The 2008 NBA Draft has introduced a host of new rookies to fans and basketball collectors, but Topps isn't quite finished with the previous season's newcomers. Finest Basketball closes the door on the outgoing class with regular cards, Refractors and autographs and welcomes the newbies with rookie redemption cards.
Utilizing its usual mini-box format, 2007-08 Finest Basketball is packaged three mini-boxes to a master box. Each mini-box holds six five-card packs, with an autograph and a 2008-09 rookie redemption card in each mini-box.
Veterans and Retired Players
Finest lives up to its name with a tight 50-card set of NBA veterans and former superstars. No scrubs here.
The design of the brand's base cards is always futuristic and aggressive, but the 2007-08 layout is a little out there even for Finest. There's a lot going on thanks to a large team logo, a two-tone treatment to the backgrounds and some horizontal stripes, though the player photos do pop thanks to the way they're outlined. The player info also uses a funky, stylized font.
It also wouldn't be Finest without Refractors, and this season sees eight levels in all. Base level unnumbered Refractors are the most common, with 1-of-1 White-Framed X-Fractors and Die-Cut Super-Fractors the rarest.
I opened a single mini-box for this review and found 12 veteran or retired base cards. Also on hand were a Blue Refractor Ben Gordon (#'d to 199) and a Green Refractor Andre Iguodala (#'d to 149).
Rookie Cards and 2008-09 Rookie Redemptions
One of the nice things about Finest is the ability to pull plenty of rookie cards that won't carry huge values but are still a little nicer than those from lower end sets. Fifty 2007-08 rookies made the cut, and I found 12 in my mini-box - including Kevin Durant, Al Thornton and Julian Wright - or two per pack.
The rookies also come in the same parallel levels as the rest of the base cards. I found a pair of rookie Refractors: Carl Landry and Javaris Crittenton.
Finest's NBA Draft Pick Redemptions aren't technically rookie cards but are popular nonetheless. This season collectors can expect one of 30 redemption cards in each mini-box, and for the first time in the brand's history, they can be redeemed online. My redemption card was No. 3, which should be good for a card of O.J. Mayo.
Autographed Cards
Rookie autographs are also a big part of the Finest formula, and 40 of the 50 rookies signed Refractor variations of their cards. The checklist is missing some big names who signed exclusive autograph deals with the competition, but intriguing players include Greg Oden, Thaddeus Young and Brandan Wright. Adding to the chase are X-Fractor versions numbered to 25 and 1-of-1 Super-Fractors.
Finest is also offering some of the first autographs of the 2008-09 rookie class - in theory anyway. Seeded one in every 12-box case are NBA Draft Pick Redemption Autograph Cards, redeemable for one of 10 signature cards from the next wave of NBA talent. With no company exclusives for the 2008-09 season, all of the big names could be in play.
The autograph in my sample mini-box was a redemption, but it was for an Al Thornton autographed variation.
The Last Word
Finest Basketball isn't a complicated product, and it doesn't disappoint with its mix of rookie content. If anything, it seems to be getting better with each passing season.
The 2007-08 cards may not be the prettiest in the brand's history, but that's a matter of personal taste. Finest does a nice job bridging the outgoing season with the incoming one, and the mini-box format once again means collectors can sample it without a huge financial commitment.
