NBA Teams in need of a new look

[jhans203]

Wizards- Change I feel is needed, I think that their jersey wordmark is horrible. I just think this team needs another overhaul(like the Cleveland Cavs made when they drafted LeBron), something major like that even a possible name change would work. Washington...Power, Horsemen, Authority, Dominion, Pride, Greed, ???...I think that Wizards is far worse than Bullets.

If I remember correctly there was some disagreement about the Wizards nickname among the African American community in D.C., because of the tie into the KKK. All you gotta do is a little P.R. campaign with Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. Get them on CNN, the Today Show and maybe Oprah and Abe Pollin should fold quicker than he did for the Bullets. I say half joking and half serious.

What kind of (serious) names would you suggest for a Washington franchise? Capitals, United and Nationals are obviously out of the running. Maybe the Stars, Senators, Eagles???

[Davey]

Oklahoma City - See all previous posts.

Houston - The "HR" logo is a disaster. Should bring back yellow and go retro, and eventually will.

Toronto - I dig the colors and unis, but... New nickname, please! "Raptors" is much too out-dated and ridiculous.

LA Clippers - Their logo has been out of date for at least two decades now. Sadly, who knows if it will ever get addressed?

Utah - Tried to jump aboard the powder blue bandwagon and successfully failed. Also should do something retro-ish.

At least change the identity. Make the logo more tough and fierce , rather than an outdated look, and just re-color to make it more Canadian ( if no one knows where they are from ).

Would the NBA even allow teams to re-name their teams. If so, then thats defiantly a must.

[Wasatch]

Oklahoma City - See all previous posts.

Houston - The "HR" logo is a disaster. Should bring back yellow and go retro, and eventually will.

Toronto - I dig the colors and unis, but... New nickname, please! "Raptors" is much too out-dated and ridiculous.

LA Clippers - Their logo has been out of date for at least two decades now. Sadly, who knows if it will ever get addressed?

Utah - Tried to jump aboard the powder blue bandwagon and successfully failed. Also should do something retro-ish.

At least change the identity. Make the logo more tough and fierce , rather than an outdated look, and just re-color to make it more Canadian ( if no one knows where they are from ).

Would the NBA even allow teams to re-name their teams. If so, then thats defiantly a must.

And amazingly enough, the Raptors don?t have the Canadian Leaf in any of their logos.

[TornadoGTS]

And amazingly enough, the Raptors don’t have the Canadian Leaf in any of their logos.

I still like this one:

http://www.sportslogos.net/logo.php?id=yqxm55ag4g55bfnvg20gsh8eo

[Wasatch]

And amazingly enough, the Raptors don?t have the Canadian Leaf in any of their logos.

I still like this one:

http://www.sportslogos.net/logo.php?id=yqxm55ag4g55bfnvg20gsh8eo

Yeah, that wasn?t a bad one. I wonder why they phased that one out and didn?t incorporate the leaf into anything else though.

[rams80]

Wizards- Change I feel is needed, I think that their jersey wordmark is horrible. I just think this team needs another overhaul(like the Cleveland Cavs made when they drafted LeBron), something major like that even a possible name change would work. Washington...Power, Horsemen, Authority, Dominion, Pride, Greed, ???...I think that Wizards is far worse than Bullets.

If I remember correctly there was some disagreement about the Wizards nickname among the African American community in D.C., because of the tie into the KKK. All you gotta do is a little P.R. campaign with Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. Get them on CNN, the Today Show and maybe Oprah and Abe Pollin should fold quicker than he did for the Bullets. I say half joking and half serious.

The logo also has a rather "unfortunate" shape. Perhaps something could be made of that.

What kind of (serious) names would you suggest for a Washington franchise? Capitals, United and Nationals are obviously out of the running. Maybe the Stars, Senators, Eagles???

Patriots

[tBBP]

I don't profess to be a big fan of the NBA, but as a fan of logo/uniform design (aren't we all?), I present my own personal opinions and quick hitters...

Boston Celtics - most consider this an untouchable classic. I say it can be touched. I believe the simple addition of some gold trim could do wonders to update this set. Might not be a bad idea to explore a more Celtic (say it with me...keltik)identity i.e. wordmark and updated logos.

Philadelphia 76ers - dig up Conrad the Red Goat guy's 76ers concept in the Concepts forum and go in that direction.

Cleveland Cavaliers...Good Lord. Stick with the wine and the gold as primary colors (read: switch the colors of the NOBs and numbers on the white uniforms); perhaps incorporate some type of navy trim into their wine unis, since they currently include none. Or better yet, take the barberpole trim from the navy alts and apply that across the board. Might work.

Detroit Pistons - revive the flaming horsehead logo. Current uniforms are perfect as is to me...actually one of my favorites in the L.

Milwaukee Bucks - lose the shiny sheen, please. I'm cool with the colors...but they need to decide whether to go with the bevel all the way across the board or eliminate it completely.

Atanta Hawks - switch the navy out for yellow, the silver for black, and I'm cool wit it on the current look.

Charlotte Bobcats - ORANGE! 'Nuff said. Make primary dark uniforms orange, with current sidepanels, emphasize orange on white uniforms, and they may be onto something.

Miami Heat - they need an update in the worst way. I don't hate their current look, but this is Miami..the one team that could afford to get wild and crazy with a uniform set.

Orlando Magic - Starchild did a concept for this team once. Find it and follow it to the letter.

Washington Wizards - time for an overhaul. When they redid their colors, I believe it was to fall in line with the Capitals, who have now reverted back to the "national colors". Perhaps the Wizz should look to go that direction. Also, the name Potomacs has been tossed around in Redskins discussions...perhaps the Wizz could explore going that route with an identity update.

Dallas Mavericks - isn't this the team that started the twoblue craze in the NBA, anyway?

Houston Rockets - nothing. At all. With the possible exception of trading the silver for yellow. Some call this seet overly simplistic...but then what does that make the Celtics' current set? Plus, IIRC, the current identity and uniforms were designed by a Chinese firm, hence the seemingly Chinese influence, which makes plenty sense when one considers one Mr. Yao Ming. The numbers and chest scripts could probably increase in size, but I love the current look.

Memphis Grizzlies - I brought this up once before, and someone else mentioned it earlier: if the NBA brass could get off themselves, let this team call itself the Express. FedEx is HQ's there in Memphis, plus, nothing about Memphis makes me think "grizzly bear" (and yes I know the team relocated, but still). Hell...people think about music before bears when they think about Memphis. Either of those would be better than the Grizzlies. All that said...looking past the overused twoblue/yellow scheme, their uniform design is actually quite nice.

Golden State Warriors - keep the Golden Gate orange in whatever update they do. Actually, the navy, golden gate orange, and yellow look REAL sharp together, in my opinion. It's also a unique color group in the realm of pro sports. I'm not one who advocates for the return to the Chris Mullin/Chris Webber look or the "The City" throwback look...that look has run its course. Can't live in the past.

LA Clippers - been discussed enough in this thread. Whatever they do, if they do anything, it REALLY needs to stand out.

Phoenix Suns - something along the lines of the '07 All-Star game (or whatever year the event/game was in Phoenix) would work really well for the Suns, I believe. Also, I think they'd do well to explore a color scheme more indicative of the desert. Just a thought.

Sacramento Kings - do SOMETHING. Anything. Just get out of what they're in right now.

Utah Jazz - was not a fan of the twoblue switch when they first did it...am still not a fan. If they don't like the purple in Utah, pair the sky blue with forest green or something, similar to the scheme Tulane uses now. (Especially now that the old green Jazz unis are the hot thing in Jazzland right now.)

[AceHawk447]

I like the idea of (mood?) indigo as a color for the Utah Jazz...forest green and ice blue can complete that color scheme. As for the Warriors, I'm so feeling the Golden Gate orange and yellow gold hues; either a navy or a Columbia/Carolina blue would work best with them. [447]

[The_Admiral]

I like the idea of (mood?) indigo as a color for the Utah Jazz

Well, here it is, the one time someone says something really rapier-sharp clever about the Utah Jazz instead of the tiresome name-switching.

[Saintsfan]

I don't profess to be a big fan of the NBA, but as a fan of logo/uniform design (aren't we all?), I present my own personal opinions and quick hitters...

Boston Celtics - most consider this an untouchable classic. I say it can be touched. I believe the simple addition of some gold trim could do wonders to update this set. Might not be a bad idea to explore a more Celtic (say it with me...keltik)identity i.e. wordmark and updated logos.

I heartily disagree with most of this. I do think however, they could update the style of the Jersey, as the Lakers did a while back, and as the Pistons did (via the teal era!) But gold trim- no, changing the wordmark- no, logos- meh. I am not convinced that a celtic identity is what is needed, I think the fun Irishness of the current leprechaun logo is pretty cool, but the Logo isn't untouchable.

[jimbojohnny56]

As far as the Celtics go I like the leprachaun logo because I grew up with it but most of the new gear that alot of the kids are wearing now is the shamrock and I have to say I like it better than the leprachaun myself. I don't see the Celtics ever changing the uni home and aways. They will probabaly always have an alt. of some kind because of the world we live in now almost demands it. BTW I hate the road alt. they wear that has the black in it. Why should they change the style of the jersey just because others have done so? I actually like the basic jersey they have and don't really care for the Lakers style of jersey at all.

Also I just ordered white T- shirt with the Jazz note logo on the front with number 12 and Stockton on the back I loved the Jazz as a kid and was probably the only person in Boston that owned any Jazz gear. Stockton and Malone were a thing of beauty to watch if you loved basketball in it's purest form the old pick and roll run to perfection. This is why I am so partial to the Jazz note logo along with it's colors. Purple,Green,White and Gold it's just the Jazz to me whether that combo of colors was designed for a New Orleans based team it became a great look for a great team in Utah, the Utah Jazz!

Stockton,Griffith,Bailey,Malone and Eaton.

Of cousre there were better teams in Utah later on as Stockton and Malone got better and more key pieces were added around them unfortuately a man named Jordan stood in their way and they could never get the big one but the teams in the mid to late 80's is the team that I really enjoyed and drew me to become a real fan and they wore some of the best uniforms in basketball history. JAZZ GO RETRO ALL THE WAY DOWN TO COLORS!

[Brown Indians]

I like the fact that some NBA teams are starting to simplify their uniforms or return to their traditional digs. That said, this is a great thread because many teams still do need a change. Here are my thoughts.

Atlantic

Knicks: Ditch the black. You all said it best.

Celtics: Great.

76ers: Great.

Raptors: I don't they can look good in anything. That team doesn't exist to me.

Nets: They should replicate the ABA look when they move to Brooklyn.

Central

Bulls: Great.

Pacers: See Reggie Miller era.

Pistons: Fine.

Bucks: I like red and green better than purple and green. I don't have a huge issue with these.

Cavaliers: I think these are AWFUL. Often overlooked. Needs to be blue/orange model from early 90s.

Southeast

Heat: Fine.

Magic: Fine.

Hawks: I don't mind them, but they would be better suited with red and gold.

Bobcats: See Raptors.

Wizards: Call me when they're the Bullets again.

Northwest

Thunder: Go back to Seattle, put on the green and gold, and we'll pretend this never happened.

Nuggets: I think these are great.

Jazz: Needs to be purple/while of the 80s and early 90s.

Timberwolves: Original uniforms are their only hope. Even they weren't great.

Blazers: One of the best in the NBA.

Southwest:

Spurs: Great.

Hornets: Good, but not so loud. Tone down the color a bit.

Rockets: Awful. See Hakeem Olajuwon.

Mavericks: See Jason Kid's rookie year. Those were electric.

Grizzlies: Actually don't mind these, despite the teams non-existent state.

Pacifc

Lakers: Great.

Clippers: Only thing they have better than their cross-town rivals. Great.

Warriors: "The City" blue and gold all the way.

Suns: I think these are the best they've had. Maybe Larry Nance circa 1984? Keep the white, purple, orange. Loose the gray.

Kings: Keep purple and black. Simplify a little. Logo is fine.

[jimbojohnny56]

The Suns have top drop the gray as the previous poster suggested. It ruins the whole thing for me.

[jrh31584]

Every team whose primary logo is just the team name and a basketball should make some sort of change to the logo.

[Wasatch]

I don't profess to be a big fan of the NBA, but as a fan of logo/uniform design (aren't we all?), I present my own personal opinions and quick hitters...

Boston Celtics - most consider this an untouchable classic. I say it can be touched. I believe the simple addition of some gold trim could do wonders to update this set. Might not be a bad idea to explore a more Celtic (say it with me...keltik)identity i.e. wordmark and updated logos.

I heartily disagree with most of this. I do think however, they could update the style of the Jersey, as the Lakers did a while back, and as the Pistons did (via the teal era!) But gold trim- no, changing the wordmark- no, logos- meh. I am not convinced that a celtic identity is what is needed, I think the fun Irishness of the current leprechaun logo is pretty cool, but the Logo isn't untouchable.

Not to mention the Boston Celtics logo was drawn by Red Auerbach's (Celtic Godfather) brother, Zang.

Also I just ordered white T- shirt with the Jazz note logo on the front with number 12 and Stockton on the back I loved the Jazz as a kid and was probably the only person in Boston that owned any Jazz gear. Stockton and Malone were a thing of beauty to watch if you loved basketball in it's purest form the old pick and roll run to perfection. This is why I am so partial to the Jazz note logo along with it's colors. Purple,Green,White and Gold it's just the Jazz to me whether that combo of colors was designed for a New Orleans based team it became a great look for a great team in Utah, the Utah Jazz!

Stockton,Griffith,Bailey,Malone and Eaton.

Of cousre there were better teams in Utah later on as Stockton and Malone got better and more key pieces were added around them unfortuately a man named Jordan stood in their way and they could never get the big one but the teams in the mid to late 80's is the team that I really enjoyed and drew me to become a real fan and they wore some of the best uniforms in basketball history. JAZZ GO RETRO ALL THE WAY DOWN TO COLORS!

Like a lot of fans here in Utah, I happen to agreed with you that the Jazz should go retro all the way. The current secondary Jazz note logo isn?t bad but if they?re going to go in that direction, just bring back the original instead of some lame knockoff mockup!

[jimbojohnny56]

I know that it has been a complaint about NBA logos that there is always a basketball forced into it somehow. However I think some of the best old logos did this. The Jazz old logo(Ball in the note), the Pacers (the arm and hand shooting the ball forming a P), the Bullets( the arms reaching for the ball forming the 2 L's in the word Bullets).

[DustDevil61]

EDIT: OH MY GOD GUY ABOVE ME DON'T EVER POST LIKE THAT AGAIN

Sorry, Admiral. Those were the closest colors I'd prefer for each of the teams. Maybe I'll do a little Photoshopping/concept thing, when I have time.

[Buster]

Wizards --> Return to Bullets

[jhans203]

Wizards --> Return to Bullets

Maybe when Abe kicks the bucket. But, for now its the Wizards, unless someone can convince Abe of the racial implications of the name.

[-kj]

Wizards --> Return to Bullets

No. Not because of the PC reasons, but because it's a dumb name.