See-through shot clocks

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Derrick Talton clearly could tell that Utah Jazz forward Mehmet Okur sank his foul shot during a recent NBA game at the new Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

The season ticket holder wouldn't have been so sure last year, when the shot clock mounted atop the backboard at his end of Charlotte Coliseum obscured his view of the other end of the court.

Talton sees nothing but net this season, thanks to new see-through shot clocks recently given a thumbs-up by the league.

"It makes a big difference," Talton said. "Now you can see if they make it — which you couldn't last year."

The shot clocks, developed by South Dakota-based scoreboard maker Daktronics Inc., were born of an idea from a New Jersey Nets season ticket holder, said Steve Hellmuth, the NBA's senior vice president of operations and technology.

The fan e-mailed NBA commissioner David Stern, wondering if there was a technology that could improve his view at Continental Airlines Arena. Hellmuth said the new design is a big improvement, especially for fans in lower seats that typically sell out.

"All of a sudden, they're seeing the entire action on the court," Hellmuth said.

The previous shot clocks were encased in metal boxes.

The new two-sided, backboard-mounted clocks measure 2 1/2 feet square and feature light-emitting diodes (LEDs) sandwiched between two clear pieces of polycarbonate. The 13-inch red shot-clock numbers, and 7-inch amber digits showing time left in the period, can be read from both sides.

Bobcats season ticket holder Sharon Wilcox said she now easily can follow the action second by second.

"Last year, you ended up counting the seconds as soon as they got the ball," she said. "Now I can look up and see it."

Wilcox hails another benefit: She's sometimes able to see her friends seated behind the backboard at the far end of the court.

The NBA tested the new shot clocks during last year's Memphis Grizzlies games at FedExForum. The Philadelphia 76ers and Bobcats installed them this year, and Hellmuth said the Houston Rockets and Miami Heat are looking at replacing their clocks this season.

He expects all NBA teams will be using them within the next three years.

"We're encouraging teams to do it," Hellmuth said. "At some point, we might require the teams to go to it."