http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/0930nbarules.html Saw this article on the front page of cc.net and had to laugh. If this isn't the biggest pile of "kiss Jerry Colangelo's ass because he owns the Suns and we write stories about them" story, I don't know what is. It's one thing to do a legit story on zone, it's another thing to spin the living hell out of it to make it sound all warm and fuzzy. Way to go Arizona Republic. I'm sure journalists everywhere are saluting your journalistic triumph!
It's to early to tell, I don't think you can base your opinion on a few summer league games anyway. It's going to take regular season games with the all out pace and real refs (an oxymoron).
Why don't they bow down and kiss the guy's rear end while they're at it! All his BS they're spinning is garbage. As far as zone's helping teams slash to the basket, if that guy did his homework it PREVENTS teams from slashing to the basket! He should look at a Temple and Syracuse game. All this talk about speeding up the basket, and zones stopping people from standing around is garbage. Zones slow down a game, and causes people to stand around! Zones bog down a game, they usually force half-court games, unless you have an athletic team, and zones usually push you out to the perimeter and force you to be an outside shooting team. Teams that slash are effective against the zone because they have BEATEN the zone. Zones don't invite slashing teams. As for the zone stopping isolation plays, zones aren't going to stop isolation plays. If you isolate a play right you can break a defense down into a man-to-man and thread the lanes. Straight up trash trying to make Colangelo happy because he hasn't had a true center in decades. Then to say that there won't be any college-style zones is a lie also. Unbelievable.
This team is tailor made to destroy a zone. We're probably the only team in the league with 2 legit scorers who can get inside a zone with Steve and Cuttino. Look at the shooting we've acquired! Terence Morris, Glen Rice, Dan Langhi, Damon Jones, Steve, Cuttino, Walt, Marc Jackson, Kenny Thomas, and when he gets back, Mo as well, are all good outside shooters. Defensively, we're also looking to exploit it. We've moved away from the short defensive SF, to evolve into the new breed of roamers- Langhi, Morris, and Griffin should all see time at SF and are all tall and long-making them even more effective when they can hide in the bushes. Hopefully, Cato and Griffin will be able to play goal tender. Having big bodies like Jackson, Thomas, and Taylor will be effective in sealing off the paint. I'm willing to give the new rules a chance. I've heard that if things look bad in preseason, the rules won't go into effect. These rules are hardly set in stone.
I'd love the Rockets to go to a set zone, like a 2-3 or something, but it might take longer than a pre-season to get the defense to gel.
I hate watching the NBA tinker with the rules seemingly every year, but I love to see Rudy make a mockery of the rule changes. From the DIT Hakeem offense, to the 3-point offense, to the Barkley iso, to "2-shakes", I can't wait to see what's next. Change the rules, and Rudy will find a way to exploit it.
