The secretary general of FIBA, the governing body of international basketball, would like to see the NBA change its goaltending rules to allow players to knock the ball off the rim.
FIBA rules allow players to knock the ball off the rim after it touches the cylinder, whereas in the NBA that would constitute a goaltending violation.
FIBA will be instituting two rules changes at the conclusion of this tournament, abandoning the trapezoid lane in favor of an NBA-sized rectangular lane, and moving the 3-point line back by a half-meter (19½ inches) from its current distance of 20 feet, 6.1 inches.
Baumann said 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. FIBA courts are slightly smaller than NBA courts, measuring 91 feet, 10 inches long (compared to 94 feet in the NBA) and 49 feet, 2½ inches wide (versus 50 feet in the NBA).
But Baumann, along with outgoing FIBA president Bob Elphinston of Australia and incoming president Yvan Mainini of France, said they are opposed to any changes in the number of timeouts (FIBA allows two per team in the first half and three in the second half, plus one in each overtime period) or the length of the game -- 40 minutes, as opposed to 48 in the NBA.
Baumann also said FIBA will continue to push the International Olympic committee to expand the field from 12 to 16 for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, along with making a push for adding 3-on-3 basketball as a separate competition.
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