Thanks BktBallRef

[Hawks Coach]

I'll buy that, but it's a stretch. It is an extremely rare fumble that does not hit the floor. In fact, I am not sure that the concept of the fumble even applies except when a ball hits the floor. I have never seen a case that refers to such a situation. The fumble rule exists to differentiate a fumble from a dribble - if it doesn't hit the floor, this distinction is rather meaningless.