In an age where looking cool is almost as important as playing the game, there is always someone trying to break through with the next big NBA fashion trend. The league already had those Christmas Day uniforms this year, and now the Golden State Warriors are introducing the next big thing: sleeves!
I cannot really even say that without laughing.
I am not sure what Golden State is going for here. They really just look like somebody accidentally shrunk their Warriors’ t-shirt in the washing machine, but decided they liked the way it shaped their shoulder and bicep muscles, so they wore it anyway.
You can check out the pictures, but we will not get to see these bad boys in action until February 22 when the Warriors play the San Antonio Spurs on national TV. I can only imagine how many people are going to tune in to that game just to see the disaster that is sleeved jerseys.
They also have plans to wear them on March 8 against the Houston Rockets and March 15 against the Chicago Bulls, but who knows if they will go through with it if the debut is a disaster.
As a player, I would have hated these. No matter how tight or “form fitting” they are, sleeves are a distraction, and they certainly affect a player’s shooting motion. I honestly wonder if the Warriors’ players had any say in this matter.
It is definitely going to grab some attention, but at the potential cost of performance? It is not worth it.
League executives and adidas certainly are on board with it. Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld told our Philip Rossman-Reich that these uniforms include some of the latest technology from adidas and have the potential to provide NBA trainers and players with vital information that could help players prevent injury and improve their performance.
RT @omagicdaily: Didn't they try some of this compression jersey technology at All-Star Weekend a few years ago? —> Yes.
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) February 11, 2013
RT @omagicdaily: —> Adidas introduced the uniform system, which includes a compression base-layer, with a uniform outer layer
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) February 11, 2013
RT @omagicdaily: —> The idea is to engineer all the parts to dissipate heat and sweat in the same ways.
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) February 11, 2013
RT @omagicdaily: —> padded compression is a huge component of that. Adidas rolled out customizable padded compression this year
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) February 11, 2013
RT @omagicdaily: —> NBA trainers can now build or insert custom padding into the compression layer to respond to game injuries.
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) February 11, 2013
The technology is pretty neat. But we will have to wait and see until the Warriors sport the new duds before making any final conclusions on anything. Much of the same technology used in these jerseys have been used in previous All-Star Games — think those tight-fitting uniforms you see or the undershirt-looking jersey Dwight Howard wore for the Slam Dunk Contest a few years ago.
The Warriors have one of the best offenses in the NBA, scoring just over 100 points a game. San Antonio’s defense is decent, but definitely not what it used to be. So if the Warriors only score 84 points against the Spurs when they wear these jerseys for the first time, I can expect this sleeves experiment will get scrapped quicker than Stephen Curry’s crossover.
Images: USA Today
