Leather ball will return on Jan. 1

[kolko]

Leather ball will return on Jan. 1

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com




NBA commissioner David Stern, in a stunning reversal, has decided to shelve the new microfiber composite basketball after just a few months of use and switch back to the old leather model for all games starting Jan. 1, ESPN.com has learned.

The decision will be formally announced by the league later this week, according to sources close to the situation.

Despite an avalanche of player complaints about the new synthetic model from the first day of training camp in October, skepticism was high among players that Stern would consent to a change during the season. But with a number of prominent players complaining of cuts on their hands caused by the new ball's high-friction cover -- Phoenix's Steve Nash and New Jersey's Jason Kidd among them -- Stern was forced to concede that an in-season swap was unavoidable with the new ball inflicting injuries.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2694335

[nkdlunch]

If someone were to run into David Stern, please bitchslap him for me

[bdictjames]

Expect an increase of scoring and a decrease of haters

[ShoogarBear]

In a related story:


Spaulding Sues NBA, Stern

[RonMexico]

Expect an increase of scoring and a decrease of haters

I don't know about that - I think there will be another 1 to 2 week adjustment period for the players in January to get used to the old ball... especially on layups where the stickiness of the new ball has forced them to change how they spin it off the glass.

[themvp]

Welcome back.

[v2freak]

There go like 5,000 more cows. Fucking animal haters.

That's what I'm concerned with.

[Sense]

Expect an increase of scoring and a decrease of haters

Increase? :lol

There's gonna be a fuckin decrease in scoring and rebounding.

[ShoogarBear]

It will be very hard to have a decrease in both scoring AND rebounding.

About the only way you could do that would be to have a lot more fouls and turnovers.

[Solid D]

I had already heard the insider news. Jonathan Chow PM'd some of us about it.

[Sense]

It will be very hard to have a decrease in both scoring AND rebounding.

About the only way you could do that would be to have a lot more fouls and turnovers.

We all know NBA players, specially Barry love the ball... and with the soft bounces off the rims there has to decrease at some level.

[Sense]

I had already heard the insider news. Jonathan Chow PM'd some of us about it.

:lmao

sig worthy

[wildbill2u]

Maybe Finley's confidence will return...."sigh."

[angel_luv]

:lol Sense

[Tek_XX]

Was this ball really that bad or was this just a power move by the players union. And apparently scoring was up with this new ball according to every analyst i've been hearing on the tube.

[phyzik]

Was this ball really that bad or was this just a power move by the players union. And apparently scoring was up with this new ball according to every analyst i've been hearing on the tube.

Scoring Is up, but not because the ball is any better. Its because of the wierd fucking bounces it gets off the rim... Shots that would NEVER go in with a leather.

IE hitting the back of the rim hard and instead of bouncing back out, it dies and drops in....

[lefty]

Yes!!! it's back!!!

:eyebrows :eyebrows :clap :clap

[boutons_]

maybe this will get Stein to calm down and quit dicking around so much. What a disaster this ball was, esp for Spalding.

I wonder if the NBA is gonna let Spalding walk away? I'd like to see the ball's technical requiements in the NBA/Spalding contract.

I wonder if the NBA is try a new ball again next season?

Anybody up for adding a 4th referee? :)

[lefty]

A 4th referee? no ; good referees that actually do their jobs? yes

[timvp]

Yeah, it's going to be funny when scoring comes back down. At least we won't have to hear all these "new ball" excuses and tv announcers bringing it up 20,000 times per broadcast.

[1Parker1]

What an idiot. Why didn't Stern think of testing the ball out on the players first, like during preseason, to get their take on it? They are the ones who were going to use it the most anyways...:rolleyes

[Kori Ellis]

What an idiot. Why didn't Stern think of testing the ball out on the players first, like during preseason, to get their take on it? They are the ones who were going to use it the most anyways...:rolleyes

Each team was given a sample ball at the beginning of last season to use to test it.

[cornbread]

There go like 5,000 more cows. Fucking animal haters.

Representin' the cow point of view. Nice!!!

Go Cows Go!!!

[cornbread]

I am suprised that this is changing mid-season, or early season. You would think they would at least give the new ball an entire season. I guess it's better to change the ball earlier in the season than later.

[ObiwanGinobili]

Welcome back.

yeah, that. :fro

[1Parker1]

Each team was given a sample ball at the beginning of last season to use to test it.

Really? And no one complained then?

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

So does that mean Barry's hot streak will end?
Finley and Udrih will get better?

[exstatic]

Ludden's next column: Look for Finley's jumper to return after the New Year
:p:

[PM5K]

Steve Nash, PG 48 16-25 6-7 4-5 1 5 6 13 1 0 3 3 42

Jason Kidd, PG 48 13-26 3-6 9-9 0 14 14 14 1 0 4 5 38

Stupid new ball....

[SequSpur]

See what happens when a white boy (Barry) goes off? all the haters come out,

[RonMexico]

Really? And no one complained then?

#1 - I doubt they really used it all that much to notice these recurring problems (such as cuts on the hands of the primary ball-handlers).

#2 - I thought they all got the sample of the ball at the All-Star break (not trying to call out Kori or anything, since she's the best, but those were the reports I got at the beginning of this season).

#3 - most players aren't opposed to some kind of composite ball (they use them in college and high school), but just not one this shitty.

[Kori Ellis]

#1 - I doubt they really used it all that much to notice these recurring problems (such as cuts on the hands of the primary ball-handlers).

#2 - I thought they all got the sample of the ball at the All-Star break (not trying to call out Kori or anything, since she's the best, but those were the reports I got at the beginning of this season).

#3 - most players aren't opposed to some kind of composite ball (they use them in college and high school), but just not one this shitty.

1. That was going to be my response.
2. My friend was in Sonics training camp at the beginning of 05-06 and they got the ball then. But each team only had 1-2 balls, so I don't know how much they used it.
3. True :lol

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Cuts on hands = workplace safety issue. Imagine the lawsuit if a player contracted a disease in that manner. Not surprising that they about-flipped.

Scoring will decrease, rebounding increase.

And most players will be very happy.

[dav4463]

Barry has hit 5 of 6 three pointers so far tonight. I hope the ball isn't the reason !

[Texas_Ranger]

Thank god. This new ball sucks.

[Kori Ellis]

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wasn't overly excited about the NBA's decision to go back to the old leather ball next month. "I don't care. Everybody plays with the same ball. It's senseless. If they made it a golf ball, we'd play with a golf ball," Popovich said.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wasn't overly excited about the NBA's decision to go back to the old leather ball next month. "I don't care. Everybody plays with the same ball. It's senseless. If they made it a golf ball, we'd play with a golf ball," Popovich said.
I kagree with Pop's sentiment on this one. I've seen the Spurs players shots adjust more to the ball it looks like. Stern should have stuck to his guns. Even if I hated the idea of them getting a new ball in the first place, it's natural to dislike change initially; the players sounded like babies.

But eh, both Stern and the players are stupid.

and if Barry loses his mojo in January. Well that's just great!

[Kori Ellis]

I kagree with Pop's sentiment on this one. I've seen the Spurs players shots adjust more to the ball it looks like. Stern should have stuck to his guns. Even if I hated the idea of them getting a new ball in the first place, it's natural to dislike change initially; the players sounded like babies.

But eh, both Stern and the players are stupid.

and if Barry loses his mojo in January. Well that's just great!

So you think even though it was cutting up their hands, they should have dealt with it??

(By the way, Pop was complaining about the new ball majorly in recent weeks, so I don't know why he said this quote today :lol)

[RonMexico]

So you think even though it was cutting up their hands, they should have dealt with it??

(By the way, Pop was complaining about the new ball majorly in recent weeks, so I don't know why he said this quote today :lol)

Thanks for keeping the rest of the people on this board grounded (not me of course :)). I still think there will be a small adjustment period come January, but I hope it doesn't make the Suns go 1-5 during that time... I'm still not too scared overall because they've led the league in almost every shooting category the past 3 years, but I don't know if we'll see Nash and Bell still hitting 50% of their 3's.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

So you think even though it was cutting up their hands, they should have dealt with it??

(By the way, Pop was complaining about the new ball majorly in recent weeks, so I don't know why he said this quote today :lol) Maybe he knows Barry's effectiveness resides solely in this new ball?


Was it really cutting their hands that badly for many players?
Or is he just citing that as the valid excuse to relent? to make it easier to overturn the cost of bringing back the old one, after the contract with Spalding/manufacturing.

It just sounds so, exaggerated, abrasions, scratches but injurous cuts?

Nevertheless, enough players being considered injured by the ball like Nash, Kidd I guess is reasonable enough, blood on the ball and all. They must have horribly tested for the new ball, they didn't account for practice shooting?

I guess Stern botched most of it for that specific matter--but if the ball had been new they still would have complained either way-- Wade, Shaq, Lebron and Horry and all the other louder ones just said it sucked cuz it was a matter of preference--then probably when they heard about Nash's valid complaint, when they were filing that formal players' union thing, "yeah, yeah we got cut too. Throw that in there"

[ShoogarBear]

Yeah, right. Wade, Shaq, LeBron, and Horry are liars.

Nash tells the truth.

:rolleyes

[duncan2k5]

there were complaints about it since training camp...but stern ignored them

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

Yeah, right. Wade, Shaq, LeBron, and Horry are liars.

Nash tells the truth.

:rolleyes
I didn't say those guys were liars, I just said their comments when they were asked were more so about preference i.e. stickiness, feel; not legitimate complaints like actual cuts or abrasions.

[polandprzem]

Well the ball was just too sharp, maybe too perfect.

We will see how much barry's a Timmys % will drop, and if this is a matter of the ball or their this years form :)

[Que Gee]

1. That was going to be my response.
2. My friend was in Sonics training camp at the beginning of 05-06 and they got the ball then. But each team only had 1-2 balls, so I don't know how much they used it.
3. True :lol


Most all the players were sent 1 of the new balls by the middle of the summer.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Apparently, the league will form a committee to continue looking at a new ball.



We get the old ball back!!
I got the phone call I have been waiting for all season long this morning!! Michael Curry of the N.B.A. administrative offices called me on my way to practice and told me that the old leather ball is coming back.....THIS SEASON!! He asked me to go into the locker room and find out how long it would take the guys to adjust back to the leather ball. Troy Hudson said it would take him "one practice" to re-adjust to the leather ball. Kevin Garnett said, "Let me practice with it (The old leather) three or four days and I'll be ready to go again." I can't tell you how happy the guys on the team were! It was a great day.

The additional good news is that the NBA is going to form a committee including a wide range of NBA players getting a cross-section of superstars and role players to be part of any ball decisions in the future. I think what the league is saying is that if we do away with the leather ball down the road, let's work together to find a solution that works for everyone. Michael asked me to approach Kevin Garnett to see if he would like to play a major role on the committee. When I told KG about it, he was excited and regardless of whether or not he is able to make every meeting, I think he is going to be giving a lot of input on the ball situation in the future whether he chooses to do it formally or informally.

Lastly, I'm waiting for the A.I. situation to be resolved. This morning in our locker room, we were all kind of aware that if the longshot odds come true and A.I. comes to Minnesota then some of us might be packing our bags.


http://markmadsen.com/blog/PermaLink,guid,224694a6-e3f3-44fe-90a2-357c5f868ffb.aspx VIA http://www.truehoop.com

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

And a report about Spalding's handling of the situation.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/16161253

[ShoogarBear]

Nazr Mohammad wants to have some input on the new ball committee, too:

http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B0006G56ZM.01-A3HQQY3CQ47TX0._AA250_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg