Going the wrong way...

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Cobra

Well yeah, you've got to be sure that it isn't a pass before you call the violation. I gave the example of a player standing, with no one anywhere near him, who pushes the ball straight to the floor. He realizes that it is his second dribble and doesn't touch the ball on the way up. Obviously he isn't trying to pass the ball.

Just call the violation as soon as you're sure it isn't a pass. Just because the player who dribbled the ball a second time doesn't touch the ball again doesn't mean that it wasn't a dribble. This is also important because one may need to know when the ball actually became dead. The ball became dead when the player let go of the ball even though it may have taken the official a second or two to determine if it was a dribble or a pass.

If the player lets it bounce after pushing it to the floor, I'm not calling it until he touches it. If he never touches it again, even better.