In this installment of Have Ball, Will Travel, we’ll take a look at an odd play in which Gerald Wallace — on a cut to the basket — manages to get from the top of the key to the basket without using any of his two allotted steps.
Atlanta Hawks 92, Portland Trail Blazers 89; 4th, 9:45
Wallace was not whistled for a travel. It’s a correct no-call; although viewers often have an instinctive reaction to a player who covers as much ground as Wallace does in this play, you can see from the video replay that he never actually has the ball in his possession until he finally goes up for the layup. Kudos to the baseline official, who has nails Wallace’s bobble and actually signals it in order to explain the no-call.
For reference, here’s the relevant section of the traveling rule:
A player who receives the ball while he is progressing…may take two steps in coming to a stop, passing or shooting the ball.
Basic enough, but with an important clarification (emphasis mine):
The first step occurs when a foot, or both feet, touch the floor after gaining control of the ball.
Interestingly, even if we count Wallace’s step beyond the top of the key as his gather step (which makes sense considering he’s only initially receiving the pass), he still doesn’t travel. Thanks to some long strides and an early launch point (he actually jumps up for his lay-in at the bottom of the free throw circle), Wallace’s slash through the paint is even legal on a hypothetical basis.
In this installment of Have Ball, Will Travel, we’ll take at a look at a play where Vince Carter went to work against the Milwaukee Bucks, and stepped his way into one of the NBA’s points of officiating emphasis this season.
Carter was called for a travel on this play. On first glance, it looks as though Carter might simply be pulling a classic — if too obvious — pivot shift. However, if you watch his steps closely, the violation doesn’t come on a pivot play at all (nor by taking too many steps), but on a pretty unique instance of the same-foot hop rule that warrants an automatic whistle. From the NBA Rulebook:
Upon ending his dribble or gaining control of the ball, a player may not touch the floor consecutively with the same foot (hop).
This rule is one typically enforced on the perimeter, but Carter manages to bring it to the post by keeping one foot just off the ground as he hops to trigger his post move. At full speed, Carter’s move looked unorthodox and possibly illegal, but the officials (David Jones, Olandis Poole, and Mike Callahan) were right on top of this interesting application of one of the points of emphasis in officiating this season.
In this installment of Have Ball, Will Travel, we’ll take at a look at LeBron James’ drive to hoop in the final minute of regulation against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Based on the league’s interpretation of the jump stop rule, James would have theoretically been able to pivot — as he does in order to manufacture a shot — following the culmination of his move. However, there are two flaws in James’ execution. The first: he attempt to execute a jump stop but does not land both of his feet on the floor simultaneously, a necessary requirement of the rule. That rule is as follows, per the NBA Rulebook:
A progressing player who jumps off one foot on the first step may land with both feet simultaneously for the second step.
The second: following his jump stop, LeBron reverse pivots using his left foot as his base, but slides his foot over from the white boundary line into the painted area itself. This kind of pivot slide isn’t dealt with in the rulebook explicitly, but I’m interpreting it in a general sense under the clauses addressing the “lifting” of a pivot foot (with the explanation that the pivot is being “lifted” and put back on the ground in one motion).
James’ move is not unlike many of the others that have been documented in this series. It takes place at the end of a game by a player with incredible speed, and the fact that it’s James is, in my eyes, irrelevant. The more important factors are the speed of the play action and how much the footwork itself is obscured by defenders, both of which — athleticism and added defensive attention — happen to correlate with being an awfully good player. That doesn’t excuse the lack of a call, necessarily, but the trend of reluctance to determine games with whistles in the blink of an eye is at least worthy of note.
In this season premiere installment of Have Ball, Will Travel, we’ll take a closer look at Dwyane Wade’s game-winning bucket from Wednesday night’s contest between the Heat and Bobcats.
UPDATE: By way of a rule clarification from the league office and further review of the play, it’s been determined and illustrated that Wade’s move was — contrary to my first analysis — completely legal. Observe:
The crucial determinations here are that of the “gather” and the “first step.” Because Wade gathers the ball while his right foot is on the ground — his “gather” step — he hasn’t officially begun using the two steps he is allotted by NBA rules. Thus, the jump stop he uses to get to the left block is technically the first step of his sequence, allowing him to still utilize a pivot.
Here is the specific wording in the NBA Rulebook that allows for such a play:
A player who comes to a stop on step one when both feet are on the floor or touch the floor simultaneously may pivot using either foot as his pivot. If he jumps with both feet he must release the ball before either foot touches the floor.
If Wade’s right foot had been counted as his first step, the play would indeed have been illegal, and would have resulted in a traveling violation. That wasn’t the case here, though, and though my retraction alone doesn’t mean much, the officials deserve credit for making the right determination on Wade’s gather (which in this case isn’t much of a debatable issue; his foot is clearly planted when Wade collects his dribble) and rightfully allowing the bucket to stand.
Post-jump stop pivot moves are about as easy as travel calls get; while drives through traffic or quick spin moves often require slow motion to fully assess without a reasonable doubt, the jump stop is a clear and distinct action easily differentiated from any illegal steps that follow. Even at full speed, we’re able to see Wade execute a nice jump stop, but negate his move with what should have been a turnover.
It wasn’t. The officiating crew flat-out missed this game-changing call, which should come as little surprise to those who regularly eye the footwork of ball handlers in the waning moments of any close game. Most officials do their best to avoid interventionism at such a crucial juncture, and thus whistles of virtually any kind become a bit harder to come by. Such was the case here, and Wade capitalized by completing the possession with a bucket.
It happens. This isn’t the first time a call was missed, and it won’t be the last. But it’s worth pointing out the violation on Wade’s move toward the rim, if only to shine a spotlight on this commonly used bastardization of the jump stop.
For reference, here is the relevant section of the traveling rule, as described in the 2010-2011 Official NBA Rulebook*
A progressing player who jumps off one foot on the first step may land with both feet simultaneously for the second step. In this situation, the player may not pivot with either foot and if one or both feet leave the floor the ball must be released before either returns to the floor.
*The 2011-2012 version is not publicly available, but modifications to the traveling rule were not included among the announced rule changes or even in the points of officiating emphasis.
We’re all just one more sleep away from an all-you-can-eat buffet of NBA games and story lines, of highlights and soundbites, of stratagems and evolutions. It’s all there, neatly wrapped, just waiting for tomorrow’s noon (EST) tipoff.
Yup, that’s Kevin Durant! Unfortunately, I don’t have another lockout-inspiredmusic video for you, but look at how happy he is on stage with Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City. It’s cool to see those two up there together after having to hear all that garbage about them not getting along last postseason. We should already know by now that everything’s cool between KD and Russ — watching ‘em here reinforces how absurd all the controversy was.
I know I’m not alone when I say the The Thunder are the team I’m most excited to watch if/when the season gets going. If I was putting an enormous list together, I’d have OKC’s emergence as a true title contender as THE most interesting subplot to follow. I’ll be rooting for Westbrook to silence his critics and for Durant to be up there in the MVP conversation. I’ll be looking for the next step from a starting James Harden and for signs that Kendrick Perkins’s relative ineffectiveness last season had more to do with his health than anything else. This is a team that’s impossible not to like and it’s no surprise that its players genuinely love being part of the organization. Here’s hoping the next video we post of a Durant-Westbrook connection takes place on the court.
I don’t expect you to be a fan of Ron Artest/Metta World Peace if you’re from Indianapolis. The Malice at the Palace was awful for everyone who cares about the NBA and, if you’re a Pacers fan, it turned your championship contender into an average team. The roster moves that followed mired them in several more years of mediocrity from which the team is still trying to escape. Apologizing to the organization after winning a title was awesome, but it did not undo the damage that was done that night in Detroit. This WISH story on his name change bugged me, though. From the above video:
His publicist says, “The new first name, Metta, in the Buddhist tradition means loving, kindness, and friendliness toward others,” which we failed to see in Detroit a few years ago.
I know it’s just a 50-second item on the show’s rundown, but it annoys me when people act as if the brawl in Detroit was the only thing that, uh, World Peace has done in his lifetime. To get my biases out of the way, I’ll admit I’m a fan of the guy and I’ve got this print on my wall. The whole thing seems in poor taste, though — the story opened with, “Ron Artest is no more… sort of,” which caused the second anchor to laugh. It closed with joking about him wearing a pageant sash. I’m not going to get on my high horse and demand that the people of Indiana forgive him, but he deserves more respect than this, no? He’s a J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award winner, dammit.
(Warning: The above video mix features loads of Paul Pierce and-1′s and a few naughty words. NSFW if your workplace doesn’t appreciate Brother Ali or four-letter words.)
When I see Paul Pierce get one of his and-1’s, I have to laugh. Almost always, he initiates the contact. After the play, the defender looks disgusted — a combination of “pissed off at the ref” and “disappointed in myself.” As Pierce poses, high-fives somebody, or pounds his chest before he steps to the line, I get a little annoyed. Then I think, “that MF’er again” and laugh.
Pierce is like that college professor who’s been around forever and likes the sound of his own voice too much. The guy who will lecture you forever, refer to his own work constantly, and go right back at anyone who challenges one of his opinions. And you won’t challenge his opinion because you know he’ll probably make you look stupid. You’ll resent him at first, but you’ll come to respect the hell out of his knowledge and the amount of work he put into forming those still kind of annoyingly strong opinions.
If I was writing a book about Paul Pierce, it would center on how he evolved from a young, stubborn kid from LA to a legitimate Hall of Famer and NBA Finals MVP. Of all the athletes I’ve covered, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone turn it around the way Paul did.
Via Q&A With Jackie McMullan | CelticsBlog, 10/31/2010
You don’t have to cheer for Pierce or his team. You don’t have to love his cockiness or his veteran tricks. But you have to respect the man’s journey. You have to admire the way he changed his game. He’s too damn effective, deceptive, and fundamentally sound to hate. Sure, you’d absolutely loathe having to guard anyone like him, but you may as well appreciate the savvy old MF’er.
This video is the product of my late-night boredom. It’s a little odd, but I think it makes a point in its own way. Other than that, I’m not sure how to introduce it.
Mr. NBA Lockout talks to an unsuspecting Brian about his recent troubles:
When Watch The Throne (the Jay-Z/Kanye West collaboration, duh) was released to the masses, the immediate Twitter reaction on was one of the most incredible events I’d ever seen transpire online. Not only did everyone feel a need to voice their opinion, but every tweeter took at least 20 tweets to thoroughly establish their point. It was a great night to be alive and on Twitter.
The album has been out for a few days now, and the Twitter floods have subsided for the most part. However, trickling in are opinions from our favorite athletes! And understandably, their approval means a lot more than what our best friends think.
Here’s what Brandon Jennings thought about the album:
This UMMMMMM "Watch the Throne" smhhhhh WOW!!!!! #Amazing
But sometimes, you just can’t express how you feel about something in 140 characters. Sometimes, you really have to show people.
(NSFW, because Jay-Z tends to say bad words)
This is T.J. Ford vibing out to “N—- In Paris.” Now, Ford doesn’t exactly say anything. He kind of just bobs his head around with a face that conveys an expression that somehow toes the line of supreme satisfaction and complete-and-utter apathy. He wouldn’t be able to explain that on Twitter — mainly because that last sentence comes out to 158 characters.
And this is Zaza Pachulia being Zaza Pachulia. He isn’t singing a Watch The Throne song, but rather electronic artist Cassius’ “I Love U So”, the original version of what Mr. Hudson covers on “Why I Love You.” However, considering the massive amount of hype that WTT has garnered, it isn’t crazy to think that Zaza found the original through Kanye West’s version. Surely it wouldn’t be the first time Kanye popularized an electronic artist. Remember Daft Punk’s sudden boom once “Stronger” hit the radio?
Granted, neither of them actually let out so much as a whisper, but still: sounds so soulful, don’t you agree?
