What fun this thread has become!
There seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding of sport here. A players job isn't to make posters on DGCR happy, it's to win the tournament. Paul is using the rules to his advantage and as long as he does that, good on him. He isn't the first nor the last to do so. If he is unclear on a point, or what's allowed, he is smart to take a provisional. Yep, he might spend five minutes trying to find the exact ruling, how stupid would that be? In a tournament players take whatever advantages the rules allow. This is why players take that meter when it puts them closer to the basket and say no thanks when it moves them away.
As an added bonus, if you use the rules and it pisses off your opponent, aka Nikko, at the same time... Double prizes! The notion that this means Paul is bad, evil, snail slime etc. Is too funny.
I will say, using players to decide if you can retee, bad idea. Read the rules, state your intent, if there is no descension, retee as a provisional.