"New NBL" update

I mentioned last week that the NBL was supposed to be making an announcement about the future of the league, who was in, who wasn't etc. Its a week as of tomorrow and I'm still yet to hear anything. No real surprise there but its not a good sign that I went to the NBL's website today and got this:



Thankfully it seems the website error was only temporary but I also found this article talking about some of the changes being proposed for the new league. It also mentions that head office will announce the changes and plans this Tuesday.

National body set to ring the changes in NBL reform - Basketball - Sport
Nick Sheridan
April 5, 2009

BASKETBALL Australia is considering a number of rule changes, including shortening quarters to 10 minutes, as part of its forthcoming reform of the National Basketball League.

If introduced, the new rules would bring the NBL in line with the International Federation of Basketball — FIBA — regulations that are set to be formalised at the end of the year. Ten-minute quarters are currently used in international competition, and are the FIBA standard, although the NBA still plays 12-minute terms.

The other proposed changes include extending the length of the three-point line, so that it will be about 45 centimetres back from the top of the free-throw circle, as opposed to now where it is only six centimetres back, to make three-point shooting a much more specialised area of the game.

There is also discussion about introducing a 'no-charge zone' under the basket, to discourage the attacking team's tall players from standing under the ring attempting to draw the foul, thus freeing that space up or players to drive to the ring in the hope of encouraging a more free-flowing game.

The final change would be to straighten the lines on either side of the key, so that it is the same shape as the keys used in the NBA.