Thursday, October 05, 2006
The New NBA ball....
One of the big issues right now in the NBA is the new composite basketball that is now being used.  Let me share a few thoughts about this.

The new ball is a huge issue because it affects the experience that the fans get when they come to games.  On a personal note, it also slips out of my hand in ways that the old one never did.  I am not going to speak about what my teammates' views are about the ball or about how the decision was made to replace the old ball.  The truth is that I haven't gone to each player on the team to ask them, and I have no information on how the "new ball decision" was made. 

Let me just say this.  In my opionion the ball is much more slippery when it gets wet and I can't really control it nearly as well as the old, leather one.  I also understand that when my employer hands down a decision, I am going to embrace it and try to make the best of whatever the decision is.  So that being said, I am going to do everything I can to do my best with the new ball even though I view it as far inferior to the old ball in my opinion.

I also believe that the very best organizations and businesses encourage dialogue from the top to the bottom.  Bad organizations seem to encourage a lot of "yes-men/women."  Great organizations are hungry for feedback.  The NBA is a great league and a great organization.  I truly believe that they will listen to the feedback that the players give. 

I am going to do everything in my power to get the ball changed back to the old one.  As one of two "player representatives" on my team to the NBA players union and ultimately to the NBA, I am going to do everything in my power to determine my team's consensus about the ball and go into action to bring back the old ball.  If all of my teammates love the new ball, then I will drop the issue completely and move on and find a way to love the new ball.   But, based on some informal discussions with teammates I believe there are already some that would like to see the old ball back.

Regardless of the ball, training camp is going phemomenally well here in Mankato.  I look forward to our upcoming scrimmage this saturday night!

10/5/2006 11:24:56 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Comments [7]
10/5/2006 11:53:45 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
In my line of work when I am handed a decision I don't like but have to live with for the time being I try to follow the saying "make lemonade out of the lemons" I would hope you all rise above complaining (certainly share your concerns) but that you would make lemonade and figure out how to use the ball while you gain an advantage on the other winers. I know you as a positive and encouraging guy so don't let it get you down, I hope your coaches are helping you all be positive about where you find yourselves at any given time. Focusing on the positive is always gonna get you farther than focusing on the negative. I'd call the union and get on with camp. Have fun!!!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to see you guys in action!
John Worden |sixwordensAT NOSPAMcomcast dot net
10/6/2006 1:04:37 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
Hey Mr. Madsen! I came here via a link from the LA Times Lakers Blog. I never knew you had a blog. Now that I do, I'll be sure to read it.

Sorry to hear about the new ball. It seems like people around the league are pretty miffed by it. It kind of reminds me of the game clock change in college football this year.

Anyway, I hope you have a great, injury free season this year ... and that the Wolves make the playoffs.

Peace!
Andy
Andy K. Kuo |andykiekuoAT NOSPAMgmail dot com
10/7/2006 12:34:36 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
This is a terrific blog! I'll stop by and read up from time to time. It is enough to make me root for the Mad Dog whenever the Wolves aren't being victimized by the Mighty Bulls! Peace, out!
Kimbal |radarbinderAT NOSPAMcomcast dot net
10/7/2006 5:05:14 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
Dog..

I've read a lot about the feedbacks of the adaptation of the new ball and I'm truly concerned. considering about the environmental impact of using leather, I would support to use the new ball. It really takes time to get used to it. Good luck..And wish a great pre-season.
Ann |anniexingyanAT NOSPAMyahoo dot com
10/11/2006 3:09:59 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
I am really mad about the new ball as well. Although I never made it close to the NBA as a player, I grew up dreaming about the NBA. I played everyday with my leather gameball. When all the composite balls started becoming popular I still kept my leather ball close because I felt real men used leather balls. I thought the NBA was about real men. I'm dissapointed in this decision, I think it takes some of the history out of the game. It would be like if MLB started using aluminum bats. It's the wrong move.
Max Haake |maxhaakeAT NOSPAMhotmail dot com
11/9/2006 12:26:00 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)
Hi Mark,
The following report on The Way The Ball Bounces was published in Science magazine on Oct 27, 2006.

"Some players in the US National Basketball Asociation (NBA) hate the new synthetic ball the league adopted this year, and a physicist has agreed to find out whether it really is different from the old leather covered ball.

NBA players complain that the new ball is slippery and bounces unpredictably. League officials counter that the new ball is more consistent and more durable than the old ball. At the request of the Dallas Mavericks team, Kaushik De, a particle physicist at the University of Texas, Arlington, and colleagues are testing both balls.

De says that his very preliminary results suggest that a worn leather ball bounces higher than the synthetic ball, although the synthetic ball and a new leather ball bounce about equally. A worn leather ball also bounces truer than a new leather ball, which has deeper grooves and is embossed with logos, he says. Perhaps most important, the new synthetic ball does not absorb water, which means it gets slippery when wet. A leather ball absorbs moisture and actually gets stickier, De says. He notes that the ball's manufacturer, Spalding, designed it not to absorb water so as to maintain a constant weight:
"In optimizing one variable, they seem to have affected the others.""
Terry Guy |tguyAT NOSPAMwinternet dot com
9/24/2008 1:37:36 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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