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As a newer referee this particular (and other similar) issue perplexes me. Maybe I haven't "got it" yet and in time maybe it will all come to me, but the 10 second rule is, well ... a rule of the game. Why is it any less important than other violations such as traveling or being OOB. We don't allow a player to take just one (or two or three) extra step(s) before calling a travel. Did the player gain any real advantage by taking that extra step(s)? What about OOB? Did the player gain any real advantage because his foot was slightly OOB for one step while dribbling up the side line? No, of course not. But as referees we call every travel and/or OOB violation that we see, in other words, we enforce those rules. Why should the 10 second rule be any different?
From day one I've wondered why referees are taught that certain rules are unimportant and can be ignored, such as the 10 second free throw limitation. This rule is part of the mental aspect of the game.
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