Weekly Countdown: What rule changes could be coming soon?

1. Trapezoidal lane. It was surprising to hear that FIBA had sided with the NBA on several rules changes starting in October 2010, including the abandonment of the trapezoidal lane in favor of an NBA-sized rectangular lane. There has long been speculation that the NBA would take on the international three-second area, though San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich was among those against it.

"We all talk about that so much, and we all go back and forth with it,'' Popovich told me last year. "The court is so doggone crowded the way it is now, I think it would really limit what goes on out here. When you think about post play, it would really take it away. There are some advantages [to the international lane], but overall guys are too big. If the court got bigger, you could do it.''

Jackson believes FIBA wasn't looking to synchronize with the NBA so much as it wanted to create more space for offensive players around the basket. FIBA also implemented the no-charge zone -- the dotted semi-circle under the basket.

"As hard as the no-charge zone has been to officiate,'' Jackson said, "it has benefited our game and incentivized guys to drive to the rim, and it has cut down on the number of injuries by players taking charges under the rim.''

FIBA also extended its three-point line from the current 20 feet, 6.1 inches to 22 feet, 1.7 inches. FIBA plans to further extend its line over the next 10 years to the NBA distance of 23-9.

There has been talk that the NBA may instead shorten its three-point shot to meet FIBA 2010 specifications. But Jackson doesn't sound as if he's in favor of that.

"We're now attempting more three-point shots and shooting a higher percentage from the three-point line than we have in the history of that shot,'' he said. "Having the three-point line has helped the spacing in our game.''

4. Predictably, much response was generated by a paragraph I wrote last week about Steve Nash . Here is a sampling ...

Your answer to a question about whether Steve Nash is overrated is one of the more inane things I've read on the Internet, which says a lot. Do you really think a large number of NBA fans question Nash 's reputation because of his stance on the war in Iraq ? That's plain stupid and another way to cover your butt for protecting Nash all the time. Most true/knowledgeable observers of the sport who question Nash and his undeservedly glowing rep point to the fact that he is completely and utterly useless during half of any basketball game. -- Brent Walters, Ann Arbor , Mich.

Well, didn't that strike a nerve!