Official Air Jordan XX8 Ad: “Dare To Fly”

Back when I did a post on the greatest basketball commercials ever, the people at Jordan Brand figured prominently on that list. They always kill this stuff. Here’s the most recent example: the official spot for the Air Jordan XX8, featuring quick cameos from Russell Westbrook and Blake Griffin.

Russell Westbrook – Air Jordan XX8 – Black/Orange PE

In comparison to last year’s lackluster Air Jordan 2012, the Air Jordan XX8 has exploded out of the gate – with much of the credit going to OKC Thunder star Russell Westbrook. As the “chosen one” to carry on the torch of the Air Jordan legacy, Westbrook has elevated his game to new heights while keeping us interested with his sporadic Air Jordan XX8 on-feet sightings. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, should we expect to see Mr. Why Not? wear the XX8 on a nightly basis? That could be the case, as we saw him wear the Air Jordan XX8 in a ‘Black/Orange’ PE during last night’s match-up against the Houston Rockets (he didn’t have much traveling to do).  These are indeed slightly different from the pair we should you last night as the upper shroud is a tonal black rather than a carbon-fiber seen in the pair last night. We’ve got a detailed gallery below so take a look and stay tuned to Sneaker News for more NBA Feet sightings!

Writter by John K. (Sneaker News)

2013 NBA All-Star Locker Room Sneaker Line-up

The 2013 NBA All-Star Weekend came to a mighty close last Sunday night, with the league’s best stars across the NBA showcasing their talents in some of the most vibrant and colorful sneakers we’ve seen this year. Although the mid-season festivities are done and the NBA is now zeroing in on the Playoffs, let’s take on trip back to this past weekend with a rare look at all the sneakers that were inside the All-Star Locker Rooms, courtesy of Dime; all of the All-Star kicks are organized neatly in front of each player’s chairs, providing some clear visuals on some of the spicier PEs like LaMarcus Aldridge’s Hyperposite and the various Hyperdunk 2012s, and even some upcoming releases like the Nike LeBron X Low, the Jordan Melo M9 ‘Nemesis, and Nike Kobe 8 ‘Grey/Volt’. Enjoy this thorough recap of the All-Star footage below and let us know which pair you like best!

Getting to the Bottom of the 2013 Trade Deadline Moves

This wasn’t the worst trade deadline day ever – the Anthony Johnson-led 2000 and 2007 trade deadlines were far more tepid than this year’s – but the 2013 version of the NBA’s great cluster of nonsense didn’t provide much fodder for your various newspaper or website front pages. The top name left to dangle on Thursday, Atlanta forward Josh Smith, hasn’t even appeared in an All-Star game. And we’ve already gone over why Smith’s stay in Atlanta might be the best move for all involved.

What we’re left with, in the absence of stars and with the crush of the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement sending the fear of the luxury tax into most team’s front offices, is a whole lot of tinkering. In all, the biggest name to be moved in the trade deadline was a backup shooting guard that has started 11 games this season for a 15-win team. That’s an unduly harsh description of Orlando Magic guard J.J. Redick, who is a fantastic player and worth all the attention he’s received from prospective trading partners, but Redick alone doesn’t provide the superstar cachet that other trade deadline movers have given us through the years.

It wasn’t an Anthony Johnson-styled Thursday, but it wasn’t far off. Let’s delve into the trade deadline that barely happened.

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Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report on Thursday the full deal involving Redick’s move from the Orlando Magic to the Milwaukee Bucks. He’ll head to Wisconsin with Gustavo Ayon and Ish Smith in exchange for Beno Udrih, Tobias Harris, and Doron Lamb.

That is to say, nobody of any immediate significance (though Ayon has his moments) outside of Udrih, who will fill in capably if Magic guard Jameer Nelson’s patella injury continues to linger. Basically, the Magic did the well-liked Redick a favor in sending him to a playoff team that clearly coveted his services. And though Redick doesn’t boast the same star power as incumbent Bucks shooting guard Monta Ellis, more possessions used up by Redick (as opposed to the 39.9 percent shooting Ellis) will be a boon for the Bucks. Monta also makes fewer than a quarter of his three-pointers on average, despite repeated attempts, something the 39-percent shooting Redick will be able to help with.

As the great Evan Dunlap at Orlando Pinstriped Post points out, the deal didn’t really shift the needle for the rebuilding Magic:

Add it up and Orlando only sent out $12.69 million in guaranteed money. One could argue that it saved money because it will no longer be in the running to sign Redick to a new contract in the summer, but the bare facts are the Magic's cap sheet is no cleaner after the deadline than it was before.

That is to say – Orlando’s front office likes Redick, and they did him a favor. The team probably wasn’t going to break the bank to re-sign the 28-year old guard this summer as a free agent heading into his prime, not with that rebuilding process years away from turning the corner, so the team sent him to a squad in Milwaukee that still fancies itself a continual playoff contender, one that will hold Redick’s Bird Rights and the ability to sign him for more money than most this July.

Written by Kevin Dwyer (Yahoo)