Rod Thorn, NBA president of basketball operations, didn't balk at the idea.

During a sit-down TrueHoop TV interview with our own Henry Abbott, Thorn was asked about the chances that a 4-pointer -- as outlandish as it may seem -- could be brought to the NBA at some point. In a Per Diem column last month, I advocated for the introduction of a 4-point line 28 feet away from the basket.

Turns out, Thorn didn't think the advent of a 4-pointer would be outlandish at all. Rather than reflexively squash the radical idea, as you might expect from a 72-year-old NBA lifer who has worn just about every hat in the league, Thorn seemed genuinely intrigued at the notion and revealed that the 4-pointer has "come up" in league discussions.

"Oh man," Thorn told Abbott, "Some of the players we have can shoot the ball from I assume it would be 30 feet? 28-30 feet. Somewhere in there. Some of the guys we have can shoot that as easily as a 23-, 24-foot shot." One of those players? Vince Carter. Thorn recalled a moment when he ran the New Jersey Nets from 2000 to 2010 as team president and general manager. As players tend to do at practice, Carter would showcase his shot-making abilities from far, far away.

"I remember when we had Vince Carter in New Jersey," Thorn said. "Well, he could shoot the ball from the seats and make half of 'em."

Don't we want to see that? Players pushed to the limits of their abilities?

"It would be unbelievable," Thorn said. "But you know coaches would go crazy because now you've got another line out there. That's crazy."

Yes, it would be unbelievable. But you know what coaches also thought was crazy and could never work and would ruin the game and cause widespread global devastation?

The 3-point line.