This season I've noticed more than ever the practice of letting the ball roll on the floor before picking it up in order to advance the ball without the clock starting. I'm not sure how this got started, but I think LeBron popularized it (correct me if I'm wrong).

This practice annoys the crap out of me because I'm under the impression that the time the ball spends rolling on the floor is supposed to be part of the 5-second count. I have taken to actually counting during these plays, and about half the time the ball rolls for more than 5 seconds, but there's no call. There's NEVER a call. One of the worst offenders when it comes to this, incidentally, is the PTB's very own Steve Blake.

So, what's the rule on this? Is it considered part of the 5-second inbound rule, or not? And why don't teams try to sneak a defender in there to disrupt the ball roll? Along with flopping, I'd like to see the NBA sort this out when the rules committee next meets.