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The NBA basically adopted the FIBA (international) handchecking rule, i.e. a bent arm only on players who have their back to basket below the foul line extended. I agree that we don't want to overcall this, but allowing handchecking, particularly by the guards, can really prevent quicker players from penetrating and put a team at a real disadvantage. Personally, I will try to use preventive officiating and talk to the players (i.e. "watch the hands" - they can hear you) if I can, and I generally won't call anything if the player touches and gets off. Players, though, are pretty smart and will adjust - call it early if you have too and they will get the idea. On the other hand, on post play, if the defensive player uses 2 hands in guarding the offensive player, it needs to be called immediately. For a deeper discussion of the issue, you can probably find an article I wrote on the subject last year in the archive.
Todd Warnick
Jerusalem, Israel
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