‘Travel’!? (Ronald Martinez -NBAE/Getty Images)

On the tails of Coach Nissalke’s mention of referees, I would like to reiterate my dislike of the treatment of the traveling rule in the NBA. There are many different methods these days for that last step; or should I say that extra last step? Those methods seem to work however; and they work well. There are players in the NBA, famous for their ability to move across the floor almost seamlessly. I think that if the traveling rule were enforced, those players would not have developed those seamless moves, because those moves require at least one extra step.

I suppose one could argue that this has made the NBA more exciting to watch. Okay, that’s fine, but the rule should be changed. Just how many steps are allowed? If you take that extra step, is it okay just as long as you do it really fast? If it’s just too hard for the official to see, does that mean it’s fair game? Do centers in the NBA get called for traveling more than smaller guards and forwards? It’s just against the laws of physics for Yao Ming to make his third step faster than Steve Nash’s.

After traveling, the next most irksome rule for me to understand is the player control/blocking foul. I don’t know if the addition of the arched line under the basket was helpful or not. I realize that this can be a tough call for officials. To me there seems to be much gray area in regards to who is fouling who (or is that whom)? I would just like to know what the parameters of that discolored cloud are. What directives have the officials been given in regard to calling the foul? The silver toned area of indecision regarding this rule has allowed for players like Manu Flopinoblili to pad their free throw stats.

The only conclusion that I’m can come to quite decisively in regards to charging fouls, is that Gordon Giricek should stop trying to draw them at half court.