SM wrote:There has been a systemic ignoring of traveling in the NBA for decades. Stop pretending otherwise.
One thing Bill is right about is that the current NBA dwarfs the NBA of 30 years ago in athleticism of the players.
And I suspect this is at the root of why the league has chosen to have officials overlook traveling.
"The league" doesn't want two-handed chest passes, set shots from 12 feet, and traveling calls a half-dozen times a game.
What the league wants is a lot of highlight reel plays.
They want more "shiny object" plays that fans get off on.
They want more of the plays that GRAB people's attention.
If players feel more restricted because they think they might get hit with a traveling call, they are less likely to try to do something awe-inspiring.
But if players know traveling is generally not going to be called, they are more likely to do "free-flowing," hyper-athletic things.
It is just a theory.