It's been two seasons since the NBA and apparel partner Adidas introduced short-sleeved jerseys into teams' uniform rotations, and it seems like the only thing expanding as quickly as the number of squads wearing the new duds have been the complaints about them, from writers, owners, fans and players. All the squawking — first from Stephen Curry, then from Dirk Nowitzki, and Robin Lopez, and Beno Udrih, and Jarrett Jack, and, on separate occasions, LeBron James. (I'm guessing his feelings carry a bit more weight with the decision-makers than Beno's did.)
Amid all the criticism, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in March that the league would "revisit" the use of sleeved jerseys during the offseason, telling Bleacher Report's Howard Beck that "if the players don't like them, we'll move on to something else." That edict, combined with recent reports that the sleeved unis aren't moving units at retail sporting goods stores, seemed to provide cover for the scuttling of the effort, a brief flicker of light at the end of the arm-covered tunnel.
This, however, isn't a Morrissey-and-Marr situation. Dark days have come again, in the form of three teams unveiling brand new sleeved jerseys to wear this coming season.
The Golden State Warriors, who lit the candle on the sleeved alternates and went back for seconds last season, introduced a "slate" (not black!)-colored third short-sleeved kit modeled by forward Harrison Barnes "during an exclusive event attended by a variety of social media influencers" on the eve of Media Day:
The Dubs say they chose "slate" (not black!) to represent "not only the technology and innovation synonymous with the Bay Area, but also the body armor for the team on the court." I'm not sure I get the "body armor" thing — you don't often read about brave and gallant knights in slate armor — but if they feel like it's indicative of good tech things, I guess, well, good for them. Most of the immediate connections and comparisons I saw referenced something a lot less high-tech, though:
As was the case with the white alternates last season, the Warriors will wear the new sleeved shirts for Saturday games throughout the 2014-15 regular season. Our first chance to find out if the "slate" (not black!) duds look trashy or classy in live action will come on Saturday, Nov. 15, when the Warriors take on the Charlotte Hornets at Oracle Arena. (Now those Hornets uniforms — there's a clean look.)
Not to be outdone in the underwhelming-sleeve department, the Orlando Magic introduced their new "Pride Jersey" home uniforms on Monday. From the front:
... and the back:
The "Magic silver" (not grey!) base with white pinstripes and blue trim is apparently intended "to represent 'steel' — a rigid, unbending and relentless symbol of unity created to invoke a sense of 'pride' and an unyielding commitment to competing at the highest level." They kind of just look like flat grey practice jerseys, though, sort of similar to the humdrum alternates the San Antonio Spurs unveiled a couple of years back. At least those didn't have sleeves, though.
The team says the "Magic silver" (not grey!) look — which will debut at Amway Center on Wednesday, Nov. 26, against the similarly sleeve-loving Warriors at Amway Center, and will re-appear for "select home games during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons" — is intended as a tribute to "the silver-colored stars that have been part of the team’s logo lineage" from the team's inception in 1989 through its subsequent rebrands in 2000 and 2010. One might argue that simply wearing straight-up throwback jerseys — whether the Shaq-and-Penny version or the T-Mac model — would provide a sharper, more direct link to the star-studded past. Then again, the one who argues that probably doesn't have to come up with new products to sell.
Speaking of new products to sell, here's the Houston Rockets' new "Lunar New Year" alternates:
This isn't an "official alternate jersey," according to stalwart Rockets community ClutchFans, but beginning with a Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015, tilt against the Toronto Raptors, Houston will wear the Mandarin character-bedecked uniforms for three straight home games to celebrate Lunar New Year, in what seems to be a nod to the franchise's longstanding Yao Ming-sparked relationship with Chinese basketball fans (who might even get to watch a couple of games in local evening time someday!). It looks red, although given the apparent trend in naming conventions, I wouldn't be surprise to learn that the Rockets are calling it, like, "Clutch City crimson" or something. There doesn't seem to be much more to say about it than that, which actually makes it something of a winner, as sleeved alternates go.
Those of us who'd much rather see the NBA and Adidas shut down this particular experiment, however, appear to have taken a loss. Prepare for a fresh round of complaints from players and fans alike, a fresh round of mollifying statements from the league office and a fresh round of new designs for next season, so long as the dollars and cents keep stacking up ... and, apparently, even if they don't.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
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