This is extremely random, but for some reason I was just thinking about Danny Biasone's and Joe Fulks' contributions to the NBA (the shot clock and the jumpshot, respectively). I found myself wondering which was more important to the evolution of the game to what it is today, and I really can't decide. What do you guys think? Oh yeah, I know that Fulks didn't actually invent the jumpshot, but he at least refined it to about what it is today. So don't nitpick about that technicality.
(shudder) The shot clock changed the entire way the game was played. Everything sped up, more strategy was introduced, and athletic abilities became more important. The jump shot was a key offensive development, but it was a natural extension of the game's evolution. The shot clock, however, changed the *way* the game was played. Good question, though. I love that kinda stuff!
Actually, now that you mention it, I should've thrown the 3-point line in the poll as well... Seems to me like both the jumpshot and the 3-point line made possible/encouraged an isolation offense. What I was thinking with the original question was that without the jumpshot, isolation would be impractical and ineffective, and the game would likely be far more team-oriented today. The shot clock of course had an unequivicolly positive effect, but did it really effect playing style like the jumpshot did? You can see why I thought this a difficult question.
The shot clock for sure.... Basketball would be super boring right now if there was no shot clock... I mean from what i read before, they use to hold the ball like a whole quarter just to win the game, well maybe i am exxagerating with the one quarter thing.... but might be true... who knows..
One could make a case that without a shot clock there may never have been a jump shot or a 3 point line. No NBA shot clock would have introduced the ABA at least a decade sooner.
Personally, I think the three point line is one of the worst innovations in basketball... Did somebody actually "invent" the jumper? That doesn't seem like an invention, just sort of a natural progression...(Damn, this guy keeps blocking my shots...I know, what if I JUMPED while shooting it!) The shot clock quite possibly made the most immediate impact of any sports innovation ever. It's weird that high school basketball has survived so long without a shot clock...
College basketball didn't have a shot clock until about less than 2 decades ago. Remeber the NC State loss? Guy V. Lewis was blamed to have resorted to the stalling tactic when the Cougars were leading in the middle of the second half. I think the shot clock is a positive thing. The 3-point line is a negative, imo. The jump shot? I don't know. You'll have to throw in the hook shot, the scoop shot, the slam dunk, the turnaround, the fadeawy, etc. All these are methods to score invented by somebody along the way.
I would like to watch a game where there was no shot clock, and goaltending was legal. I think that would be funny as hell.
