i think its too orange

i cant tell if i hate the new design yet or not

shaq called it a "toy store" ball

10/5/2006 8:54:40 PM

sounds like a lot of players are hating on it

10/5/2006 8:55:23 PM

they'll love it soon enough

I've used that ball before, it just takes getting used to

10/5/2006 8:56:41 PM

10/5/2006 8:59:07 PM

it looks retarded, but it probably feels nice.

10/5/2006 9:04:41 PM

my question is

Why?

10/5/2006 9:08:47 PM

they wanted to get a standard ball for every team to use, because not every team used the same balls. so they went ahead and made a new one to become the standard.

10/5/2006 9:10:33 PM

the way everyone is bashing it I say use one of the already in use balls to be standardized

10/5/2006 9:24:35 PM

looks like less rubber and more leather

10/5/2006 9:52:24 PM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061031/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_new_ball_science

10/30/2006 9:35:56 PM

i heard the nba gave the teams the ball (or a bunch of different balls) to test before the season started

everyone was lazy and either didn't test the ball(s) or didnt' give feedback so the nba just picked this ball and said deal with it

10/30/2006 9:53:28 PM

last year Stern put out the new NBA dress code just before the season started. it didn't really effect anyone but it created a huge media stir.

this year they introduce a new ball before the season. it gets the NBA's name in the news. who knows maybe people will watch games just to see what the deal is with the new ball

10/30/2006 10:05:56 PM

They said they switched because it was getting to hard to make the balls consistent with real leather, so they switched to synthetic. The players are pissed because they grow up playing with these balls on the playground dreaming of playing with a real leather ball in the NBA.

I dont really give a shit. All college teams use synthetic leather balls...they're great feeling when they're new...they just wear out faster but the NBA has plenty of money to replace the old ones.

10/30/2006 10:17:43 PM

Quote :

"this year they introduce a new ball before the season. it gets the NBA's name in the news. who knows maybe people will watch games just to see what the deal is with the new ball "

And after they see a couple of players get technical fouls because their jerseys aren't tucked in, they'll stop watching.

10/30/2006 10:19:50 PM

I also heard that PETA was putting pressure on the NBA to not use real leather balls. I saw it on ESPN like on Outside The Lines Nightly or another show. Steve Nash was really pissed. I think the ball looks stupid and is too bright.

10/30/2006 10:27:44 PM

Shaqs full quote on it was great.

10/31/2006 12:05:28 AM

As if this will affect his shooting ability.

10/31/2006 5:24:07 AM

i think it might have some affect on shooting and the rotation of the ball mainly because they took the grip that is normally on the side away, i honestly dont see how they can change the black rubber grip pattern and leave a whole side blank, thats the problem i have with it.

10/31/2006 7:24:28 AM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061212/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_nba_new_ball

12/12/2006 6:35:22 AM

you think we can buy some "official game balls" for cheap now that they're not using them?


Its probably an awesome ball but those faggots are too good for an awesome synthetic leather ball.

12/12/2006 7:21:25 AM

it sucks

get the same ball for 20 bucks at walmart

12/12/2006 7:27:37 AM

one of the happiest days of my childhood was when i got a real basketball instead one of those plastic ones

12/12/2006 7:34:01 AM

I got to handle the new basketball when I went to the Suns v. Bobcats game last Sunday. I really don't like the grip of the new ball. The ball felt kinda rough on my hands. I have a leather ball at home, and the grip is a whole lot better than the microcomposite that they use now. Thank goodness they are switching back to the old balls.

12/12/2006 9:26:58 AM

yes, thank god they are - I was tired of all the se high scoring games and better shooting percentages

12/12/2006 9:42:22 AM

cddweller is happy that the NBA is switching to old balls

12/12/2006 10:50:51 AM

^^ If they had to introduce a new ball to do that, that's sad.

Is the NBA so boring that this is the only thing people talk about of the league?

12/12/2006 11:23:23 AM

No, the NBA is nowhere near boring. It's just the NBA doesn't have a strong enough market in THIS area for people to talk about it. This is ACC/NASCAR country.

12/12/2006 11:25:36 AM

its like a fucking cheap indoor/outdoor ball

12/12/2006 11:29:40 AM

^Agreed.

12/12/2006 11:30:06 AM

Quote :

"No, the NBA is nowhere near boring. It's just the NBA doesn't have a strong enough market in THIS area for people to talk about it. This is ACC/NASCAR country."

I watched UNC-Wilmington play East Carolina last week on WITN-Ch. 7. It was far more entertaining than any random NBA game I tuned into this season (that NJ-Suns game was nowhere on the tube). Offenses can't get set cause they don't have any time, too much fouling, too much clumsy guys that are only in the league cause they're tall, too many token role players, too many point guards whose only skill is driving to the basket, the crowd is dead quiet, and it's annoying watching on TV when the arena plays music. Not to mention the following embarassment that makes Big South teams' records look good.

1 Orlando 15 8
2 Detroit 13 7
3 New Jersey 8 12
4 Cleveland 12 8
5 Chicago 11 10
6 Indiana 11 12
7 Washington 9 11
8 Miami 9 11

Atlanta 8 11
Milwaukee 8 12
Boston 7 13
New York 8 15
Toronto 7 14
Charlotte 5 15
Philadelphia 5 15

[Edited on December 12, 2006 at 11:52 AM. Reason : /]

12/12/2006 11:51:06 AM

^i'll give you the crowd being quiet part unless its a close game late in the game

but everything is pretty much off...you say there are too many clumsy guys in the league who are in the league because they are tall...well how about college ball...there are too many shitty bball players in the league because there are 118 teams...and tahts just 1-a...and most of them fucking suck

12/12/2006 11:58:39 AM

nba sucks. better athletes, but so boring to watch. most of the "star" players just go through the motions so that they can put up good numbers and get their next paycheck.

12/12/2006 12:08:30 PM

like the "star" players in college that go through the motions just to get drafted into the NBA to start collecting bigger paychecks?

12/12/2006 12:37:09 PM

haha you cant tell me that players in college dont care more about their team than players in the nba. the nba is pretty much "get this guy the ball so he will sell more tickets"

12/12/2006 12:44:11 PM

you make it sound like pro ball players are content with losing just because they get paid which is completely false

and plenty of college players only go to college as a stepping stone to play pro ball and could give two shits about the team

12/12/2006 1:10:06 PM

im completely aware that there are players using college as a stepping stone who could give two shits, but these players are few and far between when compared to the number of guys in college who arent. the vast majority of college players will not go to the nba, and they know its their last chance to be a part of something great. this is the reason you see more teamwork. i really dont see how anybody gets enjoyment out of the nba.

12/12/2006 1:14:35 PM

Quote :

"i really dont see how anybody gets enjoyment out of the nba."

i really dont see how any basketball fan doesnt enjoy watching the best players in the world

i like college ball and nba ball...because i like basketball...plain and simple

12/12/2006 1:16:32 PM

Quote :

"i really dont see how any basketball fan doesnt enjoy watching the best players in the world i like college ball and nba ball...because i like basketball...plain and simple"

Exactly.

They're different games, because the level of play is much, much higher in the NBA, but they're both entertaining.

It's ridiculous when people pigeonhole the NBA as a whole when there are vastly different teams in the league. Not every team depends on running the break. There are some teams in the league with very good defensive play and very well-executed halfcourt sets.

12/12/2006 3:41:04 PM

i think some people dont give the nba a chance and end up depriving themselves of some great basketball...are nba players more arrogant than college players in general? probably...but all the negative stereotypes are not true...bobcats for example (not as much in the last few games) are a pretty good defensive team and they really seem to hustle to make plays

"good college kids" dont magically transform into "money hungry thugs" as soon as david stern calls their name

12/12/2006 4:33:55 PM

Quote :

" "good college kids" dont magically transform into "money hungry thugs" as soon as david stern calls their name"

haha thats because 99 percent of good college kids that play NCAA bball dont play in the nba.


if the talent level is so amazing then why cant we fucking beat italy?

[Edited on December 12, 2006 at 5:01 PM. Reason : .]

12/12/2006 4:58:31 PM

well for one thing, the talent level INCLUDES people like Dirk Nowitski, Yao Ming, Manu Ginobli, etc...who help the NBA have the talent that it does, but obviously cant play on the US national team...and neither of those three are anywhere near "thugs" although Ginobli is kind of a dirty player

also its a combination of team chemistry which does not include enough shooters as of late, as well as the fact that Team USA got maybe a month or two to practice together and played versus teams that have been playing together for years...hopefully this year's team will fare better as they will have a lot more time to mesh and learn to play with each other

add to that that international competition has gotten Waaaaaaaaaaay better...Dream Team 1 won every game, smallest margin of victory being 37 points...Dream Team 2 smallest margin of victory 27 points...Dream Team 3 undefeated, smallest margin of victory 3 points...recent teams have lost games...after the 92 Dream Team (Jordan, Bird, etc) we actually sent coaches overseas to:

a. recruit great talent to the nba
b. teach international teams/coaches advanced strategies which ended up significantly closing the gap between USA and Rest of the World

a few recent college players currently in the NBA...tell me if any of these guys are "thugs":

Emeka Okafor, Adam Morrison, Raymond Felton, Sean May, Cedric Simmons

[Edited on December 12, 2006 at 5:24 PM. Reason : f]

12/12/2006 5:23:22 PM

look thats not my main argument against the nba. kids have played their entire lives to try to get to the college level, and many of them know they wont be going to the nba. you know theyre going to bust their asses ten times harder to win the ncaa championship than a guy who just signed a 6 year multimillion dollar contract, because its their last chance to do something great in the sports world.

[Edited on December 12, 2006 at 5:39 PM. Reason : .]

12/12/2006 5:35:13 PM

if the players you are referring to arent good enough to make it to the NBA, they probably arent significantly good enough to win championships without some of those superstars on their team...name me one single championship team that didnt have at least 1 player go on to the nba

i just think you're assuming that because nba players are very comfortable financially, that they dont care about winning or trying and are content with going through the motions to get a paycheck and i think thats completely false

Quote :

"kids have played their entire lives to try to get to the college level, and many of them know they wont be going to the nba."

i think thats bullshit...i mean, little kids dream of playing in the NBA...they want to be Jordan...or currently they want to be D Wade or Lebron...they dont want to be fucking Ilian Evtimov

[Edited on December 12, 2006 at 5:41 PM. Reason : .]

12/12/2006 5:40:50 PM

i mean im not saying they think that as kids, but in college many of them have a good idea of where theyre gonna be after college. you cant tell me that there is more work ethic in the nba than college basketball, or even an equal amount. dont get me wrong, the athletes in the NBA are amazing, and fun to watch, shit i watch games occasionally for that reason alone, just not on a regular basis. i just enjoy the greater sense of team unity in the college game, the fanbases are exceptional around the country, march madness, etc. the list goes on. just makes it easier for me to get in to.

[Edited on December 12, 2006 at 5:51 PM. Reason : .]

12/12/2006 5:46:14 PM

well in the NBA they play twice as many games and instead of going to class during the day, they practice...again I think you're just going off stereotypes

i think the bottom line is that a lot of college players suck and make shitty plays...it looks like they are playing great hustle defense to get a steal when sometimes the ball handler is a shitty ballhandler...a guy gets credit for diving for a loose ball and its labelled a big hustle play (which it is), but the reason he had to dive was because of a bad pass

i might be stereotyping college ball a little here in devil's advocate, i just dont agree with many of your points

as a fan you can have more of a link/bond with a team if you go to school there whereas an NBA team is more disconnected...I mean I might see Okafor out at a restaurant but I'm not gonna have a class with him, etc...also the crowds are usually better in college, without a doubt, which adds to the excitement, another advantage for college ball...but dont sell the NBA short

12/12/2006 5:50:24 PM

yeah but because of that bad pass/play it makes the game more exciting as a whole. its hard for me to enjoy freakishly athletic guys drain jumpers and dunk effortlessly, but i understand why someone else would, i just dont.

[Edited on December 12, 2006 at 5:53 PM. Reason : .]

12/12/2006 5:52:57 PM

Quote :

"as a fan you can have more of a link/bond with a team if you go to school there whereas an NBA team is more disconnected"

exactly, growing up in the charlotte area i loved the hornets(went to 20-30 games, watched anytime i could on tv), when i moved to raleigh i stop paying attention to them and have no connection to teh bobcats

12/12/2006 6:02:50 PM

yeah i mean i guess i used to like the hornets or whatever, but ive never really felt a connection with a team until i came, here, which gives me the bias

12/12/2006 6:07:27 PM

i guess it doesnt hurt that Ive been to most of the Bobcats games this year

But still that doesnt mean the NBA's product is garbage and players lazy

Course the whole C-SET fiasco in Bobcats S1 didnt help draw in any new fans...luckily News14 has most of their games on tv this year...tomorrow we play Lebron and the Cavs...watch that shit!

12/12/2006 6:09:49 PM

^ nah im not saying theyre lazy by any means. they have to perform, thats what they are paid to do. but it seems like at that level thats the only reason theyre performing sometimes, for the money, not for the team. at the collegiate level in most cases its for different reasons.

12/12/2006 9:56:57 PM