milkyway21
08-04-2006, 11:10 PM
Tony's eye on the hoops guys: About those unis ...
Aug. 4, 2006
By Tony Mejia
CBS SportsLine.com Staff Writer
It's pretty difficult to imagine your favorite NBA superstar strutting down a catwalk, even if Dwyane Wade was voted onto People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful" list last year. But fashion is a staple of the league, and I'm not just talking LeBron James and his white pinstriped suits, Wade or tag team partner Shaquille O'Neal sporting fedoras or even Pat Riley's Armanis.
The Bucks ditch the purple for their new unis.
Changing color schemes and new uniforms are in vogue for the new fall line. Rest assured, nobody is dropping the neck line on jerseys or hemming up shorts to give us a 1980s retro look, but some teams have caught the fashion bug and are in line for makeovers.
This would look and sound a lot better coming out of the mouth of Project Runway host Heidi Klum, but all you have is me, so deal with it: The color purple is "out."
The Lakers, Kings, and Jazz will still use it as a primary, but purple has been phased out by Milwaukee, which opted to sport more menacing looks. The Raptors reportedly have some form of uniform change coming -- not the one making the rounds on Morris Peterson's Myspace site -- but it remains to be seen whether they actually eliminate purple in favor of a bigger role for red.
That gets me to thinking, couldn't every team use some sprucing up? No one at Elle would be brave enough to undergo this assignment, but I'm hip. I know what looks good. I'll give it a shot.
Basics are no pinstripes (those shouldn't exist in sports unless blessed with an interlocking N.Y.), no cartoonish logos and no loud colors. Except for the Knicks, orange should be outlawed. These are basketball players, not pinatas.
Time to play fashion critic. If this sports writing thing doesn't work out, I'll have something to fall back on. Someone find me a sketch artist and tailor.
Atlanta: The Hawks once decided about 20 or so years ago that it would be cool to play in neon green. If you haven't seen those retro uniforms, brought back in 2003, your eyeballs should thank you. Neon with blue and white stripes down the side defined "hideous" for a city. Since then, Atlanta has gone as far as to put a huge hawk clutching a basketball on its jersey, but nothing has come close to matching the lime in terms of embarrassing. The current version featuring white, red, black and yellow works. They unveiled a yellow-based alternate jersey in 2004 that looks better than it sounds but should replace it with a version featuring black as the primary color, like they did in the mid-'90s. For Joan Rivers' sake, without the hawk this time.
Boston: Some people flipped when they saw the C's wearing black, their new alternate uniform. I dug it. I'm all for tradition, but sometimes you've got to do something for the children. You can't get any cooler than the color black, particularly because it is such a great contrast from what we're used to seeing from them. Throwing "Boston" on the front instead of "Celtics" increased their appeal. As far as messing with the original on a full-time basis? Wouldn't go there.
Charlotte: It's time for change. Hey, Jordan, get in there and do something. The Bobcats looked as bad as your Bulls when they went to black and pinstripes. Orange is ugly, especially as a primary color. You have black and purple in the scheme, why not use those? Something needs to happen, because Adam Morrison jerseys are never going to become cool. The whites aren't bad, even with orange lettering. If you feel that strongly about the orange, I suggest making black or purple the primary and keeping the florescent color prevalent spelling out "Bobcats." You read the idea here first. Dibs on royalties.
Chicago: The Bulls are like the Celtics and Lakers when it comes to sacred territory. I don't mind the alternate black uniforms, but the vintage white-red at home and black-red on the road with "Bulls" across the front will never fail. I don't want to see "Chicago" written in script, or bad pinstripes that make them look like a bunch of bad waiters. Keep it simple. What was good for M.J. is good for Andres Nocioni.
Cleveland: The Cavs finally ended a lifetime of ugly in 2003, adopting new colors, one of them the bold but provocative wine. Before then, they had the dreaded orange, sporting it as the primary in the mid '80s. Good thing they employed John "Hot Rod" Williams and not "Hot Plate." They would've had themselves a real life Otto the Orange. The Cavs also had that hideous electric blue "splash" across their uniforms for a while in the late '90s, making even their primary black road unis unbearable. It looked like a lopsided wave. Did they move Pepperdine from Malibu to Cleveland? The current look works, so I'm not making any suggestions that would cause any more bad ideas.
Dallas: People love the current Mavericks look, in which silver and blue are primary. They're all over the city. Fact is, though, Dallas uniforms have never been ugly. The Mavericks even used their retro early-'80s road uniforms recently and looked sharp in the green. And the "P.Diddy"-designed version wasn't too bad, though not an improvement.
You just can't screw up a Mavs jersey. Unless you're Mark Cuban.
"I went through my personal color inventory and put together a gaggle of tones and shades that I thought best reflected the attitude of the Mavericks," Cuban gushed to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram of his 2003-04 design, which debuted in a nationally televised season opener. "I got the final look by putting an alternative spin on the silver element in our current color palette, giving it a fashionable, less traditional feel."
The end result? Space suits. Dallas came out in shimmery silver uniforms that might cause retinal damage for viewers sometime in the future. Outside of the Tin Man, never has aluminum foil looked so good.
They were shelved after one game.
"It's no big deal," said Cuban. "They still look good as casual wear for Mavs fans."
Ever the businessman, that Cuban. At least he knew enough to pull them immediately and hopefully has quenched his thirst for fashion design. :rolleyes
Denver: The team that brought you the rainbow-clad Denver skyline has always played it bold. They're the Charo of the league. Their ABA logo once featured a really bad logo depicting a prospector and a pick axe. No lie. The madness finally ended in the early 1990s with a strong re-design, but someone got wacky again in 2003, deciding that powder blue had a message for the world. Some day, the Nuggets will decide pink and fuchsia make a statement and embody the spirit of Denver. Hope Carmelo Anthony is still around sporting a matching headband.
Detroit: After a brief four-year flirtation with a horsey as the logo and the incorporation of turquoise, the Pistons smartly got back to basics. Red, white and blue embodies Detroit, allowing you to close your eyes and see "Bad Boys" brutally out-toughing opponents. Grant Hill would never have gotten hurt had he not been wearing such gaudy gear. Even the new red-dominated alternate uniform is cool. It's consistent with their history.
Golden State: They changed their look in 2003, and already it's time to go another direction. It's too wannabe high-tech. No warrior I've ever seen is clutching a thunderbolt and looking like something out of X-Men. This is a team that in the 1960s and early '70s sported a uni depicting the Golden Gate bridge with the words "The City" on them. They scrapped it after moving from San Francisco to Oakland, but they ought to go back to simple. I'd eliminate the orange, go back to the 1980s design that was good enough for now-executive Chris Mullin. The lone difference is I'd keep the current darker gold and blue in place of the old version. Now that's sharp. I'd order me a dozen Ike Diogu jerseys to give out at Christmas if they made those.
Houston: The current red and silver look isn't bad and was designed in part through solicitation of fan advice. A wise choice. This team dressed Charles Barkley in pinstripes that made him look like something out of a kid's nightmare rolling after the ball. They employed mustard yellow as a primary color far too long. The current version is much sharper on the eye, and no doubt less offensive than the version they outfitted Yao in during his rookie season, knowing the Chinese would buy them regardless. Deviously shrewd, but socially irresponsible.
Indiana: This team fell in pinstripe peril, too, and with the bright yellow and white mix in their design, the Pacers sported a look better suited for softball uniforms for a nuclear power plant. The Pacers design has always been in love with sashes, too, so it's nice they've kept it simple lately, switching to a simple yet sophisticated look last season. The navy blue road uniforms are particularly strong.
L.A. Clippers: Back in Buffalo, and then when they moved to San Diego, the Clips were guilty of wearing baby blue. They switched to red, white and blue when they reached L.A. in the 1980s, and we're all better off for it. But this is a team in need of a new look to fully put their ineptitude in the past. The colors are fine, but I'd recommend a brand new logo featuring hype lettering.
L.A. Lakers: You don't mess with greatness, and since the late '60s, Lakers have shined in purple and gold. People balked when the alternate white home uniforms were unveiled earlier this decade but have since gotten used to them. I'm still a fan of the gold version, largely because the Lakers are among the few who can pull it off.
Memphis: No one wanted to see a big grizzly bear on a uniform, and judging by Steve Francis' reaction when drafted by Vancouver, few wanted to wear the bear, either. In 2005, Memphis went to a new look that should work for quite some time, one very similar to the one the Pacers unveiled.
Miami: The champs paid tribute to the heritage of the Miami Floridians last year, sporting a black uniform that featured hot pink as one of the other colors. Considering they ended up winning a championship, that's all you can make fun of them for in 2005-06. Their three normal uniforms, white, black and red, are fairly flawless.
Milwaukee: The Bucks once had a startled deer on their uniforms, so you know this new look won't be worse. The uniforms are slated to be unveiled in September and feature the forest green and silver that have been synonymous with Milwaukee for over a decade. Gone is the purple, replaced by a deep red that used to be part of the team's color scheme back in their glory days. Australia should be swimming with chic Andrew Bogut jerseys very soon.
Minnesota: The original expansion uniforms seem like so long ago, and at least Minnesota never offended by putting a wolf on their gear, so I'll cut them some slack. The current look is brilliant, simple and punctuated by dark colors. Minnesota's black road uniforms are one of my favorite looks in the NBA.
New Jersey: You probably think I'm going to rag on the old uniforms featuring the stars, but you're wrong. Dr. J wore those. In fact, the Nets need to go back to funky, especially if they're swinging over to Brooklyn. Once that happens, I would love to get in on that design process, because those uniforms are going to sell like nobody's business. So long as they don't go with the shiny baby blue they trotted out in for a season in 1990-91, the next look can't miss. The current New Jersey version is efficient but likely on its last legs.
New Orleans: Turquoise, gold and purple are tricky colors, but the Hornets keep it from becoming a freak show. As a result, they're acceptable. Back in Charlotte, the organization was guilty of implementing turquoise pinstripes that I always envisioned were designed to make Herve Villechaize of Fantasy Island look taller. When the Hornets return to New Orleans, putting the city's name back on the home uniforms seems fitting.
New York: Outside of trotting out in an alternate road black, there's not an easy way to work with the Knicks' color scheme. Blue and orange is the team's traditional look, so the strategy should in good taste be a throwback. Too bad that at the moment, they're regurgitating all over New York basketball's storied history.
Orlando: The Magic came out in pinstripes, outfitted Shaquille O'Neal in them early in his career and nearly won a championship with one of the ugliest uniforms known to man. The current look, highlighted by a metallic blue, is the likely route they'll take for a while, even if by some trick they magically one day end up in Oklahoma City or K.C.
Philadelphia: The 76ers don't look bad now, particularly in the blacks they so often sport, but I've said it before and I'll say it again: If they incorporate a carbon copy of the 1950s uniforms their predecessor, the Syracuse Nats wore, and just swapped in 76ers, the sharpest look in the league would belong to Philadelphia. Whoever designed that over 50 years ago was well ahead of his time.
Phoenix: Get out of the orange. The lettering "PHX" is not cool. No self-respecting MVP should be forced to run the point in such hideous garb. :oops
Somehow, Phoenix has made the most out of choosing purple and orange as their main colors, but the current version is just nasty. It wouldn't even be bad to go to a retro look, like the one we can close our eyes and see Kevin Johnson, Charles Barkley and Dan Majerle in. Their sun with the corresponding rays was one of the few logos that actually looked attractive on a uniform.
Portland: The Blazers have had the same variation of their black, red and white for nearly 30 years, so why mess with a good thing? In the early 1990s, they went from lower-case lettering to upper-case, upgrading the look. I'd be curious to see what the uniforms would look like without the sash, but that's nit-picking.
Sacramento: No uniform has ever made a more dramatic ugly duckling-like transformation than Sacramento :oops did when they adopted their current new look in the early-'90s. The purple, black and white look phenomenal, complementing the bold lettering the team now employs. I can still close my eyes and see the ugly light blue and red uniforms they had from Kansas City to their early days in the California capital. I'm cringing. I close my eyes and see Reggie Theus with an afro, a bad mustache and that ugly uniform, and I emit a scream that produces no sound.
San Antonio: Even when the Spurs experimented with hot pink and turquoise on their logo, they never dared destroy the sanctity of the silver and black popularized by George Gervin. The newest version looks like a more modern version of the original, which is how history should be honored and preserved. :clap
Seattle: The Sonics have long employed different-looking uniforms that managed to fall short of sleek while never quite being offensive. With green and yellow involved, that's an acceptable median. If they can ever decide on a font, they would have something more substantial to work with.
Toronto: The Raptors need to swap out the purple road uniform for the black. In fact, they need to disassociate from purple altogether, because it brings to mind the early days, where they had no problem strutting around with a hissing T-Rex on the front of their jerseys. They also had purple pinstripes. Cleanse thyself, Toronto. Switching to a white uniform with red and black lettering at home would look classy. Switching to a black road uniform with red-and-black lettering would be awesome. The alternate red-based look can stay, too; just axe the Barney memories. :oops
Utah: After unwisely putting their Jazz nameplate against a mountain backdrop, the Jazz finally got smart and axed the corny design earlier this decade. The current version and the increase of the importance of the color black has gotten aesthetically pleasing results. Unfortunately, the image of John Stockton and Jeff Hornacek walking around in short shorts remains.
Washington: The Wizards could've done worse with their re-design when they officially donned a new nickname and left "Bullets" behind, but I have trouble looking at any of them and not seeing an aging Michael Jordan finishing out his career. It's time to wash those memories away and embrace the importance red, white and blue has had on the franchise. They're the capital city's franchise, no? I'm not saying to get all patriotic, but at least a little representation. Maybe next year.
---------
:rolleyes suddenly I remember Dirk calling that Phoenix Suns uniform as ugly. Do you agree?
Aug. 4, 2006
By Tony Mejia
CBS SportsLine.com Staff Writer
It's pretty difficult to imagine your favorite NBA superstar strutting down a catwalk, even if Dwyane Wade was voted onto People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful" list last year. But fashion is a staple of the league, and I'm not just talking LeBron James and his white pinstriped suits, Wade or tag team partner Shaquille O'Neal sporting fedoras or even Pat Riley's Armanis.
The Bucks ditch the purple for their new unis.
Changing color schemes and new uniforms are in vogue for the new fall line. Rest assured, nobody is dropping the neck line on jerseys or hemming up shorts to give us a 1980s retro look, but some teams have caught the fashion bug and are in line for makeovers.
This would look and sound a lot better coming out of the mouth of Project Runway host Heidi Klum, but all you have is me, so deal with it: The color purple is "out."
The Lakers, Kings, and Jazz will still use it as a primary, but purple has been phased out by Milwaukee, which opted to sport more menacing looks. The Raptors reportedly have some form of uniform change coming -- not the one making the rounds on Morris Peterson's Myspace site -- but it remains to be seen whether they actually eliminate purple in favor of a bigger role for red.
That gets me to thinking, couldn't every team use some sprucing up? No one at Elle would be brave enough to undergo this assignment, but I'm hip. I know what looks good. I'll give it a shot.
Basics are no pinstripes (those shouldn't exist in sports unless blessed with an interlocking N.Y.), no cartoonish logos and no loud colors. Except for the Knicks, orange should be outlawed. These are basketball players, not pinatas.
Time to play fashion critic. If this sports writing thing doesn't work out, I'll have something to fall back on. Someone find me a sketch artist and tailor.
Atlanta: The Hawks once decided about 20 or so years ago that it would be cool to play in neon green. If you haven't seen those retro uniforms, brought back in 2003, your eyeballs should thank you. Neon with blue and white stripes down the side defined "hideous" for a city. Since then, Atlanta has gone as far as to put a huge hawk clutching a basketball on its jersey, but nothing has come close to matching the lime in terms of embarrassing. The current version featuring white, red, black and yellow works. They unveiled a yellow-based alternate jersey in 2004 that looks better than it sounds but should replace it with a version featuring black as the primary color, like they did in the mid-'90s. For Joan Rivers' sake, without the hawk this time.
Boston: Some people flipped when they saw the C's wearing black, their new alternate uniform. I dug it. I'm all for tradition, but sometimes you've got to do something for the children. You can't get any cooler than the color black, particularly because it is such a great contrast from what we're used to seeing from them. Throwing "Boston" on the front instead of "Celtics" increased their appeal. As far as messing with the original on a full-time basis? Wouldn't go there.
Charlotte: It's time for change. Hey, Jordan, get in there and do something. The Bobcats looked as bad as your Bulls when they went to black and pinstripes. Orange is ugly, especially as a primary color. You have black and purple in the scheme, why not use those? Something needs to happen, because Adam Morrison jerseys are never going to become cool. The whites aren't bad, even with orange lettering. If you feel that strongly about the orange, I suggest making black or purple the primary and keeping the florescent color prevalent spelling out "Bobcats." You read the idea here first. Dibs on royalties.
Chicago: The Bulls are like the Celtics and Lakers when it comes to sacred territory. I don't mind the alternate black uniforms, but the vintage white-red at home and black-red on the road with "Bulls" across the front will never fail. I don't want to see "Chicago" written in script, or bad pinstripes that make them look like a bunch of bad waiters. Keep it simple. What was good for M.J. is good for Andres Nocioni.
Cleveland: The Cavs finally ended a lifetime of ugly in 2003, adopting new colors, one of them the bold but provocative wine. Before then, they had the dreaded orange, sporting it as the primary in the mid '80s. Good thing they employed John "Hot Rod" Williams and not "Hot Plate." They would've had themselves a real life Otto the Orange. The Cavs also had that hideous electric blue "splash" across their uniforms for a while in the late '90s, making even their primary black road unis unbearable. It looked like a lopsided wave. Did they move Pepperdine from Malibu to Cleveland? The current look works, so I'm not making any suggestions that would cause any more bad ideas.
Dallas: People love the current Mavericks look, in which silver and blue are primary. They're all over the city. Fact is, though, Dallas uniforms have never been ugly. The Mavericks even used their retro early-'80s road uniforms recently and looked sharp in the green. And the "P.Diddy"-designed version wasn't too bad, though not an improvement.
You just can't screw up a Mavs jersey. Unless you're Mark Cuban.
"I went through my personal color inventory and put together a gaggle of tones and shades that I thought best reflected the attitude of the Mavericks," Cuban gushed to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram of his 2003-04 design, which debuted in a nationally televised season opener. "I got the final look by putting an alternative spin on the silver element in our current color palette, giving it a fashionable, less traditional feel."
The end result? Space suits. Dallas came out in shimmery silver uniforms that might cause retinal damage for viewers sometime in the future. Outside of the Tin Man, never has aluminum foil looked so good.
They were shelved after one game.
"It's no big deal," said Cuban. "They still look good as casual wear for Mavs fans."
Ever the businessman, that Cuban. At least he knew enough to pull them immediately and hopefully has quenched his thirst for fashion design. :rolleyes
Denver: The team that brought you the rainbow-clad Denver skyline has always played it bold. They're the Charo of the league. Their ABA logo once featured a really bad logo depicting a prospector and a pick axe. No lie. The madness finally ended in the early 1990s with a strong re-design, but someone got wacky again in 2003, deciding that powder blue had a message for the world. Some day, the Nuggets will decide pink and fuchsia make a statement and embody the spirit of Denver. Hope Carmelo Anthony is still around sporting a matching headband.
Detroit: After a brief four-year flirtation with a horsey as the logo and the incorporation of turquoise, the Pistons smartly got back to basics. Red, white and blue embodies Detroit, allowing you to close your eyes and see "Bad Boys" brutally out-toughing opponents. Grant Hill would never have gotten hurt had he not been wearing such gaudy gear. Even the new red-dominated alternate uniform is cool. It's consistent with their history.
Golden State: They changed their look in 2003, and already it's time to go another direction. It's too wannabe high-tech. No warrior I've ever seen is clutching a thunderbolt and looking like something out of X-Men. This is a team that in the 1960s and early '70s sported a uni depicting the Golden Gate bridge with the words "The City" on them. They scrapped it after moving from San Francisco to Oakland, but they ought to go back to simple. I'd eliminate the orange, go back to the 1980s design that was good enough for now-executive Chris Mullin. The lone difference is I'd keep the current darker gold and blue in place of the old version. Now that's sharp. I'd order me a dozen Ike Diogu jerseys to give out at Christmas if they made those.
Houston: The current red and silver look isn't bad and was designed in part through solicitation of fan advice. A wise choice. This team dressed Charles Barkley in pinstripes that made him look like something out of a kid's nightmare rolling after the ball. They employed mustard yellow as a primary color far too long. The current version is much sharper on the eye, and no doubt less offensive than the version they outfitted Yao in during his rookie season, knowing the Chinese would buy them regardless. Deviously shrewd, but socially irresponsible.
Indiana: This team fell in pinstripe peril, too, and with the bright yellow and white mix in their design, the Pacers sported a look better suited for softball uniforms for a nuclear power plant. The Pacers design has always been in love with sashes, too, so it's nice they've kept it simple lately, switching to a simple yet sophisticated look last season. The navy blue road uniforms are particularly strong.
L.A. Clippers: Back in Buffalo, and then when they moved to San Diego, the Clips were guilty of wearing baby blue. They switched to red, white and blue when they reached L.A. in the 1980s, and we're all better off for it. But this is a team in need of a new look to fully put their ineptitude in the past. The colors are fine, but I'd recommend a brand new logo featuring hype lettering.
L.A. Lakers: You don't mess with greatness, and since the late '60s, Lakers have shined in purple and gold. People balked when the alternate white home uniforms were unveiled earlier this decade but have since gotten used to them. I'm still a fan of the gold version, largely because the Lakers are among the few who can pull it off.
Memphis: No one wanted to see a big grizzly bear on a uniform, and judging by Steve Francis' reaction when drafted by Vancouver, few wanted to wear the bear, either. In 2005, Memphis went to a new look that should work for quite some time, one very similar to the one the Pacers unveiled.
Miami: The champs paid tribute to the heritage of the Miami Floridians last year, sporting a black uniform that featured hot pink as one of the other colors. Considering they ended up winning a championship, that's all you can make fun of them for in 2005-06. Their three normal uniforms, white, black and red, are fairly flawless.
Milwaukee: The Bucks once had a startled deer on their uniforms, so you know this new look won't be worse. The uniforms are slated to be unveiled in September and feature the forest green and silver that have been synonymous with Milwaukee for over a decade. Gone is the purple, replaced by a deep red that used to be part of the team's color scheme back in their glory days. Australia should be swimming with chic Andrew Bogut jerseys very soon.
Minnesota: The original expansion uniforms seem like so long ago, and at least Minnesota never offended by putting a wolf on their gear, so I'll cut them some slack. The current look is brilliant, simple and punctuated by dark colors. Minnesota's black road uniforms are one of my favorite looks in the NBA.
New Jersey: You probably think I'm going to rag on the old uniforms featuring the stars, but you're wrong. Dr. J wore those. In fact, the Nets need to go back to funky, especially if they're swinging over to Brooklyn. Once that happens, I would love to get in on that design process, because those uniforms are going to sell like nobody's business. So long as they don't go with the shiny baby blue they trotted out in for a season in 1990-91, the next look can't miss. The current New Jersey version is efficient but likely on its last legs.
New Orleans: Turquoise, gold and purple are tricky colors, but the Hornets keep it from becoming a freak show. As a result, they're acceptable. Back in Charlotte, the organization was guilty of implementing turquoise pinstripes that I always envisioned were designed to make Herve Villechaize of Fantasy Island look taller. When the Hornets return to New Orleans, putting the city's name back on the home uniforms seems fitting.
New York: Outside of trotting out in an alternate road black, there's not an easy way to work with the Knicks' color scheme. Blue and orange is the team's traditional look, so the strategy should in good taste be a throwback. Too bad that at the moment, they're regurgitating all over New York basketball's storied history.
Orlando: The Magic came out in pinstripes, outfitted Shaquille O'Neal in them early in his career and nearly won a championship with one of the ugliest uniforms known to man. The current look, highlighted by a metallic blue, is the likely route they'll take for a while, even if by some trick they magically one day end up in Oklahoma City or K.C.
Philadelphia: The 76ers don't look bad now, particularly in the blacks they so often sport, but I've said it before and I'll say it again: If they incorporate a carbon copy of the 1950s uniforms their predecessor, the Syracuse Nats wore, and just swapped in 76ers, the sharpest look in the league would belong to Philadelphia. Whoever designed that over 50 years ago was well ahead of his time.
Phoenix: Get out of the orange. The lettering "PHX" is not cool. No self-respecting MVP should be forced to run the point in such hideous garb. :oops
Somehow, Phoenix has made the most out of choosing purple and orange as their main colors, but the current version is just nasty. It wouldn't even be bad to go to a retro look, like the one we can close our eyes and see Kevin Johnson, Charles Barkley and Dan Majerle in. Their sun with the corresponding rays was one of the few logos that actually looked attractive on a uniform.
Portland: The Blazers have had the same variation of their black, red and white for nearly 30 years, so why mess with a good thing? In the early 1990s, they went from lower-case lettering to upper-case, upgrading the look. I'd be curious to see what the uniforms would look like without the sash, but that's nit-picking.
Sacramento: No uniform has ever made a more dramatic ugly duckling-like transformation than Sacramento :oops did when they adopted their current new look in the early-'90s. The purple, black and white look phenomenal, complementing the bold lettering the team now employs. I can still close my eyes and see the ugly light blue and red uniforms they had from Kansas City to their early days in the California capital. I'm cringing. I close my eyes and see Reggie Theus with an afro, a bad mustache and that ugly uniform, and I emit a scream that produces no sound.
San Antonio: Even when the Spurs experimented with hot pink and turquoise on their logo, they never dared destroy the sanctity of the silver and black popularized by George Gervin. The newest version looks like a more modern version of the original, which is how history should be honored and preserved. :clap
Seattle: The Sonics have long employed different-looking uniforms that managed to fall short of sleek while never quite being offensive. With green and yellow involved, that's an acceptable median. If they can ever decide on a font, they would have something more substantial to work with.
Toronto: The Raptors need to swap out the purple road uniform for the black. In fact, they need to disassociate from purple altogether, because it brings to mind the early days, where they had no problem strutting around with a hissing T-Rex on the front of their jerseys. They also had purple pinstripes. Cleanse thyself, Toronto. Switching to a white uniform with red and black lettering at home would look classy. Switching to a black road uniform with red-and-black lettering would be awesome. The alternate red-based look can stay, too; just axe the Barney memories. :oops
Utah: After unwisely putting their Jazz nameplate against a mountain backdrop, the Jazz finally got smart and axed the corny design earlier this decade. The current version and the increase of the importance of the color black has gotten aesthetically pleasing results. Unfortunately, the image of John Stockton and Jeff Hornacek walking around in short shorts remains.
Washington: The Wizards could've done worse with their re-design when they officially donned a new nickname and left "Bullets" behind, but I have trouble looking at any of them and not seeing an aging Michael Jordan finishing out his career. It's time to wash those memories away and embrace the importance red, white and blue has had on the franchise. They're the capital city's franchise, no? I'm not saying to get all patriotic, but at least a little representation. Maybe next year.
---------
:rolleyes suddenly I remember Dirk calling that Phoenix Suns uniform as ugly. Do you agree?