Shopping for Basektball Shoes

It's that time of year again - time to shop for basketball shoes for the upcoming season. Whether you buy your shoes online (Eastbay is my favorite) or at the mall, the quest is on. Four competing forces make this purchase a challenge: 1. Fit & performance, 2. Cost, 3. Team colors, 4. Cool factor. As a mom, I tend to focus on the first three. My high school basketball player, however, puts a lot of emphasis on #4. And when it comes to cool factor, I admit to being completely out of my league. So last year when Stephon Marbury launched his $15 line of basketball shoes I wondered if they would pass the cool factor test among teenagers. The shoes launched in Oct'06 with a lot of press. So one year later - what is the scoop? Are they cool enough for teenagers? Are sales strong? Should we buy them?