JoshFarc's Archive Pre-HoopsPedia: HoopsHardcore.com - Joshua E. Farcone is Officially Writing for HoopsHardcore Now

This is my archive from the past 3 years or so.... the time in which I became a hardcore fan of the NBA (though I've always been a fan; I just didn't watch over 1,000 regular season games each year while I was in school, and not many people do), The NBA has changed tremendously since I started watching Magic's "Showtime" Lakers battle the Celtics as a child. The 90's brought an era of tough, rough basketball where any teen that wasn't a Bulls fan just wasn't "cool" like I was, wearing my number 33 Bulls pinstripe jersey (that's right, a Scottie fan). Then the 2000's came along.

The NBA is first off a business let's not forget, so obviously they need to make some profit to stay alive. But Stern and company have kept this league afloat for years, and are actually bringing this league more views and fans. While many rule changes have been applied the past decade, the now plays as exciting as ever. While MJ talks about the leagues rules changing and how he "could score 100 points in a game" is probably true (if he was in Kobe's spot that year w/Smush + Kwame + Walton against the Raptors), I happen to think this style of play is better suited for the game, overall.

While FIBA is adapting to some of the NBA's rules (changing their angled free-throw/paint/box to the NBA's normal one), the NBA seems like it has taken some of the rules overseas and brought them over here. Especially after Mike D'Antoni brought his "7 seconds or less" offense to the America's and NBA. With no hand-checking on the perimeter when the offensive player is faced up is post MJ era, as well as the obvious "defensive 3 seconds".

While defensive 3 seconds is obviously a way to allow guards and other slashers to get to the rim easier, the players have mastered "team defense" so well that they often never miss a rotation and have shown you can really force teams into jumpers with great defense, while defensive 3 seconds still exists (ex: Boston 2007-08). The rule does also appear to help prolong the lifespan of the NBA career of many guards and wings it seems. While at heart I wish they would follow FIBA and delete the defensive 3 rule, overall it's not doing that much damage. We want to see star guards and forwards, like Kevin Durant for example, stay healthy the next 10+ years. We don't want him getting hacked and beat up every single time he drives to the hoop..... or do we?

Anyway, as I have written, on and off, off and on, like a streaky shooter, some of the articles here are intriguing, others actually quite funny. Here are some of my favorites from the past:

"Free Agent BonAnZa (2010 Summer)" -2010