New Official NBA Game Ball
Shape of the Week! The new Spalding Official NBA Game Ball.
Here's what I noticed about the new ball, though until I play with one these are just observations based on the pictures and Spalding website:
• Microfiber composite material spreads moisture evenly across the surface of the ball to allow for better grip, less slippage
• NBA logos located all over the ball (small application on both sides and huge next to Spalding logo to ensure more TV exposure during free-throw shooting)
• Despite the opportunity to change the color of the ball, they didn't. Kudos for staying true to the heritage of the game. The orange leather ball says basketball more than anything
• Two cross-shaped panels interlock rather than the eight oblong panels found on traditional basketballs, this provides more grip surface area and hopefully maintains adequate groove grip between panels
• Less panels and more surface area should provide a more consistent bounce
The real question is, without consistent panelling around the whole ball will it decrease access to panel grooves when you go to shoot? Some shooters rely on feeling the ball and groove placement relative to the thier fingers to get comfortable while shooting.
Thanks to Adam for the tip!
Tags: basketball, design, shapes
posted by Ward at 6:11 AM
4 Comments:
No more pig skin? Or is that football? That's pretty awesome. Innovation in the basketball arena. I'm impressed.
The “Official Playing Rules of the NFL” describe the football as having a “rubber bladder enclosed in a pebble-grained leather case.” Not sure anyone is actually using pigskin anymore, good question. Anyone know?
Interesting observation regarding the reduction of seams & its possible impact on a shooter's "feel" of the ball. I would think that a completely smooth ball would lead to more slippage during shooting.
As for the question about pigskin, check out this link: Why is a football called a pigskin? It appears that the only "pig skin" was the internal bladder - not the external casing.
Looks like I'm not the only only that favored the old NBA basketball over the new one. Here's a story giving NBA players take on the new basketball.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/highschool/orl-institute16h06jul16,1,3580644.story?coll=orl-sports-utility-hs
The NBA has changed in a variety of ways in the past 35 years.
Not only the players, but the number of teams, their logos and the rules have changed. Yet one thing has stayed pretty much the same. Since 1970, the standard eight-panel leather ball has been basically left unchanged.
Now the NBA has modernized the old ball. The new Spalding ball will be used in the 2006-07 season and has only two panels. The primary reason for the change was that "the ability to grip the leather was no longer meeting the player's needs," Stu Jackson, NBA executive vice president of operations, said when the change was announced in late June.
The new basketball incorporates Spalding's Cross Traxxion technology, using a microfiber material and materials that will absorb moisture better, allowing for a better grip.
Yet despite the NBA's close attention to players' needs, some said the NBA went wrong in the making of it. Chicago Bulls rookie Tyrus Thomas, appearing at the Pepsi Pro Summer League that concluded Friday at RDV Sportsplex, was one of them.
"It gets slippery too quick and is just real hard to handle," Thomas said.
Said forward Kevin Pittsnogle, who played for the Miami Heat in the summer league: "It's a lot different then the old ball and is going to take some getting used to."
Yet when comparing it to a traditional leather ball, which first was introduced in the NBA in 1956, Pittsnogle said, "It's all right, but I definitely prefer the old one."
The new ball is smooth and seamless, as guard/forward Antoine Wright of the New Jersey Nets' summer roster noticed.
"The seam is missing on this one, and it's a lot harder to handle when it gets wet," Wright said.
Eliminating a slick feel was one of the things Spalding and the NBA tried to accomplish. With leather, the consistency could vary from ball to ball, so one a player used in warmups might feel completely different than the one after tip-off. That's no longer an issue.
Despite some objections, the new ball has its fans.
"I love the new ball," Magic guard Travis Diener said. "I think it's great."
Said Magic rookie J.J. Redick, who sat out the summer league with a herniated disk in his back: "It's a lot like the ball we used in college [at Duke]. It has a solid grip, and that's really all that matters."
Pacers President Larry Bird said players have no choice but to get used to this ball, which will be available to the public Oct. 31 at a suggested retail price of $100.
"There is no question that the ball will stick around in the NBA," Bird said. "It has better grip than the previous one and is easier to handle. It should help the players out."
Nets Coach Lawrence Frank agreed.
"It's one of those things where because it's new, it will be a subject of talk, but in due time, everyone will adjust, and it will be a nonfactor," he said. "They'll be fine"
Frank likes the change in the ball. At 5 feet 8, he said, "It's the only ball I can palm, so I feel pretty good about it."
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