I thought the box was going to just have lots of stubs of paper that read "61 strong", representing Stern & his 60 referee minions in a solidarity gesture to indicate when they pull together as a team, anything is possible.
Exactly, I never would give a second thought to a new ball, hell they could have been using that for the last 2 years and I probably wouldn't have noticed.
Does the better grip mean better catching and passing? We could use that. What kind of ball do the euroleagues use? If it's the same ball, maybe euros will adjust faster to the nba.
I bet you it feels very similar to the official NCAA ball which is made by wilson. The material seems to be the similar. If you ever played with one, it is much easier to grip than a real leather ball.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AqXLflb1dlc4oS_o3BzPXqm8vLYF?slug=ap-newball&prov=ap&type=lgns NBA unveils new game ball for 2006-07 season By BRIAN MAHONEY, AP Basketball Writer June 28, 2006 NEW YORK (AP) -- Sure, the shooting in the NBA might improve. David Stern sees another benefit to the league's new official game ball, though. As the commissioner joked Wednesday, now his signature gets to go on the ball twice. ADVERTISEMENT That is just one of the changes on the new game ball, which was unveiled by league and Spalding officials at a news conference at the NBA Store and will be put into use at the start of the 2006-07 season. The biggest, and most important, difference is that the ball is no longer leather. Instead, it's made of a microfiber composite that allows for a much better and more consistent grip. The ability to grip the leather was a driving reason behind the first change to the ball in more than 35 years. "That really became a challenge, particularly when the ball was wet," said executive vice president of operations Stu Jackson. Jackson said the ball was tested at the 2005 All-Star game and predraft camp. The league then asked Spalding to make some changes, and it was brought back for more testing at this year's All-Star game and in the Development League. Most players will be familiar with the feel of the new ball. Stern pointed out that leather balls were no longer used at the high school or collegiate level, and Jackson estimated that "99 percent" of the league's players grew up using only a composite ball. "This is another step as we all work together to improve the game of basketball," Stern said. Gone also is the old eight-panel design, replaced by one featuring two panels -- each bearing the signature "David J. Stern." Boston Celtics All-Star Paul Pierce and former NBA player Kenny Smith both pointed to the inconsistencies of a leather ball, which they said needed to be broken in before it felt right. Plus, the feel of the balls differed from arena to arena. Every one of the balls should now feel, grip and bounce the same. "Maybe I can cut down on my turnovers next year," Pierce said.
Sorry to bump this thread, but I'm on some kind of Hoopsworld jihad tonight. Because of this dumbass article by hoopsworld I was under the impression that the new ball would be bad for the game, causing turnovers and decreasing shooting percentages. But after hearing that Mike James likes the new ball, I did some digging around, and every single source from the league to players says that the ball is an improvement on the traditional leather basketball. They said that the grip is much more consistent from ball to ball, and there shouldn't be much of an adjustment because nearly every ball from high schools, college, and international has used the composite material ball for a long time. Yet another reason to hate hoopsworld.
