"David Stern's Agenda"

Vince Carter - not exactly the humblest of athletes - admitted it.

It was last Sunday night, after New Jersey defeated Washington 105-93 in overtime, and Carter was talking about his desperation 3-pointer in regulation that clanked off the back of the rim - straight into the air - and then back through the net.

The improbable triple tied the contest at the end of regulation and the Nets wore out the Wizards in OT.

When asked about whether the shot would have gone in with the NBA's old ball, Carter responded firmly: "If it would've hit like that? Heck no. No way."

Thanks, Vince.

NBA commissioner David Stern can try all he wants to turn the media and NBA fans’ focus to the play on the court, but the fact remains that he made two curious rule changes before the season that are being questioned by not only the media and fans, but players as well.

There was the switching of balls from the traditional leather texture, which had been used for 35 years, to a "microfiber composite with moisture management." Apparently, the ball is supposed to provide "superior grip and feel throughout the course of a game."

But from the box scores I've browsed on a daily basis, I've been shocked at the number of turnovers teams are committing. I've seen individual players routinely make five or six turnovers, and teams give up the ball more than 20 times. Through six games, Allen Iverson is averaging 5.2 turnovers a game. Last season, Gilbert Arenas led the league in turnovers. He played 80 regular-season contests and gave the ball away 297 times. If you do the math, that's just over 3.5 times per game - which is nowhere near AI's average.

Through Wednesday night's games, only two teams - Washington (11.83) and Cleveland (13.71) - were averaging less than 14 giveaways a game, and eight teams were averaging 17 or more turnovers. The Orlando Magic - the team averaging the most turnovers at a 19.75 clip - averaged 15.1 last year.

The statistics tell the story. Teams are throwing the ball away more often. Now, this could be due to players still getting used to the ball's composition, but think about it: Including the pre-season, teams have been using the ball for over a month now.

The "we're still getting used to it" excuse would be pretty lame at this point.

Another thing about the ball: Players, especially post guys, have complained that the ball bounces off the rim differently (softer, mostly – like with Carter’s shot). As a result, when they anticipate the rebound, they move to the wrong part of the floor. Maybe that’s the reason that Paul Pierce, who was on hand to help introduce the ball in June, is leading the league in defensive rebounds.

He’s got “new ball knowledge.” He’s also just 6-foot-6 and has never come close to leading the league in a rebounding category before.

OK, enough balling about the ball. The other rule big rule change is the no-arguing-with-the-refs rule.

And, boy, has it caused some controversy. Players are being T'd up before they can even utter a word. A nasty look toward a ref - especially by Rasheed Wallace (who received two T's in the Pistons' opener) - can bring about a T. If a player begins to say something but catches himself... you guessed it: he's likely getting a T.

Wallace compared the new rule to slavery. I wouldn't go that far, but it's definitely affecting players. I've never played on a level close to the NBA - rec ball is my only claim to fame - but even I know that players get emotional during the course of a game (you should see the arguing that takes place in some of those rec games). If they don't think they touched an opponent and are called for a foul, in the heat of the moment, a yell or waving of the arms may occur.

These actions should be allowed.

I agree that excessive arguing after the play has been over for a while should warrant a T. There is no need to continue bickering with a ref while standing outside the lane, awaiting a free-throw attempt. Shut up, move on, continue to play.

But to T-up players for expression initial feelings about a call is ludicrous.

Another complaint I've heard about the rule is that players are treated differently. Veterans such as Sam Cassell who have made a of habit of chatting with refs for five or 10 minutes after a call continue to get away with their antics. Players such as 'Sheed, on the other hand, are T'd up immediately.

Something needs to be changed; that's a given.

I have to wonder why these changes were made. Especially the new ball. No players were complaining about the old rock. Why switch things up? Was Stern fishing for publicity for his league during October, when the MLB playoffs and football dominated the headlines?

I'm not sure, but couldn't he wait? The season was right around the corner, and the NBA is a league that you either follow or don't. You won't find many on-the-fence NBA fans. So once the season began, those fans were going to follow their teams and the league.

Regardless of whether there was a new ball.

The discipline rule wasn't a bad idea. It just needs to be toned down a little. I'll admit that it was ridiculous, watching the playoffs last season, how every time a player was called for a foul he would bicker with the refs. It got to the point where I wondered if some players were even focusing on the game at hand.

Stern might have instilled the rule to protect his refs, who were reamed in the 2006 postseason for missed calls and favoritism. In the final minute of Game 5 of the Finals, Dallas players, coaches, fans - and, of course, Mark Cuban - thought the refs charged the Mavericks with a timeout they didn't call which happened to be the Mavs' final TO. And any team that played Miami complained of Dwyane Wade receiving all the calls during the playoffs.

But, then again, we've seen the favoritism thing for years. Remember a guy by the name of Michael Jordan and a certain Bryon Russell who got pushed off? And Reggie Miller always got away with his share of shoves to free himself.

So favoritism hasn't changed. And neither, really, has the players' bickering. So did Stern make the move to protect the refs, or was it another publicity stunt?

We'll likely never know, but one thing is for sure: The changes will continue to receive plenty of pub throughout the course of the season and into June.