Quote:
Originally Posted by BillyMac
By the literal rule definition (dribble), I agree. But this physical act can also be the start of a pass (by rule, and by definition). After the ball is released from the ball handler's hand, a lot of other things can happen besides the continuation of said dribble (bounce pass to teammate, steal by defense, ball contacts boundary line, etc.). Why make a guess here, even an educated guess (good judgment based on experience), when by allowing the play to develop (something that all good officials, including you, will often do in many situations throughout the game), for a fraction of a second, will take away any guesswork on the part of the official? When I officiate, I hate making guesses (block/charge, foul/incidental, carrying, out of bounds, etc.). If I'm guessing, I'm probably not calling something.
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Intent and purpose of the rule comes into play. If a player jumps he is not allowed to return to the floor before releasing the ball on a pass or dribble. If there is a teammate anywhere around and I can
imagine that his release is directed toward that teammate, fine, I give him the benefit of the doubt. On the other hand, if there is no teammate and he simply drops the ball straight to the floor, no way can I consider this a pass. One might say this is a moot point, that if there is no teammate in the picture, either the defender will get the ball or the shooter will touch it. But other things can also happen. If the defender swipes at the ball at this point and knocks it out of bounds at this point, this would unfairly penalize the defense who did his job perfectly and created a turnover.