New Rule Interpretations/Changes: No more "rip-through"

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/73295 ... ls-2011-12

NBA vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson confirmed Wednesday that several new rule interpretations will be a point of emphasis for the league's referees when the regular season begins on Dec. 25.

"Rip-through" moves, in which an offensive player swings the ball into a defender's outstretched arm and then attempts a shot once he has created contact, will be considered non-shooting fouls if the contact begins before the offensive player starts his shooting motion.

Also, on drives to the basket, a shooting foul will be called only if contact occurs after the offensive player has begun his shooting motion, not after he has initiated his leap toward the basket.

"Certain types of contact involving the shooter were all being called in his favor," Jackson said. "It doesn't look good for the game. There was a strong feeling that those types of plays were creating an ill-advised reward for the shooter, often with three free throws."

The league will also make traveling in the post and on the perimeter a point of emphasis, with a player hopping off of and landing on the same foot viewed as an automatic violation. Referees will also consider locking or clamping an opponent's arm or hand under the basket while battling for a rebound and discontinued or hesitation dribbles as automatic violations.

Several rule changes will also be introduced, most to shorten the overall length of games and speed up the final minutes of a contest:

• Substitutions will only be allowed before the final free throw of any trip to the line that is not for a technical or flagrant foul.

• Two horns will be sounded 15 seconds apart after every timeout. Teams whose players are not moving toward the court as soon as the second horn sounds will receive a delay-of-game warning.

• Instant replay will be utilized only during full timeouts, not 20-second timeouts, when necessary.

• Whether a player's foot is on the three-point line or midcourt line will be determined by where it last touched the floor, meaning a player could have a toe on the three-point line but if he leans back on his heels before he releases the ball a successful shot would be deemed a three-pointer.

• The eight-second backcourt violation will occur when the shot clock reaches 15 seconds, rather than 16.

The last rule is necessary because the 24-second shot clock will now be equipped to show 10ths for the final five seconds and work as a "true" clock. From a technical standpoint, the old shot clock began with 24.9 seconds and expired with .9 left. Now the clock will switch from 24 to 23 seconds after .1 second has expired.

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"We didn't want to run them for the whole 24 seconds and the consensus was, from a strategy standpoint, that the final five seconds were the most valuable," he said. "Before, you could have two seconds left on the shot clock but you wouldn't know if it was 2.9 or 2.1. That makes a big difference."

Referees also will be hyper-vigilant about defenders making contact with offensive players when they're in the air and fully extended attempting to score. In most cases, expect that kind of foul to draw a Flagrant Level 2, which is two free throws, possession of the ball and the defender being ejected.

How long do you think these rules will last?

The second one boggles the mind. You can now have physical contact with a shooter while he is jumping and it is not a shooting foul unless he has started his shooting motion? Players are just going to start their layup early, and the amount of and ones will be reduced because the shot doesn't count.

Time for everyone to practice those 3 pointers off the heal.

thank god they are doing something about those "rip through moves" now hopefully people like durant wont get a ton of free throws every game.
and the 2nd point i guess is to help reduce the amount of offensive flopping or people jumping into others to draw shooting fouls.

thank god they are doing something about those "rip through moves" now hopefully people like durant wont get a ton of free throws every game.

Don't worry, the rules still specify contact and Durant doesn't consider that necessary.

He'll be fine.

"Rip-through" moves, in which an offensive player swings the ball into a defender's outstretched arm and then attempts a shot once he has created contact, will be considered non-shooting fouls if the contact begins before the offensive player starts his shooting motion.

Also, on drives to the basket, a shooting foul will be called only if contact occurs after the offensive player has begun his shooting motion, not after he has initiated his leap toward the basket.

"Certain types of contact involving the shooter were all being called in his favor," Jackson said. "It doesn't look good for the game. There was a strong feeling that those types of plays were creating an ill-advised reward for the shooter, often with three free throws."

The league will also make traveling in the post and on the perimeter a point of emphasis, with a player hopping off of and landing on the same foot viewed as an automatic violation. Referees will also consider locking or clamping an opponent's arm or hand under the basket while battling for a rebound and discontinued or hesitation dribbles as automatic violations.

All sounds good to me, though as Pat alluded to it will be interesting to see how long - or for that matter, how consistently and fairly - this approach will be enforced. I'm hoping these changes can also cover the "pivot into the defender to create contact then putting up a shot" shooting foul we see all too often.

Interesting take on the changes.

So … good idea, right?

Not quite. A foul is still a foul, and though it won't be called a shooting foul if a team is out of the penalty, all you need are a few rip-throughs to earn your team the penalty nod and a trip to the line. All while the game is slowed, and the whistles are bleating away. Nowhere in Ric Bucher's report does it mention the move being outlawed, or it being turned into an offensive foul. It's just that Kevin Durant can't get to the line on it just a minute into the third quarter.

What we have here is the worst of both worlds. Games will still be slowed, but the changing of the rule (and a crackdown on continuation or "and one" calls, applauded by grandfathers everywhere who don't "get why that's a three-point play") will hinder scoring. And because these two enforcements are judgment calls -- was the player in a shooting motion when he was hit on the rip-through? Was he shooting when the center fouled him in the lane? -- expect more angry fans, players, coaches and announcers to pipe up.

He has a point. However, I feel it's a step in the right direction in terms of cleaning up some of this stuff. Gamesmanship is one thing, but some of the really cheap, ticky-tack stuff has to go.

Kobe will be livid.

all you need are a few rip-throughs to earn your team the penalty nod and a trip to the line. All while the game is slowed, and the whistles are bleating away. Nowhere in Ric Bucher's report does it mention the move being outlawed, or it being turned into an offensive foul.

Here's an idea: defenders could stop playing bad defense. If they don't reach in, they don't get called for a foul. Why on earth is it the offense's fault?

Disagree somewhat with the ripthrough change, and completely with the and-1 change. No idea where they think the shooting motion begins, but I start mine when I prepare to leave the floor.

Here's an idea: defenders could stop playing bad defense. If they don't reach in, they don't get called for a foul.

Again, contact isn't necessary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYzznhIZBzY

And even when there is contact, offensive players initiating the contact and getting whistles isn't exactly bad defense.

I agree that defenders shouldn't be bailed out any more than offensive players and to that end, there's some charging calls that should be cleaned up. But offensive flops do the game no favours either and they're certainly not bad defense.

Here's an idea: defenders could stop playing bad defense. If they don't reach in, they don't get called for a foul.

Again, contact isn't necessary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYzznhIZBzY

Shit calls are made all the time, doesn't mean we should change the rules.

And even when there is contact, offensive players initiating the contact and getting whistles isn't exactly bad defense.

In the case of the ripthrough, yes, it is. They're reaching in. Have you ever seen a ripthrough where the defensive player was in a legal guarding position? I haven't. Leaning/jumping into a player that does have good defensive position should be a no-call, or perhaps an offensive foul, but this isn't that. The defensive player isn't allowed to reach in. Keep your hands out, you're fine.

well, that's going to be bad for guys like kevin durant, rudy gay and lebron james. durant will average 20-25 rather than a 30 with bad shot type.

but they must turn traveling to a offensive foul type to avoid lebron to travel.

Did they seriously add a rule that prohibits jumping and landing on the same foot? How do you even do that with the intention of gaining better position from the defense?

I think a real rip-through is when the defender has his arm out but not necessarily reaching, just guarding the ball at it's position and the ball carrier decides to create a shot attempt through the defenders arm getting the foul.

If the defender has his arm out, the defender is in bad position and liable for any contact that occurs. It's not rocket science.

It's not rocket science either to understand what Pdub said.

Not bad changes,though Kobe might not like the fouling rule...

I really liked the shot clock change, it now seems better for the teams to know how much time is left in the final moments of their offense. I don't like the substitutions in the Free Throws situations,i think it could be better to be able to make a sub in every possibility...

And also i am not sure if the 3 point rule is going to be really utilized....

If the defender has his arm out, the defender is in bad position and liable for any contact that occurs. It's not rocket science.

Bad position or illegal position? If that is indeed what the rule change is about, then it now becomes good position.

I think there is a gray area here. A defender should be able to defend with his arms out of he wants to(foul or no foul), but does this rule mean that they can invade the ball handlers space with those arms without getting called for a foul if the offensive player initiates the contact? If so, I think that is unfair.

If the defender has his arm out, the defender is in bad position and liable for any contact that occurs. It's not rocket science.

Bad position or illegal position?

They're synonymous, as I'm using them in this thread.

If that is indeed what the rule change is about, then it now becomes good position.

Except that it doesn't. It's still a foul, just not a shooting foul. It was someone else's article suggesting that the rule should go further and make it either a no-call or an offensive foul that I was responding to.

A defender should be able to defend with his arms out of he wants to

As long as there's no contact, sure. But if there is contact, and he's out of his cylinder, he's liable.

Did they seriously add a rule that prohibits jumping and landing on the same foot? How do you even do that with the intention of gaining better position from the defense?

That definitely is a little unclear. I'm guessing they're referring to situations where players hop a couple of times on the same foot when they have the ball and aren't dribbling, which should be a violation, but if they are then the wording is a little strange.

Looks like these are being completely ignored already. That has to be some sort of record.

I haven't really noticed anything different, either.

I've seen several occasions where the commentators have talked about the new rules and how whatever just happened isn't going to be a shooting foul this year, but it's inevitably followed by the offensive player shooting free throws. Watching Minnesota-Milwaukee from last night, and Love's had two of those in the first quarter. Kobe had a rip-through last night as well.

EDIT: One rule change I would like to see is players actually getting called for delay of game when they grab the ball out of the basket and throw it to the ref. I don't understand how that's not illegal.

I don't even like that rule in general. A lot of times it's just natural to tap the ball out of bounds where the other team in bounds. If it's obvious, sure call it, but the actual call is more of a delay of game than anything. They should do away with the warnings and techs and just advance the ball to half court.

I don't even like that rule in general. A lot of times it's just natural to tap the ball out of bounds where the other team in bounds.

Internationally, any intentional contact with the ball is deemed delay of game, and it works fine. It's not even so much those, it's the one where the guy hits the shot, then as a player comes to get the ball the shooter grabs it right out from under his nose and throws it to the ref, who is ten feet away. It's not much, but it holds them up long enough if it's a team like the D'Antoni Suns who like to run on a make as well as a miss.