After a summer of reinforcements and readjustments, the 30 teams in the U.S. National Basketball Association are gearing up towards the 74th season, set to kick off on October 22. However, the East and West conferences weren't the only ones busy at the drawing board.

League officials, as they do between seasons, revisited controversial plays and noteworthy calls in an effort to conform to the seemingly ever-evolving rules of basketball with "new language."

The NBA introduced newly-defined rules regarding traveling violations on Tuesday that tried putting to rest the controversy surrounding some offensive players' moves, including the signature "step-back" by Houston Rockets star shooting guard James Harden: a move that is so unique and unusual it seems like he takes an illegal three steps before shooting.

Officials are determined not to allow offensive players to take more than the allowed two steps after "gathering" the ball and have, therefore, issued new guidelines to help clear the smoke.

"The official NBA rule book will now have a section that formally defines the 'gather.' The text of the rule will also be revised to provide additional clarity regarding how many steps a player may take after the gather occurs," read the NBA statement.

For a player who receives a pass or gains possession of a loose ball, the "gather" is defined as the point where the player gains enough control of the ball to hold it, change hands, pass, shoot, or cradle it against his body.

Gathering also applies when a player is in control of the ball while dribbling and does any of the following:

-        Puts two hands on the ball, or otherwise permits the ball to come to rest, while he is in control of it.

-        Puts a hand under the ball and brings it to a pause.

-        Gains enough control of the ball to hold it, change hands, pass, shoot, or cradle it against his body.

It is after the "gather" that the NBA says a player can take the allotted two steps. 

Scoring stars like Lebron James and Stephen Curry already have an advantage since the "hand-checking" on the perimeter was made illegal in 2004, essentially freeing up the court so players can drive to the rim without much physical resistance from a defender.

"If we can't allow people to hand check, we can't allow them to travel because then they're almost unguardable," vice president of referee operations Mark Wunderlich told the Associated Press.

The traveling guidelines may seem like they're meant to give moves like Harden's "back-step" a pass, but it's rather meant to "eliminate the gap between the rule as written and how it has been applied in NBA games." Or in other words, quell the controversy.

"It is legal, except for the fact that he gets a third step in every now and then when his rhythm is just off, which shows you the highlight of how difficult it is," Monty McCutchen, the NBA's head of referee development and training told the AP.

An educational video was reportedly sent to teams, while referees visited the coaches' pre-season meetings so they could do demonstrations for them.

Another video was posted by the NBA on Twitter using real examples of double-take moves that either violated or followed the traveling rule.

Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni praised the decision, while rival San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich criticized such moves last year saying that the step-back 3-point shot came when players "jump backwards and travel and shoot a 3."

Leaders of the referee team praised Harden for his cleverness and creativity.

"On the dribble, we always talk about dribbling you can take two legal steps to the basket, right? No one ever thought about on the gather after you dribble you can take two legal steps backwards," Wunderlich said.

Will the signature "step-back" traveling speculation now be put to rest? That depends on how fans and teams react to calls during the upcoming games. They will surely be following each step as closely as the referees.

(With input from AP)