What was the big change in the balls? Did the size, weight, air pressure, or surface change?
If none of these changed I don't think there is any reason to blame the ball.
Foul hunting is a constant in almost every sport so I think it's good that the rules have been changed and the players are now playing the game.
Wilson and the NBA claim that the ball is exactly the same as they have always been and they do not indicate what the difference is, or why they changed it. I think that for someone like you and I we wouldn't even notice a difference at all and it's tough to say if there is a difference or if the players are just using this as an excuse.
I think it is just an excuse but the players who are complaining that it doesn't have the same "feel" and "softness" of the Spalding balls that have been used since 1983.