re: interesting idea

["Thomas Murphy" <tfmiii@worldnet.att.net>]

I have to second everything you said about eliminating the very idea of
'illegal defense'. The whole idea of outlawing team defense is what is at
the root of the stagnant offenses of today - why play team offense when you
can iso all game long with three guys out by the 3-pt line? If you allow
team defense you will not only see more team offense but the rationale for
the fast break becomes plausible again - score before the team defense has
time to set up! I guarantee that if you eliminated illegal defense you'd
never see another team like Cleveland under Fratello - all stall-ball with
3-pters. It may initially lead to a dip in scoring as teams adjust but it
would be the best thing to happen to the league in twenty years. Illegal D
is a legacy of how the league bent the rules for Jordan in order to showcase
his 'talents' - he's gone and so should these foolish and annoying rules. I
ask you, is there any worse moment in B-ball then an illegal D call? It
stops the game, ends whatever momentum there may be, and the stuff that
leads up to it is pretty lousy too - teams crying to the refs all game long,
refs distracted from what should be their real duties by the need to enforce
arcane correctness. Do away with it! - TomM