Russ Bengtson's Top 10 Sneakers of 2012

The adidas Busenitz helped to establish adidas' skate division as a powerhouse. Mark Gonzales's flights of creative fancy are much appreciated, and Lucas Puig's lightweight wonders are fantastic, but the solid, soccer-trainer-based Busenitz Pro is one to build on.

Forget the hype, forget the name - even without all that the Air Yeezy II is a terrific shoe. The cut is right, the materials were right, the details were spot-on, and the use of the Tech Challenge sole gave the retro crowd something to latch onto. These would have done well even as a GR, and that's not meant to be an insult.

The idea of a simple running shoe being a revelation would be ludicrous to anyone who started running in the '60s or '70s. Back then that's all there was. But after a while, with the advent of overpronate this and stability control that, running shoes started to look more like medical equipment than sneakers. The Roshe Run isn't technically a minimalist shoe - it still has the dreaded "drop" - but the construction is just mesh on foam, with a wallet-friendly $70 retail price. Sometimes simple is just better.

Black Friday releases were plentiful this year - you'll see another ranked a little higher - which made for some selective shopping. The Bodega x Converse Pro Leather "Ride Or Die" pack was a no-brainer, specifically the pony hair highs. Accented with leather on the tongue and studs at the back, these Pro Leathers weren't ones that Dr. J would necessarily recognize, but hopefully he would approve.

Tinker Hatfield designed the Vapor 9 Tour on his iPad while sitting with Roger Federer, ushering in a whole new era of design. And unlike many first attempts, the Vapor 9 Tour was perfect right out of the box. Possibly the best Nike Tennis sneaker since the glory days of the Tech Challenge, the Vapor 9 Tour is best appreciated in mesh toebox form, graced in the official Wimbledon purple and green. A future classic.

Basketball shoes simply don't get more advanced than this - at least, not until 2013. The Nike LeBron X in its NIKE+ enhanced guise is at once a spectacular shoe and a high-tech research lab all rolled up into one. The initial price met with shock and outrage from the usual shock-and-outrage crowd, but perhaps they should have held off until they saw what that money was buying.

In order for a standard, unadulterated retro shoe to make a top 10 list, it has to be outstanding. Bumping a new design for one from 10 or 20 years ago seems somehow unfair, so the old needs to go above and beyond. Hence, the Air Jordan IV "Black/Cement." Even with the Jumpman on the heel (get over it, people), the quality seemed to be leaps and bounds better than its "Do The Right Thing" counterpart. There's a reason old heads weren't just settling for one (or two, or three) pairs of these.

New Balance's retro of the original 990 might be the best-executed retro sneaker ever. From the proprietary Vibram sole all the way to the branding on the back of the tongue, these were pure perfection. The $200 pricetag is mitigated somewhat by the fact that they were made in the U.S.A. and were a tough find. But the truth is, if all retros were made this well, $200 would be a perfectly fair price.

Imagine an Air Jordan Retro modified by Michael Jordan himself. That's what this project meant to the world of skateboarding. To kick off the Half Cab's 20th anniversary year, Supreme had Steve Caballero hand-cut and duct tape down 20 pairs of Cabs, turning them into Half Cabs the OG way. Retail was under two bills, and despite the miniscule production these were easier to come by than most Supreme collabs. Collection centerpiece material.

It's yet to be seen how the whole knit thing works out for Nike (and adidas), but based on the initial launch of the Flyknit HTM project, there's a lot of room for growth here. Ultralightweight, minimal waste, infinite possibilities for colors and patterns - Flyknit opens up a whole new realm. And letting Hiroshi, Mark and Tinker handle the beginnings? Perfection.