|
It is inappropriate to apply screening rules to a player with the ball. People getting screened are concentrating on staying with a player, when a third player comes into play. They did not choose the path they follow, it is primarily determined by the player who is cutting. Defenders need to be given an adeqate chance to avoid the screener. Dribblers are expected, by rule as well as by their coaches, to see the area they are penetrating very clearly and to note when obstacles are coming into their path. If they are unaware of a defender who will soon be directly in their path, it is their fault alone.
So why when a player has committed are they not afforded the right to run into an opponent? First, you need a clear dividing point, and that is the point they leave the floor. You cannot alter direction when your feet are off the floor, so you cannot foul a player who comes into your path when you are airborn. For any other situation where a player may need to change his mind, if his foot is on the floor, he may be able to change his path depending on his athleticism. That is not true for the player who has jumped.
Also, if an opponent slides into position, he is moving to that position before the player is physically committed to jump. If the shooter makes a choice that turns out to be bad because the defender sets in time, we don't really worry about when the shooter reached the point of no return, nor should we. He should have known the risk he was taking, and therefore made a better decision. He should not have committed to a jump that he could not legally make.
|