NBA what-ifs not discussed enough

[Tarzanrock]

4. Here's a basketball "what if:"

What if the NBA had not widened the lane when Wilt Chamberlain came into the league to try to hinder his offensive and defensive prowess? What if the NBA tracked and counted “blocked shots” when Wilt Chamberlain was playing? What if the NBA counted and credited offensive rebounds to the individual player when Wilt Chamberlain was playing instead of crediting them as “team” rebounds; and, how many more “rebounds” per game would Wilt Chamberlain have “averaged” if he had the benefit of this rule change? What if the NBA credited “assists” like they do today back when Wilt Chamberlain was playing? How many "assists" would Wilt Chamberlain have "averaged" if they counted "assists" like they do for Jokic today? What if Wilt Chamberlain was allowed 3 and ½ steps like the rule change for today’s players? In the 1960s, basketball players were whistled for traveling if they moved more than one step without dribbling the ball. In 1994, the travel rule is completely re-written. The first foot to touch the floor becomes the pivot foot instead of the rear foot. What if Wilt Chamberlain was allowed to utilize the “European step” like today’s players? What if Wilt Chamberlain could have run 4 steps with the basketball like LaBron James does? What if Wilt Chamberlain was permitted to “palm” the basketball like players do today? Also, in 1994, the Alley-Oop is allowed, that is the offensive player may also touch the ball during a pass in its downward flight above the level of the ring. What if Wilt Chamberlain was permitted to do that back when he was playing and how many more points would his scoring “average” be from this rule change? What if Wilt Chamberlain had the benefit of the 3-point shot like players do today and how many points would that add to his scoring average? What if Wilt Chamberlain played with the defensive 3 second rule and the no hand-checking rule of today’s NBA and how many points would he score under these modern rules when he would not be double-teamed and triple-teamed? What would Wilt Chamberlain’s free throw percentage be if he was permitted to dunk the basketball from the free throw line? What if Wilt Chamberlain was allowed 3 and 1/2 running steps -- could he dunk the basketball from the 3-point line? In the NBA, the 3-point line is 23 feet, 9 inches from the center of the hoop, except in the corners where it is 22 feet away. The free throw line is 15 feet away from the front of the backboard, which is the standard measurement for all levels of basketball play. Wilt Chamberlain could dunk the ball from that distance with a standing leap which is why they changed that rule. Remember, Wilt was a track star at Kansas and Chamberlain triple jumped in excess of 50 feet and successfully won the Big 8 Conference high jumping competition three years in a row.