I'm not sure Comdpa exactly what side of the fence your on with this, but I like your basketball analogy. I'm not a basketball stud, but I did work on my shot last year quite a bit as both of my sons were playing on city leagues & made for some great father/son bonding!
I know there is is no way I can hit 3's without using my legs & feet. I watch some of the guys in the NBA do it with just upper body, but these guys are huge compare to my whopping 155#'s (wet
!!) A lot of those NBA guys shooting 3's still use the lower body.
So as this relates to golf, is you must use the lower body to hit powerful golf shots. You don't have to do, it...we dont in basic motion, and most dont in acquired motion, but in total motion powerful shots....my computer has finally (after 2 months of incubating on this) told me the lower body has to do several things to allow my arms, hands etc. to move thru the ball correctly.
I have to agree with Mathew...about the lag pressure & the primary lever...
I personally take the clug away with the hands, back with the hands, up with the hands...all the way to the top and then SLIDE the hips....as I drag load...then I rotate the hips as I swing the left arms firing #4, #2, & #3 accumulators down the base of the plane line. So, in my mind, I see this as hands controlled pivot, even though my hands didn't move my pivot on the downswing, as it did on the backswing. However, if I don't slide and rotate, I can't clear the right hip, I will round house, or run out of right arm which makes me hit it fat or flip the club face....and LEFT of my target!
I'm still new to TGM so if I've butchered this stuff guys (Mathew, Compda, Yoda & gang) let me know...but my ball striking has improved so much, I feel like I'm a professional witha 15 handicap!