Kobe's Sprained Ankle

Nothing makes hoopers cringe quite like seeing a player sprain his/her ankle (I'm surprised it doesn't happen more given all the running and jumping in crowded areas during a game of basketball, actually). Ironically, Kobe sprained his ankle in a relatively open area of the floor with no one that close to him:



There's a slight misconception with lowtops--people seem to think that you're more likely to sprain your ankle wearing lowtops. That's not quite right. Instead, the thinking should be if you do sprain you're ankle, it'll be worse wearing a pair of lowtops versus a shoe with a higher cut (Sidenote: same thinking applies to shox basketball shoes. You're not anymore likely to sprain you're ankle wearing shox; it'll just be worse compared to if you turn your ankle wearing a shoe that keeps your foot closer to the ground). There's just not as much material on a lowtop to support your foot during an ankle roll. I don't think youre any more likely to sprain your ankle in a pair of lowtop Kobe's versus any other shoe as long as you tie them tight enough.

And yes, tie your shoes. What's with players losing their shoes during a game anyway?

A Girl's Gotta Have Personality

Well, posting here at least once a week has been a "fail" the last two weeks.  If you didn't already know, I spend most of my day working in front of a computer as someone who does tech support so it's tough to find the extra will power to spend a few extra minutes dropping bits of sneaker perspective here but I'll continue to try and do my best.

Ok, enough making excuses and on to the sneakers.  I'm a strong believer in "buy what you like" when it comes to kicks.  Some people like to have others inform their buying decisions (oh you easily influenced teens) but for me, I like to keep it simple.  If I like something and I can get it, I will. If not, I won't.  You can't go through life worrying about what others think--you'll end up quite unhappy. It's the same with sneakers.   Giving into fads can lead to some "buyers remorse" later on. Trust me (I'll save the story of my all red, patent leather, all-start T-Mac IIIs for another time).

That being said, I think the Jordan 2011 is definitely a "like" and I haven't even tried them on yet!  Besides their sleek good looks, I've heard from teammates that the Jordan 2011 is a great on-court performer.  That's really important!! A shoe that looks good but hurts your feet is like going out with a hot girl with a crappy personality. You won't be able to stand it for too long.

The Jordan 2011 comes with interchangeable insoles and wearers can decide if they like the lower to the ground, more responsive Zoom insoles or the more explosive, cushioned support Air insoles. I can't wait to give these a run on the court.  Here were the general releases:

 

Here's a "blackout" or "black cat" colorway; definitely love the patent leather look on these (pic courtesy of counterkicks.com):

And here's a pair coming out on April 30 that I'd definitely like to (eventually) get because it's in my team colors:

 

-RyeNO

I'm Back!! **PLUS** Upcoming Release Alert

What's good kicksologists..It has been a busy 2 weeks for me and when I looked at the calendar I realized that it's been almost a month since I last updated here. That's too long in between updates for any legit blog so I will strive to be better in the coming weeks.

Anyway, another classic Jordan is coming out next weekend. This time it's the Retro VII in what's known as the "Bordeaux" colorway. The word "Bordeaux" is actually the name of a city in France as well as a type of red wine. I don't know if the color scheme is related to this in any way but I do know that the two "flap" like ares around the ankle were inspired by none other than Bugs Bunny himself.

See the resemblance between this iconic character's famous ears and the ankle area on the kicks below?

By the way, 23isback is a great website for keeping up with all the Jordan release dates so be sure to check it out here.