\"NBA referees will be able to use instant replay to review altercations and some flagrant fouls starting this season.\"

Sounds like a good deal. I think this will limit the Crawford type of deals. They should add challenges also.

Nice.

That's a great rule change... finally.

I do also welcome this change. I do not know if it will really prevent incidents (like security cameras do not prevent crimes), but at least it assures that no violator stays on the court for the rest of the game once he had committed something stupid like this.

Sanyarin wrote:

I think it would also help instances like in the playoffs last season with the Phoenix suns (Amare and Diaw suspended) or, am I wrong on that? I guess they haven't actually changed the rules yet in regards to playing stepping onto the court during \"altercations.\"

I think it will help with instances similar to the one with Crawford and Duncan, like I said. But, I think it can also help with refs paying more attention to the players involved in the altercation at that point in time and watch the replay of others later. That should help clear the court more quickly in order to eliminate further problems such as in Stoudemire and Diaw's case.

It is kind of embarrassing, but I do not know how flagrant fouls (or punches, etc.) are handled in the NBA. In European leagues, if the TV-pictures show some suspicious conduct, the player can still be banned, even if the refs did not see it in the actual game.

If that was the same in the NBA, then the only improvement brought by this new rule was, that player are more likely to get tossed of the game right away, instead of being able to end the game in the normally (but being suspended later anyway).

I think that's right to give a more immediate impact to players who are cheap...I wonder what will happen to Bowen this year