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Paul, "palming" the ball, i.e. illegal dribbling, has become endemic to our game - and it's largely our fault, because we didn't clamp down on it when it first started happening. The international (FIBA) rule states only that the dribble ends..."when the player...permits the ball to come to rest in one or both hands" (Art. 34.1.1). That's not much guidance. Oddly enough, in the FIBA rulebook there is a signal for "carrying the ball" - but no rule specifically forbidding it except as I've mentioned above. The NBA tried to crack down on the more egregious examples a couple of years ago (Allan Iverson), but looks like they gave up, too.
I've had more cases in the last 2 years than in the prevous 27 where I check the game ball and find that it's not pumped up enough - 'cause that's the way the pg likes it ("too bad", I tell him - get some air in it or get me another ball).
I generally call "palming" in the following situation (and don't let me mislead you, - I call it about twice a year): A1 has the ball and momentarily stops his dribble with his palm up. B1 comes at him to guard him closely and as he's doing so, A1 puts the ball back down on the floor and blows past him. The issue (as in many cases) is that there is a clear advantage here for A1.
The other night I was doing an Israel National League game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Kiryat Motzkin/Ata (an area north of Haifa). The point guard from Motzkin was moving laterally and spinning to escape some defensive pressure and in fact carrying the ball in order to do so (which I saw but didn't call). Arriel MacDonald, the Tel Aviv point guard from U of Minn, said "Hey Todd, he's palming". All I could do was laugh a little and say, "Arriel, have you ever watched YOU dribble the ball?" I guess we're all to blame.
Todd Warnick
Jerusalem, Israel
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