NBA to limit pregame routines

Starting this season, the NBA will enact a ninety second shot clock to monitor the length of team’s pregame routines.  The new rule will look to limit the time between player introductions and jump ball.  The ninety second shot clock should cut that time by at least four minutes, as players have certainly taken advantage of that gap in time to fool around.  Players often use that time to pump up themselves and their teammates; however, recently it has gotten out of hand.  Skits are commonly be preformed, a la Shaquille O’Neal or LeBron James, and players have used that time to do nothing more than revert the league back to the days of the ABA. 

NBA spokesperson, Tim Frank, illustrated the new rule as follows : 

“There’s a 90-second countdown, it is placed on the clock. At 30 seconds, there’s a warning horn and alert by the refs. At the end, teams need to be ready to tip off or face a delay-of-game warning.” 

It is reported that TWO delay-of-game warnings will result in a technical foul. 

It appears as if the days of the elaborate chalk tosses or team handshakes are over, and the game will have a more direct and intense feel – something the regular season greatly needed.  No longer will we see Dwayne Wade run around the arena, doing pull-ups on the rims, or mingling with the crowd.  The rule will create a solid flow to the pregame procedure, but it is still unsure how most players will react to it – or if any technical fouls will in fact be enforced. 

– Dave Hilts