The NBA is holding its annual preseason conference with its officials this week, preparing them for the new season by going over the points of emphasis and rule changes that have been enacted.
The league invited members of the media to discuss the points of emphasis and rule changes Thursday afternoon, as well as to show how referees go through the process of making a call on the court — a deeper and much intricate process than most fans would think.
Here are the points of emphasis and rule changes the league is enacting for the 2013-14 season:
Traveling
For anyone who ever has watched an NBA game, the travel call is always a difficult one to determine, particularly because of the shifting point where players “gather” their dribble before taking their allowed two steps. It’s annually one of the points of emphasis with officials.
One play that came up was whether or not Ray Allen traveled on his game-tying 3-pointer at the end of Game 6 of the NBA Finals in Miami. League officials say that he did not, as he gathered, took two steps and then shot.
Illegal screens
This section will be directed at the Nets’ Kevin Garnett as much as any player in the NBA. Garnett is well known for setting at least borderline illegal screens, which the league is hoping to reduce this season. The two main things referees will be looking for: players either extending their legs outside of their normal stance or hip checking players as they go by — instead of staying upright.
Contact on jump shots
In order to try and protect defenseless players during jump shots, the league is again focusing on trying to eliminate contact after a shot as players land — particularly focusing on keeping defenders from being under a shooter’s feet, which easily can lead to sprained ankles and other injuries. The exception is when the offensive player kicks out his leg unnaturally from his body in order to initiate contact with a defender to draw a foul.
Delay of game after baskets
The NBA has initiated several efforts to cut the length of its games, and this is one of them. Now, any player who purposefully directs the ball when it comes out of the basket after a make — either kicking or hitting it away from an opposing player, or catching it and giving it to the referee instead of leaving it for an opponent — will be hit with a delay-of-game warning. This doesn’t apply to players who have the ball hit them if they’re standing under the basket when a shot goes in.
RULE CHANGES
Players can no longer camp out of bounds on offense
George Karl’s Nuggets teams began a recent phenomenon in the NBA of having players stand out of bounds on offense (usually along the baseline) to further space out the floor. That tactic is no longer legal. Players have to immediately re-enter the court if they step out of bounds during the course of play.
Clear path foul rule
One of the more controversial rules has always been the clear-path foul, which awards two shots and the ball to a team that is deemed to have been deprived of a clear scoring opportunity by a foul. The rule has been tweaked this season, in what the league hopes will allow for more clarity and fewer replay reviews. Now, once any part of the offensive player’s body touches the frontcourt, if a defender has at least his shoulder ahead of the offensive player, a clear-path foul cannot be called if a foul subsequently occurs.
Reviewing fouls on screens
When a foul is committed on a screener while an offensive player is getting ready to shoot, the referees now have the power to review whether or not the player was actually in the act of shooting when the foul was committed, which will determine whether or not it was a shooting foul.
Reviewing off-ball fouls on out-of-bounds plays
Officials now have the discretion to review whether or not a foul came before the ball was inbounded. This is important because of the difference between a foul after the ball is inbounded in the final two minutes of games (regular two free throws) and before (one foul shot and the ball).
Reviews of block/charge calls
While the trigger for a review of a block/charge call late in a game will remain to determine whether or not the defender was in the restricted area, what officials can do once the review has been triggered has changed. Now, if the violation is determined to occur outside the restricted area, referees can rule whether the play was indeed a block or a charge. In prior years, referees could only see whether or not the defender was in the restricted area, and not change the actual call.
Reviews of unsporting fouls or unnecessary contact after the quarter ends
Previously, when a referee reviewed whether or not a player got a shot off before the buzzer, they couldn’t do anything about a defender, say, hitting the player in the face while trying to block his shot — – the kind of play that would normally result in a flagrant foul — if it came after the horn. Now, referees have the ability to go back and assess a flagrant or technical foul if the need arises on such a play.