While watching an NBA game the other day, I saw a point guard make a great play on defense to tie up the ball under the basket. Unfortunately the opposing player involved in the ensuing jump ball was the other team's center. The guy with the eight-inch height advantage easily won the tip, and the guard's efforts were all for naught. This is dumb. The reward for creating a jump ball is supposed to be an equal opportunity to gain possession, but unless the two players are of comparable heights that's not the case. The NCAA realized this, so they got rid of jump balls in favor of an alternating possession arrow. But that's dumb too, because if it's late in the game and the arrow isn't pointing your way, you have no chance of getting the ball in a tie up situation.
I have a much better solution: Why does the guy who created the jump ball have to be the one who actually jumps? Why not just allow any player on the floor to take the tip? This seems like a no-brainer, and I can't for the life of me figure out why it isn't the rule already.
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