d_fense wrote:balla45, you are 100% correct. That is what drives me nuts. Sportsfan25, along with many don't know what they are talking about regarding rules. Without even looking at the clip, just going off what Sportsfan25 wrote, it clearly isn't a travel. Yet he thinks what he describes is 3 steps. No, it isn't! Think of it this way. Picking up the ball with one foot down and the other in the air. Are you allowed to put the foot you have in the air down? Of coarse you are. May you use that foot you just put down as a pivot? Yes! Can you pivot on your pivot foot? YES! After pivoting, may you jump off you non pivoting foot? YES!!!
If it looks "different", something isn't correct and it must be a violation. Everyone has been to a game and there is a ref that doesn't think it is allowed to fake a shot or pass and then drive. No question there are times when a player will take a false step back with their push off foot, and that is a travel, but very often if you look at the play on film, there was never a violation. I would love to rant on about this, but what's the point?
I was going to leave this alone, but being told I don't know what I'm talking about bothers me. According to the rulebook (granted the 2014-2015 version, but I doubt it's changed), Rule 4, Section 44: (And I only took the parts that apply to the video)
"Traveling is moving a foot or feet in any direction in excess of prescribed limits while holding the ball. The limits on foot movements are as follows: ...
Art. 2... A player who catches the ball while moving or dribbling may stop and establish a pivot foot as follows:...
b. If one foot is on the floor:
1. It is the pivot when the other foot touches in a step.
2. The player may jump off that foot and simultaneously land on both. Neither foot ban be a pivot in this case.
Art. 3... After coming to a stop and establishing a pivot foot:
a. The pivot foot may be lifted, but not returned to the floor, before the ball is released on a pass or try for a goal."
So, in the case of the Harden video, he picks up his dribble with his right foot on the ground and left foot in the air and then takes a step with his left; thus, by article 2, Harden's right foot is his pivot foot. Now, he can step to his left and take off and take a shot, but he CANNOT step back to his right. You are correct that you can step and shoot from your non-pivot foot (Article 3), but according to the NFHS rulebook, the foot that was on the ground when he picked up the ball is the pivot foot.
It's the same rule that makes high school kids get called for a travel when their back foot slips when they try to stop their dribble on the perimeter instead of coming to a jump stop. Otherwise that back foot dragging wouldn't matter because their other foot could be considered the pivot foot.
I appreciate people's opinions, but please don't insult me and tell me I don't know what I'm talking about.