NBA scraps new ball

[william_brasky]

I'm shocked that Stern would change his mind.



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, according to sources close to the situation.

The decision will be formally announced by the league Tuesday, sources told ESPN.com.

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.

[BigRedJed]

Wow. I would have never guessed that. It's rare to see Stern lose one.

[Mjcpr]

Why did they change the ball in the first place? I never heard a reason.

[william_brasky]

I don't know why they changed the ball.

My impression was that it was Stern just trying to wield his power and make more money by introducing a new ball to sell to the public.

Regardless, Stern = pwned.

[NormanPride]

badger said it was to cut costs of production (2 pieces of leather as opposed to however many it had before) and to increase grip somehow. Since badger is much smarter and better-informed than I, I believed her.

[Taxman71]

Yeah, I can see how the NBA needs to save $100k per year on ball manufacturing given that their player's are barely getting by. I heard CP3 has to bike to the Ford Center.

[BigRedJed]

badger said it was to cut costs of production (2 pieces of leather as opposed to however many it had before) and to increase grip somehow. Since badger is much smarter and better-informed than I, I believed her.
While those may have been the stated reasons, I call BS. Were players complaining about the grip on the old basketball? Were games being affected by balls slipping through players' grasp, subsequently flying into the stands, and injuring spectators? I think not. Since the players all seemed to be surprised by the introduction of the new ball, I really doubt there had been an upsurge of player complaints about the old ball.

The two-piece construction thing hardly cuts the mustard, either. Is the NBA hemmoraging cash over the extra dollar or two per ball it might cost to make the old ball? I can't imagine the difference in cost is significant; maybe as little as in the hundred dollars per team, per year. When you consider that it costs the Hornets about $400,000 per outing to put on a game at the Ford Center, the potential savings seem pretty insignificant overall. Besides, if having a 100-piece ball that cost $1500 per copy in some way legitimately made the game better, is there any doubt they would switch to it?

Nope, I suspect the ball change had some sort of marketing angle, and that's about the extent of it. Maybe they expected all of the kids who spend $250 a pair on tennis shoes and $500 each on throwback jerseys to decide they couldn't get by without owning an authentic "new" ball, creating a temporary new sales niche. That's the best I can think of at the moment, but I'm guessing the switch was nearly 100% about marketing, somehow.

And yeah, Stern got pwned, which is a pretty rare occurrence.

[Taxman71]

Someone should lose their job over the "New Coke" ball.

[badger]

the "terriball"
http://www.sportsnet.ca/images/daily/mon/shaq_balls_hor.jpg
http://www.nba.com/news/blackbox_060628.html

[starrca23]

It was Spalding that spearheaded the ball change. Stern is a black and white guy. Spalding did tests and showed data that the new ball was better, so Stern went with it. The new ball is made of a composite material, not leather at all.
I wonder if they will keep the new patter of the rubber tread on the ball or if they are going back to the exact same ball they used for the last 50 years.

[BigRedJed]

It was Spalding that spearheaded the ball change. Stern is a black and white guy. Spalding did tests and showed data that the new ball was better, so Stern went with it. The new ball is made of a composite material, not leather at all.
I wonder if they will keep the new patter of the rubber tread on the ball or if they are going back to the exact same ball they used for the last 50 years.
Hmmm... ...well, it might just be the cynic in me, but I still suspect there was money to be made in this and that this was not just about performance characteristics. Think about it this way: the new pattern hs been featured prominently in all of the NBA materials -- an end-on view shows the pattern, a side view would not, and guess what? No side views in ANY publications.

That pattern just happens to be patented by Spalding. Therefore, any other ball you might be playing with is now just some old piece of junk. "I got the Air Jordans, the Magic Johnson throwback, and an authentic, $100 NBA game ball (http://store.nba.com/gp/product/B000GI0RJA/ref=nba_aid_nbacom_microsite/002-7366641-7123247). What you got, playa? Some Starburys, a Bulls T-shirt from JC Penny and a $19.99 Wilson ball from Wal-mart? You aint ****."

Do I believe that Stern and Spalding thought the ball was better for players? No doubt. But I don't think for a minute that was the only motivation. We're talking about David Stern, here.

[mfosterftw]

There's been some commentary that the synthetic cover was PC-motivated, to appease the PETA types offended by the old leather version.

The last time a new ball was introduced was when the ABA came in 40 years ago with their red-white-blue version. A LOT of players had the same complaints then about the slipperiness of the ABA ball. Anyone who's read Terry Pluto's Loose Balls about the ABA might recall what one player suggested was the reason, simply that the balls were new (and shiny) and not broken in. I wonder if the new ball went the other direction - had too much friction on the surface, and again just needed some softening by being broken in.

Marc

[starrca23]

I think we have officially over talked this subject.