How Much Space?

[DownTownTonyBrown]

Ahhh, the humility.

So according to 4-24-6, this post player's actions were illegal and I should have called a foul on him. 10-6-1 also reinforces this - "A player shall not: hold, push, charge, trip; nor impede the progress of an opponent by extending an arm, shoulder, hip or knee, or by bending the body into other than a normal position; ... Extending the arms fully or partially other than vertically so the freedom of movement of an opponent is hindered when contact with the arms occurs is not legal."

Per the rule, ANY EXTENTION that inhibits the motion of an opponent is illegal. But this is not how we "practically" call the game.

A player can bend at the waist to catch a pass and protect the ball from the defender's reach. Only with special attentiveness can a player hold a basketball in front of themself and not partially extend their elbows away from their body. Would these actions be illegal if the defender contacted the arms / elbows, hips, etc?

If possible give me some more insight - the casebook is nearly silent on this issue.