FanPost

Now that FIBA is over: FIBA v. NBA rules

I was reading Jack McCallum's article over at SI.com about the US victory, and it included this section:

FIBA has long hoped that the NBA would modify its rules to more closely conform to those played in most international venues. Patrick Baumann, secretary general of the organization, said during a media session over here that he hopes the FIBA rule that allows players to knock away a ball on the rim without a goal-tending call will be adopted by the NBA.

[...] In fact, FIBA is moving more toward NBA rules by changing its lane from a trapezoid to a rectangle and moving back its three-point line to a foot short of the NBA distance.

But Stu Jackson, the NBA's rules czar, is in love with one thing that FIBA does, and I agree wholeheartedly.

"A minute goes up on the clock for a timeout," said Jackson, "and that's what you have. I love the way they keep the game moving." Also, a FIBA game is four 10-minute quarters (instead of 12), so every game doesn't seem like Long Day's Journey Into Night, as is the case in the NBA.

Alas, as Jackson knows, streamlining the timeouts won't happen.

"Television," he said. Indeed. It's during those timeouts that networks local and national make their money.

Throughout the tournament, I'd been looking at aspects of FIBA play, and whether the NBA would benefit from incorporating some of them.

Most appealing to me is the timeout rules, at least as they apply to end-of-game situations. We all know that the timeout "chess match" that happens at the end of close games is more often boring than exciting. In fact, one of the main complaints about the NBA by non-fans is that the only part that matters is the last 30 seconds, which can often take 30 minutes.

In FIBA play, only the coach can call a timeout, and only during a dead ball. This rule made the ends of FIBA games go smoothly and quickly.

I'd love to see the NBA adopt this rule for the last 2 minutes of the game. I think the league as a whole would benefit from this.

Did anyone else see any rules from FIBA that they'd like the NBA to adopt?