This and That

This (International Basketball rules to change in 2010!)

Ever wonder specifically wonder HOW International Basketball Federation (FIBA) rules favor tall, outside shooting men? And if this will change? Howard Beck answers these questions and more in a recent article.

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• FIBA's 3-point line is 20.5 feet away from the basket, mere child's play compared to the NBA's 22.75 feet distance.
• FIBA's trapezoidal lane encompasses 19 feet, 8 inches along the baseball while the NBA's lane is 16 feet wide. This means a) The area in which a player may called for a 3-sec. violation is wider, and so less posting up is done b) When FIBAllers do post up on the edges of the expanded trapezoidal lane, perimeter defenders, who are guarding a closer 3-point arc anyway, have an easier time doubling-down on the post-up player.
• After the 2010 world championships, FIBA will abolish the trapezoidal lane and institute the rectangular one favored by the NBA. FIBA will also move the 3-point arc to 22.1 feet, still not at NBA length because of the women's and youth teams playing on the same courts.
• FIBA wants to lessen the number of 3-pointers, which it feels is no longer an "exceptional shot." To wit: In 1984, when the 3-pointer was added to the international game, only 14% of all shots were of trifecta ilk. Fast forward to 2008, where 40% of all field goals thrown up are long-range bombs, falling at a clip of nearly 40%, and one can see influence this shot has had on the game.

That (Will an NBA megastar ever play abroad?)

Ian Whittel discusses how economic factors may preclude it from happening and then Henry Abbott, with his usual blog-condensing aplomb, breaks it down:

There are lots of reasons to think that the only way such a deal could happen would be if a very deep-pocketed owner just decided to be extraordinarily irrational. For instance:

• ... many U.S. basketball fans may be surprised at the modest size of European attendances, although they generally make up in enthusiasm and passion what they lack in size.
• Only three Euroleague teams averaged five figures in attendance last season (Maccabi Tel Aviv, 11,000; Panathinaikos of Greece, 10,357; and Leituvos Rytas of Lithuania, 10,296), while Olympiacos averaged a modest 6,071 for games in Europe, just over half capacity.
• Obviously, the signing of James would increase crowd size at home and on the road. And the Euroleague's current boom is such that Bertomeu has had conversations with eight different clubs this summer about their plans to build new arenas.
• But even these new arenas will be smaller than their NBA equivalents, and crucially, average ticket prices, particularly in southern Europe, are much lower than in the NBA. An increased attendance, on its own, will not be enough to finance the signing of a Bryant or James.

Aha, you might say, but what about if an owner decided to give a player like Bryant a chunk of ownership! That's all fine and dandy. No rules against it. But remember that if you own something that loses money, ownership comes with negative cash flow. What kind of benefit is that?