"contacting" the free thrower before ball hits rim..

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Dad

Agreed, makes sense with the spirit of the new rule.

I disagree. I think it makes more sense to keep the restrictions the same as on the shooter.

Any contact is going to be long after the ball is in the air, so the shot remains unhindered. If there's a foul, call the foul. Otherwise, the FT shooter shouldn't be given any extra protection from a legal box out.