Foul by the Thrower (Video)

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

I just can't see deliberately running into an opponent during a dead ball when there is no reason to do so as being just an illegal screen. It deliberate contact that is also a non-basketball play. If it were inadvertent, then sure, it would be nothing. But he was looking to cause trouble, not set a screen.

There are lots of times when players attempt to draw fouls during games--offensive players with the ball do so frequently with pump fakes and jumping into defenders, shooters stick their arms and legs out, jump shooters flop upon returning to the floor. All of these are deliberate actions designed to draw a whistle, yet who would ever consider an intentional foul for such? So it can't be the mindset which we are judging, it must be the actual contact.

To me this contact isn't any different from a screener who moves into an opponent illegally or an offensive player driving to the basket in a block/charge situation.

In the video, neither player extends his arms or elbows, causes contact above the shoulders, or grabs and holds his opponent, and I don't view the amount of contact as excessive, so it doesn't rise to the level of an intentional foul in my mind.

What we see is a player trying to be clever and draw an unwarranted penalty against an opponent by causing a collision, but that doesn't make it an intentional foul. Justice is to use the rule instructing officials to ignore common contact during a dead ball and not reward his unscrupulous attempt.