Why does the NBA hate the black mask?

[mrwallace2ku]

To easy...


Make the mask half white half black...no probs then.


(See Seinfeld episode involving the black-n-white cookie...ya get the best of both worlds.)

Peace

 

[True Lakers Fan]

To easy...


Make the mask half white half black...no probs then.


(See Seinfeld episode involving the black-n-white cookie...ya get the best of both worlds.)

Peace

All of those things are written out in the cba very carefully, so the NBA front office is merely following the rules and regulations to keep uniformity in the NBA. If the players don't like that then they need to address it in the next cba negotiations

Hey - Sman -is that you?

 

[Lone Granger]

LeBron James of Miami Heat will ditch black mask vs. Orlando Magic - ESPN


Pussy.

 

[TobyTyler]

They wont let LeBron wear it. They wont let anyone. Kobe and Kyrie Irving weren't allowed to either.

What a crock!

They are gangster wanna be's and the NBA ain't havin'
it.

 

[RoboticDreams]

They are gangster wanna be's and the NBA ain't havin'
it.

Kobe is far from a "gangster."

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

But why??

He actually tweeted he would wear whatever he needed to. So Y U MAD?

It's a sad day for basketball when one of the more newsworthy NBA stories is about the color of a players protective face-gear.

 

[antone112]

He should keep wearing it. What are they going to do? Suspend him? He's one of 10 players that makes the league money.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

He should keep wearing it. What are they going to do? Suspend him? He's one of 10 players that makes the league money.

I would imagine that he would be fined the first time he violated the terms of the league rules and then suspended the second time which works for me.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

Quite simply the refs won't allow him on court with it on. And no organisation is going to risk a game because of the pettiness of a player.

Hypothetically speaking of course!

 

[Brahmsian]

LeWrong rates worse punishment than being forbidden to wear on-court apparel he likes.

Making his cap hit so high no team could afford him until he did something like donate his Cleveland mansion to a charity would be appropriate if the rules allowed it.

 

[BOTSLAYER]

It's a sad day for basketball when one of the more newsworthy NBA stories is about the color of a players protective face-gear.

"We know that if LeBron changes his clothes, that's going to be a big deal," Bosh said. "So whatever he does, that's going to garner a lot of attention."


Stop reading it, watching it etc and maybe TMZPN will go back to covering sports.

 

[BOTSLAYER]

Quite simply the refs won't allow him on court with it on. And no organisation is going to risk a game because of the pettiness of a player.

Hypothetically speaking of course!

Kind of sounds like somebody got pissy after getting smacked down by the black mask and called the NBA, because LBJ and Heat wouldn't have crushed the Knicks if he wore a clear mask :rollseyes:

Taken from TMZPN...

James acknowledged after Thursday's game that he did not seek league approval for the design. But an NBA spokesman initially communicated in an email to ESPN.com during the Heat's game against the Knicks that the league did not foresee any issues with the mask James wore.

That sentiment apparently changed by Friday, when the league contacted the Heat to request that James wear a clearer version of the mask in future games. A source close to James told ESPN.com on Friday night that the four-time league MVP would appeal the NBA's decision.

"I don't know if I expected it, but I'm not surprised," James said Saturday during his pregame session with media. "It's not a league rule, but it's the league's request that you don't wear the black one. For the reasons that they told me, it didn't make sense to me. But hey, I'm just a player in this league and I will abide by this request -- I'm not even going to say rule, but request -- by the NBA."

"I don't want to get into it," James said. "I'm good with the NBA. We're good. I am not against the NBA. They had a request and I fulfilled it. Let's just leave it at that. As long as (the mask) is transparent. As long as they can see my face, my opponents."

LeBron James of Miami Heat will ditch black mask vs. Orlando Magic - ESPN

 

[trojanfan12]

Don't side with Lebron on much. But with this.....Dude is 100% in the right. I wish he'd have told the league, "Request denied" and worn the black one.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Don't side with Lebron on much. But with this.....Dude is 100% in the right. I wish he'd have told the league, "Request denied" and worn the black one.

Quite honestly the Lebron lovers are whining more then Lebron, but....
I think it's time to quit whining about it.

 

[LALakersboy24.7]

Quite honestly the Lebron dick lovers are whining more then Lebron, but....
I think it's time to quit whining about it.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

 

[True Lakers Fan]

WELL PUT

 

[JDM]

It's not even a rule?


As long as it doesn't have words or logos on it, who the fuck cares? If he wants to decorate it with flowers and glitter, good for him...

 

[gordontrue]

Why's it always got to be about color?

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Paul here, making a rare Sunday appearance to handle today’s lede (although Phil will still have the rest of today’s content, as you’ll see when you scroll down).

So: Even if you’re not an NBA fan, you’ve probably heard about the fuss over LeBron James’s mask. The condensed version is this: James recently broke his nose. For his first game after the injury, on Thursday night, he wore a black mask, which caused a mild sensation (so much so that the Heat promptly rush this T-shirt into production). But on Friday the league asked James to switch to a clear mask. James initially appealed — he reportedly preferred the black mask because it’s lighter and fits better — but ultimately gave in and wore a clear mask for last night’s game.

There are several aspects to this story that don’t quite add up. Let’s go one thing at a time:

1. Why can’t these people get their stories straight? Most news stories on this subject have included the following quote from NBA spokesman Tim Frank: “It is our understanding LeBron used the black mask because a clear one he was comfortable with wasn’t ready.” But ESPN.com’s story, which included that quote, also included this: “James has a clear mask ready and practiced with it for two days before switching to the black mask just before Thursday’s tipoff.” So was Tim Frank (the NBA spokesguy) misinformed, or was he just being diplomatic and giving James some sort of cover? (It’s also worth noting that James wore a clear mask in 2005.)

2. There are multiple precedents for the league’s request — or are there? Many reports on this story have noted that two other NBA players — Kobe Bryant in 2012 and Kyrie Irving last season — wore black masks after suffering injuries and then switched to clear masks at the NBA’s request. But Bryant’s mask switcheroo had nothing to do with any pressure from the NBA — he initially wore a clear mask, then switched to a black mask for the first half of one game, and then went back to the clear mask because he found the black one uncomfortable. To my knowledge, the league never got involved with his mask situation.

As for Irving, it’s true that he wore a black mask for one game last season (scoring 41 points) and then was told by the league to switch to a clear one. So that one does qualify as a genuine precedent.

3. What’s with all the “please” and “thank you”? According to all the reports I’ve read, the NBA doesn’t actually have a rule or regulation regarding mask colors. League officials simply “asked” or “requested” that James wear clear instead of black. But if it’s not a rule, why did James have to go through an “appeal” process, as many news stories stated? And if the NBA cares enough about this issue to bring it up two seasons in a row, why don’t they make it a rule? Just spell it out so everyone knows the deal and there’ll be no confusion. Jeez.

4. Rule or no rule, what’s the basis for the league’s position? The reason for the league’s stance is reportedly that they want all players to be able to see their opponents’ eyes. That’s why they banned Dwyane Wade’s tinted goggles back in 2011. And that made sense — if you can’t see where a player is looking, that player has an unfair advantage.

But what does that have to do with a black mask vs. a clear mask? Either way, the mask is going to have eye cutouts and you’ll still be able to see the player’s eyeballs. In fact, you could arguably make the case that the whites of a black player’s eyes are more apparent (or at least more contrasting) if he’s wearing a black mask. If this is really the basis for the league’s position, I think it’s a pretty flimsy one.

At least one blogger has suggested that the real reason for the league’s position is based on race and culture, not competitive advantage. And although that post reads like a Gizoogle translation, the guy may have a point.

All in all, I think we could definitely use some more transparency here. But I’m not referring to the color of the mask.

Now here’s Phil with the rest of today’s content.