WHAT KIND OF BASKETBALL REFEREEING WOULD I WANT?—MOVING SCREENS (COMMENT).

WHAT KIND OF BASKETBALL REFEREEING WOULD I WANT?—MOVING SCREENS (COMMENT). The problem with referees having discretion in making a foul call is that players and fans cannot know what the rule is. All three referees at a given game should apply the same standard. A bright line rule makes it easier to do so. Take the frequently used pick and roll play. Is this particular pick legal? Simple rules would reduce discretion. For example, it should always be a foul if the player setting a pick puts his hands on the defender. It should always be a foul if the player setting a pick moves his foot six inches after he is set. I posted here on November 9 about the emphasis this year on tightening enforcement of the rule on moving picks. A month into the season, players are still looking surprised and making faces when they are called—I think because they see a lot of moving screens in the course of a game that are determined not to be fouls. A bright line would reduce the protests. The player could protest only on the basis that “I didn’t move” rather than “That wasn’t so bad.”