Without MJ, NBA needs to pick up the pace

Ding-dong, Michael Jordan is dead. What's the NBA to do? Well, why not rewrite the rulebook and pick up the already lagging pace of professional basketball?

That's exactly what the NBA Board of Governors did last Friday when they approved a slew of rule changes that will do a little to revitalize a sagging league. Scoring in the NBA hit rock bottom during the 1998-99 season, when teams averaged 91 points a game, the lowest since the inception of the shot clock during the 1954-55 season. On top of that, the league lost their biggest cash cow ever when Jordan retired in 1998, and they have yet to find a new league centerpiece to hang their hats on. In an effort to jazz up offensive output, a special league committee recommended tightening up the rough-house style that NBA low-post bangers have grown accustomed to, while also shortening the amount of time a player can hold on to the ball in the post. Even though their hearts were in the right place, these changes will bring games to a virtual stand- still, knock out starters with foul trouble and draw even more attention to highly criticized officials.

The rule changes include a prohibition on forearm checking, except below the free throw line, in what amounts to a total arms-off policy for defenders; a five-second rule limiting the amount of time an offensive player with his back to the basket can control the ball below the free throw line before he must pass, shoot or pick up his dribble; and the resetting the shot clock to 14 seconds instead of 24 on certain stoppages of play - personal fouls that do not result in free throws, kicked and punched balls and a team's first illegal defense violation. Meanwhile, teams will benefit from an exemption from illegal defense rules for players positioned on the strong side of the court. Finally, officials around the league will be more conservative in their enforcement of foul rules, especially rules that apply to physical play away from the ball. A crackdown is expected on excessive banging in the low post and defenders clutching and grabbing to hinder an offensive player running through screens.

The league finally did away with forearm defense on the perimeter, finishing a job they started five years ago. After the Knicks made their 1994 title run, the league passed new rules restricting the amount of hand checks allowed by the defender. At the time, New York guard Derek Harper made a living in the playoffs with his hand-check defense, but the league was not impressed with his aggressive style, so they restricted the amount of arm contact to the elbow/forearm region for the 1994-95 season. This change comes as no surprise and will give speedsters like Allan Iverson and Damon Stoudamire more room to cut and slash into the lane. This is clearly the best change the league approved, but that doesn't mean it's above criticism. Like the other rules, it will result in more than a few ticky-tack fouls away from the basket.

Playing with your back to the basket became en vogue when Jordan started posting up anyone that dared guard him. Jordan had the ability to humiliate defenders, and make it look exciting even though he was on the block. Now, every wanna-be Jordan tries backing their man down to the post for a cheap score. No one minded when Jordan played with the ball for 20 seconds, because he was the best and the ball belonged to him no matter which way he decided to play. Unfortunately, Jordan-less post-centered offenses run into more than a few pitfalls. Most teams lack any offensive movement when they go to the post. When they do get some movement, they look for the low percentage three-point shot.

The league shot down a proposed change to the key, making it wider at the baseline like international courts. Instead, they decided to install a five-second time limit on low post players with the ball. The latter alteration would prove more affective than the time limit for a few simple reasons league officials somehow overlooked. The wider key pushes low post players away from the basket, making it more difficult to score in the post. The five-second rule still allows players to set up camp near the basket; they just have to take a quicker shot. Both rules aim to cut down on the amount of low post scoring that centers most league offenses, but a change to the key would look to eliminate that portion of the game rather than speed it up.

Changes to the shot clock may also have an adverse affect on league offenses. Teams will have 14 seconds to start up their offense in a half-court set when a foul does not result in free throws. Giving teams less time to produce a quality score, could result in some poor last minute shots to beat the shot clock. The jury is still out on this one.

The biggest change will come with the new defensive restrictions. Offensive players will have free reign to make any move they want and expect a foul call on just about every possession. Defenders will have to back up, get out of the way and pretty much hand their basket over to the opposition. The refs will be there to back up the offense and guarantee a slow-paced game. Games will be riddled with quick whistles, and trips to the charity stripe. No one wants to see players brick more free throws then they already do, but the NBA wrote a prescription for just that. On the bright side, prime-time players will benefit from the offensive chances; at the same time, they will also get burned on the defensive end. Expect the big-name stars to cry their way to the bench after they rack up quick fouls. Does the league want an important game decided by petty calls? The poor officials will only draw more heat to themselves when they properly enforce the rules in crunch time.

The NBA is a business, and just like any other business they care most about their profit margins. Last season, the season finals received some of the worst television ratings ever. One of the teams in the finals, the Knicks, hosts the largest television market in the country. With the Knicks in the finals and ratings down, the league has reason to be worried. NBC pays the NBA billions of dollars for the rights to televise games. When the game does not produce on the screen, NBC executives have more than enough clout to demand better games and more stars.

There is no doubt that changes need to be made. Professional basketball is in the toilet right now, after two decades of unparalleled success with the Larry Bird/Magic Johnson/Michael Jordan gravy train. Scoring is down, ratings are down, and, most importantly, profits are down.

The league blew it big time with these new rules, and it will feel the hurt once the season starts and people start changing the channel. Fouls slow the professional game down more than anything else, and the league gave officials a carte blanche to call whatever they want, whenever they want. It remains to be seen if players will be able to adjust to the new rules, but in the meantime, get ready to watch the grass grow on the hardwood.