Sunday, September 19, 2010

SBL to adopt FIBA rule change in new season

Chinese Taipei Basketball Association announced earlier this week that it will adopt FIBA's 2010 rule changes in the 2010-11 SBL season.

Notable changes include the implementation of the "no-charge" zone, abandoning the trapezoid lane in favor of the NBA-style rectangular paint area, and moving the 3-point line back by a half-meter from its current distance 6.25 meters to 6.75 meters.

On April 26, 2008, FIBA announced several major rules changes involving the court markings. These changes will take effect for major international competitions on October 1, 2010, after that year's World Championships for men and women, and become mandatory for other competitions on October 1, 2012 (although national federations can adopt the new markings before 2012).

CTBA said that FIBA Asia has announced that the changes will take effect on Jan. 1, 2011.

According to this ESPN story, FIBA would like to see the NBA change its goaltending rules to allow players to knock the ball off the rim. The next rule change FIBA wants to institute is widening the court by 50 centimeters on each side, in large part to create additional room for players to attempt 3-point shots from the corners.