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Palming
In the Rockets/Grizzlies game last night, at least 5 Palming calls were made. That must be a record for the NBA! I am guessing it is a point of emphasis for them this year.
The coaches got pretty agitated on each call. From what I could observe, the officials were demonstrating the hand going below the vertical when explaining the call. Most of the calls were made on drives to the basket, but one or two were made when the dribbler was moving laterally across the top of the key.
My philosophy is the closer the dribbler is to the basket the closer it needs to be called. In the backcourt or barely in the frontcourt, without pressure, if the ball comes to rest such that the player takes a step without dribbling, I'd make the call. Borderline palming can be "missed" in those situations.
But if there is pressure, particularly if the dribbler is in a position to make a move to the basket, it should be called tighter. I'd probably let the hand go noticeably beyond vertical, just so I am sure it is palming.
Pardon the pun, but palming (like hand-checking) is one of those things that of not called appropriately, can get "out of hand" at a crucial time in the game. If we call it early in "advantage" situations, the problem will go away.
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