Joe Smith, Donyell Marshall, Penny Hardaway. No one could figure out exactly what they were, or where to put them. They had skills, but no single outstanding skill, which posed problems in the NBA. The old NBA, that is.

Thanks to the new rules, 'tweeners are the dealie now, yo.

Aside from dressing up the league's statistical look -- nine teams are averaging more than 100 points, compared to one this time last year -- the league's elimination of illegal-defense rules and institution of an eight-second backcourt limit has shifted the paradigm. A good open-court point guard, a bunch of lanky athletes with all-around skills and a coach willing to experiment is the blueprint for instant improvement. Want proof? Look at the surprises around the league -- Minnesota, New Jersey and Indiana. Denver, a virtual 'tweener depot, is unexpectedly competitive. The Pistons don't have the point guard, but they've got everything else.

Not everyone saw this coming. Some thought spot-up shooters would be back in vogue, because they could exploit the zones at one end and be protected by them at the other. Ask Dennis Scott, Chris Mullin, Mike Penberthy and Vinnie Del Negro how well that worked out.

"Jump-shooters against a zone works in college because you've always got two or three guys on the floor who can't play," says an assistant GM. "You don't have that at this level. It's too easy to close out on a guy who can't beat you off the dribble."

So specialization and one-trick ponies are out. Athleticism and all-around skills are essential. Size and strength are nice but no more so than speed and quickness.

"Basketball skills over specialization have never been more important," says one Eastern Conference assistant coach. "Sound passing, ballhandling, and decision-making rival pure range shooting in importance."

Offenses in the old NBA hinged on a dominant post player grinding his way to the hoop or drawing a double-team. Freedom to swarm the post and limiting the physicality down low has ended that. There's space in the paint now for a quick point guard and anybody who can move off the ball. Penny, who can do a little of both, has numbers approaching his early-career all-NBA levels.  Smith, a career 44 percent shooter, is burying shots at a 60 percent clip, putting him behind only Marshall, who is shooting 61 percent for a career-high 18-point average. "The new rules help me out a lot," Marshall says. "You can sneak around the back for open lay-ups."

Which also means the big hullabaloo over Tim Duncan's free agency in two years could be misguided and Jake Tsakalidis' days could be numbered. TD is as versatile as they come and will continue to be a great player, but his lack of speed, exposed by the Lakers last spring, makes him one key element short of invincible in the new NBA. If the current evolution continues, the KGs and Rashard Lewises and Ben Wallaces are going to be, in their way, just as effective.

"I think you'll see GMs and personnel people looking to emphasize players who can play multiple positions," says one Eastern Conference scout.  "Teams that have overall team quickness and mobility are the ones taking the biggest advantage of the new style of play."

Shaving two seconds off the backcourt limit and implementing three seconds on defense to replace the complicated illegal-defense rules also is shifting the power hierarchy among coaches. Those not afraid to give control to their players and be creative -- Flip Saunders leads the field -- are having extraordinary success.

"John Lucas isn't exactly considered a tactician, and I've even seen him trying things," says one scout. The Pat Rileys and Larry Browns -- coaches brilliant at constructing precise last-possession plays -- now find their strategies blunted all too easily by teams dropping into read-and-react zones. They are actually better served forgoing a timeout and letting their point guards decide on the fly how to attack.

"Coaches,"says one assistant GM, "simply can't have as much control as they once had."

That makes having a quality point guard who can lead the break and penetrate almost indispensable. Said floor leader doesn't have to be ultra-strong, either, since heavy checking has been chucked. That's why Nick Van Exel (career-high 26.7 points) and rookie Jamaal Tinsley (near triple-double his fourth game) are operating just as effectively as Baron Davis and Jason Kidd.

Bottom line? You want to play in the new NBA, you better be able to play.

AND ONES: It's practically a foregone conclusion that Bulls coach Tim Floyd is trying to get himself fired, but one team source says he's not likely to get his wish unless he agrees to a reduced buyout of the remaining 2+ years of his contract …You want to know why Michael Curry is starting at 3 over Rodney White and Corliss Williamson for the Pistons? In 227 minutes, he has one turnover. His 21:1 assist/T.O. ratio leads the league … Just wondering what Riley and Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy could have been smiling about when they chatted before the recent Heat-Knicks game. How about a possible reunion? It's clear Riles is ready to move upstairs. It's equally clear Van Gundy isn't enamored with New York anymore -- or not a Scott Layden-inhabited New York, anyway.

Ric Bucher covers the NBA for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail ric.bucher@espnmag.com.