Time To Look At A 24-Second Clock

In honor of the National Basketball Association Finals, today I’d like to share a history lesson about the NBA.

Specifically, I’d like to talk about the implementation of the 24-second rule in the NBA. For those of you who don’t know, the 24-second rule says that every time a team gains possession of the basketball during the game, they have to attempt a shot within 24 seconds or turn the ball over to the other team.

Why was this rule implemented? Let’s let the NBA’s official website explain:

Professional basketball was struggling in the early 1950s, and one look at what was taking place on the court explained why. The game was dull, all too often played at a snail’s pace with one team opening up a lead and freezing the ball until time ran out. The only thing the trailing team could do was foul, thus games became rough, ragged, free throw-shooting contests.

In just one example of how this was played out, on November 22, 1950, the Fort Wayne Pistons edged the Minneapolis Lakers 19-18 in a game where the teams scored a total of eight baskets. If you follow basketball at all, you know that score is in stark contrast with today’s high scoring, “run and gun” style of play. So what changed?

Well, the NBA was a business. They needed fans to survive. And fans weren’t likely to sit through too many low scoring snoozefests. They wanted action and needed to see some baskets. So something had to change.

The solution was brilliant in its simplicity. Danny Biasone, owner of the Syracuse Nationals, suggested a rule giving a team 24 seconds to attempt a shot or else lose possession of the ball. The 24-second shot clock made an immediate impact. In 1954-55, its first season, NBA teams averaged 93.1 points, an increase of 13.6 points over the previous season. The league survived and over time grew to be the staple of American sports culture it is today.

Now, regular readers of this blog know that I’m not just sharing this story because it is interesting (or not, depending on your level of interest in professional basketball). No, I’m sharing because there is a parallel to what was happening to the NBA in the early 1950s to what is happening in the field of services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) today. In short, the rules are acting as an impediment to giving the end user what he or she needs and wants.

It is no secret that the people on the receiving end of services in our field would say they are not getting what they need. Rules and regulations frequently mean that services are delivered to meet the needs of the regulators, not the ones being served. And service providers are less efficient when delivering those services as administrative costs rise in response to the necessity of meeting more and more regulatory edicts.

Just like the rules in early 1950s basketball slowed the game down, the rules in the 2013 I/DD world are slowing down opportunities for the folks we serve. We are in need of our own version of a 24-second rule. We need more fast breaks and fewer fouls. Something simple to speed up the pace and deliver what the end user wants and needs.

Let’s do it before the clock runs out.

Then again, what do I know?