A two-person team from the NBA is expected in Milwaukee tomorrow to "determine why" the Bucks' new basketball floor at the BMO Harris Bradley Center "became too slippery to play on Friday night," according to Don Walker of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. Bucks Exec VP/Business Operations John Steinmiller on Saturday said that officials will "look into possible causes and make a recommendation to the team." One option could be "going back to the team's old floor." Referee Danny Crawford and his crew on Friday "halted the annual MACC Fund Game in the first quarter" after Bucks and Raptors players "were slipping on the new hardwood court." The floor was "inspired by the franchise's 1977 MECCA Floor, designed by artist Robert Indiana." It was "created by Action Floor Systems of Mercer and assembled, sanded and painted on-site at the Bradley Center by ProStar Surfaces, a Mequon company that has worked with the Bucks for more than 20 years." Steinmiller said that the NBA had "approved the new design of the floor." Asked if he had concerns the floor may be unusable, Steinmiller said that it was "too early to tell." Steinmiller: "We want to find a solution. This may not be an ongoing problem" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 10/27).
SLIP SLIDIN' AWAY: In Toronto, Ryan Wolstat noted the entire Raptors coaching staff "had been complaining about the floor since well before the game started and the players were in full agreeance about the cancellation." Raptors G DeMar DeRozan said, "It was really bad. No exaggeration at all. I couldn't even cut to get open. It wasn't grip. When you tried to take off or cut, it would just give way. It was terrible. I was really scared." Raptors coach Dwane Casey: "It just was too dangerous. Our guys were slipping and falling, the last thing we need is to have a guy injured by slipping on a floor in a pre-season game" (TORONTO SUN, 10/26).
TASK AT HAND: The JOURNAL SENTINEL's Walker reported the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce on Friday announced the "makeup and mission" of a new 48-member task force "with a focus on" the Bradley Center. Assisting in the effort "will be a group of MMAC directors and Milwaukee financial power brokers headed by" MMAC Chair Ted Kellner. He will be "assisted in leading the MMAC group" by former Bucyrus Int'l CEO Tim Sullivan and Johnson Controls President & CEO Alex Molinaroli (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 10/26).
