Current “Hack-a-Shaq” rules give teams an alternative to actually playing defence when the other team has possession. Rather than creating a real defensive scheme, opposing coaches can just send poor free-throw shooters to the charity stripe whenever they please.
The strategy slows games to a crawl and turns basketball into a free-throw shooting contest. The only counter to this trick is to remove the poor shooter from the game, meaning far too much emphasis is placed on a player’s ability to make uncontested 15-footers. This game plan plagues basketball from both an aesthetic and strategic standpoint.
The league needs to prevent these senseless gimmicks with a simple solution: When an off-ball foul occurs, the offensive team should be given the choice to restart the possession or head to the free-throw line for a pair of shots. This would finally put an end to the Hack-a-Shaq strategy, giving NBA fans defence to cheer for rather than watching some knucklehead miss shots from the charity stripe. Defenders would have to keep DeAndre Jordan from dunking on them instead of laughing as he helplessly bricks shot after shot from the line.
With the rise of guards like Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving boasting both incredible ball-handling and deep-shooting abilities, teams are able to waste game time as these players dance around behind the three point arc without risk of a turnover. The NBA needs to do away with these painful experiences by implementing a 14-second shot clock after a team grabs an offensive rebound. A reduced shot clock would give teams more time to attempt a comeback, adding excitement to boring blowouts
As it stands now, the clock resets to the standard 24-second mark when the offence recovers the ball. The result is slow possessions with little time for losing teams to attempt a comeback. The league has already started experimenting with a 14-second clock in the D-League, which has has received rave reviews. These matches are faster-paced and more entertaining to watch, despite having a lower level of talent across the board. If implemented in the NBA, the 14-second timer would accelerate gameplay and make games far more exciting. In a league dominated by just a few really good teams, pushing the pace of the game may allow new strategies to knock off the continuing Golden State Warriors-Cleveland Cavaliers supremacy.
Initially just a risky proposition with the potential to yield high rewards, the three-point shot has become one of the most abused tools in the NBA. An undeniable crowd-pleaser in games, especially when Steph Curry effortlessly sinks threes from beyond halfcourt, the three-point shot has diminished the the value of big men for too long. Without cheap threes, the NBA would have a big-man renaissance, harkening back to the days when Charles Oakley and Bill Laimbeer ruled the court from the paint.
The NBA must foster a more a mentality that values versatile players. Avid basketball fans yearn for the days when no backboard was safe from destructive “Shaq Attacks.” Fans definitely don’t buy overpriced tickets to watch Kyle Korver relentlessly jack up corner threes while the rest of the team hustles on both ends of the court. At the very least, it’s time to move the three-point line back three feet. In an even more radical move, the NBA should get rid of corner threes by drawing the arc from wing to wing. It wouldn’t take away from the most talented players; it would just prevent three-point specialists from camping out in the corners.
Stop sending bad free-throw shooters to the line: Stephen Gill, Contributor
Current “Hack-a-Shaq” rules give teams an alternative to actually playing defence when the other team has possession. Rather than creating a real defensive scheme, opposing coaches can just send poor free-throw shooters to the charity stripe whenever they please.
The strategy slows games to a crawl and turns basketball into a free-throw shooting contest. The only counter to this trick is to remove the poor shooter from the game, meaning far too much emphasis is placed on a player’s ability to make uncontested 15-footers. This game plan plagues basketball from both an aesthetic and strategic standpoint.
The league needs to prevent these senseless gimmicks with a simple solution: When an off-ball foul occurs, the offensive team should be given the choice to restart the possession or head to the free-throw line for a pair of shots. This would finally put an end to the Hack-a-Shaq strategy, giving NBA fans defence to cheer for rather than watching some knucklehead miss shots from the charity stripe. Defenders would have to keep DeAndre Jordan from dunking on them instead of laughing as he helplessly bricks shot after shot from the line.
24 seconds is too long after offensive rebounds: Wasif Husain, Contributor
With the rise of guards like Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving boasting both incredible ball-handling and deep-shooting abilities, teams are able to waste game time as these players dance around behind the three point arc without risk of a turnover. The NBA needs to do away with these painful experiences by implementing a 14-second shot clock after a team grabs an offensive rebound. A reduced shot clock would give teams more time to attempt a comeback, adding excitement to boring blowouts
As it stands now, the clock resets to the standard 24-second mark when the offence recovers the ball. The result is slow possessions with little time for losing teams to attempt a comeback. The league has already started experimenting with a 14-second clock in the D-League, which has has received rave reviews. These matches are faster-paced and more entertaining to watch, despite having a lower level of talent across the board. If implemented in the NBA, the 14-second timer would accelerate gameplay and make games far more exciting. In a league dominated by just a few really good teams, pushing the pace of the game may allow new strategies to knock off the continuing Golden State Warriors-Cleveland Cavaliers supremacy.
No more cheap threes: Jonas Cohen, Contributor
Initially just a risky proposition with the potential to yield high rewards, the three-point shot has become one of the most abused tools in the NBA. An undeniable crowd-pleaser in games, especially when Steph Curry effortlessly sinks threes from beyond halfcourt, the three-point shot has diminished the the value of big men for too long. Without cheap threes, the NBA would have a big-man renaissance, harkening back to the days when Charles Oakley and Bill Laimbeer ruled the court from the paint.
The NBA must foster a more a mentality that values versatile players. Avid basketball fans yearn for the days when no backboard was safe from destructive “Shaq Attacks.” Fans definitely don’t buy overpriced tickets to watch Kyle Korver relentlessly jack up corner threes while the rest of the team hustles on both ends of the court. At the very least, it’s time to move the three-point line back three feet. In an even more radical move, the NBA should get rid of corner threes by drawing the arc from wing to wing. It wouldn’t take away from the most talented players; it would just prevent three-point specialists from camping out in the corners.