Reaction and Grades for New NY Knicks Uniforms

In a league and town that fancies style (Clyde) more than any other, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler struck a pose modeling the Knicks’ new uniforms on a New York City rooftop, under the gaze of the Empire State Building. And just in time for Fashion Week.

Strike a pose. Vogue.

In a word, the new threads are classy.

But the most notable reaction around the web to the new uniforms was non-reaction.

ESPN’s Ian Begley pointed out the most significant change, which wasn’t very much at all:

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The most notable change was the removal of the side piping on the jerseys and shorts. The shorts have a solid waistband -- orange for the away jersey and blue for home -- and the Knicks' new logo adorns the left leg.

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The New York Times dug a little deeper and found other minute differences with uniforms past,

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The Knicks’ “new” uniforms, unveiled Thursday, featured no striking changes, only simple edits: narrower trim around the arms, removal of the striped panels down the sides, a colored waistband…a less-arching “New York” across the chest. And yes, the neckline is now a symmetrical curve.

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But not everyone is completely satisfied. A picky CBSSports eye-on-basketball searched desperately to find a flaw:

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What's up with the underarms lining? The stripe outline in orange and blue rotates from the top of the shoulder down to the armpit and then just ... dies. Like some lonely abandoned trail that just peters out into the forest of armpit hair.

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That is one discerning eye on basketball fashion.

And New York Magazine tried hard to find understand what all the fuss was about:

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If anything, we can finally stop hearing about them. After weeks of leaked video game screenshots and teases by the Knicks themselves, the team finally unveiled this season's new home and away uniforms in a fairly silly press conference.

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But what do the players themselves think? The New York Daily News quoted perhaps a tongue-in-cheek Amar’e Stoudemire saying, “I love them. These jerseys are extremely clean.”

Appropriately, an understated reaction to understated changes.

It is those understated changes that make the Knicks' new duds winners.

But, really, all I care about is a title.