A player can ALWAYS recover a fumble. However, if that player had already dribbled, then he may not dribble again. This player may pivot. The only time a player with the ball may not pivot is after a specific type of jump stop.
If the player throws what was intended to be a pass, but the teammate vacates before receiving it, that player may legally go get the ball if it bounces on the floor first because it meets the definition of a dribble. (There was an NFHS interp on this last year.) Of course, in this case, if the player had already dribbled, then a double dribble violation has occurred. If the pass doesn't bounce, then this is an illegal dribble violation.
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