Interesting twist on the rules
 

I admit to getting pulled into the ABA thread out of curiosity and went to the website and found this set of rules among others.

3-D RULE
The 3-D Rule light is On when...
The offensive team loses possession of the ball while the ball has backcourt status
The ball goes out-of-bounds after touching the frontcourt (or a player or official in the Frontcourt)
If the offensive team does not establish ball control in the frontcourt, the 3D Light will remain in effect.
When the 3-D Rule is on, an additional point is added to the point value of the field goal. (i.e. two point (2pt) baskets count as three, three point (3pt) baskets count as four)
3-D Rule remains on until the team scores, attempts a free throw for a personal foul; or the other team gains control of the ball.
When the defense commits a foul with in 3D, the number of free throw will be increased by one.
When the defensive team receives a technical foul in 3D, this 3D light remain on following the technical foul.

I can't imagine trying to focus on the game with this light situation, but I'm sure somebody here has seen this or perhaps even offciated it. Does it work?

Also, I guess Antoine Walker would be great in this league, because now there are "fours."

Oh well, it's late, but I wonder if anybody cares to add in.

Maybe tomorrow...

I'm pretty sure that rule has been in place since this new version of the ABA started up. I understand the concept behind it (reward a team for forcing a turnover in the backcourt; encourage full court pressure), but it seems silly to me.

As far as officiating it, I don't think the on-court officials would have to deal with it. The light would be activated on the sideline and the scorer would know when to add the extra point. The only question would be whether the light should actually be on (did the ball gain frontcourt status), and that seems pretty easy to answer without getting distracted from the game.

I have had the opportunity to work a couple of games in the ABA and the 3D rules sound somewhat complicated at first. But for some reason, when/if the situation does occur, its not that hard. It is really alot of fun when the situation comes up. The table crew can be a huge help in these situations when they also recognize that the 3D is in effect. There is also a mechanic/signal to indicate to the crew and the table that the 3D is in effect.