Irvine says zones won't help game.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. _ Pistons coach George Irvine said the game won't be the same next season if, as expected, the NBA lets teams play any kind of defense they want, including a zone.

An NBA committee is expected to recommend that the league abolish illegal-defense guidelines and implement a defensive three-second rule for the lane. The idea is to have fewer isolation plays and more running and movement.

"It's going to change everybody's game," Irvine said. "You are going to have to go out and get a big center. Or at least the big center now that's at a premium will be even more at a premium.

"You can do like they do in college _ you can get a good shooter and hide him in a zone defense.

"If they think playing a zone defense is going to speed up the game, I haven't seen that in high school or college. There's a reason they've outlawed zone defenses for this long. You'll see box-and-ones even more than you see now. It'll be different. I really believe that."

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