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I will concede that you can just release a ball and catch it again without moving (and therefore without travelling), and without passing, shooting, fumbling, or dribbling. In addition, we have some dribbling and other rules that don't appear to be designed to address this one in a million situation. The most important in my mind would be:
Rule 4, SECTION 15 DRIBBLE
ART. 3 . . . The dribble may be started by pushing, throwing or batting the ball to the floor.
ART. 5 . . . An interrupted dribble occurs when the ball is loose after deflecting off the dribbler or after it momentarily gets away from the dribbler. There is no player control during an interrupted dribble.
SECTION 29 KICKING THE BALL
Kicking the ball is intentionally striking it with the knee or any part of the leg or foot below the knee.
I would argue that once the player attempted to dribble and released the ball, what you now have is a dribble that could simultaneously be interrupted if it got away from him. But I would call this the start of a dribble, even if he interrupted the start of his dribble by getting his foot in the way. May not be the most pure interpretation, but this play is hardly one of purity.
If we take the more extreme view, that he intended to bounce it off his foot, he is intentionally striking the ball with his foot as well, IMO. So then you have a kicked ball situation if he does multiple bounces off the foot.
While this may not technically meet the rules, the rules do not envision every circumstance and this seems to be the best possible application of the rules to a bizarre and unlikely situation.
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