[ClutchFans] Kawhi Leonard and his ever-changing pivot foot

It's all oily and shah not

 

This will be on the zebra game report along with Hardens so called arm hooking, but won't call neither. Let's Just hope that don't let toni and gurlnobli get away with traveling.

 

These are all clearly travels, but to me this smacks of that video posted where it was asked if James Harden was violating NBA rules. Clearly, these are bad examples of Kawhi getting away with violations. On the other hand, the examples used in the James Harden video were also pretty egregious examples of him initiating the contact in a way that really shouldn't be a foul on the defender.

But the bad plays by Kawhi/James don't really capture who they are as a player. It's an oversimplification to color the narrative, just like that legendary Harden defense video.

I'd rather take the high road on this one and not get into a mudslinging contest with the Spurs or their fanbase.

Glass house rules apply here.

 

Calling it a gather "step" is misleading, imo. Refs call it a "delayed gather." All it means is your trailing foot is off the ground when you gather, and the lead foot becomes the legal pivot foot, and you get legal two steps after that.

When driving, having your lead foot as pivot is awkward. Most HS kids and college kids don't know how to do it, because the natural tendency is to have your back foot still on the ground when you gather. Try it.

Completely legal to make your lead foot the pivot, and the superstars know how to do it with a long stride. Refs are simply looking for whether the trailing foot is off the ground when you gather.

 

so a 2 minute video with a few examples of Kawhi traveling is suddenly proof that Kawhi habitually commits traveling violation more than Harden or the average NBA star? I mean surely if Kawhi does it all the time, the video would have easily been at least 10 minutes, like the infamous Harden video.

 

The league went through that years and years long stretch of calling palming the ball. Now you can get away with it all day long.

 

@Clutch really well done video. To be honest, I didn't know this was as much of a trend as you pointed out. Very interesting.

 

Its discretionary honestly. Like defining a "catch" in football. It will always come down to a refs discretion.

I remember my philosophy of law classes in school. We cant perfectly define these kinds sports rulew without room for interpretation and discretion.

 

What's discretionary about it? If yout trailing foot is off the ground before you gather, it can't possibly be the pivot foot. I contend that fans just incorrectly think it is on the ground....rather than the lead foot. We just don't see that move much in NCAA, and almost never in HS, because the players just don't know how to make their lead foot on a fast drive be the pivot. The natural tendency is for the back foot to still be on the ground.

It's very straightforward when you look for it, like NBA refs do. I'm not saying there isn't some annoying traveling not called in the NBA, but this ability to do a delayed gather is a legal skill for any level of basketball, but we don't see many able to do it. It's not even a jump step. Just simply your back foot in a long stride is off the ground. The NBA refs are taught to look for it.

 

this video has more dislikes than likes...people will look the other way if a Rockets fan is trying to get the refs to notice something about an opposing player, that's the unfortunate reality

Spurs fans are just salty about this as well

 

seeing this video for the 1st time and damn, some of those are pretty egregious

I don't expect the refs to start calling it now tho after letting it go all season...same with Harden and his 3 point fouls, they can't start calling those differently after consistently giving him 3 shots all year

 

I like your post and pretty much agree.

But the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Remember Cuban sent video of Yao's moving screen to the league office and they actually called it?

 

It's pretty easy to see here, Harden is gathering the ball when he takes the first hard step to the right.

Because he takes the hard dribble, his hand is still on the top of the ball all the way through this step and he only puts his other hand on it when he goes into the second to last step.

 

*makes guttural retching sounds watching that*

The only thing worse than the egregious traveling was the deafening slurping from the commentators after every play.

 

See what happens when the refs call the travels on Kwahi?

 

I see what you're doing and I like it.

 

What makes you think Clutch couldn't come up with a much longer video of Leonard traveling? He's pointing out something Kawhi does frequently. I don't think his opinion should be judged on whether it was a 2 minute video pointing out Leonard's peccadilloes on the court with the ball, or a ten minute opus. Clutch wasn't trying to reach epic on the scale of enlightening the BBS and the world that Leonard travels often and gets away with it. He's an incredibly busy guy. He has his own business, he has a family that probably wonders if he ever takes a day off, he's now an accepted part of the media with a press pass (which took years of hard work to get) and covers our home games when he can. Hell, he has to deal with us. Tell you what - why don't you go through the film and find 10 minutes worth of Kawhi traveling. I don't doubt that it's out there. Heck, add a soundtrack! I await your production. Thanks in advance!

 

Some people still don't know how to tell the difference between a Euro and a travel. Love it. Honestly it's one of the easiest ways to get to the basket for players looking to get by pesky D. I've used it since I started paying attention to footwork, and it's still one of the most misunderstood moves. Leonard on the other hand, damn he is getting away with murder. Props to Clutch for his work.

 

If NBA correctly calls traveling, a whole lot of NBA pros would have to change their game.

 

He totally does it all the time. It's funny how refs pick on some players for this, but let others totally get away with it. I remember Kevin Martin would get killed for the gather step call all the time.