Making the game much faster.
That is the goal of new rules set to be tested during the upcoming PBA on Tour games beginning on May 21.
The PBA on Tour will serve as the preseason of the league as there will be a long lull until the 2023-24 PBA Philippine Cup.
“As much as the teams will have the opportunity to try new combinations and game schemes, the league will take the opportunity to experiment with new rules and rule interpretations with the objective of improving the PBA game and making it even more exciting,” said PBA commissioner Willie Marcial told the league’s official website.
Of course, the top change that coaches have sought is the implementation of the video challenge system.
But there are five other changes that the league is looking to implement.
First is the penalty for “breakaway fouls.”
Instead of resulting in just two free throws to the team stopped from attempting a fastbreak, it will also result in possession being given to the team.
Meanwhile, “double fouls” will now be put into the tallies of the teams.
The rule on goaltending or basket interference calls may undergo changes as well.
Currently, if a review finds that a call was erroneous, it results in an inadvertent whistle and a jump ball at the center circle.
However, a proposed change suggests two scenarios: if a team gains immediate control of the ball after the whistle, they will be awarded possession, and if neither team gains control, the game will resume with a jump ball at the center circle.
These changes aim to streamline the game and address any potential discrepancies in the current rule.
Another proposed new rule is that the game clock will continue to run during inbounds during the last minute of the first three quarters.
With regards to gametime, it is being proposed that 0.2 and 0.3 seconds in shot or game clocks are no longer playable.
The league initially proposed to eliminate player’s timeout which was rejected by the coaches.
The coaches in attendance during the presentation were Richard del Rosario from Ginebra, Junjie Ablan from Blackwater, McJour Luib from Converge, Tonyboy Espinosa from Magnolia, Caloy Garcia from Rain or Shine, Peter Martin from San Miguel, Monch Gavieres from Terrafirma, Bong Ravena from TNT, Luigi Trillo from Meralco, Adonis Tierra from NLEX, Waiyip Chong from NorthPort, and Jon Jacinto from Phoenix.
