GOLD COAST, Australia -- The NBL has tweaked multiple rules -- including a revamp of the coach's challenge and changes to timeout procedures -- heading into the 2024-25 season, sources told ESPN.
The league's newest effort to enhance the gameday experience, while continuing to place a focus on the protection of players, was outlined to all teams over the course of the preseason, ahead of the 2024 NBL Blitz.
In the document -- obtained by ESPN -- the most notable change involves how rules around the coach's challenge have been shifted in a material way.
The new rules now state that, if the incorrect foul type is reported to the bench by a referee, the review can still determine that a foul was committed due to a separate foul type.
This is a shift in how the coach's challenge operated during the 2023-24 NBL season, where the replay centre could only assess the specific foul type that was reported to the bench by the referee. In a November, 2023 game between Melbourne United and the Perth Wildcats, for example, Alex Sarr committed a hands foul on Matthew Dellavedova on a drive to the rim; this was challenged by Wildcats head coach John Rillie and, because the referee reported a pushing foul to the bench and not a hands foul, he was successful and the call was overturned. If an instance like that occurred this coming season, the challenge would instead be deemed successful, because a foul - any foul - took place on the play. The NBL is stressing the goal of using the coach's challenge and review centre to "get the right outcome", which this rule change theoretically should achieve.
"I pushed really hard, campaigned the coaches at the time," United head coach Dean Vickerman told ESPN on that specific change to the coach's challenge, when asked on Thursday.
"I had very limited responses from head coaches around the league at the time [of the November game] about the change... until it happened to someone else.
"Then it's like: what's going on here? I think we all see that it makes sense, that the objective of the coach's challenge is to get the right decision; not to try to pick a technicality with the referees... If it's a foul, it's a foul, and let's not worry about the technicality of how the referee actually saw the foul. If it's a foul, let's get it right."
The NBL has issued an objective for the replay centre to complete its reviews within the timeout period: roughly between 30 and 40 seconds. Another significant change that's been issued is how the NBL is amending timeout procedures in an attempt to speed up the game.
The league determined that, on average, 4 minutes and 12 seconds were added to every game due to delays as teams returned from a timeout. With 50 of the 140 games during the 2023-24 regular season going over the broadcast time -- that includes five overtime games -- the NBL sought solutions to cut that down.
Reservations from the broadcaster around games consistently going over their allotted time slot, as well as feedback from fans, acted as the catalyst for the NBL to search for solutions regarding speeding up the game.
The league put consideration into introducing a 20-second timeout, or even reducing the number of timeouts a team is permitted each game, sources said, but ultimately landed on new rules that would speed up the return to the court following timeouts. FIBA rules indicate that 60 seconds is permitted for a timeout, yet an average NBL timeout was determined to last 95 seconds.
The new rule dictates that a referee stationed behind each team during a timeout will advise them at the 40-second mark that there's 20 seconds remaining. At the 50-second mark, the score bench will sound a 10-second warning, and the referees will blow their whistles and request the team finish the timeout.
At the 60-second mark, referees will request the teams immediately return to the floor.
If a team ignores requests and warnings to move immediately and return to the floor, they will be issued an additional timeout. If a team has no timeouts remaining, the head coach will be assessed a technical foul. Teams are not permitted to huddle on the floor following a timeout; if they do, a delay of game warning will be issued. If it's the second delay of game warning, a technical foul would be issued to the team's bench.
"I'm certainly in the range of one of the later guys in the league in trying to be pulled out quicker," Vickerman said.
"Mostly, that's because of the time I spend with coaches beforehand. What I'm trying to do right now is figure out how we work around it. Even before the timeout, if we're going to have a timeout in a minute, [my assistant coaches should] give me stuff now, or we figure out how quick we can get it done.
"I get it. It's one of the ways we can speed up the game a little bit. If we play our part in helping the opportunity to get the TV deal we all want, we're happy to do it. We've gotta be better, is the way we see it right now."
The league has also put in place criteria that would result in an immediate disqualification. The primary assessment for an immediate ejection includes: contact deemed "unnecessary, excessive, and flagrant", "not a basketball player", "direct contact with no mitigating circumstances", "direct contact made to the head region, including the neck of the player, with a high potential for injury", and a player "in a vulnerable position with a high potential for injury (airborne player)". A secondary assessment would including determining if the offending player exhibits a "wind up", "impact", or "follow through" in his actions.
The 2024 NBL Blitz runs from September 7-14 on the Gold Coast.