NBA announces D-League rule changes, including coach's challenge

The NBA put the rumor mill to rest Wednesday regarding experimental rule changes in the D-League, announcing a handful of tweaks to the way the game will be played in the league's feeder system this season.

Most notable among the changes is that D-League coaches will now be afforded one challenge on a referee's call (as explained in the post below). Should a coach's challenge be successful, a second challenge will be rewarded for use in regulation, and the challenge tally resets for overtime. Personal fouls - but not technicals or flopping calls - are challengeable.

Other notable tweaks include:

• An away-from-the-play foul rule, where deliberately fouling a player away from the offensive action will result in a free throw for any player on the floor. This addresses the Hack-a-Shaq scenario, when teams foul poor free-throw shooters away from the ball to send them to the line.
• An increase in team fouls before the penalty, currently set at five before penalty free throws are awarded. This appears aimed at speeding the game up by limiting the total number of free throws in a game.
• Officials will wear headsets for better communication.
• Teams can stop play, advance the ball to the 28-foot marker and make substitutions without taking a timeout by using one "advance" granted per game. This can be used in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, with another awarded in the last two minutes of overtime.

Chris Alpert, D-League vice president of basketball operations, told ESPN that the rule changes aim to speed up the game and improve the flow at the conclusion of games.

The NBA continues to leverage the D-League for rule experimentation, one of the reasons for its existence. NBA fans should be encouraged that the league continues to search for ways to improve its product, whether or not each individual tweak hits home.