Then and Now: 2003-04 Exquisite Collection

With the quality of the inserts you might overlook the base set singles. But coming from a $500 pack it would've been smart to hold onto them (that's until the $1,000 packs come out). Now these singles (numbered to 225) are more pricier than other over-produced parallels with half their print-run. You can click on the image to enlarge.

Authentic?

Since the 2005-2006 season, I've noticed that more and more jersey, warm-up, and patch cards have less and less to do with the player that is pictured on the front of the card. On previous releases, depending on the manufacturer, you can read on the back of the memorabilia card a phrase similar to "On the front of this card is an authentic piece of a jersey worn by (player's name) in an NBA game" (top). Recent releases have a more vague phrasing such as: "On the front of this card are pieces of memorabilia that have been certified to us as having been used in an NBA game" (bottom). And some examples even say "NBA game or event."
Theory #1: This might be that the manufacturer, in an attempt to increase production of memorabilia inserts, are using any stitch of clothing used by any player. Who knows, maybe not even a player? I'm not saying that I still don't appreciate pulling a "jersey" card out of a pack, but it's definitely not as exciting as it used to be.
Theory #2: To reduce cost or production, the manufacturer came up with a form letter version that is consistent on all their products.

2009-2010 Card Releases

No Topps.
No Upper Deck.
Next season, the only NBA cards will come from Panini. Known more for those sticker collector books (that I now wish I never tried to complete) in the late 80's and early 90's, the Italian company looks like it's going to use next year's exclusive NBA license agreement to get their foot in the door of the United States trading card market. Some good news is that it's rumored to be working with the Donruss company. I wasn't excited about the news, but I like what Donruss had done lately, especially with their football and Americana releases. But what will the market be like with no competition in the basketball market?