First, Michael Jordan retires. Then Horace Grant leaves. And now the league is conspiring against the Bulls.
How else to explain why the Bulls were one of the few teams to vote against a new rule to shorten the three-point line?
“It just seems like they’re making it too easy,” said Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf.
Nevertheless, the NBA Competition Committee, meeting Tuesday at the O’Hare Hilton, recommended the changing of the three-point line among several significant rules changes designed to increase scoring and lessen physical play.
The recommendations, which include awarding three shots for fouling a player attempting a three-point field goal, awarding foul shots for players fouled on a breakaway and stricter enforcement of rules already on the books, such as hand-checking on defense, are expected to be approved by the NBA Board of Governors early next month and be ready for the 1994-95 season starting in November.
“It’s been a while since we’ve made changes like this,” said NBA Operations Director Rod Thorn. “If you have a little more scoring than we do now, there’s a chance of getting more excitement into the game, more spectacular plays.
“But this is not with marketing in mind. This is for the good of the game.”
Whether it does much for the Bulls is problematic.
Certainly, the Bulls have to be heartened by the promise to lessen the holding that has helped slow the game to a virtual crawl in some cases. That mostly has been blamed on the New York Knicks and their aggressive, physical style, which has had many teams complaining about grabbing and clutching tactics.
“The feeling is there’s been too much contact in our game,” said Thorn. “The game will be called more literally.”
Asked what players the new rules would most hurt, Thorn said: “Players who have used their hands extensively on defense in guarding someone would have to make an adjustment.”
Thorn said the changes will mean teams should have players who can shoot from outside.
The Bulls do.
In fact, on what is loosely considered their roster, the Bulls last season had two of the league’s top four three-point shooters in B.J. Armstrong, who also had the best mark for a starting player, at 44.4 percent, and Steve Kerr, who shot 41.9 percent and is among the NBA’s all-time best three-point shooters.
Since those players are adept at 23 feet 9 inches, the current three-point distance at the top of the arc, standardizing the line at 22 feet all around doesn’t figure to benefit them while helping other teams that do not have the long-distance shooters.
Kerr, of course, has not yet re-signed with the Bulls, but is expected to. So is free-agent Bill Wennington, but it remains uncertain whether guard Pete Myers will be back because the Bulls have made him a low offer.
He is leaning toward returning to Europe. The Bulls also have expressed some interest in free-agent guard Ron Harper for a one-year deal in Jordan’s $2 million slot, but so far Harper says he hasn’t been interested in the Bulls.
That is, in part, because of Grant’s departure. Reinsdorf wanted to reiterate he did not file a brief in the league’s case against Grant’s contract but merely supplied information from his press conference on Grant for the league.
As for Grant, despite a federal judge’s ruling Monday that he needs more information before deciding whether Grant’s contract with the Orlando Magic is legal, Grant said Tuesday he’s planning to move to Orlando next week and is confident some agreement will be in place for him to open training camp in Orlando.
As for the other Bulls, with most of the top free agents already signed by other teams, it appears Magic forward Larry Krystkowiak will be signed for insurance at power forward.
That leaves Armstrong, Toni Kukoc and Scottie Pippen-should he not be traded-with a lot of work to do.
And they’ll be doing it this season with these other changes recommended Tuesday by the competition committee:
– Any player leaving the bench during a fight will automatically be suspended a minimum of one game and fined at least $20,000 and technical foul fines will be increased.
– Technical fouls will be called more frequently for taunting, and more attention will be paid to illegal screens with resultant foul calls.
– The zone defense rules will be modified to require that once a player goes to double team in the post, he cannot go back to the player he was guarding without being called for an illegal defense. Thorn said that rule, combined with the shorter three-point line, will make players less likely to try to double team.
– Players committing two flagrant fouls in a game will be ejected (ejection has been only for two technical fouls), and the second of consecutive timeouts without the ball being inbounded will be limited to 45 seconds instead of 100 seconds. That is to speed up the game at the end when coaches call numerous timeouts to apparently show how smart they are.
Making the three-point line universal at 22 feet-it is now 22 feet in the corners-is the first major rules change since the three-point shot was introduced in 1979.
The committee tabled indefinitely discussion on chaging the shape of the lane to a trapezoid to further open the court by pushing the centers farther outside.
“At some point in basketball, all the rules will be the same,” said Thorn, alluding to differences in European pro ball. “One reason soccer is so popular is the rules are the same everywhere. Our rules are getting closer, but there’s still a ways to go. So we tabled talk to the trapezoid lane.”
One former player, now an executive, is encouraged.
Said Toronto Raptors General Manager Isiah Thomas: “These changes will help bring more freedom and creativity so people can play basketball without all the pushing and shoving.”
