Illegal defenses...

[Michael Joseph Byrnes <mbyrnes@Stanford.EDU>]

I am not so sure that allowing zone defenses would speed the game up.
True, it would eliminate the horrid 1 on 1 isolations, but, lest we
forget, zone defenses were made illegal in order to speed the game up, not
slow it down.  I think that allowing zones would simply take away low
post offense and penetration, and replace them with a lot more 3 point
shots.  If Antoine is taking 10 threes per game now, he would probably
take 20 if zone defenses were allowed.  If he was hot, the opponents would
have to come out and challenge him eventually, and that might open up the
inside game.  But, essentially, it would mean that the whole offensive
game is driven by the three point shot.  I don't think that would be an
improvement.

What I think the league SHOULD do is look at some old videos from the 70s
and 80s and ask themselves how the game has changed.  I think that what
players call "dribbling" today was palming and travelling 25 years ago.
Also, offensive fouls were called a lot more frequently years ago.  Today,
a player can charge headlong into a defender at top speed, with no intent
other than causing contact, and if the defender backs up or flinches, the
defender gets the foul.  It's ridiculous.

Don't allow players to palm the ball and draw virtually automatic fouls,
and players would be forced to use ball movement and passing in place of
all of the 1 on 1s.

Michael