illegal dribble?

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by HawkeyeCubP

This one wasn't. The play is basically as follows:

"A1, in control of the ball, who has not used a dribble, jumps off both feet into the air, then drops/releases the ball to his/her side. The official rules a legal play. Is the official correct?"

The answer, despite what many of you are suggesting, is in fact "yes," which is what jdmara is suggesting could be the ruling depending on the situation. The reason the answer is yes is because it does depend on what else is happening on the court around A1. If, for example, A2 is nearby and comes over and grabs the ball before or after a bounce or two, it wasn't the start of a dribble.

You're missing my point. The only valid answer to the question is "unknown" or "so far". You may not know what it is until something else happens. But, if it is a dribble, it was, by definition, so the moment it left the hand. You just have to wait in order to know. The question is incomplete. If it it turns out that it was a dribble, the actual violation occurred when it was released. Returning to the hand just confirms that it was a dribble.