How to Fix the NBA Rulebook | Simon Pruitt's NBA Part One

This is the first article in a four part series on how I would fix the entity I love more than most humans: the NBA. Today, I’ll be starting with the basic rules of the game and the alterations I would make to them including the charge, pump fake-free throw maneuver, and regular season overtime.

1. Abolish The Charge

Let’s be honest, the charge has never amounted to anything good within the sport of basketball. The whole concept of the charge is to empower a defender that gets caught in a tough spot between the basket and the ball handler. Why? Giving the defender that privilege undermines the offense’s success in putting him there. Listen, there are times where the offensive player is unnecessarily aggressive and rough when driving and those instances should absolutely be called. However, 99% of the time a defender (Kyle Lowry) is simply in a disadvantaged spot and is bailed out by this soft rule that weakens more physical players (Giannis). The stupidity of this rule is further exemplified when it rewards individuals who flail their arms and throw their body on the ground. It's an act and everyone knows, it shouldn’t exist. Good news! In Simon Pruitt’s NBA, it won’t.

2. A Coward’s Fake

The following is a perfect example of the cheapest maneuver known to an offensive basketball player.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzDULL__Sq0

The defender, #4, gets taken off the dribble by the ball handler, #30, and is crossed up to end up to the right of #30. Instead of driving to the rim or pulling up for a jumper, #30 opts to fake a shot. #4 falls for the fake and jumps at an angle that never interferes with the hypothetical jumpshot due to his location before the fake. Despite not being touched by #4, #30 leaps forward into him, initiating contact and a foul call...on #4. What? In nearly every other medium, the initiator receives the consequences. If Steve walked by his brother John and John decided to punch him in the face for no reason at all, would Steve get spanked? If you relate this familial analogy to the basketball world, then yes, Steve would be on the receiving end of a wooden spoon, belt, or his parents’ weapon of choice. That is the opposite of fair. It’s a travesty that spit in the face of parity. In Simon Pruitt’s NBA, the Coward’s Fake would result in an offensive foul. Subsequent violations would be handled by a smooth technical foul. There’s no place in my league for that behavior.

3. Overtime Elam Ending

My third and final alteration to the essential rules of a regular season NBA game would be to the overtime system. Let’s face it, NBA overtime is boring. I always get a rush of excitement when I hear a game is in overtime, only to watch 30 minutes of exhausted athletes fouling each other and calling timeouts. I get it, but it isn’t entertaining. This year’s All Star game was arguably the best ever due to the adoption of Nick Elam’s method of concluding basketball games, as seen in The Basketball Tournament (TBT). The concept takes both teams’ respective scores and declares that the game will end when either team reaches a specific number. For example, if a game headed to overtime tied 90-90, the Elam Ending would come into effect by adding a number to 90 and forcing the teams to reach that target score. If the number in question was 24, the first team to reach 114 would be the winner. This allows for heightened intensity and almost guaranteed drama as the teams get closer to the target score. The dragging speed of overtime would be a distant memory with the Elam Ending as timeouts and fouling are less advantageous to either team. If something is able to make the All Star Game feel like Game 7 of the Finals even just for a few minutes, we should try to get as much of it as we can.