The National Basketball Association has one of the busiest Twitter accounts in the world. And it has been especially active of late, what with the Summer League in Las Vegas under way and showcasing the skills of players hoping to crack active rosters. Posts carrying highlights of matches have come in rapid succession, and supported by the occasional contribution from associated accounts (@NBASummerLeague and @nbagleague). Amid the action-oriented content, however, one particular post stood out. Never mind that the league’s accompanying comment was “An update from @NBAOfficial:” — a simple 28-character reference to a development that figures to make a significant impact on the 2021-22 campaign.
Indeed, the extremely understated retweet of an @NBAOfficial item belies the projected effect of its subject. To recall, news of the league’s Competition Committee reviewing rules on how referees should treat unnatural motions from players seeking to draw whistles drew headlines two months ago. Per the information that made the rounds in hoops circles, the body was slated to recommend changes thereto in order to address the pro-offense bent of the current interpretation of regulations. Evidently, the proposals were approved by the Board of Governors for enforcement in the upcoming season and beyond.
To avid followers of the NBA, the Summer League has become a valuable testing ground. It has served to orient officials and fans alike on the nuances of the amended provisions. And, per the front office, these will be strictly enforced. In this connection, @NBAOfficial has seen fit to provide video clips that serve to underscore exactly what it means. To contend that the turn of events is generating positive buzz would be to understate the obvious; the thread, consisting of seven posts all told, has been retweeted close to 1,500 times and generated just about the same number of responses.
If there is any criticism on the process, it’s the fact that the NBA took time to push back against the legal but illegitimate ways in which players draw contact. Such crafty moves as rip throughs, sudden stops, arm hooks, and sideway jumps have been around for a while now. And they’ve led to calls from game arbiters forced to view fouls according to prevailing rules, groans from defenders trying their best to buck the ostensible bias for the offense, and grins from street-savvy initiators who believe they’re doing nothing wrong and everything right.
Only time will tell if the byproduct of the NBA’s rules changes is precisely what it targets. There will most definitely be an adjustment period for players; course correction won’t come easy for veterans who have been used to doing the same old, same old. If the step back leads to two steps ahead, however, then well and good. The modifications are long overdue. Not pushing for them would have been tantamount to keeping the status quo. Only the insane would want to stick to rote and expect a different result.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.