Is Adidas too much in control?

During Pardon the Interruption yesterday, the topic of Dwight Howard’s next destination was discussed. There is a possibility that Howard could get traded to the Chicago Bulls at the deadline later this week.

But there could be a hitch in the process. Mike Wilbon pointed out that Adidas could be the reason why Howard won’t go to the Bulls.

Wilbon said that both Howard and Bulls guard Derrick Rose are spokesmen for Adidas. And having both of them on the same team could hurt the company’s marketing.

If Howard and Rose became teammates, that means Adidas would have to produce the same line of shoes, products in the same Chicago Bulls team color scheme.

Currently, Rose’s gear are in red and black while Howard’s gear is blue and black. Differentiating the products allows the company to sell more different, unique merchandise. But if both are on the same, that could potentially cut their profit sales significantly.

It’s easier to market to separate players instead of two teammates.

Howard and Rose aren’t the only two NBA players that wear Adidas, but they both are the two most recognizable. Other notable NBA players under contract with Adidas are Tim Duncan, Nene, Josh Smith, Chauncey Billups and Brook Lopez. It’s easy to say that Rose and Howard are the company’s two biggest sponsors.

So if Howard does not get traded to the Bulls, don’t be surprised if it surfaces that Adidas was behind it. It assures that when it comes down to it, the almighty marketing dollar trumps anything else in the league.

Adidas once again has shown its ugly head in the NBA.