Back to the old ball in 2007

[RegicideGreg]

About time!

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.

[Glenn]

Now they can sell limited editions of the composite ball, and the "new-old" ball at the same time.

Brilliant!

[UxKa]

Good, fuckastern.

[Glenn]

It's amazing what happens when beloved superstars complain.

[RegicideGreg]

It was bound to happen eventually with all the bad pub it was getting but i think the main thing that go Stern was the cuts on some of his prized players. Which could've resulted in lost revenue in the long term.

[DennyMcLain]

Stern had done this to himself. I understand his quest to squash the "thuggery" image of the NBA with all of the new "rules", but at the same instant, it's not like he had recently assumed the role of commish from an outgoing moron. He's a control freak -- pure and simple.

In baseball, different teams crop and groom their fields different ways, and the outfield fences are not all of the same distances (CF can range from 400 to 417 feet, correct me if I'm wrong Vinny). And WTF with Houston and that mound out there? It's all a part of the game. With the old ball, variances in it's bounce and feel are part of the game. If you cannot adjust, then maybe you're not NBA material.

[Wizzle]

I've seen something like this before

[H1Man]

Had he consulted the players before the switch was made, this whole situation could've been avoided.

[Tahoe]

Someone said getting Stern to admit he is wrong is about as easy as getting Bush to admit it. Sorry bout the political bullshit.

[Black Dynamite]

Stern is a bunch of punks©