First of all, kudos for using the word "desparate" in a post. I warms my heart to see that level of literacy here.
Now - on to your subject. I don't think what you described is the proper application of the A/D theory. Our job is NOT to "level the playing field" for the teams. I know this may sound strange to some, but our job is really to make sure the team that plays the best wins. OK - that sounds even stranger. Here's what I mean.
The team that plays the best is supposed to win. That's their reward for playing better than the other team. As you might have noticed, we do keep score in these games. If we call the game by the rules in a consistent manner and apply those rules evenly to all players, regardless of their ability, then the better team WILL win. That's the point.
A/D doesn't mean that you let a slower player grab a dribbler who's driving to the hoop just because that's the only way that defender can stop him. A/D doesn't mean you call a foul on a big man for bumping a little man when you would not have called it if the big man did exactly the same thing except against another big man.
Basketball is an athletic event in which characteristics such as speed, size, ability, smarts, etc. are an advantage and it is not our job to take those advantages away. Players who use those to beat their opponents deserve to use those traits to achieve victory.
To me, A/D means something like not calling a borderline carry when a player just received an inbound pass near the opponents endline, turns to go upcourt and there's no defender within 40 feet of him during the last 10 seconds of a blowout.
|