The epidemic of Palming (aka traveling)

[Bleedred]

Steve Kerr mentioned this last week after the Warriors/Celtics game.  He noted Isaih Thomas carries the ball on practically every possession (he admitted that Curry does it too), making it virtually impossible to defend him.   It's run rampant in the NBA and it's definitely happening in 7th grade AAU/travel team basketball.  In my experience, IAABO officials have no idea how to make the call and rarely look for it.  It drives me crazy.
 
Anyone else witnessing this in their leagues?

 

[Heinie Wagner]

I didn't see it in our travel league this winter and I watched a good deal of 5-8th grade games.  At the risk of sounding racist, our league is mostly suburban/white so I'm not surprised.
 
I don't remember it standing out to me last spring in AAU for the 8th grade team I coached either. We played in B divisions when possible and tried to find smaller tournaments, being a small, single town team, we tried to avoid the big clubs.
 
I've come to like the High School game much more than NCAA or NBA games. A big part of the is the officiating. If they'd call arm bars and hand checks on the ball handlers like they do in HS, then the ball handlers wouldn't need to carry the ball. It seems like the more physical they let the defense get, the more they have to allow bad footwork, travels and carrying the ball.

 

[TheRooster]

Oh yes, they seem to be following the NBA's lead and turning a blind eye.  I attended about 100 grammar and high school games this year and saw it called about 3 times.  Saw several players who should have had it called every time they touched the ball.  I will agree that the new enforcement of arm bars and hand checks was generally effective, although there was some inconsistency.

 

[luckiestman]

I just did a search on this topic after watching some of Mich st. vs UVA. I don't have a value judgement about it but was curious when people decided it was ok. It looked like a carry happened on every possession I watched.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

I just did a search on this topic after watching some of Mich st. vs UVA. I don't have a value judgement about it but was curious when people decided it was ok. It looked like a carry happened on every possession I watched.

I dunno - at least ten year ago, maybe 15. Here's an interview with Walt Frazier from 2007 when he talks about it: http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2007/01/Issue-82/Sports-Industrialists/THE-DAILY-Goes-One-On-One-With-NBA-Legend-Walt-Frazier.aspx.

Coming from the days when players didn't palm the ball, it's amazing how much of an advantage that - and spin moves and the more liberal definition of "traveling" - give the offensive player. But then again, if we didn't give the offensive players this advantage, we'd probably be back down the basketball played in the 90s, which was highly offensive.