Rockets New Court Design

[Dmore55]

HOUSTON -- The Rockets' home court is undergoing a makeover.

Nearly four years after opening the doors to Toyota Center, the Rockets have mapped out plans to redesign the court's canvas with a sleek, two-tone wood style look.

The new floor design, which is currently being redone and is scheduled to be completed later this month, will have lighter wood inside the three-point arcs with the rest of the floor being flushed by a darker shade of wood.

The major renovation is being made to give the floor a more sleek and vibrant appearance for fans, whether they're watching the Rockets in the stands or on television.

"We're always trying to update the facility and put something out there that the fans will really enjoy," Rockets CEO Tad Brown said. "We have looked at courts from across the NBA and this type of look in other facilities really lends itself to a more vibrant and clean presentation during the game."

The organization started exploring its redesign options this summer because the team felt the floor's red paint flushed out the action and absorbed the arena's lighting. After creating about 10 different possible designs, the team chose the two-tone wood style look because it creates a stage-like appearance.

Unlike the previous floor design, the only red paint on the floor is in logos and stripes. The floor's border and the traditional painted area below the free throw line will be wooded areas.

"The best part of this design is the court is really going to stand out because the lighting isn't going to get saturated into the red," said Rockets creative services manager Jose Lopez, who designed the court. "Since we have red seats, it will be a great contrast."

In addition to the two-wood style approach, center court will simply have the Rockets' R logo in red and each baseline will read "Houston Rockets" in red lettering.

The new design is being redone by Jones Flooring.

"It's going to be extremely clean," Brown said. "We think this is going to be a beautiful court and really enhance the experience for our fans."

New Court

Old Court

[nwtrailtrekker]

slight improvement. a little classier.

[cappital92]

Another two-tone court? It's becoming the navy and light blue of arenas today. Give me something like the Charlotte Hornets court, something unique.

[patsox]

That blows. The old one is much better.

[Brendan]

Man I love the rockets logo.

[SouthSidePride]

this two tone stuff is really gone overboard. I enjoy a court without paint, but the two tones of wood just looks tacky if it is not Phoenix...

[VC//]

Do people realize that the bottom one is the old one and the one above it is new?

Seriously i'm hearing whining about it and not seeing what the problem is, the new one is nice, clean and classy. Plus the two-tone gives the refs a better way to see if there is a 3pt shot made and what not, you know...to shave pts.

[Krona]

Man I love the rockets logo.

Man I hate the Rockets logo

[NJTank]

I hate the new court I Like the old style much better

[Saturn]

I'm trying to think of any new design by the NBA that I've liked in the last 10 years........nope blank.

[ShinyHubCaps]

What's with the un-painted key?

"3-seconds in the paint"

"Whaaa? Where?"

It's not even an invert like the Spurs.

Sorry, but this is a miss. I also think the two-tone should have stopped after Seattle (original), Phoenix (still good), Milwaukee (a little overdone), Cleveland (um, I see a pattern), Washington (this is getting ridiculous, but I guess it works), and possibly Toronto (too trendy).

[Lee.]

I am bitching about something that's changed for the sake of bitching.

[dbackdiehard17]

So much for Phoenix's and Seattle's original look...

Which leads me to wonder: is Reebok redesigning all these court looks so they can all be a crappy looking template?

lmao... haha, crazy Reebokians

[VandyDelphia Mike]

All these teams keep redesigning their courts. Meanwhile the Sixers have had the same mediocre floor design since 1997, with a font on the baselines that resembles nothing in the team's graphic elements package, and the only changes being made when the building changed names due to bank takeovers.

They're doing uniform tweaks this season; perhaps the court is due for a makeover too?

[KJTALBOT]

I don't like the look of the lighter wood on the two toned courts.

It looks like someone put too much stripper on the paint and faded the wood.

I liked Wyoming's two-toned court with the darker wood.

[Max Power]

The good: Losing all the red paint from the baselines and keys. I like the "less paint the better" approach; it looks simple and classy.

The bad: Another two-toned wood court? That looks is getting really played out.

[powersurge]

What's with the un-painted key?

"3-seconds in the paint"

"Whaaa? Where?"

It's not even an invert like the Spurs.

Sorry, but this is a miss. I also think the two-tone should have stopped after Seattle (original), Phoenix (still good), Milwaukee (a little overdone), Cleveland (um, I see a pattern), Washington (this is getting ridiculous, but I guess it works), and possibly Toronto (too trendy).

Take it from someone who has played competitive basketball nearly his whole life, having that area painted is a huge help IMO. Its easier to see the area in your peripheral vision. I hate the fact that more NBA teams are taking the paint away. I am not a fan.

[HowBoutThemFins]

ugh. more two tone trash

[hormone]

2 tone wood is the new navy blue for the NBA

[Delux247]

Do people realize that the bottom one is the old one and the one above it is new?

Seriously i'm hearing whining about it and not seeing what the problem is, the new one is nice, clean and classy. Plus the two-tone gives the refs a better way to see if there is a 3pt shot made and what not, you know...to shave pts.

No kidding. The two-tone is becoming more common, but if it looks good (which I really think it does) then go with it. The Rockets were one of the teams (e.g. Golden St., Sacramento, New Jersey) whose court just wasn't clean and sharp. Much needed.