***General NBA Discussion Thread***

The team threads are being started...and the NBA season is nearly upon us..let this thread be used for teams w/o a thread or general NBA talk.

Lets start..

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NEW RULES?

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – The gap between the NBA game and the international game of basketball continues to shrink at a rapid pace.
FIBA instituted NBA-style rule changes earlier this year (including the dumping of that trapezoid lane, the no-charge zone under the basket and the extended 3-point line). Now comes the NBA’s move towards closing the gap from the other side.
The NBA D-League announced today that is has tweaked its goaltending and overtime rules, the goaltending rule will now mirror the FIBA rule that allows a player to knock the ball away when it is on the rim. Since it serves as, in the words of NBA D-League President Dan Reed, the NBA’s “Research and Development” department, it’s reasonable to assume that it’s just a matter of time before this new goaltending rule is implemented in the NBA.
NBA Commissioner David Stern has been a vocal supporter of changing the rule for years. “As far as I’m concerned, FIBA has it right: It’s in play and the only thing the referee has to judge is, Did it hit the rim? That’s it,” Stern said told Sports Illustrated’s Ian Thomsen last year. “To me, that’s a sensible rule, and it would make foul shooting more fun too.”
The NBA D-League tested the adidas-developed NBA Revolution 30 uniforms you will see on your favorite NBA players this season. So this wouldn’t be the first time the “R&D department” delivered the goods.
If the new goaltending rule is a success in the D-League it could pave the way for one of the most significant rules changes the NBA has seen since the 3-point shot was adopted in the 1979-80 season.
Seriously, can you imagine how crazy it would be to have guys like Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Gerald Wallace, Josh Smith and even an aging but cagey veteran like Kevin Garnett going after the ball while it’s on the cylinder?
Talk about a potential game-changer for some of the league’s elite athletes and craftier players, a new goaltending rule in the NBA could revolutionize the game for some teams and players (the difference in rules go a long way in explaining why some NBA players flourish during international competitions and other struggle, same for the international players that thrive in their game and don’t always make a smooth adjustment to the NBA).

Forgetting about the Cards already? Wow.

Originally posted by BigRon:
Forgetting about the Cards already? Wow.

Huh? Lol never said that..even though they're eliminated...but basketball season is also here.

Go Nuggets.

99% chance that there is a lockout next year.

Originally posted by crzy:
99% chance that there is a lockout next year.

I don't think the odds are quite that high, but it doesn't look good.

The owners are a-holes, IMO.

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by crzy:
99% chance that there is a lockout next year.

I don't think the odds are quite that high, but it doesn't look good.

The owners are a-holes, IMO.

If we end up with a more competitive NBA with better parity, I don't care if there's a lockout.

The NBA's lack of parity is just horrible. Only 8 teams have won the last 30 championships. Worst of any sport.

Hard cap, non-guaranteed contracts...whatever creates parity I'm down.

Originally posted by crzy:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by crzy:
99% chance that there is a lockout next year.

I don't think the odds are quite that high, but it doesn't look good.

The owners are a-holes, IMO.

If we end up with a more competitive NBA with better parity, I don't care if there's a lockout.

The NBA's lack of parity is just horrible. Only 8 teams have won the last 30 championships. Worst of any sport.

Hard cap, non-guaranteed contracts...whatever creates parity I'm down.

The fewer people you have on the field of play, the less parity there will be, because great players are even more important. It has nothing to do with the salary cap or the league rules, and everything to do with the fact that you only need about 8 guys to play most of the minutes.

Originally posted by crzy:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by crzy:
99% chance that there is a lockout next year.

I don't think the odds are quite that high, but it doesn't look good.

The owners are a-holes, IMO.

If we end up with a more competitive NBA with better parity, I don't care if there's a lockout.

The NBA's lack of parity is just horrible. Only 8 teams have won the last 30 championships. Worst of any sport.

Hard cap, non-guaranteed contracts...whatever creates parity I'm down.

Its just the nature of the game ... only 5 guys per team so 1 dominant player = wins.

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by crzy:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by crzy:
99% chance that there is a lockout next year.

I don't think the odds are quite that high, but it doesn't look good.

The owners are a-holes, IMO.

If we end up with a more competitive NBA with better parity, I don't care if there's a lockout.

The NBA's lack of parity is just horrible. Only 8 teams have won the last 30 championships. Worst of any sport.

Hard cap, non-guaranteed contracts...whatever creates parity I'm down.

The fewer people you have on the field of play, the less parity there will be, because great players are even more important. It has nothing to do with the salary cap or the league rules, and everything to do with the fact that you only need about 8 guys to play most of the minutes.

Then why is there great parity in hockey?

Even with line changes, there are still only 6 players on the ice at a time.

Originally posted by crzy:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by crzy:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by crzy:
99% chance that there is a lockout next year.

I don't think the odds are quite that high, but it doesn't look good.

The owners are a-holes, IMO.

If we end up with a more competitive NBA with better parity, I don't care if there's a lockout.

The NBA's lack of parity is just horrible. Only 8 teams have won the last 30 championships. Worst of any sport.

Hard cap, non-guaranteed contracts...whatever creates parity I'm down.

The fewer people you have on the field of play, the less parity there will be, because great players are even more important. It has nothing to do with the salary cap or the league rules, and everything to do with the fact that you only need about 8 guys to play most of the minutes.

Then why is there great parity in hockey?

Even with line changes, there are still only 6 players on the ice at a time.

Because aside from the goalies, even the highest MPG guys in hockey play less than half of the game. In the NBA, it's about 80-85% of the game.

If they want parity, they need to eliminate 6 or 8 teams. That's the problem with American sports, today. Too many got dayum teams have diluted the talent pool.

I agree that stars dominate in basketball, however changing the league salary structure would help more teams become competitive, and would be better for the league long-term.