Is It Time To Raise The Rims?
According to Chicago Sun-Times columnist Rick Telander, the NBA has a problem: It’s becoming too much like the NFL. Telander came to this conclusion while watching guards like Jason Terry and Derrick Rose get clobbered trying to take the ball to the rack.
In a recent article, Telander offers a solution to the increasingly physical nature of the NBA – raise the rim six inches.
Before jumping down Telander’s throat, let’s take a second to hear him out. Raising the rim would make it harder for bigs to block shots, allow guards to score more effectively in the paint and result in a greater emphasis on “skilled shooting.” This would lead to fewer collisions like the one we saw in Game 1 when The Jet crash-landed attempting to dunk over LeBron.
Besides the obvious logistical issue of eventually resizing all the hoops across the globe, there are a number of problems with Telander’s suggestion. For one, it would force players to recreate their jumpers. Rajon Rondo struggles shooting enough as is. Can you imagine suddenly trying to teach him how to shoot at a different rim?
Second, higher rims equals fewer dunks. Telander claims that it would make dunks more “special.” I don’t buy it. Anyone who wants fewer dunks – even if they are more special – isn’t American. End of story.
Finally an additional six inches would crush the already slim hopes held by millions of Average Joes of one day getting enough air to throw one down. Eastbay would go out of business, as sales for The Strength Training Shoe would plummet.
If Telander’s problem is that the NBA is getting too physical, there are solutions that wouldn’t require completely altering the nature of the sport. The NBA could go the FIBA rout and introduce a trapezoidal key, widening the paint so that bigs can’t lurk under the basket.
Or, guards could just do what they’ve been doing all season: man up and take it to the rim. The 10-foot hoop hasn’t stopped guys like Rose, Dwyane Wade and Russell Westbrook from slashing to the basket, so why mess with a good thing?
What do you think? Should the NBA raise its rims?
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June 7th, 2011 at 3:35 pm
Dylan Murphy says:
Good article, Martin. Although I’d be curious to know how high they’d have to raise the rims before Shawn Bradley couldn’t dunk.
June 7th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
Nasteedunx says:
No need to raise the rims, but now that Shaq’s retired, would it create a whole lot of drama to just go 4-on-4, dump the center position, and call it a day?
Opens up the floor, plus no more 7-footers whose only asset on the floor is being tall. Even Dwight and Yao could hang at 4-on-4.
June 7th, 2011 at 3:44 pm
First & Foremost says:
If you want the game to be less physical… take away all of the midevil inspired under padding. Wearing elbow, shoulder, thigh, butt, torso, knee, & back pads makes colliding with players less risky. Yes, the purpose of wearing those items protects players from injury but it also enables them to make a riskier play.
Pillow fights are safer and whatnot for kids but be honest… You were still swinging for the fences.
June 7th, 2011 at 4:00 pm
First & Foremost says:
4 on 4 is fun… but there is a reason no one watches Arena Football.
June 7th, 2011 at 4:30 pm
Rafa23 says:
well, 1st of all, the FIBA paint is rectangular since 2010, so lol on that.
2nd, if you want to make the game even less physical, why not just go and watch figure skating for men ffs.
June 7th, 2011 at 4:45 pm
heckler says:
I didnt read Telanders article (no need since the topic is just idiotic).
the NBA is actually LESS physical today that it was in the 80s. or even 90s for that matter.
most big men arent really that big anymore. less fights happen today. more career threatening injuries happen today, but raising the rim aint gonna help prevent that.
more fines happen today. blood is automatic play stoppage. double fouls are called reguarly. and so are techs.
if it were 1988 and Andrew bynum laid out JJ Barea, shit, alls he would have got was sent to his bench byhis own coach, a personal foul and maybe a fine; maybe. today, its a fine, automatic ejection and 5 game suspension.
if the rim was raised, would that really have stopped little ass JJ from going down the lane? doubtful.
June 7th, 2011 at 6:52 pm
GoEasy says:
To be perfectly honest, one of the things I love about basketball is the fact that it’s way more physical than it gets credit for. To make basketball less physical is to make it soccer. And, well, we already have soccer.
June 7th, 2011 at 7:45 pm
Chicagorilla says:
raise the rim to make it harder to dunk?
Rick Talender is cool and all, and i know he wrote that famous book or filmed a documentry or whatever, but that nigga lost his mind.
The NBa is already soft as fluck. When Dirk is shooting 24fts in a game, how can you say we need to make it softer?
Stupid.
June 7th, 2011 at 7:58 pm
James Blackburn says:
Terrible idea- the NBA is soft allready-
June 7th, 2011 at 11:01 pm
Conoro says:
LMAO, so I suppose this guy never watched the NBA before 1990? Too physical… get out of here.
June 7th, 2011 at 11:25 pm
Promoman says:
The answer is to be more consistent with foul calls and to take the same approach that there is now with players when they argue calls. Guys like Andrew Bynum & Chris Paul do dirty shit all the time on purpose.
June 8th, 2011 at 1:48 am
ramo says:
i finally managed to dunk the ball,and now they wanna raise the rim,no way
June 8th, 2011 at 6:02 am
iCARNACKi says:
LMAO @ the idea that the NBA is TOO physical.
NO, NO, NO they should not raise the rim, can’t believe anyone would consider it. It would basically completely change the league back to a game of jump shooting, they might as well be playing women’s netball.
June 8th, 2011 at 7:37 am
Leoni says:
Bullshit…simple like that
June 8th, 2011 at 8:52 am
northern lights says:
Does he propose that they raise the rims six inches in every gym, school yard, park and driveway hoop in America as well? Rule changes like this may make sense in theory
(his theory, that the NBA is too rough, which is very debatable) but logistically it just wouldn’t work.
June 8th, 2011 at 11:05 am
Will says:
HELL NO!
June 8th, 2011 at 2:12 pm
bballee says:
Twelve inches better if you want to reintroduce shooting vs. brawling.
June 9th, 2011 at 9:36 am
sans says:
This is funny. Cleveland Parks Department did this like 15 years ago to keep from having to put back rims…hilarious…didn’t stop anyone from going to the rack, nor fouling, just took away the handful of good crams you’d see in a day.
June 9th, 2011 at 10:39 am
Ian says:
get rid of all the padding dudes are starting to look like barry bonds out there
June 10th, 2011 at 10:17 am
danocasa says:
First off, anyone who says that NBA players are soft has never actually played high level organized basketball. I agree that flopping and acting has become more prevelant, but you try fighting over a Kurt Thomas screen, or taking a charge from Lebron, or boxing out Dwight or Kevin Love, or going down the lane against Tyson Chandler, or bodying up Carmelo in the post. Or try and advance the ball against vicious on ball defenders like Kobe or Wade. Or chase Ray Allen, Jason Terry, and Kevin Durant around, over and through every single one of their teammates.
Second, raising the rim six inches to a foot would only ENCOURAGE NBA players to go to the rack. You think an extra foot on the rim is stopping Josh Smith, Derrick Rose, or JR Smith from trying to cram on some dude? No, it would only affect their jumpers because they would have to adjust for years of muscle memory. Raising the rims would only TRULY affect everyone that doesn’t play in the NBA, like the article above said. All the people that play at rim level are the ones that this would be the most detrimental to.
And plus, this is just stupid. Who DOESN’T like physicality in their sports? What’s the popular sport in America? Football. I wonder why.
June 10th, 2011 at 10:18 am
danocasa says:
*most popular.
My bad.