Traveling in the NBA... your thoughts?

[doyung9]

I came across this video and it reminded me that I was pretty curious about this play when it happened.



How do you feel about the relaxed mood toward so much blatant traveling in the current NBA?

Forget that this is a Dwyane Wade clip, it's not about him. This a highlight reel clip/video. The commentators are applauding him for the play. One of them a former NBA player and front office guy? And they're championing a play in which the player breaks one of the most fundamentally easy to recognize rules in basketball. He took 3 steps.

Does this bother anyone? And if there are more clips, please, contribute, because I couldn't think of any others beside Josh McRoberts moonwalking in college. It's this was so recent and such a "highlight".

And no. It's not a hop step. Both feet have to land at the same time for a hop step.

It's not a euro step. A euro step is when your 2 steps go across your body.

He leaped off one foot, landed on another, and then, another. That's 3 steps.

 

[sooperhooper]

That's not a travel. It's two steps. Not in a conventional way, but still two steps.

I've noticed that they call travels in players first step out of the triple threat a lot more than usual this year.

 

[JD617]

He leaped off one foot

As he was dribbling. That's 2 steps and it's not a travel.

 

[doyung9]

...

He was not dribbling and leaping at the same time. Are you serious?

How can you not tell it's more than 2 steps? His landing and second leap were 2 steps alone.

 

[ximthatdudex]

When you see things happen live you definitely wonder.



When i saw this i couldn't help but say to myself "is this legal?"

In my real life game i do a lot of super quick spin moves (Monta style) similiar to this



usually it happens so fast and it's such a nice play that people just say good take but every once in a while tho someone's gonna say that's a travel.

 

[ximthatdudex]

Another play that confuses me is when players don't put the ball on the floor and take steps after catching a pass on a breakaway

#10 and #9

 

[JD617]

...

He was not dribbling and leaping at the same time. Are you serious?

How can you not tell it's more than 2 steps? His landing and second leap were 2 steps alone.

I have no idea what you're looking at but that's not a travel at any level of basketball.

 

[puglife]

"He leaped off one foot, landed on another, and then, another. That's 3 steps."

leaping off one foot and landing on another is ONE STEP. then another is ONE STEP = TWO STEPS

that being said, there have been many instances where players travel and it isn't called, but that was not a good example.

 

[stickmandude]

 

[datznasty]

It's bad,but Youtube cats think everything is a travel because a lot of people don't understand when your dribble is dead and your steps start to count. I wish the NBA would call it more though, just clean the game up. I think players would adjust because it's not a matter of them being unable to make the move without traveling most of the time, it's just them being lazy more or less. For example the catch the ball and get into triple threat at the same time thing (the one Wade is egregiously bad at), is done wrong and technically a travel like 75% of the time. You'd just be a douchebag of a ref to call it every time. Ray Allen's catch while trailing then pump fake then step thing is blatant, Rip Hamilton's catching the ball going away from the basket take 2 steps then another and pivot back thing is bad, Pierce ALWAYS travels when he pump fakes then positions himself to jump into you, and no secret LeBron is pretty bad especially when catching the ball off of an outlet pass. Harden travels a lot, but he also has a hesi type move on the break where he goes an extra count between his last dribble and picking up the ball which makes it look like a travel because of the amount of steps but it isn't because he's more or less running beside the ball while it's his live dribble then picks it up and takes 2 steps.
edit: none of the videos worked, will fix 2mor

 

[Kaleo15]

@ people arguing about Wade's video when OP already stated it's not about Wade.

The fact is, the NBA is a PG game now, these guards get away with traveling, carrying... ect.

Phil Jackson already called the NBA out on this.

 

[JD617]

It's bad,but Youtube cats think everything is a travel because a lot of people don't understand when your dribble is dead and your steps start to count. 

I think this is where the confusion is coming in.

To clear up any confusion, the 2012-13 NBA Rulebook  states as follows in Rule 9, Section XIII, Item (b):

A player who receives the ball while he is progressing or upon completion of a dribble, may take two steps in coming to a stop, passing or shooting the ball. A player who receives the ball while he is progressing must release the ball to start his dribble before his second step.

The first step occurs when a foot, or both feet, touch the floor after  gaining control of the ball.

(Emphasis mine.)

The rules note that a player’s first step occurs after  gaining control of the ball. In other words, a player is allowed to collect the ball in his hands as he takes one step, and follow up with two more full strides.

This isn't a step, you're allowed to gather the ball when you're picking up your dribble.

Step 1:

Step 2:

 

[doyung9]

I think this is where the confusion is coming in.



This isn't a step, you're allowed to gather the ball when you're picking up your dribble.

View media item 470519


Step 1:

View media item 470513

Step 2:

View media item 470514

Okay. Here's my disagreement with that.

His hand is on the ball when he begins that windmill crossover dribble of his. Never leaves the ball. I don't know how you could argue he doesn't have complete possession. Because if you're saying he doesn't have possession, then when does a ball handler have possession? Only when both hands are on the ball?

I completely understand what you're saying, I just don't agree that this is a case of that.

 

[lightweight champion]

My issue is with traveling is the rule in itself. It was altered in 2009 to allow players to legally take two steps after the dribble because players had been breaking the rule frequently, when previously it was only one step after the dribble. Why didn't they just enforce the one step rule instead of altering the game? Also, if a player is allowed to take two steps after they dribble then why can't they take two steps before they dribble? Because as far as I know, two steps before the dribble is traveling.

 

[MIKE LOWERY]

It's still considered his gather. Even if the ball is back into his hands, if he steps simultaneously with the ball hitting his hand it's still an active dribble.

He then takes two steps on the step-through.

That's not really that egregious either. There's much worse than that going on like stated earlier.

 

[fatscre]

Wade's first step is after he gathers the ball, which is pretty much when he swung the ball up is his first step.

The only reason why this is not called as often as it should be is because it would slow the game down to much. Imagine if they called every travel on a fastbreak or when getting into your Trip threat position or anything else. It would take away from the game, albeit the players would adjust eventually, but the game wouldn't be as exciting or anything. It's like when they call the KD rip through move, everyone knows hes only doing it to get the foul and it just kills the flow of the game, that's what would happen if every travel, double dribble or push off was called. The game just wouldn't be the same.

I don't totally agree with it but it is what it is

 

[sooperhooper]

They only call it when it's not really a travel. If a player can execute it smoothly, they usually won't call it. Certain players travel so much that it makes you wonder if they know the actual rules to the game.
They also give a lot of slack when the player is establishing position, that vid referred to it as shuffling.

Refs treat traveling the same way cops treat speeding, since a majority of people do it, they only call it when someone is excessive with it.

 

[mister friendly]

Yeah that's definitely a travel, at least on every level except the NBA. Go try that move in a rec league, pro-am or pickup game and see if you get away with it

With that said all the NBA stars travel

 

[datznasty]

Dude that particular Wade move is good money.

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

Ppl tend to count that 1st step post stopping of the dribble as an actual step hat counts towards the "2" you get for a travel, but it doesn't count. It's considered a part of the dribble. Someone posted something on here a while ago breaking it down.

The most egregious travel (to me) right now in the NBA is when ppl come off a screen (say at the top of the key) catch the ball, back up, then get into the triple threat position. I'm guessing this is what DatZNasty was referring to
\

With that said all the NBA stars travel

Agreed

 

[bballj228]

Yeah that's definitely a travel, at least on every level except the NBA. Go try that move in a rec league, pro-am or pickup game and see if you get away with it

With that said all the NBA stars travel

Def true. You don't get away with these travels in any other leagues besides the NBA.

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

Does every level of ball have the same rules re: traveling that the NBA does?

 

[trueprada]

my thoughts its just like holding in football

u can call it or turn your head

refs control these games anyway so yea based on how the game is flowing it may not get called

 

[trueprada]

my thoughts its just like holding in football

u can call it or turn your head

refs control these games anyway so yea based on how the game is flowing it may not get called

 

[gllahone84]

The Official D Wade Traveling Thread