NBA Trading Cards are Back! Panini Peeks the Unique 2011 Preferred Basketball Set

[EaglesFan9]

Sad but true. That's exactly what's wrong with our hobby now a days. SMH.

I know. I was at my LCS today, and one of the owners is a man around 65-75 years old. Considering I'm 16, he knows a lot more than me. I asked him what he thought about the new cards coming from Panini in February, and he didn't really think highly of it. He said the hoops set should be the best, and the biggest seller, but people are tricked into buying the $200 sets that give you 4 cards.

A lot of people miss when you could get a whole box with 100-300 cards, and have the fun of opening the box, looking for inserts and hits, etc. The way I'm wording it I make it sound like it was 10 years ago, but it wasn't. In a matter of 2-4 years, Panini has changed the basketball market so much. The 09-10 upper deck box was one of my favorite boxes I ever opened (Well, I did get a nice Derrick Rose auto ), but still, the thrill of looking for inserts, parallels, rookies, other editions, etc. just made it fun. When you get a box, sit down, open up 4 cards, the thrill is gone after \10- 15 minutes. You think "Well, now what am I going to do? Sell? Trade?"

I hope the market goes back to the way it used to be, it may not be that Upper Deck has the license, but that Panini brings back the prestige or donruss sets, and maybe Topps gets there license back. There are a ton of things that can happen, and I guess we'll have to wait 4 years to see.

[cgb_orl]

Looks like panini wont be getting their liscence with the NBA renewed if they keep coming out with crap like this.

They will if they are the highest bidder

That's all the NBA really cares about imo.

I don't know if this is part of the effort to reduce the flood of autos and gu'ed but this hobby was transitioning before they arrived. How many of us are even looking for stuff out of low end products and, if so, will offer less than it takes to ship? I'm not talking the exceptions which are few. Most times it makes it harder to find because the seller would rather sit on it than give it away. Now imagine what goes through a box breaker's mind the next time it's time to bust?

[adadas101]

What the industry needs is competition, by atleast one more company, it kind of evens things out, and more than often causes products to be better than anything else, I dont mean to constantly put panini down, but there products really are getting worse, and worse(w/a few exceptions).

I for one miss topps, they had a variety of products to fit any type of collector, and if anyone has seen some of there products released in the other sports this year, we basketball collectors missed out on some great looking cards, great looking die-cut inserts, a bevy of rainbows to put together, and nice looking base sets, not to mention auto/mem. sets.

[cgb_orl]

What the industry needs is competition, by atleast one more company, it kind of evens things out, and more than often causes products to be better than anything else, I dont mean to constantly put panini down, but there products really are getting worse, and worse(w/a few exceptions).

I for one miss topps, they had a variety of products to fit any type of collector, and if anyone has seen some of there products released in the other sports this year, we basketball collectors missed out on some great looking cards, great looking die-cut inserts, a bevy of rainbows to put together, and nice looking base sets, not to mention auto/mem. sets.

Exactly. Anytime there is competition it's just better for everyone. And it gives people the option to choose instead of complain. Although with Topps, I think they hold back on Basketball. They seem to get more on card for their Chrome products in other sports and haven't done so for Bskball since 03-04.