“All these star players complaining,” Hunter said, “it creates a problem.”

Since the beginning of training camp, players have been upset with the switch to a ball that was supposed to have more consistency in the way it handles and bounces. Instead it has less. According to many players surveyed over the past two months, the new ball has stuck to the players’ hands, become frequently lodged between the rim and the backboard, and has also not been able to absorb moisture as well as the leather ball.

Steve Nash, the Phoenix point guard and two-time league most valuable player, wore bandages on his fingers last week because of cuts caused by the new ball. The Nets’ Jason Kidd, and the Dallas Mavericks’ Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki have all spoken out against the material, complaining of cuts on their hands.

Jerry Stackhouse, the Mavericks guard who is the team’s union representative, said he was encouraged to hear Stern’s comments.

“When that stuff is happening, then you really got to take a stronger look at it,” Stackhouse said last night before the Mavericks played the Nets at Continental Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. “As players, we’re going to adjust. It’s not like the game has lost anything, that the scoring is down or we’re not getting exciting finishes. The game’s not been affected in that way.

“But it’s one of those things where it is directly affecting our workplace. Unilateral, that’s the word.”

Mark Cuban, the outspoken Mavericks owner who has often been at odds with Stern, applauded Stern’s admission of culpability.

“That’s smart,” Cuban said last night. “In David Stern University, looking at the greater good sometimes means re-evaluating our decisions.”