The partial rotation problem is with respect to the individual balls or rollers, not the entire assembly. If each roller/ball makes a full turn in the normal operation of the assembly, there should be no problem.
Needle bearing assemblies would need to rotate just a few degrees to make a full turn on the needles. I think they would work fine in spindles. They obviously work fine in u-joints, where they make little more than a full turn.
Joe
