Imagine you’re 6’11″, 265 LBS., and have a mean midrange game and a 40+” vertical. (I said imagine, right?) Alright, so you might not measure up to Dwight Howard, but with the adidas TS BOUNCE Commander your dogs will be pampered much like DH’s feet. The shoe is the latest hit from the Three Stripes camp and will be worn by many of the brand’s brawny “Command” players throughout the rest of season.

Backed by a sizable portion of BOUNCE cushioning, (An inventive platform that recycles your gait cycle’s wasted energy, optimizing the efficiency of your footstrike.) the Commander BOUNCE offers Adi’s dependable adiPRENE+ in the forefoot for an overall ride that’s smoother than Cool Whip. The model’s upper is unified by a robust midfoot support strap that’s distinguished by the Three Stripes branding and a long line of perforations that should provide ample ventilation when you’re corraling rebounds in the paint.

Courtesy of adidas’ exclusive rights partnership with the NBA, the BOUNCE is furnished with jersey numbers and signatures from Kevin Garnett, Superman Howard, and Timmy Duncan. The shoe hit stores just before the Holidays, and is available at shopadidas.com in white/blue, black/silver, black/green/white, and black/green. Via Bounce.

Travel along with adidas and Dwight Howard as they film a spot at an NBA Testing Ground Center at a secret, undisclosed location for the new adidas TS BOUNCE Commander. The commercial calculates Dwight’s yearly jumping stats, converting his functional energy into various statistics–pretty cool, methinks. Bounce.

For the third year in a row, Philly-based lifestyle clothing troupe UNDRCRWN linked up with adidas REMIX to creatively reinvigorate the Three Stripes most coveted high-performance hoop product. In past years, the collaboration has yielded a five-shoe African- inspired “It Takes 5ive” campaign and shamelessly bold, iridescent version (Appropriately titled the “Just Ice Lightswitch Low”–Thanks K!) of the TS Lightswitch Low. For 2008-09, the partnership is coupling ‘Crwn’s “Brand for Champions” motif with Adi’s Team Signature Create & Command Series to create three shoes befitting the winners of the world. Specifically, the companies reworked the TS Commander Mid, TS Creator Mid, and TS Creator Low. I recently got the chance to sit down with folks from both camps and receive a behind-the-scenes look at the production and inspiration behind each model. Read on…

Going into the interview, I was interested in learning more about how each shoe was produced. With the atypical materials, concepts and marketing involved, I figured ongoing circumspection was necessary to properly execute such a unique project. Brian from the adidas Portland offices explains, “The original concepts for the shoes start 18 months out.” From there, changes in materials are meted out by the brand’s marketing department and Undrcrwn. UNDRCRWN founder and head designer Dustin Canalin explains, “It’s hard to market sometimes because the shoes are always being changed. But that’s the great thing about our projects with adidas—they keep us involved in every step of the process.”

With a skilled production squad backing the project, the brands centralized their efforts on developing product that was reflective of a “winning” attitude on and off the courts. UNDRCRWN Public Relations Manager Tracy Royal explains via stock e-mail, “UNDRCRWN is the Brand for Champions. When you win and nobody believes you could do it; that is what UNDRCRWN stands for.” Each shoe in the series employs a different approach in evoking a feeling of victory.

Toned up in a cream/white/red/blue color scheme, the Creator Low hearkens back to the days of set-shots, short shorts, and high socks. (Don’t let the look fool you—these guys and gals could play!) The shoe’s buttery canvas upper and rubber midsole provide an element of practical functionality that makes the shoe my favorite in the pack. And while the shoe looks streamline and simple on a surface level, the “GilIIIZero” proved to be quite burdensome during the manufacturing process. Brian maintains, “This one was hard…Dustin wanted a canvas upper and rubber midsole and outsole…this required lots of redesign because the shoe still has to stand up to the rigors an NBA player would place on it.” Their ongoing diligence will certainly be appreciated by Gilbert Arenas (If he can get healthy, that is!) as he’ll be expected to wear the TS Low was the season moves into the New Year. I have a hunch that he might dig the “World Champions” logo stitched in cursive along the heel panel, too. The application is just too sweet!

The Creator Mid is distinguished by the mark of champions everywhere—the jewelry. Featuring an all-encompassing embossed ring pattern along the upper and gem logo on the heel panel, the shoe is offered up in a black/yellow/silver colorway and exudes a look that UNDRCRWN’s Canalin maintains is, “Pretty straightforward.”

In an attempt to demoralize the The League’s “gangster” roots, NBA Commish David Stern and his nefarious gang of “Sternbots” implemented a suit-first, suit-second, suit-all-day dress code. The collaborative partners decided to have fun with the ordinance, crafting the TS Commander with luxurious ambition in mind. The Commander’s checkered upper, striped ankle strap and green/black/red color scheme and gold lace plate is reminiscent of that ol’ Gucci flavor. Canalin expostulates, “The shoe was an attempt to capture a life of aspiration—the nice car and trophy wife, the championship lifestyle.”

The UNDRCRWN x adidas Command and Create Champions series will all be released today, Monday, December 15, 2008 for $125. The Creator Mid and Commander are limited to 500 pairs worldwide and will be available through UNDRCRWN’s online store and selected urban accounts for. The canvas-oriented Creator Low will be limited to 100 pairs and will be available only at UNDRCRWN’s website.

“What does it mean to come home?” ponders Denver Nuggets floor leader and Colorado native Chauncey Billups. The guard recently peregrinated back to his birthplace after a long stint in Detroit, reinvigorating the city that watched him transform from a three-time “Mr. Basketball” recipient at George Washington High School into a do-everything scorer for the Colorado Buffaloes.

Billups recently teamed up with adidas to manufacture a unique version of the brand’s TS Creator Mid in celebration of Chauncey’s career with the Buffs that’ll be worn in tonight’s Thanksgiving Day game. The shoe is distinguished by glimmering gold upper and personal messages that hearken back to the guard’s days in the Big Twelve. More specifically, the model includes “Go Buffs” on the medial ankle collar and CB’s initials and nickname “Mr. Big Shot” on the lateral side.

The Three Stripes will host an exclusive auction for TS Creator Thanksgiving Day shoe starting on Friday, November 28, 2008. Only 11 pairs, exact replicas of the pair worn by Chauncey on Tofurkey Day, will be numbered and autographed by Billups. Bidding will start at $100 and will run for one week ending on Thursday, December 4th, 2008. To place a bid, please go here.

All proceeds will go to the Porter-Billups Leadership Academy, a local Denver academic institute providing disadvantaged youth optimal opportunities and resources to achieve success and receive diplomas. Billups has been actively involved it all elements of the non-profit organization since 2006.