NBA Going Back To Old Ball

NBA Going Back To Old Ball
11th December, 2006 - 4:16 pm
ESPN -
ESPN's Marc Stein has reported on ESPN news that the NBA will be going back to the old basketball from January 1.

More news on this breaking story as it becomes available.

http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/ ... _old_ball/

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.

Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com.

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

I didnt know the new ball was causing injuries

lol.. the new ball got owned... nothing beats the original!

I just read that too and posted about it at Project Spurs. I'll probably write up an article with some of the Spurs reactions and comments about the microfiber ball. I'm glad Stern changed it. We were talking about this in the episode of the Spurscast I'm editing, and I'm hoping the ball change will do something for Fin and Horry.

Can Finley use the old one and Barry continue to use the new one?

Im actually shocked that Stern relented.

ryno wrote:Can Finley use the old one and Barry continue to use the new one?

+1

Seriously though, I'm glad. I guess Stern finally realized the league is about the players...at least in this instance.

mad0214 wrote:I just read that too and posted about it at Project Spurs. I'll probably write up an article with some of the Spurs reactions and comments about the microfiber ball. I'm glad Stern changed it. We were talking about this in the episode of the Spurscast I'm editing, and I'm hoping the ball change will do something for Fin and Horry.

Looks like Johnny beat me to the punch:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stor ... 5b16d.html

I don't even know why the got a new ball, just to go back to the original old ball? Lets see what happens to the shooting percetages starting Jan 1,2007.

Shooting percentages overall were up so far this season.