International goaltending among rule changes Stern wants

We’re optimists. We’re not going to focus today on the lockout and the “if there is basketball next season” questions, because there will be plenty of time for that coming up.

Let’s talk about the game. Because while the league is hammering out financial issues, it will also talk about some rule changes.

And one David Stern says he is going to push for is the international goaltending rule — once the ball hits the rim it is live. If it hits the rim you can dunk it in or just swat it off the rim. It takes the Kendrick Perkins play out of the equation, that would have been legal.

Here is what Stern told 790 The Ticket in Miami (via Sports Radio Interviews).

“Well I’m going to urge the owners — and it’s not very radical but we were talking about it for awhile — to adopt the international rule on basket interference. That is to say, once the ball hits the rim it’s in play. Because I think that it’s too hard to call. I think that we don’t want to stop the game every time to see if it’s the right call, but the camera that looks down on the basket can tell the story if the refs have gotten it right. And it’s just impossible to call to make whether the ball’s touching the rim, on the rim, off the rim or the like. And I think that would make the game faster, better, and less controversial. And I think we’re going to be putting in more — I forget the exact number — just more replay opportunities because we really want to get it right. So those are the biggest things. I also think we’re going to be talking about cutting out a timeout or two to move the game along. The last period, even in a close game, shouldn’t begin to approach an hour.”

When the idea of the international rule first came up, some European players questioned how well it would work with the athletes of the NBA — there are a lot of leapers who are going to alter balls on the rim. More athletes here than in Europe who will do that.

But the D-League had the rule in place and it seemed to get good reviews. So it may be one. Which is going to make next season interesting if the owners vote it in. Well, once we get to next season. But we’re not going there today.