Big-Time Restraints

By TIM BROWN and MIKE TERRY

May 17, 2001 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITERS

Shaquille O’Neal likes to say he’s the last of the old-time big men, a giant in the paint who doesn’t shoot fadeaways and 16-footers, who doesn’t budge from the block, who dominates from five feet in.

When the NBA announced its rules changes for next season, allowing defenses of any kind, no one was stung like O’Neal, who maintained the policies were directed at him.

While they aren’t quite as wed to the front of the rim as O’Neal is, San Antonio’s Tim Duncan and David Robinson also will be impacted by the rules. For that reason, Laker Coach Phil Jackson said, there might never again be such a series, where the Western Conference title will come down to 7-footers, leaning and heaving beneath the basket.

“This is may be the last time we’ll see this type of basketball in the NBA,” Jackson said. “It’s interesting to see the finals going on this year, both in the Eastern and Western [conferences].”

It could be the last time this type of basketball will be seen. Period. New NCAA rules adopted last week also were designed to limit the impact of big men who play in the paint.

The assault on big men is not unprecedented. College basketball officials temporarily outlawed the dunk in the late ‘60s in an effort to contain UCLA’s Lew Alcindor. But this is the first time that the NCAA and NBA have acted at the same time.

Jackson said that the NBA could be dramatically different next season.

“We’re going now into an area where our game can take on a whole different type of meaning,” he said.

“We’re all going to be sitting around this summer to see what we can do to change up on the style of game we’re going to play, to make it not only more interesting and more effective for the fans, but also definitely more positive for our own teams.

“Can we get three 7-footers on the court and play them together? Can we get 6-foot 8-inch guards to play on the court? Can we gerrymander together a defense that can really be an effective zone, given the guidelines of the rules? We know we can run an offense without point guards. What’s it going to mean? Especially since this game has gone down to a lot of small guards.”

A greater shift, however, may come in the college game.

The NCAA men’s basketball rules committee announced last week an experiment to widen the three-second lane from 12 to 16 feet--same as in the NBA--next season. The experiment lasts until Jan. 1, 2002. It will then have to be approved by the NCAA legislative body to become permanent.

The committee, chaired by Kansas Coach Roy Williams, is looking for ways to reduce rough play.

“The emphasis on eliminating rough play was most effective in the early part of last season, but that emphasis did not continue throughout the season,” Williams said in a statement. “This year, we would like to aim for consistency from the beginning of the season to the end, with particular attention to inside play.”

By moving players farther from the basket, the committee wants to return the game to footwork and quickness, and rely less on power.

Said Oklahoma State Coach Eddie Sutton: “I think [widening the lanes] is worth a try to loosen things up underneath and not have such a traffic jam. It will allow more people to drive to the basket. You will still find people trying to recruit big guys. But you can’t get guys who get in there and park. You must flash in and out of the lanes, like the pros do.”

Still, the experiment is not without critics.

“It’s [a move made by] a lot of people trying to justify their existence,” said John Thompson, the former Georgetown coach who is a television commentator. “The big guys today are so nimble, and there are very few legitimate defenders that exist anyway.”

Florida Coach Billy Donovan doesn’t like the change either.

“They are taking the game away from the legitimate post player with strength,” he said. “They say the game is too rough. I don’t hear college coaches complaining.

“There are enough rules. Leave the game alone. The basketball was not enjoyable last year in November and December, when each team was shooting 40 free throws a game.”

Pete Newell, a respected former coach who every summer teaches dozens of potential and active NBA big men the intricacies of playing the post-up game, said there was a better alternative.

“Go back to this rule: There has to be daylight between offensive and defensive centers,” he said. “Whoever broke it first got a warning, and if it persisted they got a foul. [The need for] this rule, I don’t understand.”

No matter, the traditional big man’s game has been eroding in college basketball long since.

The problem is, Donovan said, “If the front-court players are really good, they are not playing college ball. They either go directly to the NBA or play in college a year or two. That’s why you don’t see that many traditional big men out there.

“For the last two decades in college ball, there’s been a decreasing responsibility of the center in terms of scoring and passing. If he gets the ball, it’s usually for a quick turn-around jumper.”

This doesn’t mean college coaches will turn away a budding Shaq if they see one tearing down rims in the gym.

“If you have a tremendous player at that position, it is a tremendous advantage because they are difficult to defend,” Boston College Coach Al Skinner said. “Everyone would love to have [a great center] and build from the inside. But there are not enough of those players to go around, so you have to approach the game differently.”

UC Irvine Coach Pat Douglass has a 7-2 center, Dave Korfman, and said the wider lane “will limit him.” But if this is the future of college basketball, so be it.

“You’ll have to teach your big men the perimeter skills,” Douglass said. “They will have to be able to dribble and pass. But you still have to have a big man on defense. He will always have a place in the game.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Lakers vs. San Antonio

The schedule for the best-of-seven Western Conference finals. All times Pacific:

Game 1--Saturday

at San Antonio, 3:30 p.m., Ch. 4

Game 2--Monday

at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m., Ch. 9

Game 3--May 25

at Lakers, 6 p.m., Ch. 4

Game 4--May 27

at Lakers, 2:30 p.m., Ch. 4

Game 5--May 29