By RICK NOLAND

Assistant Sports Editor

INDEPENDENCE — The term “crab dribble” is now all the rage in NBA circles.

After LeBron James was called for a critical walking call Sunday afternoon in what ended up being a three-point loss to the lowly Washington Wizards, the play was still the topic of conversation following the Cavaliers’ practice Tuesday at Cleveland Clinic Courts.

“I’ve done that move plenty of times,” James said. “I believe it’s a good (legal) move. If they call it more consistently, then I guess it isn’t a good move and I’ll have to change my game.”

Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, who was more upset with an earlier charging call on James that resulted in the coach’s ejection, was a little taken aback when the local media kept asking questions about the “crab dribble” and resulting traveling violation.

“Is it really that big a deal?” Brown finally said. “I don’t think there will be any lingering effects from it. (The referee) made the call and I was ready for today.”

Others aren’t so eager to let go of yesterday — or, in this case, Sunday.

The traveling call, made by official Bill Spooner and backed by the NBA, has been the topic of heavy conversation around the league and among members of the local and national media, with most in agreement that James walked.

“Everything I do is a big deal,” James said. “It’s easy for people who don’t play the game of basketball to say something about a certain move. You hear all the people on SportsCenter talk about it, but they’ve never touched a basketball in their lives. They just report about it.”

In an e-mail response to a pool reporter, Spooner explained his take on the call as “three steps on the move to the basket. Basic travel call.”

James still disagrees as the Cavaliers prepare to host the Charlotte Bobcats tonight at Quicken Loans Arena, but he was quick to defend NBA officials.

“We all make mistakes,” the 24-year-old said. “I’m not downplaying the refs because they do an unbelievable job. I couldn’t do it. It’s tough, because guys can do a lot of things they couldn’t do back in the ’60s and ’70s.

Whether those things are legal — and whether they’re enforced consistently enough — is a hot topic for sports talk radio. Many people are of the opinion that James gets away with walking all the time and should be the last person to complain.

James, on the other hand, has a bewildered look on his face almost every time he is called for traveling, probably because he hasn’t been called for walking on the same move hundreds of times before.

For now, James has no plans to abandon the crab dribble — he describes it as a hesitation dribble designed to slow down the defense before he “turns the corner” and drives toward the rim — but says he will adjust if officials consistently call him for walking.

“If they take it away like they did to one of my moves when I had the hop-step, I’ll find a way to do something else,” the sixth-year pro said.

Noland may be reached at rickn@ohio.net or 330-721-4061.