UCONN Coach Ejected--Video Request

[Rob1968]

Originally Posted by Adam

Not sure how this matters according to the rule. The defenders till has certain obligations regardless of which direction the offensive player moves. If the offensive player is trying to draw contact, it's up to the defender to either avoid the contact or ensure such contact is legal (from the defensive perspective.)

I agree. Now, to the case in point:

The dribble and movement to his right, by the ball-handler, was after the leap by the defender. It was not an attempt to go towards the basket, to get the shot off. With the defender already in the air, he couldn't change his direction to avoid the ball-handler, because the ball-handler moved into him. Even so, it is obvious in the video that the defender, while in the air, tried to miss the ball-handler.
The observation by several forum members, that it shouldn't be a foul "in the act of shooting" demonstrates that the two actions - moving towards the airbourne defender to cause the contact, and then trying to get the shot off, were not simultaneous.

As of last season, the NBA recognized that such attempts to "draw the foul" needed to be judged differently.

Several years ago, I called a player control foul on a ball-handler, when he moved under a defender who had jumped, completely taking away his opportunity to land, and dumping him, hard to the floor. The objections to the call were somewhat overcome, when the defender was carried off the floor, due to the injury he suffered.

Obviously, the video in discussion has not that amount of contact, and, I, also, most likely, in that situation would have called a foul on the defender.