New Rule Change - Possible Major Effect

[tornado]

Here's one that'll satisfy a lot of American fans, although it could give rise to the development of better European post players.
The international ruling body, FIBA is recommending that the lane be changed to equal what the NBA uses.

So, no more silly trapezoidal lane, and bring in the standard rectangular lane.
Representative members of FIBA will be considering and voting on the proposal this week, but it wouldn't take effect until 2010.

Some have said that this wider lane at the baseline gives rise to lessened effect of post play in Europe and more of the big man shooting outside like Dirk Nowitzki.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/2008-04-22-hoops-changes_N.htm

One member said:
""The best possible case has been made and the support has been strong. … The world has shrunk.
There's a sense that people in basketball think there's no reason to play the game with glaring differences."

[JasonAtBradley]

That's a good rule change! I never heard about the trapezoidal lane until earlier today when looking up random stuff on Wikipedia (had nothing to do with this news story), and I'm thought it was weird. I'm glad that they are changing it, as it definitely makes more sense to have a rectangular lane than a trapezoidal one. In addition, it will make it easier for college basketball players in the United States to play in Europe after they graduate, and also vice-versa.

[tornado]

Elsewhere I asked a couple trivia questions, one of which was about a rule change that had a major effect on the game.

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=8287

Here's a little story, I find it interesting, but bear with me, and feel free to skip if you find it too long.

My dad was a basketball player in the era from 1920 through the 1930's.
Back then most of the playing was either schools or club teams, based mostly in YMCA's.
There was no pro ball, and even college ball was pretty obscure, but believe it or not, some of the "club games" were talked up all over Chicago and drew big crowds.
The heyday of college basketball was still a decade or more away.

Anyway....the rules required the ball be brought back to the center circle and "jumped off" after each basket.
SO-- obviously gaining possession was mighty important since a guy who could win 2/3 of the center "jumps" would give his team twice as many possessions, thus the games in that era what were 23-4 and 34-11.

My father was a center...and the players of that era often wore knee pads, elbow pads, and yes, even headgear like what wrestlers wear today.
They were classic gym-guys, after all they were mostly YMCA patrons who worked out endlessly and hd the physique of football or rugby players.
The reason was that such an emphasis was put on winning the center jumps that teams went all out and fought like heck to get the ball, and fouls were generally reserved only for when a guy was struck while shooting, so fouls were never called on jumps.
In fact my dad said the center jump was not like it is today, the ref, for fear of injury, stood off to the side, maybe by the sideline and just tossed the ball in the middle like a ref starts a face off in hockey.
My father said the jumps more resembled rugby scrums or hockey face-offs with tremendously violent play, often players would get hurt.
My father even hurt his back in the late 20's and had trouble the rest of his life.
Anyway, through the late 20's and 30's the play became so violent that two things happened. Fans lost interest. This was NOT the game they developed a liking for, youngsters couldn't play without injury, and even fans got hurt as balls and players would literally wrestle and hurl themselves into the stands.

It was in this era that some courts put up netting and cages to protect the fans, thus the term "CAGERS" which is still in use today for basketball players.
They were a breed of their own but becoming way less popular.
Games like baseball and college football flourished through the depression with HUGE crowds and tremendously popular stars like Ruth, Gehrig, Red Grange, etc..

But basketball all but died........nobody wanted their kids to play this game and clubs had so many injuries they abandoned it.
Try to dig and find much on college basketball from the era 1925 through 1935, and you'll see what I mean.
Here are some pics from that era, these guys look like wrestlers, and nobody cared if you were tall, as you'd probably have a harder time putting meat on your frame and be more prone to injury.
Strength was the premium not height.



and here are some basketball knee pads.............................................. ....and here is basketball being played at the Armory inside of a cage!!!!

.................................................. .............................................prett y hard to believe, huh....but that's almost the way it went save for this rule change!


It became unpopular to form a team and colleges dropped programs.
Some pockets thrived, such as in Boston, where the Celtics had fans, but those games were officiated differently forcing the rule changes in club and college ball.
Then in 1936-1937 when the center jump was eliminated, almost immediately the game became a game of finesse, teamwork, and shooting, and in NO time Bradley (Coach AJ Robertson) capitalized on the new situation and formed a team that played more like modern basketball, and far less physical play.

Immediately it was a success....and the Bradley Famous Five were nationally reknowned and their style became the norm and the game was changed forever.
Some of the burly, physical play lasted into the 40's and even the Russians self wrestler-type guys to the Olympics, but it was a thing of the past.



So, in the end I hold to the belief that this single rule change saved the game from going the same way as pistol duels and glove-less boxing.
AND I believe Bradley's AJ Robertson was way, way more important in developing the game as it has since been played the past 70 years
with agility more than strength, and passing and shooting over wrestling to get the ball more often.

[bigdaddystuck]

Early on basketball games were played inside cages or on courts surrounded by nets...the reason why basketball players were called cagers.