Does a guy deserve credit for admitting that he was wrong and then taking bold steps to right the wrong? I’d say no, not if you had to beat him over the head first.

I don’t think the decision to go back to the old leather ball is a case of David Stern listening to his players, I don’t think it’s a case of him making a magnanimous decision … I think it’s a case of him saying to himself, “Well, if the new ball is actually making their hands bleed, and assistant coaches have to wear gloves while throwing passes in practice, I’m going to look like a total prick if I don’t change the ball back.”

I fully expect Steven Jackson to claim that dress shirts chafe his neck and that belts are giving him abdominal cancer, in an effort to get Stern to rescind the dress code, too.

But if the ball wasn’t making hands bleed, I don’t think this decision would’ve ever been made. Stern didn’t care that the players didn’t like it. If that was the only problem, they’d be using this ball until Stern was dead. But actually doing physical damage to players hands, the instruments they use to make a living … that, he couldn’t spin.

So I’m sure there are a few people around the league tonight that are amused that Stern had to put his tail between his legs (and I mean that literally, the man has a tail) and admit that he was wrong … even if he doesn’t believe it himself, which he probably doesn’t. He at least had to say it.

In fact, I bet he’s not done with this. He’s going to go back to Spalding, talk to them about some concerns that players had, and get a 2.0 version of the basketball. And no matter how terrible it is, as long as it doesn’t do physical damage, he’ll stick with it.

Also see: David Stern Unveils Plans To Use New Flaming Basketballs