<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>BEIJING -- International basketball is going to look more like the NBA after two major rule changes take effect. The 3-point line will move back and the three-second area will change shape starting in 2010, the sport's world governing body announced Saturday. After Oct. 1, 2010, FIBA will begin using the new rules for major events such as the Olympics and world and continental championships.</div> http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/olybb/news/story?id=3368944 Some of the changes planned (not all are mentioned in the link): -The three point line will be farther away from the basket, closer to NBA length. -The key's shape will be changed from a trapezoid to a rectangle (like the NBA). -The semi-circle under the basket where no offensive fouls may be called will be added. -Refs will be more strict with flagrant fouls. -Refs will give technical fouls to players who make too many motions with their elbows (even if no contact with another player is made). -The 24 second shot clock will reset to 14 seconds in the case of a foul with less than 14 seconds left on the clock (like the NBA).
Wow. This will give team USA a MUCH better chance at getting gold. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>-The semi-circle under the basket where no offensive fouls may be called will be added. -Refs will be more strict with flagrant fouls. -Refs will give technical fouls to players who make too many motions with their elbows (even if no contact with another player is made).</div> I hate those 3 rules. That's gonna suck, alot. Are they going to continue to allow offensive goaltending? I love that rule.
Yeah, I hate it when the refs are too strict. It's become a trend in Europe to call carries lately, as well. The offensive goaltending seems to be a lock to stay for now.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (kobimel @ Apr 26 2008, 05:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Yeah, I hate it when the refs are too strict. It's become a trend in Europe to call carries lately, as well. The offensive goaltending seems to be a lock to stay for now.</div> Good, because I love seeing it. I love it when someone grabs the ball off the rim and does a tip dunk. I wanna see a ton of that in the Olympics from the US team.
Mark Cuban has an interesting take on this <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>The Biggest NBA News this week that you didnt read... Apr 26th 2008 11:32PM For all of you who missed it, which is pretty much everyone, FIBA, the international basketball body modified many of their rules to parallel those of the NBA. Here is an overview: "BEIJING - International basketball is going to look more like the NBA after two major rule changes take effect. The three-point line will move back and the three-second area will change shape starting in 2010, the sport's world governing body announced Saturday. After Oct. 1, 2010, FIBA will begin using the new rules for major events such as the Olympics and world and continental championships. The three-point line will move from 20 feet, 6.1 inches to 22 feet, 1.7 inches. The NBA line is 23-9. FIBA general secretary Patrick Baumann said it was likely FIBA would move toward the NBA distance in the next 10 years. FIBA also will reconfigure the three-second area to match the NBA shape, going from a trapezoid to a rectangle. " The only major disparity that won't change is that there will be no "cylinder" above the rim as there is in the NBA. The current FIBA rules will stay in place. This is important news for several reasons: 1. Maybe with American kids growing up playing and practicing by rules that closely mirror NBA and college rules, we can use younger, amateur players rather than having NBA owners pay for the salaries of players so that GE can make millions of dollars and show a couple games on CNBC at midnight. Do I sound bitter here ? I of course am. Nothing dumber. The Olympics is not about national pride, its about billions of dollars. Ok, off that soap box. 2. If the rules are close enough, it creates the remote, but still possible opportunity for international officials to become NBA officials. That would expand the talent pool by thousands , which is a good thing. 3. What I am guessing is the real reason behind the change is that it makes it easier to franchise the NBA brand of basketball internationally and for American basketball fans to get understand it and get behind it. That is a good idea. (I'm all for international use of NBA players when we get paid for our players to participate. It's that old American capitalistic concept of I Pay, You Pay) 4. It creates an additional development league for the NBA. If players who are too young for the NBA want to earn a living playing basketball, they can go to Europe, prove themselves, get paid and learn the game in an environment comparable to the NBA. That again is a good thing.</div>