Crab Dribble?

TNZebra44

This discussion about LJ reaffirms my opinion. "Crab-dribble?":confused: There is something to be said for the requirement of NCAA participation both for the classroom and court experience.

btaylor64

Nevadaref wrote
The problem is that no one really understands what the heck that means! I've never seen a detailed explanation of what constitutes a "two-count rhythm" and what doesn't. The rule is so vague that it is practically useless. 🙁

The NBA should change their traveling rule to match the FIBA rule.

It's actually not vague at all if you own a NBA rulebook. It explains it quite well.

In short, the first count is when the ball has been gathered and upon the gather the first foot (feet) to contact the floor. meaning that if a player gathers the ball off the floor and lands with both feet that is the count of 1. if he gathers while on the floor, that is the count of 1.

The second count is after the first... obviously. If the player gathers the ball in the air and lands with two then he is allowed to pivot upon landing, as he has only completed a count of 1. If the gather is prior to leaving the floor then he has to land with both, due to the "two-count rhythm" guidelines and he is not allowed to pivot.

This is the same as the HS and college rule! I've said that for years!

The only play that is different is our "hop" travel rule.

just another ref

They had former player and "expert of all things NBA" Jalen rose on ESPN First Take to discuss the play. He described what a crab dribble is and laughed as he said the "crab dribble had absolutely nothing to do with the three steps he took on his way to the hoop." I was actually kind of relieved to hear that basically everyone there, except Lebron, agreed, just as we do here: It's always a travel, they just don't call it. The only question that remains is

WHY?

Jay R

btaylor64 wrote
It's actually not vague at all if you own a NBA rulebook. It explains it quite well.

In short, the first count is when the ball has been gathered and upon the gather the first foot (feet) to contact the floor. meaning that if a player gathers the ball off the floor and lands with both feet that is the count of 1. if he gathers while on the floor, that is the count of 1.

The second count is after the first... obviously. If the player gathers the ball in the air and lands with two then he is allowed to pivot upon landing, as he has only completed a count of 1. If the gather is prior to leaving the floor then he has to land with both, due to the "two-count rhythm" guidelines and he is not allowed to pivot.

This is the same as the HS and college rule! I've said that for years!

The only play that is different is our "hop" travel rule.

Ben,

I still don't understand. Are you saying that if a player gathers the ball with his right foot on the floor and then his left foot comes down to the floor that his left foot is his pivot foot? I have tried numerous times to grasp this 2 count rhythm thing and I am absolutely clueless.

btaylor64

Jay R wrote
Ben,

I still don't understand. Are you saying that if a player gathers the ball with his right foot on the floor and then his left foot comes down to the floor that his left foot is his pivot foot? I have tried numerous times to grasp this 2 count rhythm thing and I am absolutely clueless.

Jay, in the play you are describing count 1 is his right foot and count 2 is his left foot, he is now no longer allowed to progress any further without penalty.

Welpe

All this talk about crab is making me hungry.

I've also never seen a crab dribble a basketball so I think this is all a mute [sic, just for mbyron] point.

Adam

btaylor64 wrote
The only play that is different is our "hop" travel rule.

Are you saying players are allowed to hop in the NBA? Because that's traveling in NFHS and NCAA.

AKOFL

What's really funny is they had just let him get away with a travel moments before. Then they call it in that sit. Bummer for LBJ

BktBallRef

Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. wrote
My call is traveling.

Since I couldn't slow the tape down, so it took me a while to break it down but here is how I saw it:

1) He stopped his dribble (grabbing the ball with both hands) while his right foot was in contact with the floor.

2) He then proceeded to jump off his right foot.

3) He then landed on his left foot.

4) He then leaped off his left foot.

5) He then landed on his right foot.

6) He then leaped off his right foot in an attempt to shoot the ball.

Casebook traveling.

MTD, Sr.

Agreed. It was 4, and possibly 5 steps total.

Jay R

btaylor64 wrote
Jay, in the play you are describing count 1 is his right foot and count 2 is his left foot, he is now no longer allowed to progress any further without penalty.

Thus it is no different than other travel rules in this situation.

Can you give me a specific example of a play/move that would be a travel in NFHS/NCAA etc... and legal in the NBA?

grunewar

From today's Washington Post:

"Cavaliers Coach Mike Brown, who was ejected in the fourth quarter for disputing an offensive foul on James, agreed with head official Bill Spooner's call that James indeed traveled on the possession."

Adam

grunewar wrote
From today's Washington Post:

"Cavaliers Coach Mike Brown, who was ejected in the fourth quarter for disputing an offensive foul on James, agreed with head official Bill Spooner's call that James indeed traveled on the possession."

Ouch, I hope Coach Brown has his resume in order.

Mark Padgett

This is the only place the "crab dribble" is legal.

BillyMac

mbyron wrote
Crabs are decapods.

Here's my attempt at a mbryon to English translation:

"Crabs have ten legs"

mbyron

BillyMac wrote
Here's my attempt at a mbyron to English translation:

"Crabs have ten legs"

Actually, that's the biological order to which crabs belong: the decapods are one type of crustacean. No translation needed! 🙂

Rich

Funny that James even thinks it wasn't traveling:

Washington Wizards call LeBron James' 'crab dribble' traveling - ESPN

There's a charge called earlier where James traveled before contact - at least it appeared so to me.

btaylor64

Jay R wrote
Thus it is no different than other travel rules in this situation.

Can you give me a specific example of a play/move that would be a travel in NFHS/NCAA etc... and legal in the NBA?

The only thing different in the NBA is the "hop" travel, which the rule book states that a player is not allowed to alight off one foot and and have that same foot be the first to land. The rhythm of that is 1-1-2 meaning he can't alight off his left foot and the land with his left foot followed by his right foot, now if he lands with both, no problem.

As i have stated years before, there is really no difference in the pro and college rules in traveling. The only way it is refereed different, imo, is that referees at the college and HS level is that they call travels that are marginal or really inconclusive or too close to call or plays that look awkward, whereas in the pro game we are told that we MUST pick up the pivot foot and be 100% sure that it is a travel and if we don't know, not to guess even if you go "ohhhh! that looked funny". I believe that is why the pros catch gufff for quote unquote "they never call travels".

26 Year Gap

Well, I watched it about 5 times. And I counted 3 steps every time after he had gathered the ball in. Guess he didn't do well in math class.

grunewar

WASHINGTON (AP)—Add LeBron James’ “crab dribble” to the lengthy list of talking points in the Cavaliers-Wizards rivalry.

“I’ll have to check in my book to see what a ‘crab dribble’ is. I’m not quite sure,” Washington interim coach Ed Tapscott said with a smile Monday. “I do know that we don’t seem to get away with very many of them, whatever they are.”

James and the rest of the Cavaliers were given Monday off by coach Mike Brown, so the world will have to wait for more thoughts from them as to whether The Chosen One did, indeed, travel a day earlier when driving for a potential tying basket in the closing seconds of Cleveland’s 80-77 loss at Washington.

Referee Bill Spooner waved off the play and called the violation. Asked to clarify his ruling, Spooner wrote in an e-mail to a pool reporter: “3 steps on the move to the basket. Basic travel call.”

The NBA did not immediately respond to a request from The Associated Press to comment on whether Spooner made the correct call.

On Sunday, James said it was a “bad call” and that “they need to look at it and they need to understand that’s not a travel.”

In giving his take on what happened, James said: “I watched it again, and I took a ‘crab dribble,’ which is a hesitation dribble, and then two steps.”

Asked Monday if he knows what a “crab dribble” is, Wizards All-Star forward Antawn Jamison said, “I know what a traveling is. … I think we all know what traveling is.”

Washington’s other All-Star forward, Caron Butler, gave a similar answer.

“‘Crab dribble’ is when you, uh, travel,” Butler said. “That’s the hottest thing on the market right now.”

Turning to a more serious explanation, Butler said he thought James switched his pivot foot.“I couldn’t do it in AAU, I couldn’t do it in college,” Butler said, “and obviously I can’t do it now.”

AP Sports Writer Tom Withers contributed to this report.

Amesman

... "Referee Bill Spooner waved off the play and called the violation. Asked to clarify his ruling, Spooner wrote in an e-mail to a pool reporter: "3 steps on the move to the basket. Basic travel call."

... "Asked Monday if he knows what a "crab dribble" is, Wizards All-Star forward Antawn Jamison said, "I know what a traveling is. ... I think we all know what traveling is."

So now we know who some of those unnamed "guests" reading this thread have been ...

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