Quote:
Originally posted by Jurassic Referee
Quote:
Originally posted by Eric Huechteman
Also, Rule 4-27-3: "Similarly, contact which does not hinder the opponent from participating in normal defensive or offensive movements should be considered incidental."
Compare that with: "If the defender is crowding the player with the ball, making it hard to move, that's what I call good defense."
Pivoting is a normal offensive movement, and "crowding the player with the ball" hinders that movement.
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Pardon? You're saying that if a player with the ball pivots INTO a defender who has established a legal spot on the court, then the foul is on the defender? Don't think so. The defender can always legally establish a spot on the floor as close to the player as he can get, short of actual contact, as long as the defender gets to that spot before his opponent. Once the defender has established that legal spot, how could you possibly call a foul on them if an opponent pivots INTO their legal position? If you're gonna call anything, it has to be the other way around.
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Eric, when Jurassic and others use the word "crowding" they don't mean pushing or bumping. They just mean taking all the space that's right next to the player with the ball. The rule book makes it clear that with the ball near the chin and both elbows out, the elbows are illegal if there's contact. The defender is entitled to that space right next to the ball-handler.
This is important when you think about a double team. If the two defenders are taking up two-thirds of the ball-handler's immediate surroundings, there's not much choice for the ball-handler, and that's good defense. No pushing or bumping is needed to really screw up the offense. That kind of crowding is legal, and if elbows are introduced into the situation, they are illegal.