(04-11-2014 11:29 AM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote: About what we expected. If you like watching freethrows, it was a stroke of genius.
Scoring up, possessions down
Scoring increased by more than five percent this season compared to last, despite the fact that teams averaged about one fewer possession per game.
Per Team Averages Last 2 Seasons
'12-13 '13-14 Change
PPG 67.5 71.0 5.2%
Poss PG 68.3 67.4 -1.3%
Fouls PG 17.7 19.1 7.9%
FTA PG 19.7 22.4 13.7%
One of the reasons for the rise in scoring could be the increased trips to the charity stripe.
Free throw attempts per game increased by nearly 14 percent this season compared to last.
Overall the percentage of points from field goals decreased by 2.3 percentage points compared to last season, while scoring from free throws increased by nearly nine percentage points.
Not a good trade off IMO. I think there are other ways to improve the game, but I think these rules hurt it for just the reasons you mentioned.
I have a few ideas, but they'd never fly with the big boys. Some want to raise the basket to twelve feet. I don't want to see that occur. My biggest complaint is huge guys who can jump out of the gym, playing keep away on the offensive boards until they are either fouled or they
put the ball back in.
My solution. First. No offensive put backs. You get an offensive rebound, you have to get the ball back outside the free throw lane to another player before a shot can be taken. New shot clock. but you don't get rewarded for missing a shot and having an unfair advantage under the boards. Get the rebound, O.K., but not a chip shot on an offensive rebound. If the Julius Randle's of the world are going to score, make them do it driving to the basket or shooting from the floor. And as John Wooden wanted to do, eliminate the dunk.
The team with the big athletic guys are still going to have an advantage,
but they will have to earn their shots. They might make the shot on the next possession following the offensive rebound, but at least the other team has a chance to get a rebound if they miss again. Second solution.
offensive put back counts one point, not two.
Other change. If you're going to keep the offensive rebound rule the same, then you get one point for a basket made on a put back, and one foul shot on a foul under the basket. No one and ones. You get one shot only on a non shooting foul. No foul shots other than shooting fouls, until the eighth team foul. Any shooting foul out on the floor, the present rules prevail.
And here's a creative way to handle the individual foul situation. Six fouls and you're on probation. Seventh foul, you either sit out three minutes, or if you stay in the game, and you are charged with a foul, the other team receives two foul shots and the ball out of bounds. Eighth foul and after, you either sit out five minutes or the other team receives three shots and the ball out of bounds. This gives the coach a choice. If he feels the player is worth gambling those free throws and giving up the ball to the other team, he can still play the player. It's a coaching decision.
This would really level the playing field in college basketball. Very few teams can get players with the size of the Kentuckys, UConns and other big time program because there are so few of them. But if you negate some of their advantage inside, you make it a better game, IMO. Plus you should have more scoring from the floor and less from the free throw line, which speeds up the game. And one last change. You must have possession of the ball to call timeout. No time out after you've made a basket because the ball is now in possession of the defensive team.