Zones are illegal? You know, after watching the NBA on NBC I wouldn't have thought so. ------------------ The Rockets will be the NBA champions. Believe.
There has been talk of adding the zone to help scoring. This is the only thing I could come up with why someone would think this. A strong side zone was added this year I believe or atleast its more prevalent. ------------------
Only if they get called. ------------------ There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Here is what would help scoring: Like Bill Worell said the other day, stop calling so many charging fouls. Its getting rediculous. Also, enough with the palming violations. Players would score much more if they were allowed to handle the ball like Michael Jordan was. Finally, enough with the excessive TV time outs. Those damn things really ruin the flow of the game. Change the rules back to the way they were before the lockout. The NBA was perfect, back then. ------------------ "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning how to put food on their family while being put to death."
The reason for the current scoring drop isn't because offenses are less effective, its because they take their time and get good shots. Scoring per possession isn't down. Possessions are down, way down. The Zone helps the defense guard agianst the half court offense. Teams would be willing to settle for bad shots out of transition before the zone sets up. The increased number of posseions will cover the scoring drop per possession. This might work, but it is crap even if it does. It won't cure the "iso problem", that the "fans" loathe according to the NBA executives, not fans. It will force bad decisions and bad shots. It will force teams to shot over the zone which I think is boring. I like a good jump shot, but I like a variety. ------------------
I read an interesting comment by Rod Thorn, where he said that a lot of good pure shooters are kept out of the NBA because they aren't athletic enough to play man-to-man or trapping defense ... and that allowing zones would allow these players to stay in the league. Don't know if I agree with that, but at least that's another explanation. ------------------
I've read that too. BS. So Steve Kerr, Matt Maloney, and Hubert Davis are athletic defenders? Please. Plus, the beauty of the NBA is that you have to play both ends of the court. I'm not in favor of rules that let you play if you can't D up on your man. ------------------ In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.
Sam I agree Not to mention . . . I think Blinebury had a point It's the coaches CALLING EVERY FRICKING PLAY Let the floor General be a FLOOR GENERAL now . . .every play is called from the sideline that accounts for 4~5 seconds then setting it up. Coaches are CONTROL FREAKS now because every possession is so precious Rocket River ------------------
Zone D will not help the scoring in the NBA. Its bad enough with the 3 point line. Everybody thinks they can shoot the 3. So instead of working for a high percentage shot, they shoot for 3 points. A zone D will also take away driving to the hoop (which is why they got rid of it in the first place) To improve scoring in the NBA, they need to take away the 3 point line and get better referees who do not fall for "acting" defensive players. ------------------ "Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored."- (Aldous Huxley)
As someone who sees zones all the time as a Player, spectator and coach I have one thing to say BU11Sh*T. Teams play zone because of some sort of defensive deficency, whether it be a Matt Bullard or a Centre with foul trouble, what ever the reason they can be torn apart and punished just as much as Man2Man defense, personally more. If teams were to play Zones all the time in the NBA scoring would definitely go up. Practice is the key, the more teams play them the better the opposition will get at punishing them, all zones have a weakness 2-1-2 the corner and Low post 1-3-1 short corners 3-2 high post And remember most of the defensive players playing these zones would have no experience in playing them and i would think initially they would be terrible In general all zones are susceptable to penetration, the general myth is that you shoot the opposition up of a zone, but inside out is the way to work in combination with penetration with the key being to get two players to guard one offensive player, which is easy to do in zone through driblle penetrating and spilitting a zone and finding the gaps. So bollocks, any NBA player with half a brain and anaverage dose of athletisism should be a ble to carve up a zone. ------------------ CUT Tino These Heaves are just getting Ridiculous! [This message has been edited by SmeggySmeg (edited February 27, 2001).]
I don't know, with seven players on the defense it might be hard to carve up a 1-3-3 zone. ------------------ Don't come in Bullard's house!
I hope the NBA doesn't go towards LEGALIZING zones. True, zone defenses would help stop some of the ISOs and clear-outs prevalent in the league, but it may also make more teams reliant on the 3. I think the NBA, in order to stop the ISOs, should relax the illegal defense rules and inact a 5 second rule similar to that in the college game. But a bigger issue is the coaches. There has to be a commitment by the coaches to start instituting offensive systems that stress ball movement and team work. Too many NBA coaches have what I call the "Fratello syndrome", which is give the ball to your best player every time (as he did with Terrell Brandon while at Cleveland), let him dribble out the clock and go 1-on-1 with the clock running down. Such a system, by putting the ball in your best player's hands, gives a team its best chance of winning which in turn gives the coach a better chance at keeping his job. Now I'm not accussing Fratello of being a bad coach (I still can't figure out why he doesn't have a position, he's wasting his time at TNT/TBS) nor am I blaming someone for doing his best to keep his job, but the pressure to win is prompting a lot of coaches to adopt this mentality, and is a big contribution to the erosion of quality play. For example, remember the pre-Jackson Lakers. They had much more talent then than now, but didn't play together or with much continuity. Then Jackson comes in, puts in a structured system and stresses discipline, and the rest is history. My point is that most men thirst for some sort of discipline and structure in their lives. If they can be convinced that the structure and discipline of a give system or philosophy will help them achieve a particular goal, then they will totally commit themselves 10 times out of 10. SO the argument that today's player is too much of a prima dona, selfish, or arrogant just doesn't fly. ------------------
I don't like the 5 second Rule Idea because 1. It would be all game long . . .IMO you should not relax the rules at the end of halfs or games. [We'd really be running up the score] 2. It eliminates the illegal D rule which would in essence make Zones legal If Cut has the ball for 5 seconds. . . the defense can cheat for 3~5 seconds. . .The Illegal D would have to be called quick . .or they can play this zone until the Rockets move the ball. Rocket River Mainly #2 ------------------
