OK, maybe it's just me, but exactly how is the new 8 second halfcourt rule supposed to speed up the game? Here's the way I look at it. Either a team is going to fast break, or they aren't. If a team is going to fast break, they pretty much make that decision almost immediately after getting the rebound, before the defense has a chance to get back. If a team does fast break, they sure as hell aren't going to take 8 seconds to get the ball across halfcourt. A fast break takes a TOTAL of 7-8 seconds to execute, so taking two seconds off the allowed time to get the ball up halfcourt really doesn't make that much of a difference. I don't see how the 8 second rule is help speeding up offenses or creating more points. The only thing it is doing is allowing teams to pressure the ball at halfcourt more and cause more turnovers, thus creating sloppier play and putting too much pressure on the point guard. It MIGHT create a few extra points through steals around halfcourt, but that is due more to defensive pressure by the guard. Those same points could easily happen under the old rules. If your point guard is expending all his energy simply trying to get the ball past half court in the allotted time, then he obviously isn't thinking about creating quick points, but rather setting up the halfcourt offense I've always been a big fan of the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" ideology...The 10 second rule wasn't broke...
The rule was designed to do just what it is doing: making teams get it up the floor a little faster. Nothing more boring than watching a guy slowly walk it up the floor. He certainly doesn't need 10 seconds to do it! Defensive options like the press or half-court trap are an added benefit. With 8 secs, a good defensive trap has a possibility of forcing the turnover. A forced turnover leads to quick points. If the offensive team beats the trap, they've got a chance to take advantage of a numbers mismatch and score quick points as well. Either way the tempo is upped, and action begins quicker in the shot clock. The zone defense to me was the bad rules change, not 8 seconds.
