raise the Rim to 11 feet RIGHT NOW

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slam dunks have for a great many years been an exciting part of hoops

not so much anymore - so many players are capable of soaring to about 12.5 feet up there

the whole thing of soaring slam dunks is no longer special imo - I believe that right now there are quite a few Middle Schoolers who can dunk - and probably most of the players on many h.s. teams

there are currently 23 7 footers in the NBA and one guy is 7'9"

quite a few can dunk without jumping or just by standing on their toes and hopping a little bit

what will the situation be in 15 years_____________?

it really is quite ridiculous

if the rim was raised to 11 feet there would still be dunks - and because of the raised height they would be even more impressive

it would create new and exciting challenges for great shooters

and the poor shooters would be even worse

imo it would be very exciting to see this happen

but it won't happen because there is so much resistance to change

the 3 point shot saved the game - but still

it's really time for a change



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here we go - the spectacular slam dunk






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I am 6'2" and I was able to (barely) dunk when I was young and thin. Can't do it anymore.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dan Druff

I am 6'2" and I was able to (barely) dunk when I was young and thin. Can't do it anymore.

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I'm 5'11" and never came close -- LOL. I played in a "Small Man's" tournament in Hazleton, PA. You had to be 6'2" and shorter. I knew we were in trouble when on the opening possession the other team's point guard (12th man on the Knicks -- those 10-day contract guys) split our zone up top and jammed from half a step inside the foul line.

I played with and against two guards with legitimate 36 inch verticals. Because they were 5'9" and had small hands, they generally just laid the ball in from over the rim. One of them had the misfortune of being the high school backup to Johnny Moore of the old ABA Spurs. He was really too small to play other positions on a high-end high school team, so he was stuck on the bench.

People say they have 36-inch and up, but very few people really do. Some of the PSU volleyball players had legit 36-inch verticals, but they weren't really hoopsters.

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I'm 5'9" - played small college ball and made All County in h.s. 2 straight years and got 18 per game my junior year

I couldn't dunk because I couldn't palm the ball - but I could go about 5" over the rim

on my tiptoes my hand could stretch to 7'6" so I had close to a 36" vertical

back then that kind of jumping ability was impressive - people would see it and kept asking me to dunk - and then I had to tell them I couldn't - and explain why not - one time in warmups before a game the guys in the stands kept screaming for me to dunk - it was so annoying - I had to tell them I can't dunk or they wouldn't shut up

right now - in this day and age - that same jumping ability is no longer very impressive

lots of 5'9" or 5'10" guys can dunk - and many with authority

out on the playgrounds back in the day - there was a little guy 5'10" who played in the Continental Baskeball Association - minor league pros - Tony Upson - who could go way, way over the rim - at least one foot - more likely 15" - when I first saw him airborne I know my eyes got big and my mouth dropped open

that's Tony in the suit in the front row - an really tiny little guy - Coach of the Hamden Bics - after his playing career was over













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You had a legit vertical. I played with a guy, Tony, who was the liaison at Penn State for black athletes acclimating to the place. Part recruiter, part mentor. He always laid it in, never dunked.

He kind of made me sick -- LOL -- I was a distance runner in high school and two years of college, and Tony was not, but he could beat me in every event except between a mile and three miles. He had zero body fat. Great defensive hoopster. He had the 36 vertical and always laid it in.

That's what people don't realize. The guys with small hands are actually getting up higher than many of the dunk artists.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by redietz

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dan Druff

I am 6'2" and I was able to (barely) dunk when I was young and thin. Can't do it anymore.

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I'm 5'11" and never came close -- LOL. I played in a "Small Man's" tournament in Hazleton, PA. You had to be 6'2" and shorter. I knew we were in trouble when on the opening possession the other team's point guard (12th man on the Knicks -- those 10-day contract guys) split our zone up top and jammed from half a step inside the foul line.

I played with and against two guards with legitimate 36 inch verticals. Because they were 5'9" and had small hands, they generally just laid the ball in from over the rim. One of them had the misfortune of being the high school backup to Johnny Moore of the old ABA Spurs. He was really too small to play other positions on a high-end high school team, so he was stuck on the bench.

People say they have 36-inch and up, but very few people really do. Some of the PSU volleyball players had legit 36-inch verticals, but they weren't really hoopsters.

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I remember in 7th grade PE I got the best height when they had a vertical jumping contest. I wasn't tall then, because other kids had growth spurts, and I actually never had one (I just kept consistently growing until 18 1/2).

Could dunk until my early 20s, but eventually extra weight and age took that away. Now I can't come close. Just tried about a month ago. I weigh about 80 pounds more than when I last could, so that's a lot of it. And it's been about 30 years.

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when I was 45 I decided I wanted to try and shoot some hoops - I hadn't played in maybe 15 years

I went to an outdoor court with metal nets

I hit a shot and the ball got stuck in the net - probably 8.5 feet up

I couldn't jump up and knock the ball out of the net - it was humiliating - I had to go into the woods and get a stick to knock the ball out of the net

my jumping ability had decreased by more than 2 feet





I loved hoops - I got to the small college level - not that far - I was playing a sport where I was at a tremendous disadvantage because of lack of height

I often wondered about myself - if had instead concentrated on a sport where I didn't have such a disadvantage - such as baseball - could I have gone further______?

I think the answer is yes - but that's not going to impress anybody - maybe in my next life - but probably not - ashes to ashes - dust to dust


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About five years ago I went to a gym. Had not touched a basketball in about 15 years. I shot a couple hundred free throws.

Well, back in my 20's through 40's, I made low 80's percentage-wise in practice and mid-70's in games. I stood there at the foul line and made half. Kind of humiliating. Shooting free throws like Shaq.

Raising the hoop just increases the advantage for taller players. Any time you reduce luck, it increases the ability of those already successful at a skilled task to outshine their peers even more.

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Originally Posted by theywontpayontuesday

Raising the hoop just increases the advantage for taller players. Any time you reduce luck, it increases the ability of those already successful at a skilled task to outshine their peers even more.

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don't quite understand what you're saying

tall players are right now right on top of the rim on their inside game - shooting skill is not required - they just need to either dunk it or shoot a 6" shot

raising the rim would mean they would now have to demonstrate at least some skill in shooting

more importantly - the slam dunk in its current state is becoming tired - it would be interesting to me to see such a challenge play itself out - not just for inside shooters but for outside shooters

don't know what you mean by "reduce luck"


about 2 or 3 players on each NBA team can now go up close to the top of the backboard - that's 13 feet up there - the players skills and height are evolving very quickly



my prediction:



in 15 years players will be able to go up in the air to 14 feet - one foot over the top of the backboard - that will make a 10 foot rim even more ridiculous


the game of basketball and the 10 foot rim came about in 1891


at that time there were probably very few players who could jump up and touch the rim




there were lots of naysayers about the 3 point shot before it was established


and it has made the game so very much better - so very much more interesting




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I'm passing on explanation to someone who cares.