The level of debate stirred by the Air Jordan II Max deems it one of the most controversial sneaker stories of the first quarter of 2011. This amalgam of ‘old’ and ‘new’ has coerced unique responses from Jordanheads, either in disbelief or in defense of this ‘hybrid’ shoe. The truth is, the Air Jordan Retro can only be stretched so far, and so new ideas of reinvention can only be expected from the brand that has set the bar so high for the last 2.5 decades. Visible 360-Max Air has never been done on a Jordan Brand shoe until last year, when the Jordan Take Flight was introduced; the finely tuned Air Max unit made specifically for basketball seemed to be the perfect add-on to the Air Jordan, which undoubtedly has crossed over to the lifestyle/fashion genre and has firmly established a nook. It’s supreme styling and the utmost in comfort – and somewhere in between is a bit of compromise between purists and the open-minded. We’ve got new images of the Air Jordan II Max after the jump, so take another look below and maybe you’ll see something you haven’t noticed before. via RMK.

Style: 455616-100
Color: White/Black-Varsity Red

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It might not be as perplexing as the choice to name a particular shade of teal ‘Retro’ but there’s definitely some opportunity for confusion about the Nike Air Max Lunar.  With the LunarMax+ out there, you might wonder what sets these two models apart and the key is that the Air Max Lunar is more of a lifestyle-oriented hybrid when compared to the other’s performance leanings.  This division seems to have worked out quite nicely, with these four new AM Lunar colorways occupying distinct quadrants of the visible spectrum.  There’s a pair with vague ‘Medicine Ball’ aspirations, another with that ‘South Beach’ look that’s become so popular of late, another pastel combo perfect for the spring and finally a pair that’s something like the LA Lakers gone radioactive.  Click through to see all four in detail and grab yours today from NikeStore.

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Sneaker News showed you five different pairs of Nike Dunks with ostrich skin Swooshes in a combination of high and lowtops earlier this month.  One of those was a black/white hightop, which means this new Dunk Low proves Nike Sportswear won’t be burying this theme in the sand anytime soon.  These joints are done in the rich Gridiron shade that offers both purple and greyish tints to the simple white/black look, and given that our first glimpse is upon retail availability, we can’t wait to see if more new colorways might be on tap.  Click through to get a better look at the ostrich Gridiron Dunk Lows and grab yours today from Titolo.

Style: 318019-105
Color: White/Gridiron

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Much of the ‘focus’ surrounding the Nike Air Max 360 BB Low in recent weeks has centered around the upcoming pack with that name, but what about some of the more traditional basketball palettes?  Check out this new run of AM360 BB Lows, each of which offers a fresh take on a familiar colorway thanks to this model’s impressive list of tech specs.  The Flywire-infused, Torch-ventilated, Max Air-cushioned lowtops just hit NikeStore in five new colorways including the Cool Grey/black joints we showed you a short while ago, two pairs you might expect to see at Duke Blue Devils or Chicago Bulls home games, a sunny take on Cool Grey featuring the bright Lightbulb shade of yellow and another in the quintessential summer combo of white and Metallic Silver.  The first two of this list are available in a full size run and the ones marked ‘out of stock’ should be available shortly, so click through to see more and let us know which one(s) you plan to grab.

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The Nike SB Zoom P-Rod 4 is soon to see a successor, but even though the fifth Paul Rodriguez signature sneaker has yet to release, we already have shots of the higher cut version.  Check out the LunarLon-cushioned P-Rod 5 Mid in a duo of colorways set to hit retail in late 2011.  These joints pick up where the P-Rod IV High left off, if a bit lower and the black/red and olive/black colorways are appropriately dark in time for their Q4 shipments.  Click through to see more, let us know which one you prefer and stick with Sneaker News for updates on these and all Nike SB release dates.  via N-SB

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Sneaker News recently gave you a look at the Jordan P.I.T. CQ, a performance-centric basketball shoe drawing subtle inspiration from the Air Jordan XIV. However what you see here is certainly not what you should remember from before; in fact, these are almost a completely different shoe. There is no longer a visible Air unit at the heel, the outsole and midsole design are completely different, but the overall silhouette and upper materials remain the same. Just what is the deal with the P.I.T.? Regardless of the look, the P.I.T. CQ should be a nice option for performance use, so check out these new images (and we emphasize ‘new’) and pick up a pair on Eastbay.

Style: 441552-001
Color: Black/Varsity Red-White

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For a time sent out to sea by Swoosh Skateboarding, the Nike SB Zoom Harbor has returned as a regular release.  The latest is among the most simply satisfying we’ve seen, a black and white design whose upper is constructed in a denim-like woven textile.  These joints offer no-nonsense style with the superior skatability of a vulcanized sole + Zoom Air cushioned insole and offer a bit of ‘sleeper’ appeal at a time when many SB drops are hyped for months on end.  Click through to see more of the black/white Zoom Harbor SB and grab yours today from select retailers including the UK’s Flatspot.

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‘Kawai’ is the Japanese word for ‘cute’, a label that’s become synonymous with the cultural movement over the past few decades toward all manner of products and behaviors.  Cartoon characters like Hello Kitty and Pikachu (not to mention the plethora of anime and manga references) epitomize kawaisa and now the cutesy aesthetic will be applied to a new pair of adidas SL 72s.  This pair in royal blue and white fits right in with the Tokyo Tech line from adidas Originals, their toe and heels embellished with what look to be fruit shapes in a tonal rubberized material.  Click through to see more of the latest OT Tech kicks from adidas and stick with Sneaker News for updates on their release.  via Suelas de Goma

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The Air Jordan Hoop TR 97 (aka Flight TR 97) is something of a simulacrum, a design that’s all at once familiar yet bears very little direct resemblance to any Air Jordan Legacy models.  We’ve seen a number of colorways featuring the Thirteen’s ballistic nylon panels, but with this new edition sporting a large strip of Elephant print along what would be considered the ‘mudguard’, these joints offer a reminder tha the sole’s toe was also borrowed from the Air Jordan III.  They have a bit of the ‘White Cement’ look about them thanks to the Wolf Grey accents and should make a nice addition to your summertime sneaker arsenal when you grab a pair today from FinishLine.

Style: 428826-104
Color: White/Metallic Silver-Wolf Grey

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We’ve seen a number of suede colorways, but what happens when you keep the fuzzy look to the sockliner of a Nike All Court Twist and craft the upper in leather?  It goes a little something like this: two new pairs of All Court Twist LTR lowtops who earn their acronym thanks to microperfed monotonal leather uppers, brown and white pairs of which are complimented quite nicely by tonal laces and terry cloth lining.  With various flavors of Air Footscapes, the new Lunar Orbit and now the All Court Twist, you have more choices than ever before for asymmetrical Nike Sportswear looks, so click through to see more of these and let us know if you plan to cop when they release later this year.  via Dunk

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After a dominating 12-1-1 start to the 2010-11 season in the FLuD Watches “Barksdale & Bell” fantasy basketball league, Team Sneaker News went through a rough stretch in the second half. Plagued by injuries to a number of key players, we trooped through the final weeks of the season finishing 4th out of 12 teams and headed into our Round 1 playoff matchup with league commissioner FLuD Watches with a relatively healthy line-up and high hopes of making a nice playoff run. Unfortunately, Team SN went down early in the week and was never able to make up enough ground to come back, eventually taking a 3-6 loss to end our season. A disappointing end, but the league was a great time that we hope you enjoyed as well via our weekly updates. Good luck to the remaining teams, and look for Team Sneaker News out for fantasy b-ball revenge in 2011-12!

TEAM SNEAKERNEWS SEASON MVP
Amar’e Stoudemire -With the 11th pick in the first round of this year’s draft, Team SN selected Amar’e Stoudemire a choice that paid tremendous dividends all year. Many wondered if Amar’e could thrive in NYC without Steve Nash feeding him the rock, but he quieted all doubters with an impressive stat line so far of 26.1 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.9 BPG en route to the 7th overall Yahoo Sports ranking and a strong NBA MVP campaign. 

THIS WEEK’S ADD DROPS
IN: Chase Budinger (Houston Rockets, SG-SF), CJ Miles (Utah Jazz, SG-SF)
OUT: Richard Jefferson (San Antonio Spurs, SF), Ryan Anderson (Orlando Magic, PF-C)

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The Air Jordan III is currently the #3 seed in the Southwest Region of the Sneaker News March Madness OG Air Jordan Tournament, and it rightfully deserves its place near the top of the greatest Jordans of all time. The ‘True Blue’ colorway is one of the originals for the Air Jordan III, and Michael didn’t even wear them until he became a Washington Wizard in 2001. Much to the pleasure (and surprise) of Jordan fanatics, the Air Jordan III ‘True Blue’ is coming back this June (after an overseas exclusive in 2009), but let’s take a look at this original pair from 1988; these feature the ‘Nike Air’ on the heel (no other True Blue release does) and the elephant print is proportionally smaller than the produced version  we see today. Truly a collector’s item for the hardcore sneaker enthusiast, this original pair of the True Blue III is not for sale from b.!.z on eBay.

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