NBA admits ignoring traveling rule and now changes it

[Nevadaref]

Updated: October 16, 2009, 1:44 AM ET
NBA to alter traveling rules


ESPN.com news services


NBA players will be able to take two steps before they have to stop, pass or shoot this season.

The NBA has put into writing a rule allowing players on the move to gather the ball, after driving or catching it, and then take two steps. Throughout NBA history, the rulebook said players could take one step.
The new rule reads, in part "A player who receives the ball while he is progressing or upon completion of a dribble, may take two steps in coming to a stop, passing or shooting the ball."
It is believed to be the first time any league, at any level anywhere in the world, has explicitly allowed two steps.
In March, NBA vice president of referee operations Joe Borgia told TrueHoop's Henry Abbott that referees had long been instructed to ignore the rulebook on this point and allow two steps.
On a conference call with reporters earlier this week, NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson told Abbott: "Based on Joe's comments, when you had a conversation with Joe, we did in fact tweak the language on traveling in this year's book."
Enforcement of the one-step rule has been hit-or-miss at every level of basketball. Archival footage shows NBA greats, from Magic Johnson and Pete Maravich to Bob Cousy and Julius Erving, getting away with two steps. Borgia, whose father was also an NBA official, said he cannot remember a time when NBA referees did not allow two steps.
Others insist allowing two steps represents an NBA strategy to aid scorers and make the league more exciting. Legendary point guard and current Knick broadcaster Walt "Clyde" Frazier says the league relaxed traveling standards some time ago to increase scoring.
"They go 20 feet to the hoop without dribbling one time," Frazier said. "This is what they are getting away with nowadays. Some of them are so obvious. You'll hear me on the broadcast saying 'That's a travel! Watch the feet!' Wilt [Chamberlain] would have averaged 100 points a game if they had let him do that.
"When guys couldn't put up points, about when they changed the hand-check rule, they made things easier for scorers, because these players can't shoot like we did," Frazier said. "Those few years when the Knicks were good [the early 1990s] -- that wasn't pretty basketball."
Whether or not this will affect play on the court remains to be seen. Referees have long been instructed to allow two steps and in interviews with NBA players last season there was some confusion about the rule. But most said they thought they were allowed to take two steps.
ESPN.com TrueHoop blogger Henry Abbott contributed to this story.

[Nevadaref]

Walt Frazier is right on. The NBA is not real basketball. It is about entertainment and making money, so the league has done whatever it can to increase scoring in the belief that that will sell more tickets and increase the TV audience.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

Walt Frazier is right on. The NBA is not real basketball. It is about entertainment and making money, so the league has done whatever it can to increase scoring in the belief that that will sell more tickets and increase the TV audience.

True enough, but not unique to the NBA. Look at the average score in a MLB game today and 30 years ago (mainly park design and player fitness -- steroids AFAIK were not introduced deliberately to increase scoring). NFL, NHL have also changed rules to increase scoring.

Unfortunately, great defense sells tix only to wonks like me.

[Indianaref]

I know NBA scoring has diminished over the last 30 years or so. Does anybody know the actual numbers?

[dsqrddgd909]

Originally Posted by indianaref

i know nba scoring has diminished over the last 30 years or so. Does anybody know the actual numbers?

'78 - '79 110.3
'88 - '89 109.2
'98 - '99 91.6
'01 - '02 95.5
'04 - '05 97.2
'08 - '09 100.0

[Raymond]

This article validates what I, and many others, thought. That if NBA players were getting away with travelling it's was because the NBA officials were calling (or not calling) that play per guidance from supervision.

I recall a couple folks who just couldn't wrap their brains around that premise.

[fiasco]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

It is about entertainment and making money

This is the first I'm hearing of this! Say it ain't so, Nevada!

[wanja]

Originally Posted by wanja

ESPN has an article ( NBA head of officials seeks to clarify traveling rule - ESPN ) quoting NBA VP of referee operations Joe Borgia promoting legalization of a second step. The second step issue has bugged me for a while. While its easy to dismiss coaches who say "he only took 2 steps", in practice its much more difficult to adjudicate.

Legally a player can in a continuous motion a) take a first step before completing a dribble or to establish a pivot (e.g. after receiving a pass airborne) and b) then take another step. In practice, it is often a fine line between the latter step being legal or a travel. My rule of thumb has been that if the player is in motion and takes 2 steps, I'm passing on the fine distinction and not calling a violation. However, if the player comes to a stop before the 2 steps then there is clearly a violation.

Per the old post above, we got a hint back in March that the legal NBA 2 step was coming. Despite the best of intentions, getting the borderline travel calls right is hard. I'm not surprising that the new rule reads in part, "A player who receives the ball while he is progressing or upon completion of a dribble, may take two steps in coming to a stop, passing or shooting the ball.". While it is not surprising, it is a bad move that puts the NBA rule at odds with the travel rule at every other level. An acknowledgment that when there is doubt on traveling, a no call is appropriate would have served the purpose.


Take a look at this Lebron travel video from the NBA NBA Video Rule Book. If Lebron had not taken a "3rd step" would you have called travelling for him taking "2 steps"?

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by wanja

Take a look at this Lebron travel video from the NBA NBA Video Rule Book. If Lebron had not taken a "3rd step" would you have called travelling for him taking "2 steps"?

I don't know when that clip was posted, but if it was prior to the rewrite of the NBA rule, then we have more information that the instruction was counter to the written rule.
From the accompanying text to the video:
"A dribbler may take two steps after gathering the ball to end a dribble."

[wanja]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

I don't know when that clip was posted, but if it was prior to the rewrite of the NBA rule, then we have more information that the instruction was counter to the written rule.
From the accompanying text to the video:
"A dribbler may take two steps after gathering the ball to end a dribble."

The clip was posted after the rule change. I am posing the hypothetical to make the point that determining a travel at any level is sometimes difficult and that when there is legitimate doubt we should and often do pass on calling a violation. I would like to know if after reviewing the video, and assuming that there was no third step and that the old rule was in play, if my fellow forum members would call a violation. For me, there would be enough doubt in real time, to not call a violation.

[Kelvin green]

Looking at the NBA video rulebook, I dont see much of a change. ..

If you look at the three step play, even in high school the first "two steps" were legal.

In NFHS unless I am way off base we allow two steps now.

Look at 4-44 ..

If both feet are off the floor and a player lands simultaneous on both feet (step one).. either foot can be a pivot and you can take a second step with non pivot... (step two)

if both feet are off the floor and one foot is followed by another first to hit is pivot (step one) and second foot hitting( is setp two)...

If catches with one foot on the floor (step one) and jump stops (step two) any steps after that is a third step.......

Although the NBA will allow two steps based on the video and interpretations I dont see how things will change much....

Bottom line we miss alot of travels because we dont know what the pivot foot is... In a fast moving game with a full run do we all know the moment the player catches the ball and then know which foot or feet are on the ground? If we dont I would not be criticizing the NBA way until we can get it right...

How many of us have a player standing on the ground, catches the ball, and player jumps to left or right, or forward and lands on both feet again and then shoots?

Travel by rule but when you call it everybody yells at you.... but it is still a travel...

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by Kelvin green

Looking at the NBA video rulebook, I dont see much of a change. ..

If you look at the three step play, even in high school the first "two steps" were legal.

In NFHS unless I am way off base we allow two steps now.

It makes no sense why all of these people on here think they are learning NBA rules from an article which said that last year players were allowed "one step". They make fun of the media for not knowing what they are talking about all the time but then this article comes along and everyone believes every word. I mean seriously, it is obvious this guy has no idea what the rules are. It wasn't "one step" last year. I haven't seen the new NBA rule book but I doubt it will say anything about "2 steps". Traveling will still be called with the movement of the pivot foot. The NBA already had different rules (opposed to NCAA, NFHS) regarding alighting with the ball and establishing a pivot foot. I doubt a slight change to that will have a large effect on the game.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by Kelvin green

Looking at the NBA video rulebook, I dont see much of a change. ..

If you look at the three step play, even in high school the first "two steps" were legal.

In NFHS unless I am way off base we allow two steps now.

Look at 4-44 ..

If both feet are off the floor and a player lands simultaneous on both feet (step one).. either foot can be a pivot and you can take a second step with non pivot... (step two)

if both feet are off the floor and one foot is followed by another first to hit is pivot (step one) and second foot hitting( is setp two)...

If catches with one foot on the floor (step one) and jump stops (step two) any steps after that is a third step.......

That's exactly why I get confused when the discussion centers around "number of steps" -- I wouldn't call any of your "step one" a step.