Nash - Suns Suns surprised by ball change

[phxrising]

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/1212sunsnb1212.html


Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 12, 2006 12:00 AM

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ORLANDO - The two-time Most Valuable Player with chafed fingertips and a reworked skill set to accommodate the new ball can't even believe it.

The NBA announced Monday that it would make a ball change midseason, tossing aside the oft-criticized composite ball to bring back the old reliable leather ball Jan. 1. Nash and others just got accustomed to the new one.

"To change the ball during the middle of a professional season is very strange," Nash said. "I'm sure Peyton Manning and Tom Brady would love it if they changed to a Nerf ball at the start of the season and halfway through the season went back to the football right when they got used to the Nerf ball.
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"I just couldn't believe they'd do it during the season."

Suns equipment manger Jay Gasper was contacted often by the NBA recently to see how many leather balls Phoenix still had (none after the rest were autographed and donated) and who had problems with the new ball (Nash, Raja Bell and Pat Burke all had fingers that were cut or roughed up by the tacky texture).

Now, the Suns find themselves unsure of how they will reintegrate the leather ball. Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said he would leave it up to the players, but they might shoot some with the leather ball in practices. Phoenix has games Dec. 31 and Jan. 2, leaving little time for transition.

"It's just stupid for them to go back now," Shawn Marion said. "It took three months to get used to the new ball, and it's going to take one to two months to go back. They should have just waited until the off-season."

Not every Suns player disliked the new ball. Boris Diaw and Amaré Stoudemire were two of the five who liked it.

"I'm really surprised," Stoudemire said. "It's like changing the court in the middle of the season or the rules."

Bell, a ball convert after getting on a hot shooting stretch for three weeks, called the Monday reversal "par for the course" but said it would be easier for them to readjust to a ball they knew well.

Phoenix was thriving offensively, shooting 49 percent as a team and 39 percent from three-point range. The Suns' scoring average, 111.8, is higher than the previous two seasons and Nash's scoring (20.3) and assist (11.8) averages are higher than the past two seasons.

"Maybe it is strange and hopefully it doesn't affect us," D'Antoni said. "As a coach, we're going to worry about anything."

D'Antoni told James Jones, shooting 25.7 percent this season, that he gets a do-over but Stoudemire did not want to let go of the ball that has him shooting 62.6 percent.

"I like the new ball, to be honest," Stoudemire said. "It gives me a nice little touch off the glass. You can palm it better."

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I was looking for the sticky with the rules that show what can be copied and what can not, was it removed. If I remember right it is ok as long as there is a link and it is not some sort of pay site like the insider.
Mods, If I'm wrong please remove or edit post to make correct
thank you
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[boisesuns]

So does that mean the new balls will be worth something maybe? Or will they be like the XFL, and be a long forgotten bad idea?

 

[elindholm]

(Nash, Raja Bell and Pat Burke all had fingers that were cut or roughed up by the tacky texture).

I'm getting a little tired of the running joke that Burke is actually part of the team. Enough is enough.

 

[SactownSunsFan]

(Nash, Raja Bell and Pat Burke all had fingers that were cut or roughed up by the tacky texture).

I'm getting a little tired of the running joke that Burke is actually part of the team. Enough is enough.

Seriously. What the hell is Burke doing with roughed up fingers; he hardly ever gets to touch the ball. My guess is that his roughed up hands have more to do with his "alone time" with cartoons than it does the tacky ball.

 

[boisesuns]

Seriously. What the hell is Burke doing with roughed up fingers; he hardly ever gets to touch the ball. My guess is that his roughed up hands have more to do with his "alone time" with cartoons than it does the tacky ball.

Watching cartoons right?

 

[msdundee]

After the Burke 3-point extravaganza the other night Raja said he was happy to see PB get the time because he "works his butt off in practice." It's safe to assume they've been using the new ball in practice.

 

[TucsonDevil]

(Nash, Raja Bell and Pat Burke all had fingers that were cut or roughed up by the tacky texture).

I'm getting a little tired of the running joke that Burke is actually part of the team. Enough is enough.

Your humor is not lost on me. In fact, I often laugh outloud.

 

[Chaplin]

After the Burke 3-point extravaganza the other night Raja said he was happy to see PB get the time because he "works his butt off in practice." It's safe to assume they've been using the new ball in practice.

I don't get why Pat Burke gets such a bad rap. He gets ZERO meaningful minutes, yet he appears to really enjoy himself in a job many of us would kill to have.

And don't underestimate the 3 hours a day he goes at it with Amare in practice. The guy is a scrub, but I'd change places with him any day.

 

[jibikao]

I agree with Nash. Professional players can be super sensitive to the ball and Nash's been shooting very well recently and I don't think he likes the idea of changing the ball in Jan. Bad move.

 

[Esther]

After the Burke 3-point extravaganza the other night Raja said he was happy to see PB get the time because he "works his butt off in practice." It's safe to assume they've been using the new ball in practice.

And remember Pat Burke was one of the players Nash complimented at the beginning of the season for working hard, along with KT and LB.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

They should wait until the season is over to change it back. Changing it back midseason is almost worse than changing it in the first place.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I agree with Nash. Professional players can be super sensitive to the ball and Nash's been shooting very well recently and I don't think he likes the idea of changing the ball in Jan. Bad move.

As much as I like Stern, he blew it again. He made the same mistake again. Instead of saying, "I blew it. What do you guys suggest we should do now?" He made another arbitrary decision. If he was so concerned about Nash and Kidd's "paper cuts," you think he would have asked.

Oh well. Its probably a good thing that its changing now. If they waited until the end of the year (after the Suns win it all), Laker fans and Spurs fans would want to put an asterisk next to our championship in the record books . .

* Nerf ball

 

[F-Dog]

Seems to me that Burke's attitude has really improved this season. He seems to be accepting the Darko role with equanimity now.



IMO it's typical Stern to change back during the season--remember the year he changed the first round of the playoffs from five to seven games in February?

I'm not impressed with the friction excuse (during my 'playing days' back in HS, I always had to tape my fingers in winter, regardless of the ball). It seemed to me that the main problem was keeping the ball dry, and the teams seemed to to a better job of that as the season went on.

The 'new' leather ball is going to spell trouble for some of the league's big men, with its slipperier surface and bigger bounces coming off the rim. I wonder whether the Suns' bigs will switch their focus from boxing out to running again once the rebounds start flying around...