[so cal lurker]

Originally Posted by frezer11

There are other violations in the book that I don't agree with, but I will follow the rules as is the case with this scenario. For example, and another throw in situation, if the thrown ball lodges between the backboard and the rim, it's a violation. I've seen this a number of times and called it accordingly, even though I personally don't think it should be a violation, after all it's not like the kid did anything on purpose, or gave himself or his team an advantage. But the bottom line is this: Even when I do disagree with a rule or penalty, that DOES NOT prevent me from applying the rule as written. During a game, my opinion about how a rule is worded is completely irrelevant.

This actually makes perfect sense once you look at context. It just has nothing to do with whether the shooter did something "wrong." 90% of FTs are rebounded by the defense. This rule simply gives the ball to the defense (who was by far most likley to have it) instead of giving the shoooter who missed the shot a 50% chance of getting it back by going to the arrow.