“Ja Morant carries the ball on almost every possession,”

[Cavsfansince84]

This is nothing new. MJ may still have been the most frequent traveler I've ever seen though they pretty much never got called, though Giannis does give him a run for his money

...a lot of people who think Jordan travelled all the time just look at his stutter-step and fail to realize you can take as many steps as you want as long as you don't pick up your dribble.

I agree that MJ traveled but it wasn't as frequent as some on here make it out to be and was usually just an extra step here and there. It looks excessive at times simply because he was head and shoulders above everyone athletically already and had long strides.

[ShouldaPaidBG]

Not everyone is that egregious. Ja, Durant, and Fultz are particularly bad. Isaiah Thomas on the Celtics was the first time it really pissed me off, he was literally putting his hand all the way under the ball.

[FluLikeSymptoms]

This is nothing new. MJ may still have been the most frequent traveler I've ever seen though they pretty much never got called, though Giannis does give him a run for his money

MJ was ridiculous. He’d basically put the ball on his hip, skip, and put it back down again. In the 90s the refs let him get away with everything. He was bigger than the game.

That never happened. Sure Jordan got away with travels, but Patrick Ewing got away with travels going into the lane all the time(the first time he scores isn't a travel, but the 2nd time he takes 3 steps without dribbling, and the 3rd time he has a carry just as bad as Ja's):

Watch on YouTube

And everyone likes to talk about Jordan's "push off" against Byron Scott, but it's nothing compared to what Reggie did to Jordan:

Watch on YouTube

Happened often. And of course the Georgetown gallop was a travel, what’s that got to do with anything.

[Dominator83]

I believe strict carrying rules are also a major reason why super old basketball clips looks like a bunch of uncoordinated fools. There is way less control if you truly have to keep your hands on top of the ball.

That's why I can't stand when people say that stars in the past would suck today. If the same rules apply where they all get to travel, set moving screens, and go to the line for getting breathed on, yes they would. The rules now make players look better than what they really are.

[The Rebel]

This is nothing new. MJ may still have been the most frequent traveler I've ever seen though they pretty much never got called, though Giannis does give him a run for his money

What Jordan did back in the day would be perfectly legal under today's rules and still guys constantly carry and travel today.

[alebaba]

This is nothing new. MJ may still have been the most frequent traveler I've ever seen though they pretty much never got called, though Giannis does give him a run for his money

...a lot of people who think Jordan travelled all the time just look at his stutter-step and fail to realize you can take as many steps as you want as long as you don't pick up your dribble.

I agree that MJ traveled but it wasn't as frequent as some on here make it out to be and was usually just an extra step here and there. It looks excessive at times simply because he was head and shoulders above everyone athletically already and had long strides.

Jordan haters just love to exaggerate, his foot work was always clean, you rarely seen him take 3 steps unlike todays players..

Jordan has a clean step back too, and doesn't need to take an extra step like todays player but imagine if Jordan was doing todays step back, the separation he would create would be unfair.

Watch on YouTube

[NZB2323]

MJ was ridiculous. He’d basically put the ball on his hip, skip, and put it back down again. In the 90s the refs let him get away with everything. He was bigger than the game.

That never happened. Sure Jordan got away with travels, but Patrick Ewing got away with travels going into the lane all the time(the first time he scores isn't a travel, but the 2nd time he takes 3 steps without dribbling, and the 3rd time he has a carry just as bad as Ja's):

Watch on YouTube

And everyone likes to talk about Jordan's "push off" against Byron Scott, but it's nothing compared to what Reggie did to Jordan:

Watch on YouTube

Happened often. And of course the Georgetown gallop was a travel, what’s that got to do with anything.

When did Jordan ever put the ball on his hip, skip, and then put the ball down?

My point is that Jordan was just playing by the same rules his opponents had. The 3rd clip of Ewing from the video I posted shows him carry like Morant.

[LAL1947]

The play where they admitted the non-call was gratuitous (and a travel) but otherwise... I don't want the game to go back to 70s/80s carry calls. Why?

I believe strict carrying rules are also a major reason why super old basketball clips looks like a bunch of uncoordinated fools. There is way less control if you truly have to keep your hands on top of the ball.

Exactly. And do we really want that?

I can agree with that... however, I'm also against this place we're in now where Giannis does a Euro-3-step all the time and gets away with it. It's very aesthetically displeasing. And what's the point of even having dribbling rules if he's allowed to do that? Should players who have actual technique and good footwork be penalized by allowing those without it to get away with whatever? Might as well let all players run with the ball like the NFL and dunk it when they reach the rim.

[SNPA]

I believe strict carrying rules are also a major reason why super old basketball clips looks like a bunch of uncoordinated fools. There is way less control if you truly have to keep your hands on top of the ball.

It’s amazing how many people don’t understand this.

Enforce dribbling rules today like they did back then, convert the modern video the black and white…the gap in appearance narrows big time.

[Myth]

I believe strict carrying rules are also a major reason why super old basketball clips looks like a bunch of uncoordinated fools. There is way less control if you truly have to keep your hands on top of the ball.

It’s amazing how many people don’t understand this.

Enforce dribbling rules today like they did back then, convert the modern video the black and white…the gap in appearance narrows big time.

Yep. On page 4 there is video of Cousy and without knowing better, people would watch him dribble and think he is not a very coordinated, but then once you see him pick up the dribble to make a layup, you suddenly see he is just as coordinated as the players today (some different techniques, but clearly coordinated). On the first play in the video he is on a fast break and does a behind the back gather effortlessly on his way to a layup.

[LordCovington33]

Morant is glaringly bad with it even by 2022 NBA standards

I agree 100% … seen so much obvious carrying by him in these playoffs.

[Chuck Everett]

One of the main reasons I never was able to handle the ball as well as my peers growing up. I was taught by my dad to dribble with my hand always on top of the ball. These guys have the "ball on a string" because they are literally allowed to carry it.

[bstein14]

Yes Morant is bad with it. Trae Young also. I remember maybe 10 years or so ago they made it an emphasis in an offseason to crack down on it and it got called nonstop for a while. Player's adjusted but then eventually refs became lax with it again.

Kind of like how this season started out the refs were huge on not letting the offensive player initiate the contact and give them the benefit of the foul call but now by end of season and into the playoffs you are seeing guys like CP3 and Harden once again get defenders who stick their hands out by swiping/swinging through the defender and getting the foul call... or running into the defender and forcing the ref to call the foul.

It's almost like the refs can call it for a while when they are focused on it but as time moves on it seems to slowly creep back in if more focus isn't put on correcting that type of foul calling.

[Lalouie]

if every player was called for a carry there would be 100 to's by each team PER QUARTER

lol,,,show me ANY, and i mean ANY, possession were there is no carry

marques haynes did not carry. check out any of his videos and see what NOT carrying looks like

[CIN-C-STAR]

It’s sad that the rules aren’t enforced on the most talented basketball players in the world. Why even have the rule or teach it to the AAU youth if professional players don’t get held to the rules?

Very few if any AAU coaches worry about teaching players not to carry.
Sadly the lax officiating on this has trickled down to all levels. Go to a local AAU tournament and you will likely see players carrying the ball routinely just to bring the ball up court even without pressure.

[pr0wler]

I wouldn't necessarily want a stickler, by the book, anti-carrying officiating on every possession by any means, but there has to be a limit. Otherwise why have the rule in the first place?

[70sFan]

I like how people don't mind 1990s players breaking the rules, but the same people say it's "too much these days" simply because players got significantly better at pushing lack or rules to the limit. Either you are forced to have 1960s ball-handling rules, or you can make anything players do now. There are no logical in-betweens here.

[70sFan]

For whatever reason this is one issue that doesn't really seem to bother me. I definitely think stuff like that Twitter video that was posted earlier and stuff that is an actual travel should be called but if it's just a little carry I don't see the harm in it. They haven't called it in years so whatever. It just makes the game more entertaining. Would you really rather be seeing guys dribbling from just the top down like they used to do in the 60s?

I would, because it rewards the most skilled players on the court. Instead, you make it easier for everyone.

People think ball-handlers weren't creative back then, but it's not true. Watch players like Archie Clark, Walt Hazzard, Walt Frazier, Pete Maravich or Nate Archibald.

[JN61]

This is nothing new. MJ may still have been the most frequent traveler I've ever seen though they pretty much never got called, though Giannis does give him a run for his money

LeBron is definitely the GOAT of traveling and it's not even close.

[JN61]

I believe strict carrying rules are also a major reason why super old basketball clips looks like a bunch of uncoordinated fools. There is way less control if you truly have to keep your hands on top of the ball.

Yes and teenagers on this very board try use it as an excuse of players in 70s and prior couldn't dribble. It's rather amusing every time.