re: Breaking News: John Petty returns to Bama basketball

I'm hoping with all the pieces added to this team that Petty has to do a lot less dribble penetration. We need a lot of 3 point shooters to make this work and having Petty back is really a big deal.

I kinda knew we were getting some wholesale changes in personnel regardless of our graduation rate in Oat's 2nd season. But this is turning out to be a real makeover. With Oat's 5 out motion offense maybe we become the Houston Rockets of the SEC. I'd take it.

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Houston’s tallest player is 6’7 Covington lol. We have 6’11 Tchikou and 6’10 Bruner

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They also have Hardin and Westbrook at guard. Both generational type of talent. But they love the spread em out approach, and with the removal of anything that resembles a center, they rank #4 in the NBA in the pace of play since going to the Westbrook version of small ball. Coach Oats is all in on that type of offensive basketball.


It wasn't really just the 3 point line that has made such a bold move possible for the Rockets, it was the expansion of the free-throw lane also. The added width has pushed big guys even further from the basket and has made operating in the paint a lot easier for their small guys to get to the basket and finish. I don't know that going that small is sustainable in the long run because of all of their defensive liabilities, but offensively, it certainly is.

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I know some NBA rules have changed from the Jordan era until now, and it was a mistake. There is no defense, it’s just guys getting open 3s every possession. I can’t watch anymore.

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It's sometimes tough to watch being a defensive guy myself. In the NBA they also came up with the "illegal defense" in 2001.

Now if a defensive guy stands in the lane more than 3 seconds and isn't within an arm's length from their man and not in a guarding position the offense gets to shoot a technical and gets the ball. That's a guarantee the big man has to chase guys to the 3 point line. I'm still not sure what kind of zone the NBA thinks they are actually running with this rule in place. Not much of one. I guess this is what European basketball is all about.

For now, college bigs still can play closer to the basket and leverage is still much more the name of the game.