Most of the significant on-court changes being considered by the NBA "will go through the D-League for a test drive," according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. That includes coach's challenges, referee headsets and "measuring player movement." D-League President Malcolm Turner said, "There's no question we're still looking at opportunities to speed up the game, but also opportunities to preserve and enhance the integrity of the game." Howard-Cooper reported the D-League collects data and "combines that with anecdotal evidence in conversation with people involved." That is then packaged "along with discussions among executives from the NBA and D-League as part of studying possible future use in the NBA." The NBA Competition Committee "debates the ideas and in some cases votes on whether to approve a rule or table the idea for additional study." The BOG "gives the ultimate rubber stamp" to what the committee approves. A coach's challenge would be similar to the NFL in that it would "slow the game," but it also would "increase the opportunity to get calls right." NBA President of Basketball Operations Rod Thorn said, "It was talked [about] at length at the last competition committee meeting. Obviously coaches are very much in favor of it. I would think that it would have a very good chance to be instituted at some point in time." Thorn was unsure if that would be as soon as next season. Howard-Cooper noted referee headsets would "ideally create better communications among the three officials on the court" and save the need of "having to huddle." Thorn: "You want (headsets) as small as possible, you'd like to get something that [has] enough of [a] shelf life ... that you wouldn't have to constantly charge it during play" (NBA.com, 3/10).
