15 replies to this topic

[Oswego Chris]

For many Chicago sports fans, the NBA died when MJ left. I know, I know...D-Rose is a great player, but it is one notch above pro wrestling right now. Here are some ideas(some radical) to make it better.....

1. Make the Floor Bigger- the guys are monsters now and they have not made the floor any bigger since it was a bunch of 6-2 185 lb guys. You ever sit close at an NBA game? There is very little room out there.

2. Only 3 timeouts per half- I don't know what they get now...but it is a joke. The end of a game is just ridiculous. I am sorry but I don't like watching....time-out, foul, free-throws, made-shot, time-out, foul, time-out....there should be an exciting flow to the end

3. No getting the ball at half-court- I have never understood this, I know it is to create excitement..but make teams go the entire distance...

4. make all of the game matter- this is tough, no easy call, I think the CBA used to award points for winning quarters...not sure if that is the answer, but how stupid is it when you hear NBA score updates "The Heat lead the Magic 14-10 in the 1st"...wow! I am sure that will be very relevant to the final score...in no other sport is the beginning of the game so pointless....you could do points like hockey...2 points for win, .25 for each quarter you win...so if you lead the whole game it would be 3 points....if you took the lead in the fourth and won you would get 2, other team .75....not sure what the answer is for this one...

5. move 3 back.....just a little- just a bit. In my opinion the game was better in early 80's when 3's were tougher....


wow...Super Bowl is over for an hour and a half and I am writing about the NBA...Basketball is a great game, but it needs tweaking at the pro level...if you are in to hockey, this month will be fine...and if not:

baby steps until pitchers and catchers report

[scorecardpaul]

You don't know much about basketball do you? I think maybe you should stick to sports you enjoy. Maybee you should play the game some time, it is a pretty good game the way it is.

[SirCub]

I completely agree, Chris. Especially number one: biggest difference between watching college and pro ball, is that I get claustrophobic watching all those Monstars in the NBA flopping around on top of each other. They should like, double the hoop height (it might make dunks exciting again), and expand the court.

[Stinky Pete]

NBA would be much better if they played baseball.

[MichiganGoat]

The tragic flaw of the NBA is that it's focused on the player instead of the team. Fans (especially the kids - the real meat of NBA revenue) focus in the players and their achievements. It's more about Kobe vs James than lakers vs heat. It was great that the Mavs won because it showed how a team can beat a trio, but the message is always Superstar 1 vs Superstar 2. College basketball is still a team centric sport and the NBA needs to listen.

[MichiganGoat]

I also see no reason to change rules although I would like the 3pt line go back to where it was.

[ferrets_bueller]

How about...enforce the rules? End the star treatment? Stop manipulating the game to the extent of it being on par with WWE?

[King Jeff]

I agree with the 3 point line being move out and limiting timeouts. The timeouts at the end of the games drive me insane. There's nothing like a game with 7.8 seconds left taking almost 10 minutes to finish. There should not be enough timeouts to be able to use them to stop the other teams momentum during the game and still have some left to muck up the end of a game.

[butlerdawgs]

I used to think the NBA was a joke, but it has gotten a lot better recently. I am a Pacers fan, so I don't speak of the "dark ages" after the brawl, but the Pacers have quietly put together a great team that can contend in the East. That being said, they do need to limit the number of timeouts, and I never understood getting the ball at half court. My thought is that they are professionals and should be able to make it up the court with little time left. If college players don't get that advantage, why should the pros?

[frozentoews]

In my opinion, it literally feels like a league of friends who play eachother semi-seriously on the court, but hang out after the game. There is no real backing to this argument, just throwing it out, but I would like to see more rivalries between players and teams.

[BFiddy]

The NBA is the ultimate highlight machine...and for that, I love it. I have a hard time watching NBA regular season games, but I watch the top ten (and most of the game recap videos) on NBA.com every day.

[King Jeff]

In my opinion, it literally feels like a league of friends who play eachother semi-seriously on the court, but hang out after the game. There is no real backing to this argument, just throwing it out, but I would like to see more rivalries between players and teams.

I agree, and the Miami Heat team is all the proof anyone needs. I don't see near the competitive nature in the NBA as other sports, or even past NBA eras. There is a big contingent of players that basically play together and hang out all year round, no matter what team they are on. It seems that only when someone plays the Bulls, Lakers, or Celtics do they put much effort into it.

[frozentoews]

In my opinion, it literally feels like a league of friends who play eachother semi-seriously on the court, but hang out after the game. There is no real backing to this argument, just throwing it out, but I would like to see more rivalries between players and teams.

I agree, and the Miami Heat team is all the proof anyone needs. I don't see near the competitive nature in the NBA as other sports, or even past NBA eras. There is a big contingent of players that basically play together and hang out all year round, no matter what team they are on. It seems that only when someone plays the Bulls, Lakers, or Celtics do they put much effort into it.

I often wonder to myself what happens during like a Grizzlies - Jazz game. Do the games even get played? Do they just hang out and eat pizza? So many questions.

[Robbo]

I also see no reason to change rules although I would like the 3pt line go back to where it was.

The NBA 3 point line is the same distance today as it was when the 3 point line was first introduced to the NBA in 1979.
The NBA shortened it for a couple seasons mid 90's but then moved it back to the original distance.

[Spencer]

Does the score in the first quarter of a football game matter much? Or even the score in the bottom of the first inning in baseball?