Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 16 to 25 of 25
  1. #16
    Stare bagelred's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Posts
    26,290

    Default AP Article

    AP Article about the ball:

    NBA players have complained all month that the league's new synthetic ball feels and performs differently from the old leather one.

    According to results of a study requested by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, they may be right.

    Physicists at the University of Texas-Arlington released results of preliminary tests they say proves the microfiber composite ball doesn't behave like the old leather ball. A number of players have griped about its grip and unpredictable bounce since training camps opened.

    New NBA Ball
    AP Photo/John Marshall Mantel
    According to results released Sunday, the new ball bounces 5 to 8 percent lower than typical leather balls when dropped from 4 feet.

    Cuban contacted Dr. James L. Horwitz, chairman of UT-Arlington's physics department, to test both balls -- though the owner says he has no intention of doing anything with the results.

    "Nothing," he told The Associated Press in an e-mail. "Just try to support the commissioner and the league to the fullest of my ability with the data."

    According to the results released Sunday, the ball bounces 5 to 8 percent lower than typical leather balls when dropped from 4 feet. It also found that the new ball bounces 30 percent more erratically.

    Commissioner David Stern dismissed that complaint last week, and said the NBA is staying with the new ball. Cuban said the league should do the same in his internet blog.

    The other finding of the study directly contrasts with what the NBA and Spalding have said about the feel of the ball when it is wet.

    The league has stressed that one of the advantages of the composite material is that it's easier to grip when it starts to get damp. But the researchers found that it's less absorbent than leather, causing it to be more slippery when moist.

    The study recommends frequently drying or changing the balls during the game, which Cuban also does in his blog. An NBA spokesman said it is up to the officials' discretion if the ball should be changed during play.

    Also, the physicists recommended inflating the ball to 14.5 pounds per square inch, rather than the regulation 8.5 psi, to address the problem of its lack of bounce.

    But no matter what, the ball figures to remain a headache for the league. Players have offered little support for it, and some of the harshest criticism came from Shaquille O'Neal, whose Miami Heat play the first game of the NBA season on Tuesday night.

    At a lunch Monday with fellow TNT studio partners Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley added his concerns about the ball.

    "The one thing I hate about the ball, it always feels new," he said. "And if you ask Kenny, when we played, we always wanted an old, used ball."

    Smith, who was part of the press conference in June when the ball was introduced, said complaints are natural any time there is a change.

    "It has a different texture," he said. "I would say if you score 40 with it, you'll probably like it a little bit more. Out of all the things in the game that you can change, the one thing that does affect the game is the ball."

    The UTA researchers plan further tests to continue evaluating the ball.

  2. #17
    Football In The Groin funkylikemonkey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    EZboard Supporter
    Posts
    1,297

    Default

    In the end, it's all about getting the sphere in the cylinder.

  3. #18
    Stare bagelred's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Posts
    26,290

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by funkylikemonkey
    In the end, it's all about getting the sphere in the cylinder.
    Deep. Real deep. Isn't that what life is all about? Getting the sphere in the cylinder.

  4. #19
    Football In The Groin funkylikemonkey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    EZboard Supporter
    Posts
    1,297

    Default

    I want to have an existentialist conversation with Ron Artest.

  5. #20
    NBA sixth man of the year picc84's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Wash. D.C.
    Posts
    7,286

    Default

    "Commissioner David Stern dismissed that complaint last week, and said the NBA is staying with the new ball."

    gawd I hate that ****ing ******* stern. arrogant, egomaniacal ass**** prick.

  6. #21
    NBA Superstar eliteballer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Posts
    14,095

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by bagelred
    Deep. Real deep. Isn't that what life is all about? Getting the sphere in the cylinder.
    Isn't that it though. It's JUST A BASKETBALL. Its been changed before. They've all played with worse. It's really not a big deal other than players being drama queens as usual.

  7. #22
    Football In The Groin funkylikemonkey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    EZboard Supporter
    Posts
    1,297

    Default

    I know players have complained about the ball, but do you really think it will affect the players' games?

  8. #23
    Banned
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Posts
    367

    Default Re: Scientific analysis of new ball

    the new ball was one of the worst innovations ever

  9. #24
    XXL Im Still Ballin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Posts
    23,803

    Default Re: Scientific analysis of new ball

    Bump.

  10. #25
    7-time NBA All-Star
    Join Date
    Jun 2021
    Posts
    12,866

    Default Re: Scientific analysis of new ball

    When the new ball gets a little wet, it's much more slippery than the leather balls which absorb moisture and actually improve the grip

    So I think the new balls will continue to be a problem because there's always a little moisture on the ball

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •