Is this an illegal move? (stop the ball with your hand, pick it up, then dribble)

[joe]

Someone passes you the ball, and you stick out your hand completely flat. The ball hits your hand and drops to the floor. You then pick up the ball with both hands. Then you start a normal dribbling move.

Is this a double dribble?

I was always under the belief that you can stop the ball with your hand in that manner. However, I did it the other day and my brother called a double dribble.

Any thoughts?

[joe]

If you think about it, players do it all the time on steals. They hit the ball with a hand to knock it down, before picking it up and dribbling out on the fast break. So at what point does that KNOCK DOWN become an actual dribble? What if my teammate passes me a perfectly clean, easy to handle pass? Can I still do it? What if my hand is not completely flat?

Someone give your two cents!

[1~Gibson~1]

The way i see it if you controlled the ball then picked it up, you shouldnt be allowed to dribble again.

Its almost as if some players try their best to bend the rules without bending them all the way. Then when you call them out for it, they try to manipulate their words to make it seem fair

[joe]

The way i see it if you controlled the ball then picked it up, you shouldnt be allowed to dribble again.

Its almost as if some players try their best to bend the rules without bending them all the way. Then when you call them out for it, they try to manipulate their words to make it seem fair

I do not try to bend the rules, I am just trying to understand at what point it becomes a dribble. For instance, if a teammate throws a really hard pass to you, and you are just able to reach your hand up, hit the ball and knock it down. You would be allowed to pick that ball up and dribble it. Nobody would call that a double dribble.

But if they threw a decent/normal pass to you, and you did the same thing, that seems strange.

Is the idea that if you are not in control of the ball, and knock it down, it doesnt count as a dribble? Is the issue here Control? And in that case, it is a subjective call?

[falc39]

No, it is not illegal, at least the way I pictured it in my head by your description. Think of that first touch as a deflection and you didn't have control of it. You can still dribble once after you get possession of the ball.

It is about control. I'm betting if you legitimately did not have control of it you will not get called 99% of time. But if you were stupid and made it look like you were doing it on purpose to get another dribble or just dicking around, then yes, you probably would be called on it at some point.

[Rake2204]

I do not try to bend the rules, I am just trying to understand at what point it becomes a dribble. For instance, if a teammate throws a really hard pass to you, and you are just able to reach your hand up, hit the ball and knock it down. You would be allowed to pick that ball up and dribble it. Nobody would call that a double dribble.

But if they threw a decent/normal pass to you, and you did the same thing, that seems strange.

Is the idea that if you are not in control of the ball, and knock it down, it doesnt count as a dribble? Is the issue here Control? And in that case, it is a subjective call?

I think Gibson was on the right track. And you're right, I believe it is a subjective call. It's a situation I tend to see a lot more of at the high school and middle school level than college or pro, likely due to the lower level of passing and catching, plus batting down the ball is sometimes a habitual response amongst youth.

But yes, it really does kind of depend upon how it looks and the manner with which it took place because it's very possible to begin a live dribble without physically catching the ball first. As a result, if the pass is very catchable and it appears as though a live dribble could be initiated, it can often be treated as such.

On the flip side, if a pass is errant or a player is clearly off-balance or reaching or otherwise appearing to just try to get a hand on the ball first, that would not be considered the initiation of a dribble, thus offering the opportunity to collect and begin an actual dribble.

I've seen the play called on numerous occasions and I've seen it let go. It really does depend upon context (trying to corral an errant pass vs. batting down a good and catchable ball).

For some reason this was the first example to come to mind, even though it's a weird situation (Rondo at tip-off). This is an example of a player beginning a live dribble without a catch first: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=990YyO6WXAg#t=2m10s. It's not the best example because he so clearly is intending to initiate a dribble, but I guess it represents one extreme of the situation and at least illustrates the necessity for context. With Rondo, the context is clear. In other scenarios, it takes a little bit of interpretation.

[joe]

Thank you Falc and Rake. Falc, wow havent seen you in a while. Rake, you are like the silent watchman of the streetball forums. haha. I will relay your posts to my friends and brother and we will have to make a determination. :P

[Jasi]

It's a double dribble imo.
It only wouldn't be one if you stick out your hand because you are fighting for the ball with an opponent, or if the pass is a missile and you are caught off guard and stick out your hand flat just to protect yourself.
But if you say it's a clean, easy pass for you, then that's just a way to take control of the ball and the moment you pick it up with both hands you cannot dribble again.

[oarabbus]

Sounds illegal if at any time you are holding the ball with two hands, THEN dribbling after

[RidonKs]

this is a good question. you're talking about like an intentional redirection of the ball, deflecting it to the area on the court you want. then you establish your position. it's not usually necessary, and in serious pickup, 95% of the time your defender will be too close to bother trying anything like that. but i don't think it's a travel if you're subtle enough about it.

rake is such a great poster