Block, Charge or No Call

[Anchor]

We're making this too hard. Look at the video again, and stop it at the 4 second mark. The defender who is flattened establishes his legal guarding position there--he has left his man, the front of his torso is facing the opponent, he is between his opponent and the basket, and has both feet on the floor (time and distance are not a factor--there is no minimum time and distance, and there is no maximum time and distance). Simply because there is another defender between him and the opponent at the time does not negate his initial legal guarding position. From that point on he moves to maintain that position, which he may do either laterally or obliquely (in this case obliquely). Though the ball handler beats his primary defender, the other defender with a legal guarding position retains every privilege as if he were primary--he is still entitled to the spot. As stated earlier, the ball handler meets none of the requirements for not being the one who initiates contact (head and shoulders past the torso, etc.).

It was good defense, and should have resulted in a charge call. Defender got hosed.