http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/10133-pointers-ON.html
Bloomberg News
Oct. 13, 2004 12:00 AM
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The National Basketball Association is considering a plan to abolish the 3-point shot until the end of games to increase shooting percentages and make the sport more aesthetically pleasing.
The NBA may ban 3-pointers until there's five minutes left in the game in its development league this season, Stu Jackson, NBA senior vice president of basketball operations, said in a telephone interview. The National Basketball Development League season is scheduled to begin Nov. 19.
"We've talked about it," Jackson said. "We're wrestling with the idea." He said it was too early to tell if the NBA would change the rule. OAS_AD('BoxAd')
"I don't want to jump that far ahead," he said. "It's a very radical change, certainly one that would take a great deal of time to get support if there were positive aspects."
Banning the 3-point shot until late in the game might lead to a more up-tempo style and higher shooting percentages because players would be encouraged to take shots closer to the basket. It also would stop players on fast breaks from pulling up for a shot from the three-point line instead of going for layups.
The NBA instituted the 3-point shot in 1979. Last season, teams shot a combined 34.7 percent from beyond the 3-point line, which ranges from 22 feet to 23-feet, 9-inches from the basket.
Rules Changes
Tinkering or even overhauling the rules isn't uncommon for the NBA, which altered its guidelines allowing teams to play zone defenses before the 2001-02 season. Previously, only man-to-man defense was permitted.
One of the reasons the NBA started the six-team development league in 2001 was to use it as a testing ground for rules changes, Jackson said.
Steve Kerr, who made a record 45 percent of the 3-pointers that he attempted in his career, said he supports the elimination of the long-range shot.
"I kind of liked the 3-pointer before every player on every team was a 3-point shooter," Kerr, who won five NBA championships, said in a telephone interview. "It's being shot way too often these days and it's hurting the game. I wouldn't mind seeing an experiment that gets rid of it."[/font]
Bloomberg News
Oct. 13, 2004 12:00 AM
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The National Basketball Association is considering a plan to abolish the 3-point shot until the end of games to increase shooting percentages and make the sport more aesthetically pleasing.
The NBA may ban 3-pointers until there's five minutes left in the game in its development league this season, Stu Jackson, NBA senior vice president of basketball operations, said in a telephone interview. The National Basketball Development League season is scheduled to begin Nov. 19.
"We've talked about it," Jackson said. "We're wrestling with the idea." He said it was too early to tell if the NBA would change the rule. OAS_AD('BoxAd')
"I don't want to jump that far ahead," he said. "It's a very radical change, certainly one that would take a great deal of time to get support if there were positive aspects."
Banning the 3-point shot until late in the game might lead to a more up-tempo style and higher shooting percentages because players would be encouraged to take shots closer to the basket. It also would stop players on fast breaks from pulling up for a shot from the three-point line instead of going for layups.
The NBA instituted the 3-point shot in 1979. Last season, teams shot a combined 34.7 percent from beyond the 3-point line, which ranges from 22 feet to 23-feet, 9-inches from the basket.
Rules Changes
Tinkering or even overhauling the rules isn't uncommon for the NBA, which altered its guidelines allowing teams to play zone defenses before the 2001-02 season. Previously, only man-to-man defense was permitted.
One of the reasons the NBA started the six-team development league in 2001 was to use it as a testing ground for rules changes, Jackson said.
Steve Kerr, who made a record 45 percent of the 3-pointers that he attempted in his career, said he supports the elimination of the long-range shot.
"I kind of liked the 3-pointer before every player on every team was a 3-point shooter," Kerr, who won five NBA championships, said in a telephone interview. "It's being shot way too often these days and it's hurting the game. I wouldn't mind seeing an experiment that gets rid of it."[/font]
