The initiative is to increase offensive productivity, yet it is in my humble opinion that the logic appears counter-intuitive. The best shooters in the game – Ray Allen, Steph Curry, Danny Green – find consistency through form and ability to find a rhythm. Offensive execution relies on a similar premise. Scoring is predicated on the combination of turnovers created on defense, halfcourt execution, and free-throw efficiency. Offensive execution (halfcourt & secondary) relies on 5 guys on the floor finding that same rhythm that shooters look to find from reading defensive schemes and recognizing offensive opportunities.
The new rules put in place I think may not only stifle offensive productivity, but diminish the flow of the game in its entirety. The human aspect of officials is what may get overlooked. It is naive to think that officials don’t recognize the number of fouls totaled in the game. My concern is with the consistency of the call coinciding with the official’s explanation. An automatic at 18:00 in the first half should remain an automatic 1:28 seconds left in the game, there should never be a feeling that a foul is arbitrarily called. I hope the rules are an improvement to our game, but I tend to agree with Larry Brown that the new rules put in place speak more about how fundamentals are being emphasized less resulting in these changes to forcibly clean up the game.
For some more, check out Jeff Eisenberg’s article on the numbers from the first weekend of basketball versus the averages of basketball from all of last year.
Coach's Climb 