Possibility of reducing freethrow shots to only 1 shot to decrease game duration

[CelticsFanFromNYC]

Ran across this on Hoopshype.com. There were thoughts of testing out a 1 free throw rule worth 2 or 3 points depending on the situation of the foul to speed up the timeframe of a game. 
Im assuming they get some sort of fine when they go into the following TV shows time bracket during OT's or something on NBC . Any thoughts??




Around last season’s All-Star break, preliminary chatter began among the league’s basketball operations folks and rule geeks about the prospect of reducing all trips to the free-throw line to a single foul shot. D-League president Dan Reed and Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey were the closest thing to co-sponsors of a bill. Nobody was proposing anything to be fast-tracked, but an imperative to figure out ways to shorten pro basketball games gave the idea some life as something to consider implementing in the D-League. ESPN.com
Rumors tagsHouston Rockets, Daryl Morey, Dan Reed, Rules  Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubscribe to HoopsHype rumors


The concept was this: A player fouled in the act of shooting or in a penalty situation would attempt only a single free throw. If that player was shooting a 2-point shot or in a penalty situation at the time of the foul, the free throw attempt would be worth two points. If that player was fouled in the act of launching a 3-point shot, he’d go to the line for a single shot worth three points. ESPN.com
Rumors tagsRules
- See more at: http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm#sthash.S7vgPXyO.dpuf

[Fafnir]

Dumb. There are a lot of areas to trim the games run time, cutting out free throws and weighting them more is silly and would change the game quite a bit.

[Donoghus]

I don't like it.  Let them earn it the hard way at the line with multiple shots. Keep it the way it is.

They're really concerned with speeding up the game?  Cut down on team timeouts.  Don't screw with what's on the floor. 

[CelticsFanFromNYC]

I don't like it.  Let them earn it the hard way at the line with multiple shots. Keep it the way it is.

They're really concerned with speeding up the game?  Cut down on team timeouts.  Don't screw with what's on the floor.

I agree as well. I also got a feeling those Timeout durations have to be contracted with the commercials during that time. Im also assuming it will switch alot of contracts and money terms by doing so

[fairweatherfan]

This sounds like the sort of idea that'll get some media/fan attention for a second and then never really be heard of again.  It's way too fundamental of a change to the game. 

...maybe restricting substitutions between free throws could be a decent time-saver, though.

[Lucky17]

This sounds like the sort of idea that'll get some media/fan attention for a second and then never really be heard of again.  It's way too fundamental of a change to the game. 

Didn't they run the idea of a four-point shot up the flagpole a few months ago?

[Donoghus]

This sounds like the sort of idea that'll get some media/fan attention for a second and then never really be heard of again.  It's way too fundamental of a change to the game. 

Didn't they run the idea of a four-point shot up the flagpole a few months ago?

Yeah,  it was called the Antoine Walker proposal.

[bdm860]

I think it's an interesting idea, but in my opinion they're trying to solve something that isn't a problem (at least to me), as I've never felt games were too long.

Interesting read here and I pulled some of the charts:
http://regressing.deadspin.com/why-do-nba-playoff-games-take-so-long-1584795832

How long the avg NBA game lasts, regular season vs playoffs:



How long in real time each minute of a 48 minute game lasts:



The factors that make up that last minute of a game:



I think just a mandate to the refs and players to speed up the game and get rid of dead time, could probably shave a decent amount of time off the games.  Like from when a foul is called to when a free throw is actually shot, or when a timeout is called to when the team actually inbounds the ball, etc., you're telling me that amount of time can't be sped up if you wanted to cut time?

[Celtics4ever]

It will help good shooters and hurt bad ones.   

[cons]

this is over-thinking it.
if you want the game shorter - just shorten it.
would anybody miss one extra minute per quarter?
or go international / college style - 2 halves.
its not rocket science, daryl morey !  ...oh yeah i just came up w that on the spot! woo hoo

[manl_lui]

I'm a big fan of "LET THEM PLAY" 

I hate foul calls for the SMALLEST contact on the court. Essentially you can get a foul breathing on the guy.

Kinda miss it when a slap in the face or choke is just a foul and not a flagrant

[slamtheking]

I think just a mandate to the refs and players to speed up the game and get rid of dead time, could probably shave a decent amount of time off the games.  Like from when a foul is called to when a free throw is actually shot, or when a timeout is called to when the team actually inbounds the ball, etc., you're telling me that amount of time can't be sped up if you wanted to cut time?

TP for the stats.

I agree with cutting the slack time around timeouts.  get the refs to limit the time during a timeout to just that amount of time would cut quite a bit.  20-second timeouts should be just that -- 20 seconds.  give them maybe 5 more to inbound the ball.  regular timeouts --- keep them to a minute with 5 seconds to inbound the ball. 

also agree with keeping the game moving after a foul call -- both when FTs are shot and when it's just a foul.

[Donoghus]

I've never really gone to an NBA basketball game and felt like it's been drawn out forever.  Obviously, the last couple of minutes of a close game can be quite drawn out with the timeouts but I can't really recall being like "This will never end".

Been to a quite a number of NFL & MLB games where I have felt that way.  I never felt like basketball or hockey had that big of a time duration problem.

[Neurotic Guy]

I think just a mandate to the refs and players to speed up the game and get rid of dead time, could probably shave a decent amount of time off the games.  Like from when a foul is called to when a free throw is actually shot, or when a timeout is called to when the team actually inbounds the ball, etc., you're telling me that amount of time can't be sped up if you wanted to cut time?

TP for the stats.

I agree with cutting the slack time around timeouts.  get the refs to limit the time during a timeout to just that amount of time would cut quite a bit.  20-second timeouts should be just that -- 20 seconds.  give them maybe 5 more to inbound the ball.  regular timeouts --- keep them to a minute with 5 seconds to inbound the ball. 

also agree with keeping the game moving after a foul call -- both when FTs are shot and when it's just a foul.

Another TP for BDM860.   

I agree that it isn't so much the overall amount of time, it's really (I think) about the wasted time and the fequency of stoppages.   Friends of mine who can't stand watching the NBA complain most about the frequency of fouls and frequency/length of play interruption. 

'Let them play' is not the total answer, IMO.  There has to be greater clarity for what will be an won't be called -- this is a difficult task given the nuanced contact that occurs naturally in the game.  Leaning more on subjectivity (e.g., calling fouls when play is truly impacted by the contact -- promoting no harm/no foul mentality) is wrought with land mines of potential errors in judgment.

I don't know the answer.  As for me, I'd rather see fewer fouls -- and much less doddling during play stoppages -- but I'll watch the C's no matter what.    To get more fans interested, the NBA really has to figure out how to reduce frequency of foul calls, be more consistent, and streamline play stoppage.

It's not a matter of reducing the overall time of games, rather, it's about increasing uninterrupted action.

[D Dub]

They could limit 30 second time outs to 30 seconds?

Replay is the other thing that is dragging out games.   Maybe do away w the review of flagrant vs normal fouls?   In the moment, does it really matter?  That gets a bit ridiculous sometimes...