The Adidas TMAC II is one of those rare shoes that is constantly in motion while standing perfectly still. The sleek, low profile and aggressive TMAC topped our voting charts and trumped the rest of the playing field in overall quality, luxury, performance, style/design and value. Surprised? You shouldn't be. The TMAC has become the best selling basketball shoes in the world - surpassing the likes of Air Jordan and Iverson lines. We examine how Adidas re-established itself in the basketball shoes marketplace with the remarkable release of the TMAC II that has earned the 2003 Shoe of the Year honor.

      There is a lot of fan support for the Adidas TMAC. The numbers don't lie. There are also quite a few Swoosh loyalists who will cringe at this Shoe of the Year selection. Both sides have their points, but neither can deny the facts. 2003 has been a year when the world no longer clamors for an all-out super performance shoe with a price tag upwards of $200. What the average joe consumers want is an affordable, yet top of the line signature shoe that they can identity with. That's precisely what Adidas has done with the TMAC line.

      The TMAC is now more than just a one-hit wonder. Sophomore releases have always been the "make or break" point for a model line. Look at some of the multiple iteration signature shoes like the Pippen, GP and Penny for example, the 2nd year model is what defines its ability to adapt and change to appeal to the consumers for the years to come.

      For Adidas, to follow a successful shoe with a 2nd iteration is just down right scary. If you care to recall, they had another hit just 2 years prior with The Kobe. It was so widely successful at the time the designers were bold enough to try something extraordinary. What resulted from that experiment was the Kobe II, one of the biggest bombs in basketball shoes history. The result was so disastrous for the company that things just avalanched from that point on. The space-boot shoes crashed to $19.99 on sale racks. Kobe left acrimoniously with a year left in his contract and signed with Nike this past summer. In another words, Kobe was willing to give up a year's paycheck and pay a fine in order NOT to wear Adidas' shoes. Not exactly the kind of ringing endorsement you want from your former spokesman.

      Since then, Adidas has been given a second chance for redemption with The TMAC. Kobe's replacement as the flagship of Adidas has been even better than the Audi TT inspired predcessor. The TMAC I was a popular shoe approved by the masses. So when the time came for the designers (mainly Natalie Candrian) at Adidas to come up with the TMAC II, they learned from their past mistakes. Adidas chose not to make a complete overhaul of the original TMAC but rather retouch and refine an already first-rate shoe. On the exterior, the TMAC II received a face lift whose edgy styling has been rounded off. Technology wise, the II obtained a slight upgrade with the 3D Torsion – essentially a system of high level torsion rigidity to assist with foot stability. It is the equivalent of the carbon-fiber plate technology utilized by Nike. Also returned from the TMAC I was the molded EVA midsole with AdiPrene+ at the forefoot. This time around, the cushioning feel has been tuned to be even more responsive. The biggest improvement is in the area of comfort. The addition of the inner bootie employed at the interior signifcantly improved fit and coziness of the shoe.

      From a performance, comfort, durability and value standpoint, the TMAC II has it all. It is without question the most complete shoe on this list - when price is a factor. It is the cheapest shoe of the bunch, yet it was flagship signature of the league's leading scorer. With an affordable retail price of $100, the TMAC did not take any shortcuts in terms of quality or workmanship. It may not be quite as luxurious and refined as the XVIII, but it was still pretty darn close at almost half the cost. It was Adidas way of showing the consumers how overpriced Nike signature lines had been in the past few years. It is also what pressured Nike to sign Lebron James to be able to counter with a popular signature shoe for the masses. That TMAC II has showed that Adidas has what it takes to compete with the best in the industry. In that regards, the Adidas TMAC II is a remarkable shoe that won our Shoe of the Year award not only by the numbers but by having the biggest impact.

      Counterpoint: I disagreed with the selection for Shoe of the Year. To put it as an analogy: If Nike Air Jordan was the BMW 3-Series benchmark, then Adidas' TMAC is like the Acura TL. It has all the power, features and options for a great overall value. But the TL can never drive with the same excitement and exhilaration as its German-engineered counterpart. The handling and racing inspirations is just completely different between a Bimmer and an Acura. In the same way, you can argue about value all you want, but SOTY should be something that can not be measured by a price. The TMAC won by the overall package but the winner should have been at the pinnacle of its game without value being so much of a factor. Point: Everyday life is about decisions. You can bet my hard earned money is going to factor into the decision of what shoe to buy. I'm simply not willing to pay twice the cost for a pair of shoes when I can get another pair that is just as good or close to it. Nike is great at these marketing campaigns to boost their shoes' value and image. But the bottom line is that I'm the one that'll be wearing these shoes - not some athlete on some commercial telling me what shoes I should be buying. Unless price is neither a factor nor a concern, then the TMAC is indeed the right choice for Shoe of the Year.

     

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