This right here shows why the NBA has become a joke

[eliteballer]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSBlrxdDHdt

[Phoenix]

'More skilled'.

[bdonovan]

"Gather step1!111!1"

Jokes aside, this is at Target Center in Minn. Why didn't the fans erupt? Or the opposing players? The degradation of the NBA isn't just the refs.

The fans close to the court are wealthy corporate types who don't know the game, aren't passionate. Fans helped keeped refs honest by screaming their discontent- embarassing refs esp. at "home games".

You have basically one fan calmly making the traveling sign. The only fan base that screams at the refs on the regular are Boston.

Where did "Referees sucks" and fan chants like that go? They used to happen all the time.

Why didn't the opposing players signal it was a walk? Are they that accustomed to ref incompetence?

When we see the NBA deteriorating, it's not just one element of the game, but all. We're all slouching to Gomorrah.

What's the solution? See my thread on replacing human refs with AI. In 5-10 years, we won't be having these discussions at least on ref incompetence.

[Yes or No]

The players have optimized the rulebook and continue to look for ways to take advantage of the wording to the highest possible degree. This is literally how any game goes ever where the contestants start using their brains. People just continue to get better and then others copy them, elevating the level of play of everyone. And make no mistake, the average basketball player in the NBA today is literally worlds better than the average basketball player in the NBA 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago. It's not close.

That being said, the product is arguably shittier than ever because of shit like this and because of the fact that people can't really play defense and because players are trying to deceive refs 24/7.

A substantial number of the players are actively trying to deceive the officials on any given play because the league doesn't do anything about it and it's to their competitive benefit to do so.

The rules need to be reformed because the spirit of the rules has long since been broken.

Traveling is just being gamed to the highest order. Carrying? There's no excuse for that. The refs just straight up allow them to do it, unfortunately, and get more lax year over year.

[Gudo]

I'm sure the plumbers back in the day (pre-2003) could not physically do these advanced moves if given the chance. Footwork is out of this world.

[FultzNationRISE]

Honestly, at first glance, I thought that was AI. The travel was so egregious, and not only was it not called but nobody on the court reacted to it.

Just incredible how much they allow now.

[Im Still Ballin]

Gather, two steps, pivot established, step through. I hate it, but it's 2025 NBA/FIBA legal.

[Baller234]

And make no mistake, the average basketball player in the NBA today is literally worlds better than the average basketball player in the NBA 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago. It's not close.

They're better at shooting but not much else. They're being developed to spread the floor and swing the ball around. That's it. The majority of them barely have a back to the basket game.

You can't compare today's game to past eras because if you removed the 3pt line right now then at least 80% of the players would become useless overnight.

[Im Still Ballin]

https://www.instagram.com/p/DSDHIETETaa/

[FultzNationRISE]

Gather, two steps, pivot established, step through. I hate it, but it's 2025 NBA/FIBA legal.

What they need to do is create a rule that you cannot take an UNNATURALLY long stride at the end.

If they want to give guys three steps it should be qualified they must be typical, natural steps, not unnaturally long strides to exploit the rules.

Refs should be able to interpret and apply that effectively in the spirit of the rules. Whatever 'gather step' rule caveat there is was not intended to allow for plays like the OP Im pretty sure.

[MrFonzworth]

...

[bdonovan]

The players have optimized the rulebook and continue to look for ways to take advantage of the wording to the highest possible degree. This is literally how any game goes ever where the contestants start using their brains. People just continue to get better and then others copy them, elevating the level of play of everyone. And make no mistake, the average basketball player in the NBA today is literally worlds better than the average basketball player in the NBA 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago. It's not close.

That being said, the product is arguably shittier than ever because of shit like this and because of the fact that people can't really play defense and because players are trying to deceive refs 24/7.

A substantial number of the players are actively trying to deceive the officials on any given play because the league doesn't do anything about it and it's to their competitive benefit to do so.

The rules need to be reformed because the spirit of the rules has long since been broken.

Traveling is just being gamed to the highest order. Carrying? There's no excuse for that. The refs just straight up allow them to do it, unfortunately, and get more lax year over year.

How he is trying to deceive anyone though? He just took something like 5 steps out in the open.

[Yes or No]

What they need to do is create a rule that you cannot take an UNNATURALLY long stride at the end.

If they want to give guys three steps it should be qualified they must be typical, natural steps, not unnaturally long strides to exploit the rules.

Refs should be able to interpret and apply that effectively in the spirit of the rules. Whatever 'gather step' rule caveat there is was not intended to allow for plays like the OP Im pretty sure.

Bingo. They’re breaking the spirit of the rules. They need to be rewritten.

[Yes or No]

How he is trying to deceive anyone though? He just took something like 5 steps out in the open.

I was alluding to flopping with that comment. I wasn’t talking about traveling.

[hiphopanonymous]

You old heads just never understood the game properly. This has always been in the rules. He clearly doesn't gather it until he is squared up facing the basket so it's a zero step up until then and then he checks his bags with the conciere and it's a very simple one-two step-through after that. Completely legal. This is why today's era is more skilled than any other era, Imagine this shit in Mike Jordans era, the crude defenses back then wouldn't even know what hit em.