manuevered its schedule to have you play 2 game "homestands" on back to back days with the same opponent....that way each team has equal rest and no advantage over the other.

                    Id revamp the whole preseason format like I stated, and Id add that to include that training camp should be open to the public as well, like the NFL, and should be held at a local college somewhere. People would love to watch teams practice, just like I loved going to Rose Hulman to watch the Colts....what better way to generate interest and new fans?

                    Im ok with the officials having to be accountable, but maybe just one day per week, such as each Monday for instance. Ideally, Id have all teams off on Mondays for weekly press conferences, to set up the week's practice, and to begin the hype for upcoming games in the schedule. Again, use the NFL as an example here.

                    OTHER IDEA I THOUGHT OF:

                    There should be an "arm" of the NBA to film the games behind the scenes, like NFL films does for football, and there should truly be an "NBA network", set up just like football does, available to all or most of the country. I know there is one now, but Ive never heard of anyone who has it that I personally know. Filling up programming on my NBA network should be extremely easy Id think.....I can think of a MILLION things Id watch.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Improving the NBA....what changes would you make?

                      I have NBATV during the season (Dish cuts me off from it during the summer), and it's OK as is, but it could potentially be awesome if they started having some of the NFL channel types of documentaries and such. They already do a little bit, but they could do even more.

                      They really need to look at being as available as the NFL network is, too; it'd only help them in the long run.

                      I like your compromise for back-to-backs.

                      I also like the idea of having Monday press conferences to hype up the next week of the season.

                      Also, something I didn't think of before:

                      I like your idea about TC being open to the public, and I'd go one bold step further and make the preseason games the same way. It's absurd to pay full price for a mediocre presentation such as the preseason. The least they could do is cut prices in half (such as the quality of play usually is), or to generate more buzz and for good P.R. go ahead and make them first come, first serve (you still have to request tickets ahead of time or at the door, but they are free).

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                      • #12
                        Re: Improving the NBA....what changes would you make?

                        Originally posted by aero View Post
                        Ill go into more detail later but i think half court shots that go in should be worth 4 points.
                        On the surface that sounds really gimmicky, but I kinda like it. I've wondered before what it'd be like to add a 4 point line even further out, but that's just too hokey. This I like because it doesn't add another line to the floor, and it's so far out you'll never see (unless Isiah or Don Nelson is the coach maybe) an offense designed around it. It'd be purely for rewarding crazy desperation shots at the end of quarters/halfs/games.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Improving the NBA....what changes would you make?

                          Thunderbird,

                          I am curious as to why you see Toronto as a "poorly run franchise", and worthy of being compared to such dismal franchises like Atlanta, New Orleans, etc.?

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                          • #14
                            Re: Improving the NBA....what changes would you make?

                            Originally posted by rcarey View Post
                            Thunderbird,

                            I am curious as to why you see Toronto as a "poorly run franchise", and worthy of being compared to such dismal franchises like Atlanta, New Orleans, etc.?
                            Well, I wasn't completely clear on that I guess. I have no clue whether as a whole they are a bad franchise, as Im not familiar with their day to day operation. Maybe under Colangelo they will be better. In their case, I just don't see why Toronto has a team, and other basketball hotbeds don't. Since I want to have fewer teams as a whole, Toronto seemed like a good one to eliminate for me. Nothing against the city itself, Ive never been there but it seems to be regarded well in general as a good city to live in and a good sports town.....but Id rather have a team in Vegas, Lexington Ky, Nashville, St. Louis, Albuquerque, Oklahoma City, or a few other cities I can think of.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Improving the NBA....what changes would you make?

                              Well, I've thought for years they should get rid of that stupid half-circle. No argument from me there.

                              This has always bugged me - allowing a team to advance the ball to halfcourt at the end of the game. The game in minute 1 should be the same game in minute 47.

                              The defensive 3 rule doesn't really bother me but it doesn't make much sense to me either.

                              But the biggest thing is how refs call the game - especially allowing post players to dislodge defenders. I was actually happy JO got called for a bunch of those in the 1st rd last year (well, except I wanted NJ to lose). If a defender has position, he has position. Just call it consistently.
                              The poster formerly known as Rimfire

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