Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Boston Celtics NBA 2K10 Ratings

BOSTON CELTICS 09-10 OVERVIEW
The Celtics weren't able to defend their 2008 championship because Kevin Garnett missed the last half of the season with injury. They took the eventual NBA Finalist Orlando Magic to 7 games, and it's probable that a healthy KG would have meant a second straight championship. The Celtics decided to reload with Rasheed Wallace as "KG insurance" and added front court depth to combat the likes of Dwight Howard, Shaquille O'Neal, and Pau Gasol. Behind the league's top defense, the Celtics are poised to make another deep run into the playoffs.

ROSTER
86 - Rajon Rondo (PG)
84 - Kevin Garnett (PF)
82 - Paul Pierce (SF)
78 - Kendrick Perkins (C)
76 - Ray Allen (SG)
73 - Rasheed Wallace (C)
68 - Marquis Daniels (SF/SG)
68 - Shelden Williams (PF)
67 - Tony Allen (SG/SF)
66 – Glen Davis (PF/C)
63 - Eddie House (PG/SG)
61 – Lester Hudson (PG)
60 – J.R. Giddens (SF)
60 – Bill Walker (SF)
53 - Brian Scalabrine (PF/SF)

STARTERS
C Kendrick Perkins (28)
PF Kevin Garnett (31)
SF Paul Pierce (35)
SG Ray Allen (36)
PG Rajon Rondo (35)
BENCH
C Rasheed Wallace (21)
SG Tony Allen (20)
PG Eddie House (17)
PF Glen Davis (9)
PF Brian Scalabrine (8)
PF Shelden Williams (0)
SF J.R. Giddens (0)
RESERVE
PG Lester Hudson (0)
SF Bill Walker (0)
SF Marquis Daniels (INJURED, ETA February)

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Rajon Rondo

VITALS
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 171
Hand: Right
College: Kentucky
Years Pro: 4
Age: 23
Jersey Number: 9
Personality: Expressive (from Laid Back)
Position: PG
2nd Pos: N/A
Style: All-Around

ACCESSORIES
HB: Yes

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 86 (87)
Inside 93
Close 78 (up from 68)
Medium 68 (up from 66) (79)
3PT 52 (down from 59)
LowPost 33
FreeThrow 63 (down from 64)
Layup 84
Dunk 60 (up from 55)
StandDunk 25
OffDribble 81 (up from 61)
InTraffic 62 (down from 67)
Handle 90
OffHand 88
Security 95
Pass 92
Block 29
Steal 99 (up from 90)
Hands 88
BallDef 91
OffReb 46 (down from 49)
DefReb 40 (down from 53)
OffPost 27
DefPost 36
OffAwr 80 (down from 85)
DefAwr 91
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 60 (down from 99)
Stamina 91
Speed 93
Quickness 96
Strength 40 (up from 37)
Vertical 79
Hustle 97
Durability 85 (up from 70)
Potential 92
Emotion 25

TENDENCIES
Shot 56
Inside 59 (down from 62)
Close 13 (up from 11)
Mid 22 (up from 15)
3pt 6
Put 6
Drive 50
Pull 19

CONTRACT* (not 100% accurate)
Role: Starter
Opt: None
NT: No
2010: 2.09
2011: 9.00
2012: 10.00
2013: 11.00
2014: 12.00
2015: 13.00

ANALYSIS
Rondo has quietly become the most important Celtic, the motor that makes this team run. It's a stark contrast from two years ago, when the Big Three first formed, as Rondo has since doubled his assist totals while KG, Pierce, and Allen have all seen theirs drop. He spearheads their defensive attack, and leads the league in steals. He does this while also shooting 52% from the field, and he nearly averages a double double (13.2 pts, 9.7 asts). Those are all-star numbers, and it would be shocking if Rondo weren't named to the team this season.

FUTURE
Rondo signed a contract extension back in October that will ensure he stays in Boston long after the "Big Three" era concludes. He won't be a free agent until after his age 28 season.

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Kevin Garnett

VITALS
Height: 6’11”
Weight: 253
Hand: Right
College: Farragut Academy (HS)
Years Pro: 15
Age: 33
Jersey Number: 5
Personality: Neutral
Position: PF
2nd Pos: N/A (from C)
Style: All-Around

ACCESSORIES
L Elbow: T Lrg Band
R Wrist: Blk RB (from Wht RB)
R Knee: Black Brace

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 84 (down from 87) (89/90)
Inside 90
Close 80 (down from 92)
Medium 90 (up from 82)
3PT 46 (down from 48) (51)
LowPost 92 (down from 95)
FreeThrow 84 (up from 80)
Layup 64 (down from 66)
Dunk 61 (63)
StandDunk 60 (down from 80)
OffDribble 48 (down from 58)
InTraffic 67 (down from 82)
Handle 60 (down from 63)
OffHand 52 (down from 55)
Security 63
Pass 51 (up from 48)
Block 51 (down from 66)
Steal 63 (down from 67)
Hands 92 (down from 99)
BallDef 55
OffReb 63 (up from 53)
DefReb 85 (up from 82) (87)
OffPost 90 (down from 92)
DefPost 88 (down from 93) (96)
OffAwr 79 (down from 85)
DefAwr 94 (99)
OffClutch 40 (25)
DefClutch 40 (25)
Consistency 85 (down from 90) (99)
Stamina 85
Speed 49 (52)
Quickness 52 (55)
Strength 63
Vertical 64 (down from 69)
Hustle 85 (down from 95) (99)
Durability 78 (up from 75) (85)
Potential 99
Emotion 99

TENDENCIES
Shot 65 (down from 73)
Inside 35 (down from 50)
Close 28 (down from 33)
Mid 60 (up from 52)
3pt 1
Put 36 (down from 46)
Drive 46
Pull 51

CONTRACT
Role: Starter
Opt: None
NT: No
2010: 16.40
2011: 18.80
2012: 21.20

ANALYSIS
Garnett's numbers may have declined since his return from knee surgery, but he still provides all the intangibles that make him a great player. His defensive intensity is matched by few in the league.

FUTURE
Garnett will be 35 when his contract expires. He has always been a very durable player, so I would say it's likely he plays beyond that. Whether it's in Boston or another uniform will depend on the team's success over the next few years.

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Paul Pierce

VITALS
Height: 6’7”
Weight: 235
Hand: Right
College: Kansas
Years Pro: 12
Age: 32
Jersey Number: 34
Personality: Neutral
Position: SF
2nd Pos: N/A (from SG)
Style: Scoring

ACCESSORIES
HB: Yes
L Arm: None (from Blk Sleeve)
L Elbow: T Sml Band (from T Lrg Band)
L/R Wrist: Blk RB (from None)

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 82 (down from 85) (84)
Inside 82 (down from 84)
Close 78 (down from 88)
Medium 81 (down from 87) (85)
3PT 87 (82)
LowPost 85
FreeThrow 84
Layup 80
Dunk 64 (down from 69)
StandDunk 50 (down from 55)
OffDribble 68 (down from 78)
InTraffic 79
Handle 78
OffHand 72
Security 57 (up from 52)
Pass 57 (up from 47)
Block 36 (up from 34)
Steal 62 (up from 53)
Hands 93
BallDef 79
OffReb 33
DefReb 53 (down from 58)
OffPost 78
DefPost 61
OffAwr 84 (down from 96)
DefAwr 76
OffClutch 50 (down from 60)
DefClutch 25
Consistency 99
Stamina 85
Speed 73
Quickness 75
Strength 61
Vertical 60
Hustle 76
Durability 85
Potential 95
Emotion 99

TENDENCIES
Shot 71 (down from 81)
Inside 31 (down from 39)
Close 21 (down from 26)
Mid 21 (down from 29)
3pt 36 (up from 33)
Put 4
Drive 84
Pull 27

CONTRACT
Role: Starter
Opt: Player (from None)
NT: No
2010: 19.80
2011: 21.51

ANALYSIS
As with his other star teammates, Pierce has declined a bit on the offensive end, it just isn't clear to most because he is posting a very high 3pt% (one that I doubt he keeps up). I'm not suggesting that Pierce isn't an all-star caliber player; he still is, though Danny Granger, Andre Iguodala, and Gerald Wallace are hot on his tail. What I am suggesting is that it wouldn't be fair to expect Pierce to be able to go toe to toe with LeBron and Kobe in the playoffs again.

FUTURE
Pierce is unlikely to terminate his contract this summer, unless it's to give up some short-term money for a longer term deal (say, 30-36 million over the next three?)

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Kendrick Perkins

VITALS
Height: 6’10”
Weight: 280
Hand: Right
College: Clifton J. Ozen (HS)
Years Pro: 7
Age: 25
Jersey Number: 43
Personality: Neutral
Position: C
2nd Pos: N/A
Style: Defensive

ACCESSORIES
Socks: Medium

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 78 (up from 72)
Inside 94 (up from 91)
Close 63 (down from 65)
Medium 45 (up from 35)
3PT 25
LowPost 74
FreeThrow 61 (down from 62)
Layup 39
Dunk 48
StandDunk 70 (up from 60)
OffDribble 44 (up from 39)
InTraffic 77 (up from 57)
Handle 33
OffHand 25
Security 28
Pass 31
Block 93 (up from 91)
Steal 28
Hands 42 (up from 37)
BallDef 40
OffReb 80 (down from 90)
DefReb 87 (up from 79)
OffPost 72 (up from 70)
DefPost 88 (up from 75)
OffAwr 67 (up from 49)
DefAwr 80 (up from 73)
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 40 (up from 25)
Consistency 60
Stamina 77
Speed 38 (up from 36)
Quickness 38 (up from 31)
Strength 94
Vertical 34
Hustle 67
Durability 70 (up from 55)
Potential 82
Emotion 60

TENDENCIES
Shot 48 (up from 38)
Inside 64 (up from 58)
Close 9
Mid 2
3pt 0
Put 30
Drive 5
Pull 18

CONTRACT
Role: Starter
Opt: None
NT: No
2010: 4.75 (up from 4.25)
2011: 4.89 (up from 4.39)

ANALYSIS
We all talk about the big three, and now the big four with the emergence of Rondo. We talked about how Rasheed Wallace was supposed to take Perkins minutes and maybe even his starting job. Meanwhile, Perkins just goes and delivers night in and out. He's having a career year, leading the league in FG%, eFG%, and TS%. He is averaging 3.5 more points in two fewer minutes than last season. His bruising style is a perfect compliment to the finesse of Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace, and is just as important to the league's top defense as they are. Despite all of this, Perk is an afterthought to fans around the league. Perkins will be an all-star center once he is no longer playing in Garnett's shadow. You have been fore-warned. Jump on the wagon while there's still room.

FUTURE
The Celtics would be wise to lock up Perkins next summer before he reaches free agency in 2011. Seeing as how Perk is one of the youngest players on the team and will only get better as the years go on, it should be clear that the Celtics cannot afford to lose him. KG and Sheed will be 34 and 36 respectively next season, so he will certainly be needed.

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Ray Allen

VITALS
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 205
Hand: Right
College: Connecticut
Years Pro: 14
Age: 34
Jersey Number: 20
Personality: Laid Back
Position: SG
2nd Pos: N/A (from PG)
Style: Scoring

ACCESSORIES
L Arm: T Sleeve (from Wht Sleeve)
R Arm: None (from Wht Sleeve)

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 76 (down from 78) (79/80)
Inside 85 (down from 89)
Close 88 (up from 83) (94)
Medium 84 (87)
3PT 82 (86/90)
LowPost 48
FreeThrow 90 (down from 94)
Layup 77 (down from 79)
Dunk 59 (down from 69)
StandDunk 35
OffDribble 60 (down from 85)
InTraffic 60 (down from 70)
Handle 82
OffHand 78
Security 69 (up from 59)
Pass 47 (up from 44)
Block 29
Steal 50
Hands 94
BallDef 70
OffReb 37
DefReb 35
OffPost 40
DefPost 55
OffAwr 78 (down from 88)
DefAwr 69 (up from 66)
OffClutch 60 (down from 90) (99)
DefClutch 25
Consistency 90 (down from 99)
Stamina 85
Speed 76
Quickness 75
Strength 57
Vertical 81
Hustle 72
Durability 85
Potential 95
Emotion 25

TENDENCIES
Shot 62
Inside 26
Close 9 (down from 14)
Mid 28 (up from 23)
3pt 45 (down from 55)
Put 0
Drive 49
Pull 49

CONTRACT
Role: Starter
Opt: None
NT: No
2010: 19.78 (from 18.78)

ANALYSIS
Ray is currently having his worst season since his rookie year. He is only shooting 35% from 3pt range, and his decline is one of the reasons the Celtics are ranked only 10th offensively. While Ray was a prominent all-star as recentlty as last season, there is a thin line between all-star shooter and shooting specialist (just look at the fall Peja Stojakovic had).

FUTURE
Ray is a 2010 free agent but will probably re-sign at a fraction of what he is making this season. Of course, an early playoff exit could change that. Ray will be 35 next season, but his well rounded game and athleticism should help prolong his decline more than most other shooters (ala Reggie Miller), and his shooting ability should keep his starting job safe going into his late 30's.

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Rasheed Wallace

VITALS
Height: 6’11”
Weight: 230
Hand: Right
College: North Carolina
Years Pro: 15
Age: 35
Jersey Number: 30
Personality: Expressive
Position: C (from PF)
2nd Pos: N/A (from C)
Style: All-Around

ACCESSORIES
HB: Yes

Offense 72
Defense 72 (up from 71)
Rebound 62 (down from 71)

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 73 (down from 75)
Inside 76 (up from 74)
Close 91
Medium 70 (down from 73)
3PT 76 (down from 78) (84)
LowPost 83
FreeThrow 77 (down from 78)
Layup 48
Dunk 55 (down from 58)
StandDunk 55 (down from 65)
OffDribble 51 (down from 66)
InTraffic 54 (down from 69)
Handle 48
OffHand 36
Security 62
Pass 33
Block 64
Steal 70 (up from 60)
Hands 78
BallDef 52
OffReb 41 (up from 38)
DefReb 78 (down from 90)
OffPost 85 (down from 88)
DefPost 82 (up from 79)
OffAwr 68 (up from 58)
DefAwr 79
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 55 (down from 99)
Stamina 77
Speed 43
Quickness 40
Strength 58
Vertical 49
Hustle 45 (down from 70)
Durability 85
Potential 89 (down from 94)
Emotion 99

TENDENCIES
Shot 63 (up from 53)
Inside 19 (up from 14)
Close 30
Mid 9 (down from 18)
3pt 75 (up from 49)
Put 14
Drive 18
Pull 44
Dunk 11 (down from 51)

SIGNATURE
Left Post Roll: High Hands (from Default)
Right Post Roll: High Hands (from Default)

CONTRACT
Role: Sixth Man
Opt: Player (from None)
NT: No
2010: 5.86 (from 5.85)
2011: 6.32
2012: 6.79

ANALYSIS
Sheed is an excellent post defender and has helped turn the Boston frontcourt into the league's most formidable defensive line. The defense and 3pt shooting he brings off the bench is proving to be as valuable as James Posey's was during the championship run of 2008, and Posey's absence last season was noticed especially when KG went down. Sheed provides an insurance policy in that regard, though the team is still screwed if KG goes down again.

FUTURE
Sheed is locked up until he is 38, in what is probably his last NBA contract.

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Marquis Daniels

VITALS
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 200
Hand: Right
College: Auburn
Years Pro: 7
Age: 29 (from 28)
Jersey Number: 6
Personality: Laid Back
Position: SF (from SG)
2nd Pos: SG (from SF)
Style: Point Forward (from All-Around)

ACCESSORIES
HB: Yes
L Knee: BHCS (from None)
R Knee: BHCS (from B Strap)

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 68 (up from 65)
Inside 85 (down from 95)
Close 80
Medium 60
3PT 53 (up from 47) (53)
LowPost 43
FreeThrow 72 (up from 70)
Layup 69
Dunk 59 (down from 64)
StandDunk 35 (down from 40)
OffDribble 61 (down from 66)
InTraffic 62
Handle 78
OffHand 72
Security 58 (up from 48)
Pass 52 (up from 37)
Block 36 (down from 39)
Steal 68 (up from 65)
Hands 70
BallDef 70
OffReb 48 (down from 51)
DefReb 38 (down from 43)
OffPost 43
DefPost 55
OffAwr 66 (down from 69)
DefAwr 66
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 60
Stamina 85
Speed 74 (up from 69)
Quickness 74 (up from 69)
Strength 52
Vertical 75
Hustle 62 (up from 57)
Durability 63
Potential 76
Emotion 25

TENDENCIES
Shot 40 (down from 65)
Inside 47 (down from 67)
Close 22
Mid 12 (down from 22)
3pt 7 (down from 17)
Put 20
Drive 47

CONTRACT
Role: RP
Opt: None
NT: No
2010: 1.99

ANALYSIS
Daniels is one of the few slasher's in the game that actually prefers to be a "point forward". Boston hasn't gotten too much of a chance to do this though, because Daniels misses around 20 games per year annually, and he picked the beginning of the season to get his injury quota out of the way.

FUTURE
Daniels signed cheaply with Boston in the hopes of getting a more lucrative deal after he contributes to their championship (ala James Posey). A couple of flaws in his logic though - he isn't as good as Posey, is always getting hurt, and will be 30 next season. He'd have been much better off looking for the type of contract Dahntay Jones got to replace him in Indiana (4 years, 16 million). Of course, if he legitimately wants to play with a winner and get a ring, who are we to judge him?

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Shelden Williams

VITALS
Height: 6’9”
Weight: 250
Hand: Right
College: Duke
Years Pro: 4
Age: 26
Jersey Number: 13
Personality: Neutral
Position: PF
2nd Pos: N/A
Style: Rebounding

ACCESSORIES
L/R Wrist: T WB (from None)

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 68 (up from 61)
Inside 71 (down from 84)
Close 60 (up from 50)
Medium 72
3PT 31 (up from 26)
LowPost 50
FreeThrow 76 (up from 68)
Layup 51
Dunk 52
StandDunk 60 (up from 55)
OffDribble 43
InTraffic 81 (up from 61)
Handle 42
OffHand 30
Security 38
Pass 28 (up from 25)
Block 59
Steal 63 (down from 78)
Hands 39
BallDef 44 (up from 39)
OffReb 86
DefReb 81 (down from 91)
OffPost 53 (up from 48)
DefPost 77 (up from 57)
OffAwr 57 (up from 34)
DefAwr 66 (up from 46)
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 45 (down from 60)
Stamina 70
Speed 46 (up from 43)
Quickness 40 (up from 37)
Strength 66
Vertical 39
Hustle 71 (up from 51)
Durability 78
Potential 66 (up from 56)
Emotion 25

TENDENCIES
Shot 41 (down from 56)
Inside 45 (down from 68)
Close 10
Mid 10 (down from 20)
3pt 1
Put 55
Drive 24
D-Foul 56 (up from 26)

CONTRACT
Role: Bench Warmer
Opt: None
NT: No
2010: 825K

ANALYSIS
Williams is a solid rebounder and defensive role player, the type of gritty, hard working player that coaches love. Williams made the most of his playing time when Glen Davis broke his thumb, and has been effective in spot minutes off the bench.

FUTURE
Williams will be a 2010 free agent, and will probably move on to a team offering more minutes and playing time. He could stay on in Boston as the 5th big man, and he might enjoy contending for a championship off the bench, but he's better than that. He'll be 27, and the window for him to make big money playing professional basketball will be closing soon.

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Tony Allen

VITALS
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 213
Hand: Right
College: Oklahoma St
Years Pro: 6
Age: 27
Jersey Number: 42
Personality: Unpredictable
Position: SG
2nd Pos: SF
Style: Defensive

ACCESSORIES
None

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 67 (up from 66)
Inside 88 (down from 93)
Close 60 (up from 50)
Medium 57
3PT 52
LowPost 40
FreeThrow 75 (down from 76)
Layup 81
Dunk 80 (down from 85)
StandDunk 35
OffDribble 64 (down from 69)
InTraffic 70 (up from 55)
Handle 72
OffHand 66
Security 46
Pass 44
Block 51
Steal 90 (99)
Hands 66
BallDef 78
OffReb 43 (up from 38)
DefReb 47 (up from 42)
OffPost 36
DefPost 52
OffAwr 65 (up from 52)
DefAwr 72 (up from 70)
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 45 (down from 60)
Stamina 77
Speed 79
Quickness 79
Strength 58
Vertical 88
Hustle 78
Durability 48 (down from 70)
Potential 74
Emotion 25

TENDENCIES
Shot 62 (down from 65)
Inside 66 (down from 76)
Close 14 (up from 9)
Mid 15 (up from 10)
3pt 5 (down from 10)
Put 22
Drive 54
Pull 11

CONTRACT
Role: BW
Opt: None
NT: No
2010: 2.50

ANALYSIS
It's still early, but Allen appears to have fully recovered from his 2007 knee injury - he is posting his best rebounding numbers since that season. Perhaps more importantly, he has taken a page out of Josh Smith's book and abandoned the 3pt shot. Tony's only taken one 3pter so far through 11 games.

FUTURE
Tony's in a contract year, and is presumebly on the trade block. He could stick given the age/injury issues of the players he backs up, and his tenacious defense fits in well. Boston might do well to bring him back next season too, since Marquis Daniels has struggled and the Celtics will once again need a backup for both Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. It'd be understandable though if both sides decided to part ways.

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Glen Davis

VITALS
Height: 6’9”
Weight: 289
Hand: Right
College: LSU
Years Pro: 3
Age: 23
Jersey Number: 11
Personality: Expressive
Position: PF
2nd Pos: C
Style: All-Around

ACCESSORIES
L Arm: Blk SS (from Wht Sleeve)

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 66 (up from 65)
Inside 82
Close 59
Medium 82
3PT 41 (65)
LowPost 70
FreeThrow 73 (down from 74)
Layup 52
Dunk 42
StandDunk 55
OffDribble 43
InTraffic 70 (up from 55)
Handle 49
OffHand 37
Security 43
Pass 33
Block 36
Steal 63
Hands 67
BallDef 30
OffReb 77
DefReb 49
OffPost 67
DefPost 63 (up from 58)
OffAwr 61 (down from 67)
DefAwr 58
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 55 (up from 25)
Stamina 70
Speed 49
Quickness 52
Strength 84
Vertical 34
Hustle 76
Durability 78
Potential 78
Emotion 99

TENDENCIES
Shot 48
Inside 40
Close 13
Mid 36
3pt 1 (up from 0)
Put 11
Drive 27
Pull 15

CONTRACT
Role: RP
Opt: None
NT: No
2010: 3.00
2011: 3.30

ANALYSIS
Davis filled in for KG last season better than anyone expected he would. He showed an excellent mid-range shot that helped made up for his deficiencies in a few key areas (namely, the rest of his scoring, and his horrid defensive rebounding).

FUTURE
Davis is under contract next season and is one of the youngest players on the Celtics. He isn't going anywhere this season, but he could become trade bait next season if the team isn't happy with his progress.

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Eddie House

VITALS
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 175
Hand: Right
College: Arizona State
Years Pro: 10
Age: 31
Jersey Number: 50
Personality: Expressive
Position: PG
2nd Pos: SG (from N/A)
Style: 3pt Specialist

ACCESSORIES
HB: Yes
L Wrist: T WB
Socks: Long

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 63 (up from 58) (59)
Inside 69 (down from 81)
Close 62 (up from 50)
Medium 86
3PT 84 (down from 87) (95)
LowPost 31
FreeThrow 84 (down from 92)
Layup 58
Dunk 25 (down from 28)
StandDunk 25
OffDribble 49 (down from 79)
InTraffic 36 (down from 46)
Handle 72
OffHand 66
Security 69
Pass 39
Block 30
Steal 75 (up from 68)
Hands 72 (up from 70)
BallDef 69 (up from 67)
OffReb 28 (up from 25)
DefReb 35 (down from 45)
OffPost 25
DefPost 28
OffAwr 70 (up from 57)
DefAwr 61 (up from 43)
OffClutch 40 (up from 25)
DefClutch 25
Consistency 60 (up from 25)
Stamina 77
Speed 81
Quickness 84
Strength 33
Vertical 72
Hustle 70 (up from 55)
Durability 70
Potential 65
Emotion 99

TENDENCIES
Shot 65 (up from 60)
Inside 7
Close 7
Mid 50 (up from 35)
3pt 70 (down from 75)
Put 0
Drive 23 (down from 33)
Pull 64

CONTRACT
Role: Role Player
Opt: None
NT: No
2010: 2.86 (from 2.90)

ANALYSIS
House is essentially an undersized SG in the body of a PG. When he is on, he can score points in bunches from deep. When he is off, he doesn't bring much else to the floor. Still, House is a solid compliment to Rajon Rondo, as he covers Rondo's shooting weaknesses well.

FUTURE
House is a 2010 free agent and being re-signed likely depends on team success. He is having a bit of a down year, and recovering his 3pt stroke would make the decision a bit easier.

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Lester Hudson

VITALS
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 190
Hand: Right
College: TN-Martin
Years Pro: 1
Age: 25
Jersey Number: 26
Personality: Neutral
Position: PG
2nd Pos: N/A (from SG)
Style: Scoring

ACCESSORIES
None

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 61 (down from 62)
Inside 69 (down from 79)
Close 52
Medium 72 (down from 77)
3PT 80
LowPost 33
FreeThrow 86
Layup 73
Dunk 46
StandDunk 35
OffDribble 74
InTraffic 47 (down from 52)
Handle 75
OffHand 69
Security 58
Pass 56 (up from 46)
Block 34
Steal 61 (down from 68)
Hands 66
BallDef 61
OffReb 31 (down from 51)
DefReb 33 (down from 48)
OffPost 29
DefPost 28
OffAwr 65 (down from 70)
DefAwr 53 (up from 48)
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 35
Stamina 85 (up from 80)
Speed 83
Quickness 85
Strength 47
Vertical 75
Hustle 66
Durability 78 (down from 82)
Potential 57 (down from 62)
Emotion 70

TENDENCIES
Shot 53 (down from 63)
Inside 33
Close 12 (down from 22)
Mid 32 (down from 42)
3pt 36 (down from 66)
Putback 0
Drive 42
Pull 46

CONTRACT
Role: Prospect
Opt: Team
NT: No
2010: 458K
2011: 762K

ANALYSIS
Hudson is a shoot-first PG in the Eddie House mold, and basically serves as nothing more than insurance policy.

FUTURE
At 25 years old, Hudson is unlikely to get much better than what he is now. His future with the team hinges on whether the Celtics want to re-sign Eddie House next summer.

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J.R. Giddens

VITALS
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 215
Hand: Right
College: New Mexico
Years Pro: 2
Age: 24
Jersey Number: 4
Personality: Expressive (Neutral)
Position: SF (from SG)
2nd Pos: N/A
Style: Athletic

ACCESSORIES
HB: Yes
L/R Knee: BCS

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 60 (up from 57)
Inside 67
Close 62 (down from 67)
Medium 66
3PT 59 (down from 64)
LowPost 34
FreeThrow 68 (up from 59)
Layup 79 (down from 82)
Dunk 85 (down from 88)
StandDunk 35
OffDribble 57
InTraffic 52 (up from 42)
Handle 66 (down from 69)
OffHand 58 (down from 61)
Security 59 (down from 69)
Pass 34
Block 43
Steal 66 (up from 46)
Hands 67
BallDef 58
OffReb 43
DefReb 66
OffPost 35 (up from 30)
DefPost 36 (up from 31)
OffAwr 49
DefAwr 43
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 35 (up from 25)
Stamina 85
Speed 82
Quickness 85
Strength 49
Vertical 94
Hustle 46
Durability 70
Potential 58
Emotion 25

TENDENCIES
Shot 44
Inside 44 (down from 64)
Close 8 (down from 63)
Mid 24 (down from 62)
3pt 11 (down from 46)
Put 46
Drive 58 (down from 68)
Pull 34

CONTRACT
Role: Bench
Opt: None (from Team)
NT: No
2010: 1.03
2011: 0 (from 1.10)
2012: 0 (from 1.99)

ANALYSIS
Giddens was a bit of a project when he was drafted, despite being 23 years old. He's a slasher, and a good rebounder thanks to his athleticism, but has a relatively low basketball IQ for his age.

FUTURE
Giddens had his final two option years declined, and will be a free agent in 2010. It looks increasingly likely that he will be a fringe NBAer.

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Bill Walker

VITALS
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 220
Hand: Right
College: Kansas State
Years Pro: 2
Age: 22
Jersey Number: 12
Personality: Unpredictable
Position: SF
2nd Pos: N/A (from SG)
Style: Athletic

ACCESSORIES
HB: Yes
L/R Knee: B Pad (from W Pad)

Offense 64 (up from 62)
Defense 58 (up from 57)
Rebound 57 (down from 65)

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 60 (up from 59)
Inside 68 (up from 63)
Close 63
Medium 68 (up from 65)
3PT 60 (up from 55)
LowPost 51
FreeThrow 80 (up from 74)
Layup 67
Dunk 93
StandDunk 50 (up from 40)
OffDribble 54
InTraffic 42
Handle 61
OffHand 53
Security 61
Pass 38 (down from 43)
Block 36
Steal 49
Hands 52
BallDef 57
OffReb 54 (down from 69)
DefReb 51
OffPost 48
DefPost 54
OffAwr 51 (up from 46)
DefAwr 42 (up from 37)
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 35 (up from 25)
Stamina 77
Speed 72
Quickness 73
Strength 64
Vertical 94
Hustle 69
Durability 63 (down from 70)
Potential 57
Emotion 25

TENDENCIES
Shot 52
Inside 40 (down from 60)
Close 10 (down from 60)
Mid 20 (down from 60)
3pt 9
Put 42
Drive 60
Pull 33

CONTRACT
Role: Bench
Opt: 2Y Team
NT: No
2010: 736K
2011: 854K
2012: 916K

ANALYSIS
Walker is an athletic dunker who can't seem to stay healthy. He needs development time, and it should say something that he can't get on the court this season despite injuries to Paul Pierce and Marquis Daniels.

FUTURE
Walker has a team friendly rookie contract that keeps him under team control until he's 25 years old. We'll know by then whether or not he's a quality NBA player or just fringe material. However, if he doesn't make strides this season (or suffers another major injury), he could see himself cut, as he won't be eliglble for D-League stints next year.

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Brian Scalabrine

VITALS
Height: 6’9”
Weight: 235
Hand: Right
College: USC
Years Pro: 9
Age: 31
Jersey Number: 44
Personality: Laid Back
Position: PF
2nd Pos: SF
Style: Faceup

ACCESSORIES
HB: No (from Yes)
Socks: M (from S)

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 53 (up from 44)
Inside 67 (up from 60)
Close 64 (up from 50)
Medium 67 (up from 47)
3PT 77 (83)
LowPost 45 (up from 40)
FreeThrow 79 (up from 75)
Layup 39
Dunk 46
StandDunk 40
OffDribble 42 (down from 52)
InTraffic 41
Handle 44 (up from 40)
OffHand 36 (up from 28)
Security 48
Pass 34 (up from 32)
Block 45
Steal 45 (up from 35)
Hands 60 (up from 45)
BallDef 54 (up from 34)
OffReb 30
DefReb 36 (down from 39)
OffPost 42 (up from 37)
DefPost 57 (up from 52)
OffAwr 38 (up from 33)
DefAwr 68 (up from 34)
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 30 (down from 60)
Stamina 62
Speed 45 (up from 40)
Quickness 49 (up from 39)
Strength 60
Vertical 36
Hustle 75 (up from 70)
Durability 55 (down from 63)
Potential 54
Emotion 25

TENDENCIES
Shot 19 (down from 29)
Inside 12
Close 3
Mid 18
3pt 35 (down from 40)
Put 9
Drive 1
Pull 20

CONTRACT
Role: Bench
Opt: None
NT: No
2010: 3.41

ANALYSIS
Scal is a hustle player that can hit the three... and that's about it. He can't rebound, can't finish at the rim, is a poor athlete, and isn't a great defender. I'm still not entirely sure why he gets rotation minutes in Boston, but I'm guessing they just feel ANY "stretch 4" will do.

FUTURE
This could very easily be Scalabrine's final season in the league, as his contract expires and he bestows a 4.1 PER. Boston (or another team) could decide to keep him for the veteran's minimum, but there will be no shortage of better, younger options out there. Retiring at 32 isn't a bad thing; most players with twice Scal's talent don't even make it to 27 in the NBA.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Association Sim (12-26-09)

Using my latest roster, let's see if association gets anymore realistic...

AWARDS

MVP: LeBron James (31.7 pts, 9.4 reb, 7.4 ast, 2.4 stl, 1.2 blk)
ROY: Tyreke Evans (13.6 pts, 6.6 reb, 6.3 ast, 1.9 stl, 0.6 blk)
SMY: Tracy McGrady (13.9 pts, 2.8 reb, 3.7 ast, 1.2 stl, 0.3 blk
DPY: Josh Smith (18.0 pts, 9.7 reb, 1.8 ast, 2.1 stl, 2.8 blk)
MIP: Chris Douglas-Roberts (15.0 pts, 5.9 reb, 1.3 ast, 0.7 stl, 0.9 blk)
COY: George Karl

All-NBA Teams (1st, 2nd, 3rd)
PG: Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Baron Davis
SG: Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Joe Johnson
SF: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala
PF: Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Smith
C: Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson

All-Defensive Teams (1st, 2nd)
PG: Tyreke Evans, Rajon Rondo (that's interesting)
SG: Dwyane Wade, Trevor Ariza
SF: Gerald Wallace, LeBron James
PF: Josh Smith, Chris Bosh
C: Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan

All-Rookie Teams (1st, 2nd)
PG: Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings
SG: James Harden, Marcus Thornton
SF: Terrence Williams, Derrick Brown
PF: Blake Griffin, Tyler Hansbrough
C: DeJuan Blair, Hasheem Thabeet

This is the first time Tyreke Evans won ROY in my sim, and he's on pace to do it in real life at the moment. I dunno about all-defensive first team but we all know the game looks at reb/steal/block rather than how good a defender the player is.

McGrady won Sixth Man which I suppose is realistic if he were to play a full season off the bench. The reason he doesn't start is he's rated lower than Trevor Ariza, which is why Ginobili can't win it (he'll start over Bogans/Mason every time).

LEAGUE LEADERS

Let's take into account that players rarely get hurt in association sims and thus play more minutes than they would in real life.

POINTS
James 31.7
Wade 29.8
Bryant 29.3
Anthony 27.6
Martin 26.7
Durant 26.5
Granger 26.1
Nowitzki 25.9
Bosh 23.5
Jefferson 23.4
Ellis 23.3
Roy 22.8
Johnson 22.5
Paul 22.4
Deron 22.1
Pierce 21.9
Parker 21.8 (39 mpg)
Rose 21.6
Stoudemire 21.3
Duncan 21.2
Redd 21.2
Howard 21.0
Harrington 20.5
Yao 20.2

REBOUNDS
Bosh 16.4 (4.7 off)
Wallace 13.2 (2.5 off)
Howard 12.9 (3.7 off)
Duncan 12.8 (3.4 off)
Lee 12.8 (3.3 off)
Okafor 12.5 (3.1 off)
Lopez 12.3 (3.7 off)
Gasol 11.5 (2.9 off)
Biedrins 11.3 (3.1 off)
Randolph 11.0 (3.1 off)
Love 10.9 (2.7 off)
Murphy 10.5 (2.1 off)
Noah 10.5 (2.7 off)
Jamison 10.1 (3.0 off)
Horford 10.1 (2.4 off)
Nene 10.0 (2.7 off)
Garnett 10.0 (2.3 off)

ASSISTS
Deron 10.6
Rondo 10.5
Kidd 9.9
Nash 9.9
Calderon 9.1
Billups 8.6
Davis 8.6
Paul 8.5
Parker 7.8 (39 mpg)
Duhon 7.7
James 7.4
Rose 7.2

STEALS
Rondo 3.0
Ginobili 2.9
Wade 2.8
Ariza 2.8
Paul 2.6
Bryant 2.6
Davis 2.6
James 2.4
Ellis 2.4
B.Wallace 2.2
J.Smith 2.1
Iguodala 2.0
Chalmers 2.0
Harris 2.0

BLOCKS
Okafor 3.2
Duncan 3.1
Howard 3.0
J.Smith 2.8
Perkins 2.6
Haywood 2.6
Lopez 2.5
Bogut 2.5
Yao 2.3
Jefferson 2.3
B.Wallace 2.2
Wade 2.2
J.O'Neal 2.2
Kirilenko 2.2
Camby 2.1
Biedrins 2.1
Ty Thomas 2.1
Noah 2.0
Horford 2.0
Dalembert 2.0 (22 mpg)
Brand 2.0 (30 mpg)
Bynum 2.0
Dampier 2.0
Oden 2.0

As I've maintained in the past, it'd be GREAT if guys actually got hurt in assocations as that's the only thing stopping the game from producing realistic stats.

TEAM RANKINGS

WEST RANKINGS
1. Nuggets
2. Lakers
3. Blazers
4. Rockets
5. Jazz
6. Warriors (only team that won't make playoffs this year)
7. Spurs
8. Mavericks
9. Thunder
10. Suns
11. Clippers
12. Kings (realism! 12th place west team w/ same record as 8th place east team!)
13. Hornets
14. Grizzlies
15. Wolves

EAST RANKINGS
1. Magic
2. Cavaliers
3. Hawks
4. Celtics
5. Heat (the top 5 teams, though not in the precise order)
6. Pacers (probably, if it weren't for their real-life injuries)
7. Raptors
8. Wizards
9. Sixers
10. Bobcats
11. Nets
12. Knicks
13. Bulls
14. Bucks
15. Pistons (best explanation i can muster? Ben Wallace missed 17 games which meant 17 starts for Kwame Brown)

PLAYOFF TREE
1. Nuggets (lose in first round 3-4 to 8th seed Mavs - you have no idea how mad this gets me everytime! The 8th seed wins 1% of the time in real life!)
2. Lakers (lose in NBA Finals 2-4 to 1st seed Magic)
3. Blazers (lose in first round 3-4 to 6th seed Warriors)
4. Rockets (lose in first round 1-4 to 5th seed Jazz - at least they know about the T-Mac curse)
5. Jazz (lose in conference finals 3-4 to 2nd seed Lakers)
6. Warriors (lose in second round 3-4 to 2nd seed Lakers)
7. Kings (lose in first round 1-4 to 2nd seed Lakers)
8. Mavericks (lose in second round 3-4 to 5th seed Jazz)

1. Magic (NBA Champions)
2. Cavaliers (lose in second round 2-4 to 6th seed Pacers)
3. Hawks (lose in first round 3-4 to 6th seed Pacers)
4. Celtics (lose in first round 2-4 to 1st seed Magic)
5. Heat (lose in first round 1-4 to 4th seed Celtics)
6. Pacers (swept in conference finals by 1st seed Magic)
7. Raptors (lose in first round 2-4 to 2nd seed Cavs)
8. Wizards (swept in first round by 1st seed Magic)

PLAYOFF RECORDS
Magic 16-4 (NBA Champions)
Lakers 14-9 (Lost in Finals)
Jazz 11-8 (Lost in Conf Finals)
Pacers 8-9 (Swept in Conf Finals)
Warriors 7-7 (beat Blazers in 7, lost to Lakers in 7)
Mavericks 7-7 (beat Nugs in 7, lost to Jazz in 7)
Celtics 6-5 (lost to Magic in 6)
Cavaliers 6-6 (lost to Pacers in 6)
Nuggets 3-4 (Yeah, a 1st seed loses first round in association EVERY TIME. Very realistic 2K.)
Hawks 3-4 (lost to Pacers in 7)
Blazers 3-4 (lost to Warriors in 7)
Raptors 2-4
Rockets 1-4
Heat 1-4
Kings 1-4
Wizards 0-4

NBA OFF-SEASON

PLAYER RETIREMENTS
Kurt Thomas
Lindsey Hunter
Marcus Camby
Brian Skinner
Adonal Foyle
Grant Hill
Kevin Ollie
Mark Blount

Aside from Camby this might be the most realistic list I've ever generated.

COACH RETIREMENTS
Jerry Sloan (he signed an extension in real life. at least Adelman and Karl didn't retire with him like they usually do)

PLAYER OPTIONS
Kobe Bryant (24.8) - ACCEPTED (he's probably signing an extension in real life so I'll just get rid of this anyway)
Kenyon Martin (16.5) - ACCEPTED (lol, how could he not?)
Shannon Brown (2.1) - DECLINED (as he will in real life)
Tyson Chandler (12.7) - ACCEPTED
Willie Green (3.9) - ACCEPTED
Sebastian Telfair (2.7) - ACCEPTED
Joel Przybilla (7.4) - ACCEPTED (he certainly will in real life due to his injury)
Jared Jeffries (6.8) - ACCEPTED
Nenad Krstic (5.8) - DECLINED (he wasn't happy in game)
Channing Frye (2.0) - ACCEPTED (not realistic, but then, so is being only 63 overall with a 90 3pt rating. Guess I have to take this one out.)
Eddy Curry (11.2) - ACCEPTED (biggest no-brainer of the year)
Peja Stojakovic (14.2) - ACCEPTED (ditto)
Darius Songaila (4.8) - ACCEPTED
Jason Kapono (6.6) - ACCEPTED
Vlad Radmanovic (6.8) - ACCEPTED
Maurice Evans (2.5) - ACCEPTED (somewhat surprising given that he's upset about PT, but also declined quite a bit beyond his displeasure)

TEAM OPTIONS
Josh Howard (11.8) - DECLINED (this one is perhaps the most debatable in real life since Howard is coming off the bench but money is no object to Mark Cuban)
Delonte West (4.6) - ACCEPTED
Von Wafer (2.7) - ACCEPTED (Awesome, I left him in the FA pool and Memphis signed him to a realistic deal.)
Ryan Gomes (4.1) - DECLINED (that's my fault, I need to improve his ratings)
Chuck Hayes (2.1) - DECLINED (really? guess it's because of Yao, I might have to take that out since he's a bargain at 2 million)
Leon Powe (0.9) - ACCEPTED
Marcus Haislip (0.9) - DECLINED
Bill Walker (0.8) - DECLINED
Eduardo Najera (3.0) - DECLINED
James Jones (4.6) - DECLINED

I should note that I took out a lot of options to prevent the game from screwing up decisions (like 2010 opt outs that LeBron and co make).


NBA DRAFT LOTTERY
1. Grizzlies
2. Knicks (haha, enjoy Jazz)
3. Hornets
4. Wolves
5. Pistons

2010 FREE AGENT PERIOD

I picked the Knicks and of their free agents, only Lee, Harrington, and Duhon wanted to re-sign. The rest all wanted to test the market. Nate was upset and refused to even negotiate. I'll pass on re-signing all of them, as my goal this off-season is to sign a big name player. (Though on that note, I wish I hadn't signed my rookies since that will cut into my cap space and the Knicks don't have any picks this year in real life).

LeBron, Wade, Bosh, and Johnson all re-signed with their teams before hitting the market, since teams get the first opportunity to sign them if they don't want to test the market. That is VERY, VERY annoying, as you should at the least be allowed to make them offers before they re-sign with their respective team. I don't even understand the point of re-signing your own players before the draft lottery, that doesn't happen in real life and it shouldn't in the game. The game should be smart enough to let you go over the cap for your own free agents even if they're in the FA pool.

That leaves the following players to pick from

87 Boozer (PF)
86 Amare (PF)
82 Gay (SF) - RESTRICTED
79 Lee (C)
78 Felton (PG) - RESTRICTED (um, what the hell 2K, he was restricted LAST YEAR)
76 Allen (SG)
76 McGrady (SG)
75 Scola (PF)
75 Robinson (PG)
75 Lowry (PG) - RESTRICTED
74 Shaq (C)
74 Hughes (SG)
73 Ty Thomas (PF) - RESTRICTED
72 Gooden (C)
72 Bynum (PG) - RESTRICTED
71 Outlaw (PF)
70 Brown (SG)
68 C.J. Watson (PG) - RESTRICTED (another player who is unrestricted in real life)
66 - J.J. Redick (SG) - UNRESTRICTED (uh, he's only coming off his rookis contract...)
63 Aaron Gray (C) - RESTRICTED (awesome how we have no control over this)
59 J.R. Giddens (SG) - RESTRICTED (sigh...)

The Knicks end up with Kyle Lowry (3 years), Tracy McGrady (2 years), J.J. Redick (2 years), David Lee (5 years, side note, why can't i offer him 6?)

Oh, and Al Harrington automatically re-signed for 6 years and 43 million. Don't ask me how that happened, since I certainly didn't authorize it.

Boozer signed with the Clippers to replace Camby, and to start over the 82 rated Blake Griffin. Can't say I'm surprised (that it's the Clippers making such a dumb move, or that 2K's AI could run the Clipper front office)

Larry Hughes and Luke Ridnour each replaced Boozer in Utah. Each got 4 year deals (though Ridnour's is worth about 2 million a year).

Shaq and Dampier go to Washington. Haywood goes to Detroit to replace Ben Wallace who signed in Minny to backup Jefferson/Love. Krstic replaces Damp in Dallas, while Gooden moves on to backup O'Neal in Miami. Ilgauskas meanwhile regains his starting job.

Matt Harpring re-signed with the Thunder for 3 years and the minimum. Did I mention I have Matt Harpring rated 25 overall? Why is this game trying to meet roster minimums during the FA period? Isn't that the point of the FA period? And why are these multi-year deals instead of one year pacts?

Your 2010 Knicks
C David Lee (79)
PF Al Harrington (76)
SF Wilson Chandler (76)
SG Tracy McGrady (76)
PG Kyle Lowry (75)
Bench
SF Danilo Gallinari (73)
PG Toney Douglas (70)
PG Chris Duhon (69) - Swapping him for the 80 rated PG the team drafted
SG J.J. Redick (66)
PF Jordan Hill (66)
PF Jared Jeffries (65)
C Eddy Curry (60)

Realistic? Considering all the 2K flaws and BS, I'd say it does about as good a job as it can get. You guys should tell me, though.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Real 2K Insider [12-25-09] Xmas Special

This was a massive update, easily my biggest ever. Happy holidays.

I only list the changes to overall, but make no mistake, there are plenty of players who get tweaked every week with no change in overall rating. Just about every player receieved an edit this week. I recently developed a scale for determining "Shoot Off Dribble" and "Shoot In Traffic" ratings that should lead to more realistic play.

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The lastest Real 2K Insider roster has been uploaded to 2K Share! Download it now, and please feel free to leave your thoughts and feedback!

FILE NAME: Real 2K Insider [12-25-09] Xmas Special
GAMERTAG: Real 2K Insider
PLATFORM: 360

HIGHLIGHTS
67.5% of all players in the NBA (281/416) have been edited!
All edited players updated periodically!
No missing players!
Accurate player positions & rotations for all teams!
Accurate contracts for all edited players!
Updated player tendencies, coach profiles, and accessories!

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LATEST NEWS (Player Movement, Injury, and Rotation news)

Von Wafer attempted to sign with the Rockets but failed his physical, and Houston opted to sign Mike Harris from the D-League instead. Expect the Grizzlies to pursue Wafer once he gets healthy, as the Rockets will only have room for Von if they trade T-Mac.

Eric Maynor and Matt Harpring were traded from the Utah Jazz to the Oklahoma City Thunder, in a giveaway that will save the Jazz about 13 million dollars after luxury tax payments. If you recall, the Jazz had to take out a loan in order to match the offer sheet the Blazers signed Paul Millsap to, and this is one of the after effects. Portland GM Kevin Pritchard essentially forced Utah into trading their 2009 first round pick at the cost of re-signing Millsap.

Tyrus Thomas is returning from injury, but not to the starting lineup just yet. Taj Gibson will resume starting over Brad Miller for the time being, while John Salmons was demoted to the bench in favor of Kirk Hinrich. Miller and Salmons have been struggling with their starting roles, so perhaps a move back to the bench will get them back in order. Meanwhile, there have been rumors that the Bulls are looking at Lawrence Frank to replace coach Vinny Del Negro. VDN has proven to be in over his head in his first coaching gig, while Frank brings an excellent track record in New Jersey and a defensive mindset.

Marreese Speights and Louis Williams both returned ahead of schedule from their injuries, a much needed boost as Allen Iverson is still getting into game shape and dealing with injuries of his own. Philly has played much better with Elton Brand coming off the bench, and they could make a playoff push if their core maintains it's health for the duration of the season.

Jameer Nelson returned to the starting lineup in Orlando, while Brandon Bass has fallen out of the rotation and onto the trading block. Bass was not a great fit on a team that likes to surround Dwight Howard with 4 shooters. Orlando re-signed Marcin Gortat as it's backup center (after signing Bass, mind you) in the offseason, while Ryan Anderson's 3pt shooting has predictably made him invaluable at the 4 spot, and this has left precious little time for the big fish to make his mark.

Paul Pierce had minor surgery and will be out approximately two weeks. Tony Allen replaces him in Boston's starting lineup. Pierce's usual backup, Marquis Daniels, is targeting the all-star break for his own return from injury.

Another man down in Portland. This time it's Joel Przybilla, who joins fellow center Greg Oden on the sideline for the rest of the year. Travis Outlaw and Nicholas Batum are unlikely to play before April, while Rudy Fernandez and Patrick Mills are still sidelined until January. On the bright side, Jeff Pendergraph healed from his injuries and made his debut just in time to fill the Przybilla void. 36 year old Juwan Howard replaces Pryz in the starting lineup. Not the season Portland fans were expecting, to say the least.

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BIGGEST MOVERS

Pau Gasol has been a rebounding machine since his return from injury, and recently received a contract extension worth approximately 67 million over 3 years. The one downside is his return seems to have negatively impacted Andrew Bynum's production (though a decline was sure to be expected).

Devin Harris' decline in productivity is a key reason the Nets have only won 2 games since his return from injury. He is shooting only 38% from the field, and a pitiful 19% from behind the arc through 19 games.

Andrew Bogut has been the man in Milwaukee, admirably anchoring the league's 4th best defense. He is having the best shot blocking year of his career, while also taking a much larger offensive role than in the past.

Tyreke Evans has been on a tear to rip Rookie of the Year from Brandon Jennings clutches. He is averaging 20/5/5 and the only rookies to ever do that were Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson.

Shawn Marion has not returned to all-star form, and the decline he showed over the last two seasons appears to be legit. He is shooting only 47% from the field despite abandoning the 3pt shot altogether (0-6 through 26 games), and his .508 TS% is a career worst. Worst of all, his defensive rebounding is plummeting at an astronomical rate, from 8.0 in 2008, 5.9 in 2009, to an embarrassing 3.8 in 2010. The scary thing is he is still signed for another 4 years in Dallas. Raise your hand if you think Marion will be worth 9.3 million dollars when he is 35 years old?

Jerryd Bayless has been one of the few bright spots in Portland, as he is finally getting solid run with all the injuries. He has mostly played at SG with Roy at SF, and it remains to be seen if he can keep it up once Rudy Fernandez returns to health.

Danilo Gallinari has shown he is more than just a 3pt shooter; he is one of the best shot blockers on the Knicks, and not nearly as bad defensively as we all thought. Combined with the resurrection of Chris Duhon, the Knicks have been on a tear, going 8-4 in December after starting the season 1-9.

Omri Casspi and Donte Greene have been solid contributors to Sacramento's surprising rise to mediocrity in the west (not an insult, as any mediocre west team would be an east playoff team without question). Casspi appears to have taken the starting SF job away from Andres Nocioni, while Greene is splitting time with the veteran forward. Their emergence should provide a welcome dilemna when Kevin Martin returns from injury in the near future.

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THE RATINGS

281/416 (.675) NBA players updated
(+/-) = Difference from 2K Sports roster
LW = Overall change from last week

Top Players Not Yet Edited
78 - Richard Hamilton (INJURED)
78 - Ben Gordon (INJURED)
78 - Tayshaun Prince (INJURED)
75 - Jermaine O'Neal
72 - Mehmet Okur

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POINT GUARDS (63/81)
95 – Chris Paul (+1)
89 – Deron Williams (0)
85 – Rajon Rondo (-1)
84 – Tony Parker (0)
82 – Steve Nash (0)
82 – Chauncey Billups (-3)
81 – Baron Davis (0)
81 – Gilbert Arenas (-3)
81 - Russell Westbrook (+1)
80 – Devin Harris (0) (LW: -4)
79 – Brandon Jennings (+3) (LW: -1)
78 – Tyreke Evans (0) (LW: +2)
78 – Jameer Nelson (-1) (LW: -1)
78 – Derrick Rose (+1)
78 – Aaron Brooks (+1)
77 – Jason Kidd (-4) (LW: -1)
77 – Mo Williams (0)
75 – Rodney Stuckey (+1)
75 – Andre Miller (-3)
75 – Jonny Flynn (0) (LW: +1)
75 – Kyle Lowry (+1)
74 – Raymond Felton (+1) (LW: +1)
74 – Jose Calderon (-1) (INJURED)
73 – Louis Williams (0) (LW: +2)
73 – T.J. Ford (-2) (LW: -1)
73 – Darren Collison (+3)
73 – Ty Lawson (0)
73 – Nate Robinson (-5)
72 – Will Bynum (+4)
72 – Luke Ridnour (+5)
71 – Mike Bibby (-6) (LW: -2)
71 – Michael Conley (-2)
71 – Rafer Alston (-2)
70 – Stephen Curry (0)
70 – Earl Boykins (+3)
70 – Toney Douglas (+3)
69 – Chris Duhon (-1) (LW: +2)
69 – Beno Udrih (+6)
69 – Jrue Holiday (+2)
68 – Jason Williams (+1)
68 – Jose Barea (-1)
68 – Jarrett Jack (-1)
68 – Ramon Sessions (-2) (LW: -1)
68 – C.J. Watson (0)
67 – Derek Fisher (-5)
67 – Jordan Farmar (+1) (LW: -1)
67 – Steve Blake (-3) (LW: -1)
67 – Jamaal Tinsley (-1)
67 – D.J. Augustin (-2)
67 – Rodrigue Beaubois (0)
66 – Carlos Arroyo (+2)
66 – Jeff Teague (0)
64 – Anthony Johnson (+3)
63 – George Hill (+2)
63 – Sergio Rodriguez (+1)
62 – Eddie House (+4) (LW: -2)
62 – Daniel Gibson (+2)
62 – Patrick Mills (-6) (INJURED)
61 – Bobby Brown (+3)
61 – Lester Hudson (-1) (LW: -1)
60 – Acie Law (0) (LW: +2)
60 – Speedy Claxton (-1) (INACTIVE)
57 – Lindsey Hunter (-4)

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SHOOTING GUARDS 46/78
95 - Kobe Bryant (-2) (LW: -1)
94 – Dwyane Wade (0) (LW: +1)
87 – Brandon Roy (-1)
85 – Joe Johnson (-4)
82 – Manu Ginobili (-1)
79 – Monta Ellis (-3) (LW: -1)
79 – Vince Carter (-2) (LW: -1)
79 – Allen Iverson (-5) (LW: +2)
78 – Kevin Martin (+1) (INJURED)
77 – Stephen Jackson (-4)
77 – Trevor Ariza (-1)
77 – James Harden (-1)
76 – Ray Allen (-3) (LW: -1)
76 – Jason Terry (-2)
76 – Kirk Hinrich (-1)
76 – Tracy McGrady (0) (LW: -2)
75 – Delonte West (+1)
74 – Eric Gordon (0) (LW: +1)
74 – O.J. Mayo (-4) (LW: -1)
74 – Larry Hughes (+1)
74 – Leandro Barbosa (0)
73 – Jason Richardson (+1)
73 – Jamal Crawford (-1)
73 – J.R. Smith (+2)
72 – Michael Redd (-3) (LW: -1)
71 – John Salmons (+2)
71 – Chris Douglas-Roberts (-1)
71 – Jerryd Bayless (+3) (LW: +3)
71 – Rudy Fernandez (+3) (INJURED)
70 – Shannon Brown (+4)
70 – Flip Murray (+4)
68 – Willie Green (0)
67 – Thabo Sefolosha (+2)
67 – Charlie Bell (+1) (LW: -1)
67 – Sasha Vujacic (0)
66 – Arron Afflalo (+3)
66 – Marco Belinelli (+1)
66 – Marcus Thornton (+5)
65 – J.J. Redick (+10)
64 – Tony Allen (-2)
63 – Anthony Carter (+2)
62 – Wesley Matthews (0)
59 - Roko Ukic (+2)
58 – Sonny Weems (+2)
25 – Cuttino Mobley (CAP) (INJURED/RETIRED)

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SMALL FORWARDS (55/82)
95 – LeBron James (-1) (LW: -2)
88 – Carmelo Anthony (-3) (LW: -2)
85 – Kevin Durant (+2)
84 – Danny Granger (+1) (INJURED)
84 – Paul Pierce (-1)
83 – Andre Iguodala (-3) (LW: +1)
82 – Gerald Wallace (0) (LW: +1)
79 – Caron Butler (-3) (LW: -2)
78 – Ron Artest (-2)
77 – Rudy Gay (-3) (LW: -1)
77 – Grant Hill (+3)
76 – Josh Howard (-1)
75 – Luol Deng (-2)
75 – Hedo Turkoglu (-1)
74 – Shawn Marion (-6) (LW: -3)
74 – Wilson Chandler (+1) (LW: +4)
74 – Dahntay Jones (+2)
73 – Shane Battier (-2)
72 - Kelenna Azubuike (+1) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON)
72 – Jared Dudley (+1)
71 – Mickael Pietrus (-1)
70 – Quentin Richardson (+1)
70 – Martell Webster (+4)
70 – Andres Nocioni (+1)
69 – Danilo Gallinari (+7) (LW: +2)
69 – Matt Barnes (+3)
69 – Terrence Williams (-2) (LW: -1)
68 – Marvin Williams (+2) (LW: -3)
68 – Marquis Daniels (+3) (INJURED)
68 – James Posey (-4)
67 – Carlos Delfino (+4)
67 – Mike Dunleavy (+3)
67 – Al Thornton (0)
67 – Omri Casspi (+12) (LW: +3)
67 – Luke Walton (0) (INJURED)
67 – Joey Graham (-1)
66 – C.J. Miles (+8)
66 – Jonas Jerebko (+2) (LW: +4)
66 – Anthony Morrow (+1) (LW: -1)
66 – Maurice Evans (0) (LW: -1)
65 – Chase Budinger (-2) (INJURED)
65 – Nicolas Batum (+1) (INJURED)
65 – Joe Alexander (+5) (INJURED)
65 – Julian Wright (-1)
64 – Sam Young (-3) (LW: +1)
64 – Antoine Wright (+4)
63 – Donte Greene (+6) (LW: +2)
63 – Derrick Brown (-5) (LW: -1)
61 - Peja Stojakovic (-1)
60 – Bill Walker (+1)
60 – Shawne Williams (+3) (INACTIVE)
59 – Jason Kapono (+1) (LW: -1)
59 – J.R. Giddens (+2)
59 – Devean George (-2)
59 – Marcus Landry (CAP)
54 – Adam Morrison (0) (LW: -1)
25 – Matt Harpring (-41) (INJURED, RETIRED)

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POWER FORWARDS 61/94
87 – Chris Bosh (0)
86 – Pau Gasol (0) (LW: +2)
86 – Kevin Garnett (-1)
84 – Dirk Nowitzki (+1)
84 – Josh Smith (+2) (LW: +1)
83 – Carlos Boozer (-2)
81 – Amare Stoudemire (-1)
78 – Antawn Jamison (+2)
77 – LaMarcus Aldridge (-1) (LW: -1)
77 – Kevin Love (+3)
77 – Blake Griffin (+1) (INJURED)
76 – Zach Randolph (-1) (LW: +1)
76 – Al Harrington (+1)
76 – Michael Beasley (+1)
76 – Jeff Green (-1)
76 – Carl Landry (+4)
75 – Luis Scola (+2)
75 – David West (-1)
75 – Marcus Camby (-2)
75 – Corey Maggette (0)
75 – Paul Millsap (+1)
74 – Elton Brand (0)
74 – Lamar Odom (-4)
73 – Rashard Lewis (+1)
73 – Kenyon Martin (-1)
73 – Jason Thompson (+1) (LW: +1)
72 – Troy Murphy (0)
72 – Ersan Ilyasova (+9)
70 – Thaddeus Young (-5) (LW: -2)
70 – Boris Diaw (-1)
70 – Brandon Bass (+2)
69 – Travis Outlaw (0) (LW: -1) (INJURED)
69 – Hakim Warrick (+4) (LW: +1)
69 - Louis Amundson (+4) (LW: +2)
68 – Shelden Williams (+7)
67 – Antonio McDyess (-2) (LW: -1)
67 – Renaldo Balkman (0)
67 – Brandan Wright (+2) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON)
66 – Joe Smith (+2)
65 – Ryan Anderson (+3)
65 – Jared Jeffries (+2) (LW: +2)
65 – Jordan Hill (+3)
65 – Serge Ibaka (+4) (LW: +1)
65 – Dante Cunningham (+3)
65 – Mike Harris (CAP)
64 – Glen Davis (-1) (INJURED)
64 – Taj Gibson (+3)
63 - Josh Powell (-1)
62 – Josh Boone (+4)
62 – Yi Jianlian (+3)
62 – Eduardo Najera (-1) (INJURED)
62 – Tim Thomas (+2)
62 – Marcus Haislip (CAP)
61 – Jeff Pendergraph (-2)
59 – Malik Allen (0)
59 – Taylor Griffin (-3)
58 – Vladimir Radmanovic (+4)
57 – Jonathan Bender (CAP) (LW: +2)
54 – Brian Cook (0)
53 – Brian Scalabrine (+9)
51 – Othello Hunter (+1)
48 – Steve Novak (+2)

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CENTERS 56/81
90 – Tim Duncan (+2)
90 – Dwight Howard (+1)
85 – Yao Ming (+2) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON)
81 – Greg Oden (+7) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON)
80 – Al Horford (+2)
80 – Emeka Okafor (0)
79 – Al Jefferson (-2)
79 - Andrew Bogut (+2) (LW: +2)
78 – Andrew Bynum (+2)
78 – Brook Lopez (0)
78 – Nene (+3) (LW: +1)
77 – David Lee (0)
77 – Kendrick Perkins (+5) (LW: +1)
77 – Chris Kaman (0) (LW: +1)
77 – Shaquille O’Neal (0)
76 – Andris Biedrins (+2) (INJURED)
76 – Marc Gasol (-1)
74 – Joakim Noah (+1)
74 – Marreese Speights (+2) (LW: +1)
73 – Rasheed Wallace (-2) (LW: -1)
72 – Roy Hibbert (+3) (LW: -1)
72 – Zydrunas Ilgauskas (+1)
72 – Anthony Randolph (+1) (LW: -2)
72 – DeJuan Blair (+12)
72 – Marcin Gortat (+4)
71 – Erick Dampier (+10) (LW: +2)
71 – Chris Andersen (+3) (LW: +2)
70 – Andrea Bargnani (+1)
70 – Ben Wallace (-4)
70 – Samuel Dalembert (+2)
69 – Brendan Haywood (+4)
69 – Joel Przybilla (+2) (INJURED)
69 – Drew Gooden (+2)
68 – Chuck Hayes (-1)
68 - Ronny Turiaf (0) (INJURED)
68 – Zaza Pachulia (+1) (LW: +1)
68 – Kurt Thomas (-3) (LW: -1)
68 – Nazr Mohammed (+6)
67 – Tyson Chandler (+1)
67 – Spencer Hawes (+1)
66 – Nenad Krstic (+6)
64 – Kwame Brown (0)
64 – Hasheem Thabeet (+7) (LW: +4)
63 – Channing Frye (+1) (LW: -2)
63 – Etan Thomas (+1)
63 – Darko Milicic (+4)
61 – Johan Petro (+4)
60 – Juwan Howard (0)
60 – Solomon Jones (+6)
60 – DeAndre Jordan (+4)
60 – DJ Mbenga (+8)
60 – Eddy Curry (-5) (LW: -2)
59 – Mikki Moore (+2)
59 – Chris Hunter (CAP)
58 – Adonal Foyle (+1) (INJURED)
52 – Jason Collins (0)
51 – Jarron Collins (+3)
51 – Randolph Morris (+1) (LW: +1)

Thoughts? Complaints? Suggestions? Leave a comment.

Dissecting 2K's X-Mas Roster

Hello all! I was about to submit my Christmas Eve roster when I saw that the Insider released his own X-Mas roster. Looks like he's been a busy little bee!

Editor's Note: Due to some last minute christmas shopping, I have not added the details for Anthony Parker, Earl Watson, Goran Dragic, Eric Maynor, and Randy Foye. They'll be available for future viewing in a day or two. Rest assured, fy roster will be out before the clock strikes midnight. It will be a MASSIVE update that puts 2K's efforts to shame.

SIXERS CHANGES

Andre Iguodala
86 overall (+2) - Why do they keep treating him like an all-star? He won't make it this year either.
77 med (+3)
76 3pt (+7)
77 pass (+5) - WHY? No improvement and overrated to begin with.
87 steal (+12)
That's great and all, now how about editing the things he's badly overrated in?

Lou Williams
73 overall (+4)
78 med (+12) - Lou is a "staggering" 13-27 from mid-range in 16 games.
70 3pt (+3)
73 pass (+10)
79 offawr (+6)
Lou = 73 vertical & 68 potential. Fact.

Marreese Speights
72 overall (+5)
86 inside (+7)
82 LowPost (+9)
76 ft (+7)
68 block (-2) - why not a bigger decrease?
87 offreb (-4) - overrated entering the year but actually deserves a 91
79 offpost (+10)
76 offawr (+28) - never understood why it was so low in the first place

No change to the massively overrated Allen Iverson & Thaddeus Young?
In real life the Sixers are the 2nd worst defensive team in the league. In 2K they are top five.


BOBCATS CHANGES
Flip Murray
66 overall (-2)
70 close (-21) -That's great and all, now why didn't you raise his 65 med? Or any other ratings for that matter...

Or any other Bobcat for that matter...

BUCKS CHANGES

Andrew Bogut
77 overall (+3) - FINALLY
86 close (+11)
83 block (+4)
75 offawr (+6)
77 defawr (+7)

Brandon Jennings
76 overall (-1)
81 medium (-5)
86 3pt (-3)
The fact that these are the only changes 2K could think of for Jennings is frankly a little embarrassing. I can think of, oh, I dunno, SIX RATINGS that are off by 10 or more.

No edits for Ridnour, Warrick, Delfino, Ilyasova, Bell... the whole team is messed up and they are still only changing the top 2 players.

BULLS CHANGES

None.

CAVALIERS CHANGES

Anthony Parker
Overall 69 (+1)

CELTICS CHANGES

Ray Allen
Overall 78 (-2)
Close 83 (-11) - Ray is 11-21 (.524) on the year. Could someone explain to me the logic in dropping Ray 11 pts when he was a very good 68-125 (.544) last year, while at the same time giving Lou Williams a 12 pt boost for his tiny sample?

CLIPPER CHANGES

Chris Kaman
Overall 76 (+1)
OffAwr 79 (+6)
DefAwr 70 (+6)

Marcus Camby
Overall 77 (+2) - I wish I were joking.
Close 80 (+22)

Eric Gordon
Overall 74 (+2)
Steal 83 (+26)

GRIZZLIES CHANGES

No change. Why bother anyway? They're only the 3rd highest rated team in the game. They're obviously perfect just the way they are.
(And no, I don't lie. Lakers 90, Mavericks 85, Grizzlies 83, Hawks 83. Look it up.)

HAWKS CHANGES

Joe Johnson
89 overall (+1) - My jaw just dropped. Are you kidding? Joe Johnson still getting the lionshare of the credit for Atlanta's improvement? He has not improved one bit since last year, and EVERYONE with half a basketball brain knows that Josh Smith and Al Horford are the REAL reason for Atlanta's improvement. Typically, neither player received an update.
86 close (+2)
86 med (-2) - Still about 6 points overrated, as he's shooting 44-111 (.396) on the year. I'll never get the perception about him being any good from here.
78 3pt (-3)
73 steal (+18) - Oh my god. This again. Johnson is average at stealing the ball. Nothing more. His steals have barely fluctuated over the last 5 years, this season included.
82 balldef (+4) - Just wanted to point out that this is 4th among all SGs. Really?
70 offclutch (+10)

As you read in my rant, Smith still doesn't get his due credit, Horford still rated equal to Bibby, and Bibby is now rated higher than Brandon Jennings. Joy.

HEAT CHANGES

Mario Chalmers
Overall 75 (+1) - Only in 2K Land can someone lose their starting job and still go up in rating.
Close 76 (+26)
Steal 83 (-9)

HORNETS CHANGES

None.

JAZZ CHANGES

None. Though to their credit, they did include the Eric Maynor trade. You never know with 2K. I think they change C.J. Miles' position too, though they couldn't be bothered to improve upon his ludicrously bad 58 rating. Perhaps they figured the +1 he gets for switching positions was more than enough.

KINGS CHANGES

Tyreke Evans
Overall 78 (+3)
Inside 85 (+5)
Medium 83 (+4)
3pt 65 (-4)
FT 77 (+3)
SIT 77 (+3)
Pass 74 (+4)
DefReb 55 (+11)
OffAwr 82 (+10)
DefAwr 72 (+11)
Speed 86 (+4)
Quickness 88 (+2)
Stregnth 69 (+6)

You know the drill. Tyreke's the only King that got edited even though they have the Kings as the worst team in the league by far.

KNICKS CHANGES

Nate Robinson isn't even in the Knick rotation and they have him as the best player on the team. Did you REALLY expect them to do anything? Be honest.

(And yes, that means Danilo Gallinari is still 3 points worse than Eddy Curry. Fo' sho.)

LAKERS CHANGES

Pau Gasol
Overall 86 (+3)
OffReb 91 (+9)
DefReb 88 (+16)

MAGIC CHANGES

Nada.

MAVERICKS CHANGES

Surely you jest?

NETS CHANGES

Devin Harris
80 Overall (-4)
79 Medium (-2) - That's it? He never deserved this high in the first place.
83 Layup (-13)
76 SOD (-4)
73 DefAwr (-10)
40 OffClutch (-20)
55 Consistency (-44)
90 Stamina (-1) - LOL. Wow.
94 Speed (-2)
97 Quickness (-2)

NUUGETS CHANGES

COME ON BRAH EVERYONE KNOWZ BIRDMAN IZNT BETTER TAHN JOEY GRAHAM

PACERS CHANGES

Roy Hibbert
Overall 69 (-1)
79 OffReb (-13) - There wasn't even a need to drop it. If anything they should have boosted his defensive boarding.

Earl Watson
Overall 66 (+2)

RAPTORS CHANGES

Ha ha.

ROCKETS CHANGES

Chuck Hayes
69 Overall (+1) - Also switched to center for what it's worth.
90 OffReb (+6)

Chase Budinger
67 Overall (+1) - Already edited last week, only thing that happened this week was he got hurt! Are you sure you're allocating your resources properly 2K?
81 Medium (+11)
76 3pt (-4)
68 OffAwr (-3)

SPURS CHANGES

Nah man DeJuan Blair is a straight up scrub, no way should he be rated higher than Theo Ratliff!

SUNS CHANGES

Grant Hill
74 Overall (+2)
OffReb 43 (+4)
DefReb 67 (+7) - Sorry but you misssed Hill's rebounding explosion by a month. And his numbers have since reverted to 2009 levels, which makes this change utterly pointless.
OffAwr 75 (+2)
DefAwr 73 (+10)

Goran Dragic
65 Overall (+3)

THUNDER CHANGES

Eric Maynor
68 Overall (+2)

WOLVES CHANGES

Ramon Sessions
70 Overall (-1)
88 Security (-7)
77 Pass (-1)
72 OffAwr (-3)

BLAZERS CHANGES

Steve Blake
70 Overall (-2)
70 Pass (-21)
Just one rating drop for Blake? *Sigh*

Jerryd Bayless
68 Overall (+1)
74 Medium (+2)
71 3pt (+14)

WARRIORS CHANGES

Monta Ellis
83 Overall (+1)
95 Steal (+8) - Holy crap that's undeserved. 88 was fine.

Stephen Curry
70 Overall (+1)
39 Dunk (-7) - Curry can dunk. But I suppose I'm fine with it til he does it in an NBA game.
78 SOD (-5)
86 Steal (+18)

Anthony Randolph
70 Overall (-1)
88 OffReb (-7)
79 DefReb (-5)

WIZARDS CHANGES

Caron Butler
82 Overall (+1)
83 Medium (+3)

Randy Foye
69 Overall (-2) - Position also switched to SG

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Real 2K Insider [12-15-09]

The lastest Real 2K Insider roster has been uploaded to 2K Share! Download it now and leave me some feedback!

FILE NAME: Real 2K Insider [12-15-09]
GAMERTAG: Real 2K Insider
PLATFORM: 360

HIGHLIGHTS
.639 of all players in the NBA (266/416) have been edited!
All edited players updated periodically!
No missing players!
Accurate player positions & rotations for all teams!
Accurate contracts for all edited players!

WORKS IN PROGRESS (Partially complete)
Accessory edits
Shooting tendencies
Coach Profiles


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BIGGEST MOVERS

Allen Iverson has been the scoring machine Iverson of old. While he is still an effective player (and should function more as a prototypical point on a fastbreaking Philadelphia), he doesn't really look the part of an all-star guard anymore.

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Trevor Ariza started the season strong, but he is now shooting a dismal 38% from the field (his league leading 148 threes attempted being a primary culprit). He is also crashing the boards significantly less at the SG position, which is surely taking away from the easy baskets he'd have in past seasons.

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Kendrick Perkins has quietly had a very excellent season. He currently leads the league in both True Shooting Percentage (TS%) and Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%). Ray Allen may very well be the least important starter in Boston.

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Rodney Stuckey has functioned well as a SG in Detroit. It remains to be seen if he can keep his effective play up with Rip Hamilton returning from his deep ankle sprain.

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As covered in my 2K10 Laker post, Lamar Odom has been awful this season. He either doesn't mesh well with Artest, is distracted by off-court issues, or isn't playing hard now that he has his contract (or a combination of the three).

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Darren Collison has emerged as a quality backup to Chris Paul, averaging 9 points and 4 assists in only 21 minutes off the bench. By comparison, highly regarded Nuggets rookie backup Ty Lawson, is averaging 8 points and 3 assists in 20 minutes of action.

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Jonas Jerebko has played well in the absence of Tayshaun Prince. He has done all the little things you expect out of a role player, and reminds me of a young Jared Jeffries... hopefully he improves a wee bit more than Jeffries ever did.

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Roko Ukic stole Charlie Bell's rotation spot with a couple nice games this week, though it probably doesn't matter much with Michael Redd returning.

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THE RATINGS

266/416 (.639) NBA players updated
(+/-) = Difference from 2K Sports roster
LW = Overall change from last week

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POINT GUARDS (62/85)
95 – Chris Paul (+1)
89 – Deron Williams (0)
85 – Rajon Rondo (-1)
84 – Tony Parker (0)
84 – Devin Harris (0)
82 – Steve Nash (0) (LW: +1)
82 – Chauncey Billups (-3)
81 – Baron Davis (0) (LW: -1)
81 – Gilbert Arenas (-3)
81 - Russell Westbrook (+1)
80 – Brandon Jennings (+3)
79 – Jameer Nelson (0) (INJURED)
78 – Jason Kidd (-3)
78 – Derrick Rose (+1) (LW: -1)
78 – Aaron Brooks (+1)
77 – Allen Iverson (-5) (LW: -3)
77 – Mo Williams (0)
76 – Tyreke Evans (+1) (LW: -1) (due to position switch from SG)
75 – Rodney Stuckey (+1) LW: +3)
75 – Andre Miller (-3)
75 – Kyle Lowry (+1)
74 – Jose Calderon (-1) (INJURED)
74 – T.J. Ford (-1)
74 – Jonny Flynn (0)
73 – Mike Bibby (-4)
73 – Mario Chalmers (-1)
73 – Raymond Felton (0)
73 – Darren Collison (+3) (LW: +2)
73 – Ty Lawson (0)
73 – Nate Robinson (-5)
72 – Will Bynum (+4)
72 – Luke Ridnour (+5)
71 – Louis Williams (+2) (INJURED)
71 – Michael Conley (-2)
71 – Rafer Alston (-2)
70 – Stephen Curry (+1) (LW: +1)
70 – Earl Boykins (+3)
70 – Toney Douglas (+3)
69 – Ramon Sessions (-4)
68 – Jason Williams (+1) (LW: -1)
68 – Steve Blake (-4)
68 – Beno Udrih (+5)
68 – Jarrett Jack (-1)
68 – C.J. Watson (0) (LW: +1)
68 – Jordan Farmar (+2) (LW: +1)
67 – Derek Fisher (-5)
67 – Chris Duhon (-3) (LW: +1)
67 – Rodrigue Beaubois (0)
67 – Jamaal Tinsley (-1)
66 – Carlos Arroyo (+2)
66 – Jeff Teague (0)
65 – Jerryd Bayless (-2)
64 – Eddie House (+6)
63 – George Hill (+2)
63 – Sergio Rodriguez (+1)
62 – Daniel Gibson (+2)
62 – Lester Hudson (0) (D-LEAGUE)
62 – Patrick Mills (-6) (INJURED)
61 – Bobby Brown (+3)
58 – Acie Law (-4)
57 – Lindsey Hunter (-4)

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SHOOTING GUARDS 43/79
96 - Kobe Bryant (-1) (LW: +1)
93 – Dwyane Wade (-1) (LW: -3)
87 – Brandon Roy (-1)
85 – Joe Johnson (-3)
83 – Andre Iguodala (-1)
82 – Manu Ginobili (-1)
80 – Vince Carter (-1)
80 – Monta Ellis (-2)
78 – Kevin Martin (+1) (INJURED)
78 – Tracy McGrady (+1)
77 – Ray Allen (-2) (LW: -1)

77 – Stephen Jackson (-4)
77 – Trevor Ariza (-1) (LW: -2)
77 – James Harden (-1)
76 – Kirk Hinrich (-1) (LW: -1)
75 – O.J. Mayo (-3)
75 – Delonte West (+1)
74 – Larry Hughes (+1)
74 – Leandro Barbosa (0) (INJURED)
73 – Jason Richardson (+1)
73 – Eric Gordon (+1)
73 – Michael Redd (-2)
73 – Jamal Crawford (-1)
73 – J.R. Smith (+2)
71 – John Salmons (+2) (LW: -1)
71 – Chris Douglas-Roberts (-1)
71 – Rudy Fernandez (+3) (INJURED)
70 – Wilson Chandler (-3) (LW: +1)
70 – Shannon Brown (+4)
68 – Charlie Bell (+2)
68 – Willie Green (0)
67 – Thabo Sefolosha (+2)
67 – Sasha Vujacic (0)
66 – Arron Afflalo (+3)
66 – Marco Belinelli (+1)
66 – Marcus Thornton (+5) (LW: +1)
64 – J.J. Redick (+9)
64 – Tony Allen (-2)
63 – Sam Young (-4)
63 – Anthony Carter (+2)
62 – Wesley Matthews (0)
59 - Roko Ukic (+2) (LW: +2)
25 – Cuttino Mobley (CAP) (INJURED/RETIRED)

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SMALL FORWARDS (52/80)
97 – LeBron James (+1)
90 – Carmelo Anthony (-1)
85 – Kevin Durant (+2)
84 – Danny Granger (+1) (INJURED)
84 – Paul Pierce (-1) (LW: +1)
81 – Gerald Wallace (-1)
81 – Caron Butler (0)
78 – Rudy Gay (-2)
78 – Ron Artest (-2) (LW: -1)
77 – Shawn Marion (-3)
77 – Grant Hill (+5)
75 – Hedo Turkoglu (-1)
75 – Luol Deng (-1)
74 – Dahntay Jones (+2) (LW: +2)
73 – Shane Battier (-2)
72 – Thaddeus Young (-3)
72 - Kelenna Azubuike (+1) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON)
72 – Jared Dudley (+1)
71 – Marvin Williams (+2)
71 – Mickael Pietrus (-1)
70 – Quentin Richardson (+1)
70 – Martell Webster (+4)
70 – Andres Nocioni (+1)
70 – Terrence Williams (-1)
68 – Marquis Daniels (+3) (INJURED)
68 – James Posey (-4)
67 – Danilo Gallinari (+5) (LW: +1)
67 – Anthony Morrow (+7)
67 – Carlos Delfino (+4)
67 – Mike Dunleavy (+3)
67 – Al Thornton (0)
67 – Luke Walton (0) (INJURED)
67 – Maurice Evans (+1)
67 – Joey Graham (-1)
66 – Matt Harpring (0) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON)
65 – Nicolas Batum (+1) (INJURED)
65 – Joe Alexander (+5) (INJURED)
65 – Julian Wright (-1)
64 – Omri Casspi (+9)
64 – Antoine Wright (+4)
64 – Derrick Brown (-4)
63 – Jared Jeffries (0)
62 – Jonas Jerebko (+5)
61 - Peja Stojakovic (-1)
61 – Donte Greene (+4)
60 – Jason Kapono (+2)
60 – Shawne Williams (+3) (INACTIVE)
60 – Bill Walker (+1) (D-LEAGUE)
59 – J.R. Giddens (+2)
59 – Devean George (-2)
59 – Marcus Landry (CAP)
55 – Adam Morrison (+1)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

POWER FORWARDS 57/93
87 – Chris Bosh (0)
86 – Kevin Garnett (-1) (LW: +1)
84 – Dirk Nowitzki (+1)
84 – Pau Gasol (+1) (LW: +1)
83 – Josh Smith (+1)
83 – Carlos Boozer (-2) (LW: +1)
81 – Amare Stoudemire (-1)
78 – Antawn Jamison (+2)
78 – LaMarcus Aldridge (0)
77 – Blake Griffin (+1) (INJURED)
76 – Al Harrington (+1) (LW: +1)
76 – Michael Beasley (+2)
76 – Jeff Green (-1)
76 – Carl Landry (+4) (LW: +1)
75 – Luis Scola (+2)
75 – Zach Randolph (-2)
75 – David West (-1)
75 – Marcus Camby (0)
75 – Corey Maggette (0)
75 – Paul Millsap (+1)
74 – Elton Brand (0)
74 – Lamar Odom (-4) (LW: -3)
74 – Anthony Randolph (+3)
73 – Rashard Lewis (+1)
73 – Kenyon Martin (-1)
72 – Jason Thompson (0)
72 – Ersan Ilyasova (+9)
71 – Boris Diaw (-2)
70 – Travis Outlaw (+1) (INJURED)
68 – Antonio McDyess (-1)
68 – Hakim Warrick (+3)
68 – Shelden Williams (+7)
67 - Louis Amundson (+2)
67 – Renaldo Balkman (0)
67 – Brandan Wright (+2) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON)
66 – Joe Smith (+2)
65 – Ryan Anderson (+3)
65 – Jordan Hill (+3)
65 – Dante Cunningham (+3)
64 – Glen Davis (-1) (INJURED)
64 – Taj Gibson (+3)
64 – Serge Ibaka (+3)
63 - Josh Powell (-1)
62 – Josh Boone (+4)
62 – Yi Jianlian (+3) (INJURED)
62 – Eduardo Najera (-1) (INJURED)
62 – Marcus Haislip (CAP) (LW: -2)
61 – Jeff Pendergraph (-2) (INJURED)
60 – Juwan Howard (0)
59 – Malik Allen (0)
59 – Taylor Griffin (-3)
58 – Vladimir Radmanovic (+4)
55 – Jonathan Bender (CAP)
54 – Brian Cook (0)
53 – Brian Scalabrine (+9)
51 – Othello Hunter (+1)
48 – Steve Novak (+2)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CENTERS 52/80
90 – Tim Duncan (+1)
90 – Dwight Howard (+1)
85 – Yao Ming (+2) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON)
81 – Greg Oden (+7) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON)
80 – Al Horford (+2)
80 – Emeka Okafor (0)
79 – Al Jefferson (-2)
78 – Andrew Bynum (+2) (LW: -1)
78 – Brook Lopez (0)
77 – David Lee (0)
77 - Andrew Bogut (+3)
77 – Nene (+2)
77 – Chris Kaman (+1)
77 – Shaquille O’Neal (0)
76 – Kendrick Perkins (+4) (LW: +2)
76 – Andris Biedrins (+2) (INJURED)
76 – Marc Gasol (-1)
74 – Joakim Noah (+1)
74 – Rasheed Wallace (-1)
73 – Roy Hibbert (+3)
73 – Marreese Speights (+6) (INJURED)
72 – Zydrunas Ilgauskas (+1)
72 – DeJuan Blair (+12)
70 – Andrea Bargnani (+1)
70 – Samuel Dalembert (+2)
70 – Ben Wallace (-4) (LW: +1)
69 – Erick Dampier (+8)
69 – Brendan Haywood (+4) (LW: +3)
69 – Joel Przybilla (+2)
69 – Chris Andersen (+1)
69 – Kurt Thomas (-2)
68 – Spencer Hawes (+2)
68 – Chuck Hayes (0)
68 - Ronny Turiaf (0)
68 – Nazr Mohammed (+6)
67 – Tyson Chandler (+1) (LW: -2)
67 – Zaza Pachulia (0)
66 – Nenad Krstic (+6)
65 – Channing Frye (+3)
64 – Kwame Brown (0)
63 – Etan Thomas (+1)
63 – Darko Milicic (+3)
62 – Eddy Curry (-3)
61 – Johan Petro (+4)
60 – Solomon Jones (+6)
60 – DeAndre Jordan (+4)
60 – Hasheem Thabeet (+3)
60 – DJ Mbenga (+8) (LW: +1)
59 – Mikki Moore (+2) (LW: +3)
59 – Chris Hunter (CAP)
52 – Jason Collins (0)
51 – Jarron Collins (+3)
50 – Randolph Morris (0)

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

SRS Rankings & Team Ratings [12-15-09]

EASTERN CONFERENCE
Celtics 8.07 (20-4 record is NBA's best. They're on pace for 68 wins.)
Hawks 7.93
Magic 5.08
Cavaliers 4.36
Bucks -0.09 (Yep, still a four team conference.)
Pistons -0.27
Bobcats -0.74
Heat -1.08 (Have lost 6 of their last 8 games.)
Knicks -2.45 (Don't look now but they've rapidly climbed in last two weeks.)
Raptors -3.35
Wizards -3.38
Sixers -3.63 (Iverson is out of shape and has yet to pay dividends.)
Pacers -4.61
Bulls -7.11 (Don't expect coach Del Negro to last the season.)
Nets -10.78 (Healthy, but still a bad team.)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Lakers 8.07 (18-4 record is best in the west. On pace for 67 wins.)
Spurs 5.61 (12-10 record doesn't tell whole story. Tues loss was only 2nd by double digits.)
Nuggets 4.91
Mavericks 4.39
Thunder 3.18
Jazz 3.18 (Followed victory over Lakers with loss to Wolves.)
Blazers 2.94 (Starting to fade with all the injuries. Will probably miss playoffs.)
Rockets 2.69
Suns 2.59 (9th in the west but would be 5th in the east.)
Kings -0.87
Hornets -2.85
Grizzlies -2.97 (At least they're playing to their ability now.)
Clippers -3.94
Warriors -4.58
Wolves -10.06 (Not the worst in the league anymore!)

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Current NBA 2K10 Team Ratings

(+/-): Difference from 2K Sports' rating.
MRP: Missing Rotation Players (haven't edited them yet)

EAST OVERALL
84 Celtics (-2)
84 Hawks (+1)
82 Cavaliers (+2) (MRP: Varejao, Parker, Moon, Hickson)
79 Bucks (+8) (MRP: Luc Mbah a Moute)
79 Heat (+1) (MRP: Jermaine O'Neal, Dorell Wright, James Jones)
78 Magic (+2) (MRP: Barnes, Bass, Gortat, Johnson)
77 Wizards (+2) (MRP: Nick Young, Randy Foye, Andray Blatche)
76 Bobcats (-3) (MRP: Flip Murray, D.J. Augustin)
76 Sixers (0)
76 Bulls (+5) (MRP: Brad Miller,
74 Pistons (0) (MRP: Richard Hamilton, Charlie Villanueva, Jason Maxiell)
74 Knicks (+2)
74 Nets (+2) (MRP: Courtney Lee,
73 Pacers (+2) (MRP: Troy Murphy, Brandon Rush, Earl Watson, Jeff Foster, Tyler Hansbrough)
72 Raptors (+2) (MRP: Demar DeRozan, Amir Johnson)

WEST OVERALL
87 Lakers (-2)
84 Mavericks (0) (MRP: Josh Howard, JJ Barea, Drew Gooden)
84 Nuggets (-1)
82 Jazz (+5) (MRP: Mehmet Okur, Andrei Kirilenko, Ronnie Brewer)
81 Thunder (+2) (MRP: Nick Collison)
81 Rockets (0) (MRP: Chase Budinger)
80 Spurs (-1) (MRP: Richard Jefferson, Keith Bogans)
78 Suns (+4)
78 Grizzlies (-5)
77 Hornets (+2) (MRP: Devin Brown, Darius Songaila)
76 Blazers (+1)
74 Clippers (+1) (MRP: Craig Smith, Sebastian Telfair)
70 Warriors (+2)
70 Wolves (-2) (MRP: Kevin Love, Ryan Gomes, Corey Brewer)
69 Kings (+5)

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Jonathan Bender signs with Knicks

This was quite unexpected. I'd read earlier in the year that Bender was making a comeback, and that Knick GM Donnie Walsh would be keeping tabs on him. That was all the news we got until this signing. I have no idea what type of shape Bender is in, or where his game is at, whether he can make a significant contribution to this team, or whether this is just a feel-good story designed to get NY some solid PR.

Bender, now 28, retired in 2006 due to chronic injuries that derailed his promising career. He was a 7 foot swingman drafted out of high school, another player in the "next KG" mold. If you asked me what current player he reminds me most of, I'd say Sacramento's Donte Greene. Greene is 6'11" and notably starting at SG for the Kings right now, and that's the type of player Bender was - a 7 foot guard that could block shots extremely well due to his height and athleticism.

This is why the shape Bender is in is so important. I don't expect he will fly for dunks like he used to, but if he's maintained his shot blocking ability, he is essentially a better shooting Jared Jeffries. Presuming Bender's slower now, he could be more similar to Yi Jianlian now - a faceup PF with decent quickness but a limited post game. In the grand scheme of things, we're looking at a player who is clearly a reserve going forward, and probably a 3rd string. But not every player has to be an impact player. Sometimes, they just need to remind us that hard work pays off, even when there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

Here are my tenative ratings for Bender.

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Jonathan Bender

VITALS
Height: 7’0”
Weight: 225
Hand: Right
College:
Years Pro: 3
Age: 28
Jersey Number: 24
Personality: Neutral
Position: PF
2nd Pos: SF
Style: Faceup

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 55
Inside 70
Close 67
Medium 70
3PT 75
LowPost 54
FreeThrow 75
Layup 49
Dunk 58
StandDunk 50
OffDribble 53
InTraffic 45
Handle 54
OffHand 44
Security 40
Pass 30
Block 63
Steal 30
Hands 58
BallDef 40
OffReb 47
DefReb 46
OffPost 53
DefPost 46
OffAwr 55
DefAwr 55
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 25
Stamina 70
Speed 54
Quickness 55
Strength 37
Vertical 64
Hustle 40
Durability 25
Potential 65
Emotion 25

CONTRACT
Role: Bench
Option: None
NT: No
2010: 457K

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Los Angeles Lakers NBA 2K10 Ratings

2009-2010 OVERVIEW
The Lakers have gone to two straight NBA Finals, and took home the championship last season. They made a highly debated move this offseason when they signed the unpredictable Ron Artest instead of re-signing the younger Trevor Ariza, but are still the favorites to win another championship this season (or at worst, lose to the Celtics in one of the greatest Finals matchups we've ever seen).

ROSTER
96 – Kobe Bryant (SG/SF)
84 - Pau Gasol (PF/C)
78 – Andrew Bynum (C)
78 - Ron Artest (SF/PF)
74 – Lamar Odom (PF)
70 - Shannon Brown (SG/PG)
68 – Jordan Farmar (PG)
67 – Derek Fisher (PG)
67 – Luke Walton (SF)
67 – Sasha Vujacic (SG)
63 - Josh Powell (PF/C)
60 - DJ Mbenga (C)
55 - Adam Morrison (SF)

LINEUP
C Andrew Bynum (34)
PF Pau Gasol (34)
SF Ron Artest (34)
SG Kobe Bryant (37)
PG Derek Fisher (26)
BENCH
PF Lamar Odom (28)
PG Jordan Farmar (18)
SG Shannon Brown (17)
SG Sasha Vujacic (7)
PF Josh Powell (5)
C DJ Mbenga (0)
SF Adam Morrison (0)
RESERVE
SF Luke Walton (INJURED, ETA JANUARY)

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Kobe Bryant

VITALS
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 205
Hand: Right
College: Lower Merion (HS)
Years Pro: 14
Age: 31
Jersey Number: 24
Personality: Unpredictable
Position: SG
2nd Pos: SF (from N/A)
Style: All-Around

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 96 (down from 97)
Inside 87 (down from 90)
Close 92
Medium 87 (down from 90)
3PT 77 (down from 79) (80)
LowPost 93 (up from 88)
FreeThrow 86 (up from 84)
Layup 99
Dunk 75 (down from 85)
StandDunk 50
OffDribble 85
InTraffic 85
Handle 94
OffHand 92
Security 92 (down from 97)
Pass 68 (down from 73)
Block 37
Steal 88 (up from 73)
Hands 99
BallDef 88 (down from 91)
OffReb 45 (up from 40)
DefReb 42 (down from 50)
OffPost 83 (up from 78)
DefPost 62 (down from 70)
OffAwr 99
DefAwr 88 (down from 93)
OffClutch 90 (99)
DefClutch 60
Consistency 99
Stamina 91
Speed 88
Quickness 91
Strength 63
Vertical 94
Hustle 90
Durability 93
Potential 99
Emotion 60

CONTRACT
Role: Starter
Opt: Player (from None)
NT: Yes
2010: 23.03
2011: 24.81

ANALYSIS
A top 5 player in the league, and perennial MVP candidate. Spent the summer working on his post game (ala Michael Jordan) in order to preserve his effectiveness as his athleticism begins to decline. On top of his offensive excellence, he is also a great defensive player, which makes him a rare breed indeed.

FUTURE
The 11-time all-star could become the league's first 20-time all-star (eclipsing Kareem) if he decides to play until he's 40. He could also become the first 7-time champion since the 60s Celtics. He's obviously sticking in LA for the rest of his career, which will be however long he sees fit.

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Pau Gasol

VITALS
Height: 7’0”
Weight: 250
Hand: Right
From: Spain
Years Pro: 9
Age: 29
Jersey Number: 16
Personality: Neutral
Position: PF
2nd Pos: C
Style: All-Around (from Back to Basket)

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 84 (up from 83)
Inside 90
Close 92
Medium 72
3PT 39 (35)
LowPost 94
FreeThrow 81 (up from 79)
Layup 60
Dunk 55 (down from 58)
StandDunk 80 (down from 85)
OffDribble 57
InTraffic 79
Handle 48 (up from 43)
OffHand 36 (up from 31)
Security 63
Pass 61 (up from 53)
Block 61 (up from 58)
Steal 39
Hands 88
BallDef 46
OffReb 85 (up from 82)
DefReb 78 (up from 72)
OffPost 92
DefPost 85
OffAwr 91 (down from 93)
DefAwr 76 (down from 79)
OffClutch 60
DefClutch 25
Consistency 99
Stamina 77
Speed 49
Quickness 48
Strength 57
Vertical 37
Hustle 83
Durability 78 (up from 70)
Potential 94
Emotion 60

CONTRACT
Role: Starter
Opt: None
NT: No
2010: 16.45
2011: 17.82

ANALYSIS
A two-time all-star who made his first all-nba team last season (3rd team), Gasol is easily one of the most underrated players in the league. It should not be lost on anybody that the Lakers went on a 10 game winning streak after he returned to the lineup. He is so efficient offensively that it will be a legitimate question for years to come whether Gasol/Kobe was as good as Shaq/Kobe.

FUTURE
One would have to think he's retiring a Laker. At 29 years of age, that shouldn't be for awhile.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Andrew Bynum

VITALS
Height: 7’0”
Weight: 285
Hand: Right
College: St. Joseph (HS)
Years Pro: 5
Age: 22
Jersey Number: 17
Personality: Laid Back
Position: C
2nd Pos: N/A
Style: Back to Basket

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 78 (up from 76) (74)
Inside 86 (down from 88)
Close 80 (down from 84) (80)
Medium 40 (35)
3PT 25
LowPost 84
FreeThrow 74 (up from 71) (69)
Layup 45
Dunk 55
StandDunk 90 (up from 85)
OffDribble 43
InTraffic 70 (up from 60)
Handle 37
OffHand 25
Security 52 (41)
Pass 33
Block 75 (down from 85)
Steal 39 (down from 44) (32)
Hands 79 (up from 74) (66)
BallDef 36
OffReb 85 (down from 87) (86)
DefReb 81 (75)
OffPost 85 (82)
DefPost 81 (up from 78)
OffAwr 76 (up from 73) (71)
DefAwr 78 (up from 70)
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 80 (up from 60)
Stamina 77
Speed 33
Quickness 37
Strength 71 (up from 66)
Vertical 31
Hustle 57
Durability 63 (down from 70)
Potential 87
Emotion 25

CONTRACT
Role: Starter
Opt: Team
NT: No
2010: 12.50 (from 12.53)
2011: 13.70 (from 13.84)
2012: 14.90 (from 15.16)
2013: 16.10 (from 16.47)

ANALYSIS
Has quietly developed into an excellent offensive player next to Kobe and Gasol, and anchors their post defense as well.

FUTURE
At only 22 years old, Bynum still has quite a bit of growing to do. He has already shown much improvement in the post and on defense since being drafted out of high school, and it's difficult to fathom how good he'd be not been struck by some freak injuries the past two years. He should continue developing into one of the top centers in the league. Which is fortunate, since he's paid like one. He'll be fine as long as he stays healthy.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Ron Artest

VITALS
Height: 6’7”
Weight: 260
Hand: Right
College: St. John’s (NY)
Years Pro: 11
Age: 30
Jersey Number: 37
Personality: Unpredictable
Position: SF
2nd Pos: PF
Style: Defensive

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 78 (down from 80)
Inside 74 (down from 77)
Close 68
Medium 71
3PT 82 (down from 84) (89)
LowPost 68
FreeThrow 62 (down from 72)
Layup 67
Dunk 58
StandDunk 40
OffDribble 67
InTraffic 69
Handle 64
OffHand 56
Security 62
Pass 55 (up from 50)
Block 36 (up from 34)
Steal 74 (down from 79)
Hands 67
BallDef 88 (down from 90)
OffReb 49 (up from 39)
DefReb 42 (down from 52)
OffPost 61
DefPost 82 (down from 87)
OffAwr 72 (up from 69)
DefAwr 90
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 60
Consistency 60
Stamina 91
Speed 64
Quickness 67
Strength 91
Vertical 61
Hustle 87
Durability 70 (down from 93)
Potential 90
Emotion 99

CONTRACT
Role: Starter
Option: Player
NT: No
2010: 5.85
2011: 6.32
2012: 6.79
2013: 7.26
2014: 7.73

ANALYSIS
Artest is theoretically a better fit for the Lakers than Trevor Ariza was. He is a better 3pt shooter, better passer, and a strong enough defender to hang with the likes of LeBron James and Paul Pierce. On the other hand, he is 6 years older than Ariza, will lose quickness as he continues to age (which would push him into the dreaded tweener status), is somewhat of a ball stopper on offense, and is a considerably worse finisher around the basket (another trait that will not improve with age). And that's before we even talk about his personality and the potential suspensions and effects on team chemistry.

FUTURE
Aside from the 2014 player option, Artest has an early termination option after 2012. He is unlikely to opt out, as it is highly doubtful anyone will want to pay him 15 million for his age 34/35 seasons. He's with the Lakers for the long haul, for better or worse.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Lamar Odom

VITALS
Height: 6’10”
Weight: 230
Hand: Right
College: Rhode Island
Years Pro: 11
Age: 30
Jersey Number: 7
Personality: Neutral
Position: PF (SF)
2nd Pos: N/A (from SF) (PF)
Style: Point Forward

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 74 (down from 78) (77)
Inside 81 (down from 91)
Close 65 (down from 70)
Medium 72 (down from 77)
3PT 73 (up from 69)
LowPost 78 (down from 81)
FreeThrow 62 (down from 64)
Layup 67
Dunk 64
StandDunk 55 (down from 60)
OffDribble 73
InTraffic 64
Handle 76
OffHand 70
Security 68
Pass 60 (up from 57)
Block 52 (down from 66)
Steal 57 (down from 62)
Hands 75
BallDef 58
OffReb 58 (down from 73)
DefReb 82
OffPost 75 (down from 78)
DefPost 75
OffAwr 70 (down from 76)
DefAwr 75 (up from 67)
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 50 (down from 60)
Stamina 85
Speed 55
Quickness 60
Strength 51
Vertical 52
Hustle 75
Durability 70
Potential 86 (down from 89)
Emotion 25

CONTRACT
Role: Sixth Man
Opt: Team
NT: No
2010: 7.50
2011: 8.20
2012: 8.90
2013: 8.20

ANALYSIS
One of the most versatile players in the game, but has not been himself this season. Perhaps it's his controversial marriage to Khloe Kardashian, or that he's eased up now that he got his contract extension, or maybe he's not a good fit next to Ron Artest. Whatever the reason, his play on the court has been less than stellar. He is shooting only 40% from the field, and has doubled his threes attempted despite taking fewer shots overall. At first glance it would appear Odom isn't getting the shots he did last season. He is still rebounding, passing, and defending as well as ever, so maybe this will pass.

FUTURE
Odom is signed for the next four years, and you have to think they will be rocky if the Lakers don't get better production out of him as he ages into his 30s. Otherwise he will be a very overpaid backup when all is said and done.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Shannon Brown

VITALS
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 211
Hand: Right
College: Michigan State
Years Pro: 4
Age: 24
Jersey Number: 6
Personality: Expressive
Position: SG
2nd Pos: PG
Style: Athletic

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 70 (up from 66) (67)
Inside 72
Close 78
Medium 60 (up from 54)
3PT 75 (up from 70) (75)
LowPost 43
FreeThrow 74 (down from 77)
Layup 82 (down from 87)
Dunk 94 (up from 84)
StandDunk 55 (up from 35)
OffDribble 69
InTraffic 57
Handle 73
OffHand 67
Security 54
Pass 49
Block 36 (down from 39)
Steal 76 (down from 81)
Hands 72
BallDef 74 (up from 69)
OffReb 35
DefReb 36 (up from 32)
OffPost 37
DefPost 39
OffAwr 62 (up from 55)
DefAwr 67
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 25
Stamina 85
Speed 91 (up from 78)
Quickness 81
Strength 67
Vertical 92 (up from 87)
Hustle 73
Durability 85
Potential 67
Emotion 60

CONTRACT
Role: Role Player
Opt: Player
NT: No
2010: 1.99 (from 2.00)
2011: 2.15 (from 2.21)

ANALYSIS
Nearly found himself out of the league prior to joining the Lakers. Has quickly turned into the one of the most popular players on the team thanks to his incredible dunks. He's also become a respectable 3pt shooter off the catch, and is capable of defending either guard position.

FUTURE
Aside from sticking around with the Lakers (or moving on after his contract expires), you just know he's going to win a dunk contest at some point.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Jordan Farmar

VITALS
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 180
Hand: Right
College: UCLA
Years Pro: 4
Age: 23
Jersey Number: 5
Personality: Neutral
Position: PG
2nd Pos: N/A
Style: Scoring

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 68 (up from 66) (67)
Inside 73 (down from 80)
Close 68
Medium 70 (up from 58)
3PT 78 (up from 75) (77)
LowPost 27
FreeThrow 65 (down from 68)
Layup 85
Dunk 64
StandDunk 30
OffDribble 71
InTraffic 54
Handle 79
OffHand 73
Security 73
Pass 60 (down from 65)
Block 35 (up from 33)
Steal 83
Hands 72
BallDef 65 (up from 60)
OffReb 32
DefReb 36
OffPost 25
DefPost 25
OffAwr 69 (up from 58)
DefAwr 67
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 55 (down from 60)
Stamina 85 (down from 91)
Speed 85
Quickness 85 (down from 90)
Strength 31
Vertical 82
Hustle 88
Durability 85
Potential 72
Emotion 60

CONTRACT
Role: Role Player
Opt: None
NT: No
2010: 1.95

ANALYSIS
Farmar has been very erratic for most of his career, and it's the reason he hasn't been able to steal the starting job away from Derek Fisher. Farmar is a good 3pt shooter, has developed into a pesky defender, but is a mediocre playmaker and terrible finisher at the basket (ala Fisher). The difference between the two is Farmar is 12 years younger and has some room for improvement, while Fisher is only getting worse from here on out.

FUTURE
Farmar and the Lakers are in an interesting spot, as they surely have him in mind as the heir apparent to Fisher, yet have been reluctant to give him minutes. It is possible that another team throws some money at Farmar (who is only 23) as a free agent, and forces the Lakers to overpay for his services. It's also possible they may not want anything more than backup minutes from him and bring in a more established PG. Or they decide to promote Brown or Vujacic to the starting unit when Fisher's time passes. Either way, Farmar's future is a bit murky, and some consistent play from him would certainly bring some clarity to the situation.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Derek Fisher

VITALS
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 210
Hand: Left
College: AR Little Rock
Years Pro: 14
Age: 35
Jersey Number: 2
Personality: Neutral
Position: PG
2nd Pos: N/A
Style: 3pt Specialist (from Pass First)

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 67 (down from 72) (70)
Inside 62 (down from 67)
Close 79
Medium 81 (down from 84)
3PT 82 (down from 83) (84)
LowPost 33
FreeThrow 88
Layup 63
Dunk 25
StandDunk 25
OffDribble 72 (down from 74)
InTraffic 57
Handle 75
OffHand 69
Security 86 (65)
Pass 55 (down from 65)
Block 27
Steal 75 (up from 70)
Hands 82
BallDef 72 (down from 87) (80)
OffReb 28 (up from 26)
DefReb 38 (up from 31)
OffPost 27
DefPost 33
OffAwr 66
DefAwr 72 (down from 79) (69)
OffClutch 25 (down from 60)
DefClutch 25
Consistency 50 (down from 60)
Stamina 77
Speed 70
Quickness 75
Strength 52 (down from 72)
Vertical 58
Hustle 92
Durability 85
Potential 80
Emotion 25

CONTRACT
Role: Starter
Opt: None
NT: No
2010: 5.05

ANALYSIS
Fisher has been terrible this season after having surprisingly good seasons the last two years. Fisher would be a backup on any other team but the Lakers, where he has always been a good fit due to his 3pt shooting and defense.

FUTURE
At age 35, this may be Fisher's last season in the NBA. He'll be a decent veteran backup if he wants to continue his career another year or two, but there is definitely no way he should be a starter after this season.

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Luke Walton

VITALS
Height: 6’8”
Weight: 235
Hand: Right
College: Arizona
Years Pro: 7
Age: 29
Jersey Number: 4
Personality: Laid Back
Position: SF
2nd Pos: N/A
Style: Point Forward (from Defensive)

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 67
Inside 82 (down from 86)
Close 68
Medium 74
3PT 69 (up from 64) (62)
LowPost 49
FreeThrow 73 (up from 71)
Layup 54
Dunk 48
StandDunk 40
OffDribble 59
InTraffic 59
Handle 55
OffHand 45
Security 79 (down from 89)
Pass 68 (down from 88)
Block 35 (up from 33)
Steal 54
Hands 64
BallDef 63
OffReb 52
DefReb 47
OffPost 45
DefPost 55
OffAwr 67 (up from 58)
DefAwr 61
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 50 (down from 60)
Stamina 77
Speed 60
Quickness 55
Strength 58
Vertical 55
Hustle 85
Durability 70
Potential 76
Emotion 25

CONTRACT
Role: Role Player
Opt: None
NT: No
2010: 4.84
2011: 5.26
2012: 5.68
2013: 5.80 (from 6.10)

ANALYSIS
The son of Bill Walton, who unfortunately didn't grow to be seven feet tall like his dad did. Luke is a jack of all-trades, master of none. He does everything moderately well, has an excellent basketball IQ, and is easily the best passing backup forward in the league. He is a bit of a tweener though, stuck between the 3 and 4, and is nothing more than a role player on either end.

FUTURE
With a contract paying him 16.5 million dollars between 2011 and 2013, it's probably safe to say Walton is sticking around in LA for the rest of his career (which probably won't extend past that contract - he'll be 32 by the time it's done).

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Sasha Vujacic

VITALS
Height: 6’7”
Weight: 205
Hand: Right
From: Slovenia
Years Pro: 6
Age: 25
Jersey Number: 18
Personality: Expressive
Position: SG
2nd Pos: N/A
Style: 3pt Specialist

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 67 (69)
Inside 67 (down from 69)
Close 56 (up from 50)
Medium 76 (down from 79)
3PT 81 (up from 80) (88)
LowPost 36
FreeThrow 88 (up from 84)
Layup 62
Dunk 42
StandDunk 40
OffDribble 67
InTraffic 43
Handle 70
OffHand 64
Security 71 (95)
Pass 46 (down from 56)
Block 30
Steal 79 (down from 84) (99)
Hands 67
BallDef 75 (up from 70)
OffReb 29
DefReb 40
OffPost 28
DefPost 33
OffAwr 57
DefAwr 75 (up from 70)
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 45 (down from 60)
Stamina 77
Speed 78
Quickness 76
Strength 31
Vertical 69
Hustle 70 (up from 55)
Durability 70
Potential 66
Emotion 99

CONTRACT
Role: Role Player
Opt: None
NT: No
2010: 5.00
2011: 5.48

ANALYSIS
"The Machine" never saw a three point shot he did not like. He brings an aggressive (if not always effective) brand of defense that seperates him from the numerous 3pt specialists who couldn't guard their own shadow.

FUTURE
Sasha has seen his playing time dissipate with the emergence of Shannon Brown. Sasha is too overpaid to trade until next season, so they are stuck with each other (though they certainly keep him if Fisher retires or Farmar leaves as a free agent).

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Josh Powell

VITALS
Height: 6’9”
Weight: 240
Hand: Right
College: North Carolina State
Years Pro: 5
Age: 27
Jersey Number: 21
Personality: Neutral
Position: PF
2nd Pos: C
Style: Rebounding (from Faceup)

Overall 63 (down from 64)
Inside 70 (down from 75)
Close 81 (down from 88)
Medium 72 (down from 75)
3PT 55 (up from 25)
LowPost 64
FreeThrow 75 (up from 74)
Layup 48
Dunk 66
StandDunk 55
OffDribble 42
InTraffic 60
Handle 42
OffHand 30
Security 30
Pass 29 (up from 26)
Block 45 (down from 48)
Steal 34 (up from 32)
Hands 52
BallDef 45
OffReb 86 (down from 91)
DefReb 63
OffPost 60
DefPost 54
OffAwr 52
DefAwr 43
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 55 (down from 60)
Stamina 70
Speed 52
Quickness 55
Strength 72
Vertical 54
Hustle 72
Durability 85
Potential 61
Emotion 60

CONTRACT
Role: Bench
Opt: None
NT: No
2010: 959K (from 855K)

ANALYSIS
The 4th bigman on a team that has Gasol, Bynum, and Odom. He would obviously see more minutes on another team. Solid rebounder and with a solid mid-range shot. Powell even added 3pt range to his arsenal as he is 4-9 from distance this season.

FUTURE
At only 26 years old, Powell is waiting for a team to make him an offer he can't refuse. Unless of course, he's okay with riding the bench making the minimum on a championship team. Things could be worse, I suppose.

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DJ Mbenga

VITALS
Height: 7’0”
Weight: 255
Hand: Right
From: Congo
Years Pro: 6
Age: 29
Jersey Number: 28
Personality: Laid Back
Position: C
2nd Pos: N/A
Style: Rebounding

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 60 (up from 52)
Inside 68 (up from 63)
Close 73 (up from 63)
Medium 55 (up from 45)
3PT 25
LowPost 56
FreeThrow 59 (up from 50)
Layup 31
Dunk 49
StandDunk 70
OffDribble 35
InTraffic 55
Handle 25
OffHand 25
Security 25
Pass 33
Block 95 (up from 75)
Steal 57 (up from 42)
Hands 27
BallDef 36
OffReb 73
DefReb 56
OffPost 54
DefPost 62 (up from 52)
OffAwr 30 (up from 25)
DefAwr 51 (up from 36)
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 25
Stamina 70
Speed 41 (up from 36)
Quickness 38 (up from 33)
Strength 91
Vertical 43
Hustle 58
Durability 78
Potential 57
Emotion 25

CONTRACT
Role: Bench
Opt: None
NT: No
2010: 959K

ANALYSIS
Mbenga has managed to stick in the league thanks to his shot blocking. He is the perfect 3rd center for a championship club, where his flaws are not as pronounced.

FUTURE
I would have to think Mbenga is going to be a Laker for the foreseeable future. If any team wants to blow him away with a free agent offer, more power to them, I suppose.

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Adam Morrison

VITALS
Height: 6’8”
Weight: 205
Hand: Right
College: Gonzaga
Years Pro: 4
Age: 25
Jersey Number: 35
Personality: Neutral
Position: SF
2nd Pos: N/A
Style: Scoring

ATTRIBUTES
Overall 55 (up from 54) (55)
Inside 60
Close 84 (down from 87)
Medium 66
3PT 77 (79)
LowPost 46
FreeThrow 71
Layup 66
Dunk 48 (down from 51)
StandDunk 40
OffDribble 79 (down from 84)
InTraffic 49
Handle 64
OffHand 56
Security 51
Pass 40
Block 30
Steal 32
Hands 82
BallDef 40
OffReb 37
DefReb 39
OffPost 40
DefPost 34
OffAwr 61 (down from 66)
DefAwr 37 (up from 27)
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 60
Stamina 77
Speed 58
Quickness 54
Strength 39
Vertical 49
Hustle 45
Durability 48 (down from 70)
Potential 76
Emotion 99

CONTRACT
Role: Bench
Opt: None
NT: No
2010: 5.26

ANALYSIS
Morrison had a decent rookie season for the Bobcats, but tore his ACL the following season. He hasn't been the same since. He is nothing more than a 3rd string right now, which isn't exactly what you'd want out of a former #3 pick.

FUTURE
Morrison will probably head to Europe or the D-League when his contract expires this summer. Regarding this season, the Lakers would be happy to find a taker for Morrison's 5 million dollar salary, since he's costing them double that due to the luxury tax.