Why was zone illegal in the NBA?

[Ryoga Hibiki]

Zone doesn't work unless the offence has huge holes, like defensive specialists with little offensive game, no outside shooting, little ability to read the defence and make decisions.
NBA players can easily dismantle a zone and get open men or offensive rebounds almost any time, but not when the likes of ben wallace or micheal curry are on the court.

[adamcz]

The fewer rules a sport has, the more pure it is in my mind. At its most pure, basketball is two hoops and a ball. The major rules like no traveling, no going out of bounds, no fouling give the sport plenty of definition. I don't like the addition of extra rules that remove the most obvious tactics just because they're effective.

Rules that remove effective defense don't just create more scoring; they also impact the evolution of the game such that players with less offensive ability can play a more important role. We all know that great shooting destroys a zone defense, but if a zone isn't allowed, the importance of great shooting is minimized.

It's been done on the other side of the ball too. Dunking was outlawed for a brief stint in the NCAA. Had it been outlawed forever (and in the NBA), explosive athleticism would be a lot less important to defenders, since offensive players would be doing all their damage from below the rim. You would still need defenders with lateral quickness, but a big advantage would be gained by tall guys who can't jump (like Bradley, who never would have been posterized).

In the end, I mostly like the way the game is officiated today. I see both sides of the hand checking issue. Playing defense only with your feet is nearly impossible, but at times handchecking was a euphamism for holding.

My least favorite rule currently is the no-charge circle. Why shouldn't a defender be able to establish position over there? Why does an offensive player get to crash into him and have it be a foul on the defender? In general, I think way too many defensive fouls are called in charge situations. Thanks to removal of handchecking, getting between your man and the basket is the one and only thing you can do on defense. If it's a foul when the offensive player initiates contact running into you, what's left for you to do?

[72-10]

The fewer rules a sport has, the more pure it is in my mind. At its most pure, basketball is two hoops and a ball. The major rules like no traveling, no going out of bounds, no fouling give the sport plenty of definition. I don't like the addition of extra rules that remove the most obvious tactics just because they're effective.

Rules that remove effective defense don't just create more scoring; they also impact the evolution of the game such that players with less offensive ability can play a more important role. We all know that great shooting destroys a zone defense, but if a zone isn't allowed, the importance of great shooting is minimized.

It's been done on the other side of the ball too. Dunking was outlawed for a brief stint in the NCAA. Had it been outlawed forever (and in the NBA), explosive athleticism would be a lot less important to defenders, since offensive players would be doing all their damage from below the rim. You would still need defenders with lateral quickness, but a big advantage would be gained by tall guys who can't jump (like Bradley, who never would have been posterized).

In the end, I mostly like the way the game is officiated today. I see both sides of the hand checking issue. Playing defense only with your feet is nearly impossible, but at times handchecking was a euphamism for holding.

My least favorite rule currently is the no-charge circle. Why shouldn't a defender be able to establish position over there? Why does an offensive player get to crash into him and have it be a foul on the defender? In general, I think way too many defensive fouls are called in charge situations. Thanks to removal of handchecking, getting between your man and the basket is the one and only thing you can do on defense. If it's a foul when the offensive player initiates contact running into you, what's left for you to do?

I agree with your theory, however I think that the circle is enforced more as a safety precaution. Action there is right under the basket, and defenders are effectively albeit unintentionally taking the legs out from under an offensive player on the drive. The theory there is that the offensive player has beaten his man to the basket and should therefore be rewarded, similar to a reach in foul to stop a drive when beaten.