The Real 2K Insider: February 2010

Friday, February 26, 2010

MLB 2K10 Player Ratings

Continuing Real 2K Insider's expanding coverage to MLB, here are the overall ratings for every player at the major league level, seperated by position. Tell me who you think is over/underrated!

This list took me two days to compile, as I also made a seperate list with each team's breakdown. I will post that next if I get enough demand :)

Pending any unforeseen complications, I will be working on a roster for this game.

CATCHER
95 – Joe Mauer
88 – Victor Martinez
87 – Brian McCann
84 – Russell Martin
84 – Jorge Posada
82 – Mike Napoli
82 – Matt Wieters
80 – Kurt Suzuki
80 – Yadier Molina
80 – Miguel Montero
79 – Geovany Soto
79 – Ronny Paulino
79 - Ryan Doumit
79 – Chris Iannetta
79 – Miguel Olivo
78 – Carlos Ruiz
78 – A.J. Pierzynski
77 – Bengie Molina
77 – Ivan Rodriguez
77 – Jarrod Saltalamacchia
76 – John Baker
74 – David Ross
74 – Gregg Zaun
74 – Rod Barajas
74 – Yorvit Torrealba
74 – Kelly Shoppach
74 – Jason Varitek
74 - Jason Kendall
73 – Taylor Teagarden
72 – Jesus Flores
72 – Nick Hundley
72 – Dioner Navarro
72 – Ramon Hernandez
72 – Alex Avila
72 – Gerald Laird
72 – Ramon Castro
70 – Landon Powell
70 – Brad Ausmus
70 – Ryan Hanigan
70 – Francisco Cervelli
69 – Raul Chavez
69 – Omir Santos
68 – Jeff Mathis
68 – Brian Schneider
68 – Jason Jaramillo
68 – Jose Morales
67 – J.R. Towles
67 – Humberto Quintero
67 – George Kottaras
67 – Henry Blanco
66 – Jason LaRue
66 – Koyie Hill
66 – Eli Whiteside
66 – Lou Marson
66 – Rob Johnson
65 – Mike Redmond
65 – Guillermo Quiroz
65 – Edwin Bellorin
58 – Craig Tatum

FIRST BASE
98 – Albert Pujols
91 – Prince Fielder
91 – Adrian Gonzalez
91 – Kevin Youkilis
91 – Miguel Cabrera
91 – Mark Teixeira
89 – Lance Berkman
89 – Derrek Lee
88 – Kendry Morales
88 – Ryan Howard
87 – Carlos Pena
87 – Joey Votto
87 – Justin Morneau
86 – Adam Dunn
84 – Todd Helton
84 – Nick Johnson (DH)
82 – Billy Butler
82 – Paul Konerko
82 – Carlos Delgado (FREE AGENT, INJURED)
81 – Adam LaRoche
81 – Russell Branyan
81 – Travis Hafner (DH)
81 – David Ortiz (DH)
80 – James Loney
80 – Jim Thome (DH)
79 – Lyle Overbay
79 – Casey Kotchman
79 – Jorge Cantu
79 – Hank Blalock (FREE AGENT)
78 – Matt LaPorta
78 – Garrett Atkins
77 – Troy Glaus
77 – Aubrey Huff
77 – Chris Davis
76 – Ryan Garko
75 – Daric Barton
75 – Randy Ruiz (DH)
75 – Daniel Murphy
75 – Travis Ishikawa
75 – Jason Giambi
75 – Nomar Garciaparra (FREE AGENT, may retire)
74 – Mike Sweeney (FREE AGENT, may retire)
72 – Jeff Bailey
72 – Andy Marte
72 – Steven Pearce
69 – Wes Helms

SECOND BASE
93 – Chase Utley
91 – Dustan Pedroia
88 – Ian Kinsler
87 – Ben Zobrist
87 – Robinson Cano
86 – Brian Roberts
86 – Brandon Phillips
84 – Aaron Hill
84 – Dan Uggla
82 – Gordon Beckham
81 – Mark Ellis
81 – Jose Lopez
80 – Martin Prado
80 - Felipe Lopez
80 – Luis Castillo
80 – Akinori Iwamura
80 – Orlando Hudson
79 – Rickie Weeks
79 – Clint Barmes
78 – Craig Counsell
78 – Skip Schumaker
78 – Ronnie Belliard
78 – Alberto Callaspo
77 – Kazuo Matsui
77 – Mike Fontenot
77 – Adam Kennedy
76 – Jeff Baker
76 – Jamey Carroll
75 – Luis Valbuena
75 – Omar Infante
75 – Oscar Salazar
74 – Ramon Santiago
73 – David Eckstein
73 – Jayson Nix
71 – Emmanuel Burriss
71 – Alexi Casilla
70 – Josh Wilson
70 – Delwyn Young
67 – Aaron Miles
X – Freddy Sanchez (INJURED)
X – Scott Sizemore (NOT IN PLAYERS ASSOCIATION)

THIRD BASE
95 – Alex Rodriguez
93 – Evan Longoria
90 – Ryan Zimmerman
89 – Pablo Sandoval
89 – David Wright
88 – Chipper Jones
88 – Aramis Ramirez
88 – Mark Reynolds
87 – Michael Young
86 – Chone Figgins
83 – Miguel Tejada
82 – Scott Rolen
81 – Placido Polanco
81 – Adrian Beltre
81 – Mike Lowell
80 – Maicer Izturis
80 – Casey McGehee
80 – Casey Blake
79 – Juan Uribe
78 – Ian Stewart
78 – Melvin Mora
78 – Mark Teahen
78 – Joe Crede (FREE AGENT)
77 – Pedro Feliz
77 – Jake Fox
77 – Kevin Kouzmanoff
77 – Eric Chavez
77 – Jhonny Peralta
77 – Chase Headley
77 – Alex Gordon
77 – Brandon Inge
76 – Edwin Encarnacion
76 – Mat Gamel
76 – Ty Wigginton
75 – Brendan Wood
75 – Geoff Blum
75 – Willy Aybar
75 – Ramiro Pena
74 – Jose Bautista
74 – Greg Dobbs
74 – Andy LaRoche
73 – Emilio Bonifacio
73 – Bill Hall
73 – Nick Punto
73 – Brendan Harris
72 – Josh Fields
71 – Rusty Ryal
70 – Brian Barden
70 – Jeff Larish (AAA)
68 – Tyler Greene
68 – Brian Buscher
66 – David Freese
66 – Ramon Vazquez

SHORTSTOP
94 – Hanley Ramirez
90 – Derek Jeter
89 – Troy Tulowitzki
88 – Jose Reyes
86 – Jimmy Rollins
85 – Jason Bartlett
83 – Asdrubal Cabrera
82 – Yunel Escobar
82 – Alexei Ramirez
81 – Rafael Furcal
81 – Elvis Andrus
80 – Alcides Escobar
80 – Ryan Theriot
80 – Marco Scutaro
79 – Erick Aybar
79 – Brendan Ryan
78 – Cliff Pennington
78 – Julio Lugo
78 – Stephen Drew
78 – Jack Wilson
78 – Jerry Hairston Jr.
78 – Orlando Cabrera
77 – Cesar Izturis
77 – J.J. Hardy
76 – Alex Gonzalez
76 – Edgar Renteria
76 – Cristian Guzman
76 – Omar Vizquel
75 – John McDonald
75 – Everth Cabrera
74 – Jeff Keppinger
74 – Khalil Greene (FREE AGENT)
73 – Yuniesky Betancourt
72 – Bobby Crosby
72 – Ronny Cedeno
71 – Andres Blanco
71 – Jed Lowrie
71 – Adam Everett
70 – Alex Cora
70 – Alberto Gonzalez
69 – Edwin Maysonet
69 – Chin-Ling Hu
68 – Paul Janish
67 – Luis Rodriguez
67 – Robert Andino
65 – Luis Cruz
65 – Brent Dlugach (AAA)
X – Mike Aviles (INJURED)

LEFT FIELD
92 – Ryan Braun
91 – Matt Holliday
90 – Manny Ramirez
89 – Carl Crawford
88 – Jason Bay
87 – Raul Ibanez
85 – Carlos Lee
85 – Adam Lind
85 – Jacoby Ellsbury
85 – Johnny Damon
84 – Alfonso Soriano
84 – Jason Kubel
82 – Mark DeRosa
82 – Carlos Gonzalez
81 – Hideki Matsui (DH)
81 – Chris Coghlan
81 – Josh Willingham
81 – Luke Scott (DH)
81 – Seth Smith
80 – Juan Rivera
80 – Rajai Davis
80 – Melky Cabrera
80 – Milton Bradley
80 – Nolan Reimold
80 – Scott Hairston
80 – Lastings Milledge
80 – Carlos Guillen (DH)
80 – Juan Pierre
79 – David Murphy
79 – Jeremy Hermida
79 – Ryan Spilborghs
79 – Delmon Young
79 – Gary Sheffield (FREE AGENT, may retire)
78 – Pat Burrell (DH)
78 – Brett Gardner
78 – Marcus Thames
77 – Eric Byrnes
77 – Fernando Tatis
77 – Justin Maxwell
77 – Julio Borbon
77 – Garrett Anderson (FREE AGENT, may retire)
76 – Fred Lewis
76 – Chris Dickerson
74 – Eugenio Velez
74 – Jason Michaels
74 – Laynce Nix
73 – Micah Hoffpauir
71 – Wladimir Balentien
70 – Nick Evans
69 – Trevor Crowe
68 – Nick Stavinoha

CENTER FIELD
89 – Matt Kemp
88 – Torii Hunter
87 – Grady Sizemore
87 – Curtis Granderson
86 – Josh Hamilton
85 – Shane Victorino
84 – Nate McLouth
84 – Andrew McCutchen
84 – Denard Span
83 – Adam Jones
82 – Kosuke Fukudome
82 – Nyjer Morgan
82 – B.J. Upton
81 – Franklyn Gutierrez
81 – Mike Cameron
81 – Dexter Fowler
80 – Michael Bourn
80 – Vernon Wells
80 – Alex Rios
79 – Coco Crisp
79 – Angel Pagan
79 – Colby Ramsus
79 – Ryan Raburn
78 – Chris Young
78 – Aaron Rowand
78 – Rick Ankiel
77 – Gerardo Parra
77 – Cameron Maybin
77 – Drew Stubbs
76 – Reed Johnson
75 – Carlos Gomez
75 – Felix Pie
75 – Tony Gwynn Jr.
75 – Eric Young Jr. (AAA)
75 – Mark Kotsay
75 – Willy Taveras
74 – Reggie Willits
74 – Michael Brantley
73 – Gregor Blanco
73 – Will Venable
72 – Joey Gathright
72 – Mitch Maier
71 – Jody Gerut
X – Carlos Beltran (INJURED)
X – Austin Jackson (NOT IN PLAYERS ASSOCIATION)

RIGHT FIELD
90 - Ichiro
87 - Justin Upton
87 – Andre Ethier
87 – Nick Markakis
86 – Hunter Pence
86 – Jayson Werth
85 – Bobby Abreu
85 – Shin-Soo Choo
85 – J.D. Drew
85 – Michael Cuddyer
84 – Ryan Ludwick
84 – Garrett Jones
84 – Vladimir Guerrero (DH)
84 – Carlos Quentin
83 – Nelson Cruz
83 – Brad Hawpe
82 – Corey Hart
82 – Cody Ross
82 – Nick Swisher
82 – Jermaine Dye (FREE AGENT)
80 – Matt Diaz
80 – Marlon Byrd
80 – Elijah Dukes
80 – Jonny Gomes
79 – Jay Bruce
79 – David DeJesus
78 – Ryan Sweeney
78 – Xavier Nady
78 – Nate Schierholtz
78 – Jeff Francoeur
78 – Kyle Blanks
78 – Ben Francisco
78 – Randy Winn
77 – Jack Cust (DH)
77 – Travis Snider
77 – Ken Griffey Jr.
77 – Willie Bloomquist
76 – Gabe Gross
76 – Gabe Kapler
76 – Jose Guillen (DH)
75 – Rocco Baldelli (FREE AGENT)
74 – Gary Matthews Jr.
74 – Andruw Jones
73 – Matt Joyce
72 – Brandon Moss
71 – Brett Carroll
68 – Jason Bourgeois (DFA'd on 1/13/10)
X – Ryan Church (In Minors)

DESIGNATED HITTER
84 – Vladimir Guerrero
84 – Nick Johnson
82 - Jermaine Dye (FREE AGENT)
82 – Carlos Delgado (FREE AGENT, INJURED)
81 – Hideki Matsui
81 – Travis Hafner
81 – Luke Scott
81 – David Ortiz
80 – Carlos Guillen
80 – Jim Thome
79 – Hank Blalock (FREE AGENT)
78 – Pat Burrell
77 – Jack Cust
77 – Ken Griffey Jr.
76 – Jose Guillen
75 – Randy Ruiz
75 – Nomar Garciaparra (FREE AGENT, may retire)
74 – Mike Sweeney (FREE AGENT, may retire)

STARTING PITCHER
98 – Tim Lincecum
97 – Zack Greinke
96 – Roy Halladay
94 – Johan Santana
94 – C.C. Sabathia
93 – Dan Haren
92 – Felix Hernandez
92 – Jake Peavy
91 – Chris Carpenter
90 – Adam Wainwright
90 – Cliff Lee
90 – Josh Beckett
90 – Justin Verlander
89 – Matt Cain
89 – Rich Harden
88 – Javier Vazquez
87 – Yovani Gallardo
87 – Carlos Zambrano
87 – Clayton Kershaw
87 – Josh Johnson
87 – Cole Hamels
87 – Ubaldo Jimenez
86 – Roy Oswalt
86 – Wandy Rodriguez
86 – Ben Sheets
86 – Brandon Webb
86 – John Lackey
86 – Jon Lester
86 – Mark Buehrle
85 – Ryan Dempster
85 – Chad Billingsley
85 – J.A. Happ
85 – Matt Garza
84 – Jered Weaver
84 – Jair Jurrjens
84 – Tommy Hanson
84 – Randy Wolf
84 – Scott Baker
84 – John Danks
84 – Gavin Floyd
84 – A.J. Burnett
83 – Scott Kazmir
83 – Edwin Jackson
83 – Jamie Shields
83 – Rick Porcello
83 – Max Scherzer
82 – Brett Anderson
82 – Hiroki Kuroda
82 – Ricky Nolasco
82 – Jeff Niemann
82 – Bronson Arroyo
82 – Aaron Harang
81 – Justin Duchscherer
81 – Zach Duke
81 - Jonathan Sanchez
81 – Scott Feldman
81 – Andy Pettitte
81 – Jarrod Washburn (FREE AGENT, may retire)
80 – Joe Blanton
80 – Pat Maholm
80 – Jorge De La Rosa
79 – Joel Pineiro
79 – Dallas Braden
79 – Barry Zito
79 – Kevin Millwood
79 – Chris Young
79 – Pedro Martinez (FREE AGENT)
79 – John Smoltz (FREE AGENT, may retire)
78 – Joe Saunders
78 – Ervin Santana
78 – Shawn Marcum
78 – Tim Hudson
78 – Doug Davis
78 – Kyle Lohse
78 – Randy Wells
78 – John Lannon
78 – Ross Ohlendorf
78 – David Price
78 – Johnny Cueto
78 – Aaron Cook
78 – Nick Blackburn
78 – Kevin Slowey
78 – Francisco Liriano
77 – Ricky Romero
77 – Kenshin Kawakami
77 – Derek Lowe
77 – Brad Penny
77 – Jason Marquis
77 – Daisuke Matsuzaka
76 – Brandon Morrow
76 – Jake Westbrook
76 – Ryan Rowland-Smith
76 – John Maine
76 – Brad Bergesen
76 – Jeremy Guthrie
76 – Kevin Correia
76 – Derek Holland
76 – Jason Hammel
76 – Brian Bannister
76 – Joba Chamberlain
75 – Ian Snell
75 – Chris Volstad
75 – Jon Garland
75 – Jeff Francis
75 – Chien-Ming Wang (INJURED)
74 – Trevor Cahill
74 – Vicente Padilla
74 – Fausto Carmona
74 – Tim Wakefield
74 – Clay Buchholz
74 – Gil Meche
74 – Armando Galarraga
74 – Mike Hampton (FREE AGENT, INJURED, may retire)
73 – Brian Moehler
73 – Aaron Laffey
73 – Oliver Perez
73 – Scott Olsen
73 – Brian Matusz
73 – Clayton Richard
73 – Kyle Davies
73 – Carl Pavano
73 – Jason Schmidt (RETIRED)
73 – Braden Looper (FREE AGENT)
72 – Tom Gorzelanny
72 – Sergio Romo
72 – Kyle Kendrick
72 – Micah Owings
72 – Luke Hochevar
72 – Jeremy Bonderman
71 – Brett Myers
71 – David Huff
71 – Andy Sonnanstine
71 – Cha-Seung Baek (FREE AGENT)
70 – Jeremy Sowers
70 – Anibal Sanchez
70 – Jason Bergmann
70 – Brandon McCarthy
70 – Homer Bailey
70 – Noah Lowry (FREE AGENT)
69 – Madison Bumgarner
69 – Sean West
69 – Ross Detwiler
69 – Charlie Morton
69 – Freddy Garcia
69 – Livan Hernandez (FREE AGENT)
68 – Marc Rzepcynski
68 – Eric Stults
68 – Rick VandenHurk
68 – Wade Davis
68 – Brett Tomko (FREE AGENT)
68 – Paul Byrd (FREE AGENT, may retire)
67 – Felipe Paulino
67 – Ian Kennedy
67 – Dontrelle Willis (AAA)
66 – Sean Gallagher
65 – Carlos Silva
65 – Doug Fister
65 – Tommy Hunter
64 – Cristhian Martinez (AAA)
63 – Brett Cecil
63 – Justin Lehr
62 – Antonio Bastardo
62 – Daniel McCutchen
61 – P.J. Walters (AAA)
57 – Hayden Penn (AAA)
X – Erik Bedard (INJURED)
X – Jamie Moyer (In Minors)
X – Edinson Volquez (INJURED, Out for season)

RELIEF PITCHER
94 - Joe Nathan (CL)
94 – Mariano Rivera (CL)
92 – Jonathan Papelbon (CL)
89 – Joakim Soria (CL)
88 – Andrew Bailey (CL)
88 – Jonathan Broxton (CL)
87 – Trevor Hoffman (CL)
86 – Francisco Rodriguez (CL)
86 – Heath Bell (CL)
86 – Huston Street (CL)
86 – Jose Valverde (CL)
84 – Carlos Marmol (CL)
84 – Mike Adams
83 – Brian Fuentes (CL)
83 – Ryan Franklin (CL)
83 – Neftali Feliz
83 – Francisco Cordero (CL)
82 – George Sherrill
82 – Brian Wilson (CL)
82 – Frank Francisco (CL)
82 – Rafael Soriano (CL)
82 – J.P. Howell
81 – Ronald Belisario
81 – Mike Gonzalez (CL)
81 – Dan Wheeler
80 – Mike Wuertz
79 – Luke Gregerson
79 – Ryan Madson
79 – Bobby Jenks (CL)
78 – Kevin Gregg (CL)
78 – Billy Wagner (CL)
78 – Kerry Wood (CL)
78 – David Aardsma (CL)
78 – Sean White
78 – Kelvim Escobar
78 – C.J. Wilson
78 – Hideki Okajima
78 – Rafael Betancourt
78 – Matt Thornton
77 – Brandon Lyon (CL)
77 – Craig Breslow
77 – Jason Frasor
77 – Takashi Saito
77 – Chad Qualls (CL)
77 – Jeremy Affeldt
77 – Jose Contreras
77 – Matt Guerrier
77 – Phil Hughes
76 – Tim Byrdak
76 – Darren Oliver
76 – Grant Balfour
76 – Daniel Bard
76 – Alfredo Aceves
75 – Scott Downs
75 – Brian Tallet
75 – LaTroy Hawkins
75 – Aaron Heilman
75 – Justin Masterson
75 – Leo Nunez (CL)
75 – Pedro Feliciano
75 – Matt Capps (CL)
75 – Mark Hendrickson
75 – Octavio Dotel (CL)
75 – Arthur Rhodes
75 – Scott Linebrink
74 – Brad Ziegler
74 – Bob Howry
74 – Brad Lidge (CL)
74 – Ramon Ramirez
74 – Joel Zumaya
74 – Jon Rauch
73 – Jesse Carlson
73 – Kyle McClellan
73 – Ramon Troncoso
73 – Chris Perez
73 – Nick Masset
72 – Fernando Rodney
72 – Peter Moylan
72 – Kris Medlen
72 – Claudio Vargas
72 – Todd Coffey
72 – Sergio Romo
72 – Brandon League
72 – Sean Burnett
72 – Manny Delcarmen
72 – Matt Daley
72 – Franklin Morales
72 – J.J. Putz
72 – Tony Pena
72 – Kiko Calero (FREE AGENT)
71 – Matt Palmer
71 – Scot Shields
71 – Jason Bulger
71 – Trever Miller
71 – Angel Guzman
71 – Sean Marshall
71 – Juan Gutierrez
71 – Cory Wade
71 – Guillermo Mota
71 – Joe Smith
71 – Cla Meredith
71 – Koji Uehara
71 – Jim Johnson
71 – Chad Durbin
71 – J.C. Romero
71 – D.J. Carrasco
71 – Jared Burton
71 – Chad Gaudin
71 – Russ Springer (FREE AGENT, may retire)
70 – Chris Sampson
70 – Esmailin Cardid
70 – John Grabow
70 – Shawn Kelley
70 – Renyel Pinto
70 – Dan Meyer
70 – Danys Baez
70 – Juan Cruz
70 – Ryan Perry
70 – Jose Mijares
70 – Joe Beimel (FREE AGENT)
69 – Carlos Villanueva
69 – James McDonald
69 – Brandon Medders
69 – Mark Lowe
69 – Brian Bruney
69 – Joel Hanrahan
69 – Kip Wells
69 – Kyle Farnsworth
69 – David Robertson
69 – Chan Ho Park
68 – Mitch Stetter
68 - Jeff Samardziga
68 – Blaine Boyer
68 – Garrett Olson
68 – Tyler Clippard
68 – Edward Mujica
68 – Lance Cormier
68 – Zach Miner
68 – Damaso Marte
67 – Matt Lindstrom
67 – Rafael Perez
67 – Seth McClung
67 – Eddie Guardado
67 – Joel Peralta (AAA)
67 – Tyler Walker
67 – Darren O’Day
67 – Chris Ray
67 – Daniel Herrera
67 – Jesse Crain
67 – Clay Condrey
67 – Glen Perkins
66 – Alberto Arias
66 – Joey Devine
66 – Esmerling Vasquez
66 – Garrett Mock
66 – Mat Latos
66 – Joe Thatcher
66 – Matt Harrison
66 – Jorge Campillo
65 – Jo-Jo Reyes
65 – Kevin Jepsen
65 – Jerry Blevins
65 – Jeff Fulchino
65 – Jeff Weaver
65 – Alex Hinshaw
65 – Geoff Geary (AAA)
65 – Manny Corpas
65 – Nate Robertson
64 – Leo Rosales
64 – Matt Albers
64 – Jason Berken
64 – Randy Choate
64 – Brad Thompson
64 – Fu-Te Ni
63 – Brian Stokes
63 – Roy Corcoran (AAA)
63 – Josh Roenicke
63 – Eric O’Flaherty
63 – Jason Grilli
63 – Luke French
63 – Tim Stauffer
63 – Sergio Escalona
63 – Bruce Chen
63 – Randy Williams
63 – Mark Melancon (AAA)
62 – Jesse Chavez
62 – Jeff Gray
62 – Brian Sanches
62 – Greg Burke
62 – Jeff Karstens (AAA)
61 – John Meloan
61 – David Riske
61 – Waldis Joaquin
61 – Dennis Sarfate
61 – Mike Lincoln
61 - Jhoulys Chacin
61 – Roman Colon
61 – Bobby Seay
60 – Mitchell Boggs (AAA)
60 – Donald Veal (AAA)
60 – Wilfredo Ledezma (AAA)
59 – Josh Kinney (AAA)
58 – Rich Thompson
58 – Jack Taschner (AAA)
57 – Winston Abreu (AAA)
57 – Jhonny Nunez (AAA)
X – Mike MacDougal (In Free Agents)
X – Ryota Igarashi (NOT IN PLAYERS ASSOCIATION)

Thursday, February 25, 2010

MLB 2K10 Team Ratings

As promised, Real 2K Insider is expanding to MLB coverage, and to start, I've compiled all of the team ratings that were released on Operation Sports a few days ago.

Let's start off with the Overall ratings, sorted by league.

OVERALL (AL)
97 Yankees
96 Red Sox
88 Twins
87 Angels
86 Rays
86 Rangers
84 Orioles
81 White Sox
80 Mariners
75 Athletics
75 Blue Jays
74 Tigers
74 Indians
73 Royals

OVERALL (NL)
90 Phillies
89 Dodgers
84 Cardinals
82 Cubs
81 Braves
80 Rockies
80 Giants
78 Brewers
77 Diamondbacks
77 Marlins
75 Mets
74 Astros
73 Reds
73 Nationals
72 Padres
68 Pirates

Now let's break it down by division now to look at the projected playoff picture.

AL EAST
97 Yankees
96 Red Sox
86 Rays
84 Orioles
75 Blue Jays

I would hate to be a Ray, Oriole or Blue Jay fan. Playing in the same division as two super titans every year just isn't very fair. I am not a big fan of MLB's season and playoff format, and it's these mid-market teams who will struggle to make the playoffs so long as the majority of the sport misses the playoffs.

AL CENTRAL
88 Twins
81 White Sox
74 Tigers - not including Johnny Damon
74 Indians - not including Russell Branyan
73 Royals

While the Rays and Orioles have a very small chance of making the playoffs out east, the Twins have a huge advantage in the league's weakest division. The White Sox don't even have a DH, and it would probably be in their best interests to re-sign Jermaine Dye for the job. The Tigers brought in Johnny Damon, but that will only have them fighting for 2nd place at the end of the day.

AL WEST
87 Angels
86 Rangers
80 Mariners - not including Erik Bedard
75 Athletics

The Angels and Rangers will duke it out, while the Mariners are sleeper candidates if Erik Bedard can get healthy and return to ace form next to King Felix and Cliff Lee

NL EAST
90 Phillies
81 Braves
77 Marlins
75 Mets - not including Carlos Beltran or Rod Barajas
73 Nationals

The Phillies should once again take the division with ease, as a full season with Roy Halladay (as opposed to half a season of Cliff Lee) will put an even bigger gap between the rest of the teams. Atlanta manager Bobby Cox will be fighting for the wild card in what will be his final season. Rod Barajas likely bumps the Mets up to Florida's level, while a healthy Beltran probably pushes them up to Atlanta's level. The Nationals make plenty of minor-league signings every season, but always lack major league talent.

NL CENTRAL
84 Cardinals
82 Cubs
78 Brewers
74 Astros
73 Reds
68 Pirates

The Cardinals are the division favorites and rumor is they're the favorites to land free agent Felipe Lopez. The Cubs will chase the wild card again, with the Brewers in hot pursuit, but the bottom half of the division is the league's worst.

NL WEST
89 Dodgers
80 Rockies
80 Giants
77 Diamondbacks
72 Padres

The Dodgers are the overwhelming favorite to win the division once again. Rockies and Giants will chase the wild card, while the D-Backs and Padres are still in the middle of rebuilding projects.

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Finally, here are the batting and pitching ratings for all the teams. (Hey 2K Sports, maybe it's time you added Fielding ratings? That's just as important and necessary info when I'm picking my team.)

BATTING
95 Yankees
89 Red Sox
87 Angels
87 Twins
86 Dodgers
85 Phillies
83 Cardinals
83 Orioles
82 Rangers
80 Braves
80 Cubs
79 Rays
77 Blue Jays
76 Tigers
75 White Sox
75 Rockies
75 Marlins
74 Brewers
74 Giants
74 Mariners
74 Nationals
72 Reds
72 Diamondbacks
71 Mets
70 Indians
68 Royals
67 Padres
64 Astros
62 Athletics
61 Pirates

PITCHING
91 Red Sox
90 Yankees
88 Giants
81 White Sox
80 Rays
80 Dodgers
79 Twins
79 Phillies
79 Mariners
78 Royals
77 Angels
76 Athletics
76 Brewers
76 Rockies
76 Rangers
75 Mets
74 Braves
74 Diamondbacks
73 Cardinals
73 Cubs
71 Astros
70 Tigers
69 Orioles
67 Reds
67 Indians
67 Marlins
65 Blue Jays
65 Padres
63 Pirates
60 Nationals

Next up? The player ratings for every player at the major league level.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

2010 Trade Deadline Review

This was the busiest trade deadline in NBA history, and it only makes sense that it'd occur before what will surely be the biggest offseason in NBA history.

17 teams made moves this week, but let's see what the rationale was for all 30 of them.

It goes along saying that I released a roster along with this.

Real 2K Insider [Trade Deadline]
Available on XBox360

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Atlanta Hawks

No moves.

ANALYSIS
Joe Johnson has given indications that he would like to re-sign in Atlanta... they would be silly to trade him in the middle of a contending season anyhow. We'll see if they add a free agent after buyouts, but I wouldn't bet on it.

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Boston Celtics

ADDITIONS
76 - Nate Robinson (PG/SG)

SUBTRACTIONS
62 - Eddie House (PG/SG)
60 - J.R. Giddens (SF)
60 - Bill Walker (SF)
2010 2nd Round Pick

ANALYSIS
Tough to blame Boston for pulling the trigger on this one. House is a decent role player and his spot up shooting was valued, but Nate is a legit 6th man, and his scoring abilities should compliment Rondo extremely well. Anyone else who can't wait for the first Rondo-Nate backcourt alignment?

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Charlotte Bobcats

ADDITIONS
75 - Tyrus Thomas (PF)
61 - Theo Ratliff (C)

SUBTRACTIONS
70 - Flip Murray (SG/PG)
60 - Acie Law (PG)
2010 1st Round Pick
2010 2nd Round Pick

ANALYSIS
Thomas is a very valuable defender, and he doesn't have much of an offensive repetoire beyond dunking. It only makes perfect sense for Larry Brown to pair him with Gerald Wallace and Tyson Chandler, doesn't it? Jabbing aside, the Bobcats badly needed another PF besides Boris Diaw, and Thomas as a former #4 pick, Thomas has plenty of upside. With the Bobcats giving up their 2010 draft pick, one would hope that they intend to re-sign him rather than rent him.

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Chicago Bulls

ADDITIONS
70 - Flip Murray (SG/PG)
69 - Hakim Warrick (PF)
65 - Joe Alexander (SF)
60 - Acie Law (PG)
2010 1st Round Pick (Bobcats)

SUBTRACTIONS
75 - Tyrus Thomas (PF)
70 - John Salmons (SG/SF)
57 - Chris Richard (C) (waived)

ANALYSIS
Warrick offers the Bulls a replacement for Tyrus Thomas, and Alexander might have some untapped potential, but make no mistake, this is a salary dump. Salmons was likely to exercise his 5.8 million option, and the Bulls want that cap space to chase max free agents this summer.

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Cleveland Cavaliers

ADDITIONS
74 - Antawn Jamsion (PF)
69 - Sebastian Telfair (PG)

SUBTRACTIONS
71 - Zydrunas Ilgauskas (C)
2010 1st Round Pick

ANALYSIS
Not only did the Cavs get Antawn Jamison without giving up J.J. Hickson, but they even got Sebastian Telfair out of it too. When Ilgauskas returns 30 days from his buyout, the Cavs will have acquired two players at the cost of the 30th overall pick in the 2010 draft.

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Dallas Mavericks

ADDITIONS
76 - Caron Butler (SG/SF)
72 - Brendan Haywood (C)
68 - DeShawn Stevenson (SG)

SUBTRACTIONS
73 - Josh Howard (SF/SG)
69 - Drew Gooden (C/PF)
64 - James Singleton (PF/SF)
64 - Quinton Ross (SG/SF)

ANALYSIS
Simply put, this was a steal for Dallas as they upgraded their team in nearly every conceivable way. Butler was having a poor season (for his standards) but Howard was even worse. He'll start at SG the rest of the way, and see time at SF when Jason Terry hits the court. Haywood is a major upgrade over the defenseless Gooden, and with news of Dampier missing at least a month with a finger injury, Haywood will be paying huge dividends for the team. Stevenson has had a terrible year, but it's tough to imagine him being any less valuable than Singleton or Ross.

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Denver Nuggets

No Moves.

ANALYSIS
As with Atlanta, they weren't expected to make any moves, and instead will try to scoop up a boughtout free agent.

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Detroit Pistons

No moves.

ANALYSIS
Anyone else in disbelief that Gordon/Rip will spend the entire year together? Of course, Rip's injury that has led him to shoot 39% didn't help that cause. He's probably a goner this summer.

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Golden State Warriors

No moves.

ANALYSIS
If only all their trade assets weren't injured. Say goodbye to Anthony Randolph this summer.

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Houston Rockets

ADDITIONS
78 - Kevin Martin (SG)
67 - Jared Jeffries (PF/SF)
66 - Jordan Hill (PF/C)
60 - Hilton Armstrong (C)
2012 1st Round Pick (Knicks)

SUBTRACTIONS
76 - Carl Landry (PF)
76 - Tracy McGrady (SG/SF)
65 - Joey Dorsey (C/PF)

ANALYSIS
One injury prone shooting guard replaces another. The Rockets obviously needed a perimeter scorer to put an end to the Trevor Ariza brickfest (and return Ariza to his natural SF). I don't know how good of a fit Martin will be next to Yao, but the team will cross that bridge when they get to it. Landry is probably more valuable than Martin at this stage (especially when you compare contracts), but he wasn't going to get a chance to start over Luis Scola, and with Yao returning next season, his value never would have been higher. The Rockets also took on Jared Jeffries and Jordan Hill from the Knicks. Jeffries is actually in the middle of a career year and gives the Rockets yet another great defensive forward. Jeffries can guard all five positions and has worked hard to improve his 3pt shot. Hill on the other hand was the 8th pick of this year's draft, and will help fill the void left by Landry's departure. He projects to be a role player at this level (think Chris Wilcox). If nothing else, it will be interesting to see how long GM Daryl Morey takes to send him to the Rockets' owned D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Vipers.

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Indiana Pacers

No Moves.

ANALYSIS
Indiana clearly has some of the worst contracts in the business if they weren't able to do anything at the deadline. Anyone else here think they SHOULD regret giving away Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington for pennies on the dollar (or in this case, the 25 million still owed to "Murphleavy" in 2011)?

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Los Angeles Clippers

ADDITIONS
71 - Travis Outlaw (SF/PF)
70 - Drew Gooden (PF/C)
65 - Steve Blake (PG)

SUBTRACTIONS
77 - Marcus Camby (PF/C)
69 - Sebastian Telfair (PG)
68 - Al Thornton (SF)
63 - Ricky Davis (SG) (Waived)

ANALYSIS
The Clippers just traded their best defensive player for a backup point guard. Travis Outlaw's a good player when healthy, but he's nothing more than Al Thornton with an expiring contract. Don't worry Clipper fans, the Blazers sent 3 million dollars to your darling owner to make it "fair" for both sides.

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Los Angeles Lakers

No moves.

ANALYSIS
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

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Memphis Grizzlies

ADDITIONS
69 - Ronnie Brewer (SG/SF)

SUBTRACTIONS
2010 1st Round Pick

ANALYSIS
Memphis finally has a guard that plays defense, and one that isn't named Quinton Ross or Greg Buckner. Brewer will move in as the team's sixth man.

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Miami Heat

No Moves.

ANALYSIS
Passed up an opportunity to pick up Amare or Boozer, but they're probably doing the right thing sitting pretty with Michael Beasley. Let's hope for their sake that Dwyane Wade feels the same way.

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Milwaukee Bucks

ADDITIONS
70 - John Salmons (SG/SF)
60 - Primoz Brezec (C)
59 - Royal Ivey (PG/SG)

SUBTRACTIONS
69 - Hakim Warrick (PF)
65 - Joe Alexander (SF)
60 - Jodie Meeks (SG)
58 - Francisco Elson (C)

ANALYSIS
Salmons will start at SG and end Charlie Bell's reign of terror. Salmons might even start next season as the Bucks prepare for life without Michael Redd. Meanwhile, trading Warrick frees up playing time for Ilyasova and the Fresh Prince of Milwaukee.

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Minnesota Timberwolves

ADDITIONS
63 - Darko Milicic (C)

SUBTRACTIONS
56 - Brian Cardinal (PF)

ANALYSIS
Perhaps GM David Kahn was bored? He's legitimately interested in Darko if he's going to take on an extra million in the trade. Given the sad state of his center position, why not? Darko is a better player than current starter Ryan Hollins. Will this keep Darko from fleeing back to Europe next season? The saga continues.

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New Jersey Nets

No Moves.

ANALYSIS
I'm a little surprised the 5 win Nets didn't make any moves, but then again, they really don't have much to offer. They'll offer buyouts to Tony Battie and Bobby Simmons soon, and perhaps look at a D-Leaguer that tickles their fancy.

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New Orleans Hornets

No Moves.

ANALYSIS
The Hornets already made trades earlier in the year to get under the luxury tax. They have no interest in improving their team; it's all about not losing boatloads of cash right now. On the bright side, at least they didn't tear their team down at the seams.

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New York Knicks

ADDITIONS
76 - Tracy McGrady (SG/SF)
66 - Eddie House (SG/PG)
66 - Sergio Rodriguez (PG)
60 - J.R. Giddens (SF)
60 - Bill Walker (SF)
56 - Brian Cardinal (PF) (likely to be waived)
2010 2nd Round Pick (Boston)

SUBTRACTIONS
76 - Nate Robinson (PG/SG)
72 - Larry Hughes (SG/PG)
67 - Jared Jeffries (PF/SF)
66 - Jordan Hill (PF/C)
63 - Darko Milicic (C)
61 - Marcus Landry (SF/SG)
2012 1st Round Pick

ANALYSIS
The Knicks just saved 9 million in 2010 cap room, and will have enough cap room for two max contracts once they buyout Eddy Curry this summer (they can't do it now because his player option would be fully guaranteed and still count 100% towards the cap space). They also picked up a legit SG (Tracy McGrady), but I'm actually more excited about Sergio Rodriguez, as the playmaker could take Chris Duhon's starting job very quickly. Giving up on Jordan Hill was a tough pill to swallow, but in the end the cap room was too much to pass up. Hill was really only supposed to be insurance in case David Lee left as a free agent, but I don't see that happening now that Lee has transformed himself into an all-star. Losing Nate sucks, but moving him was in the team's best interest, as Mike D'Antoni never took a liking to him and they likely wouldn't have re-signed him.

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Philadelphia 76'ers

ADDITIONS
60 - Jodie Meeks (SG)
58 - Francisco Elson (C)

SUBTRACTIONS
60 - Primoz Brezec (C)
59 - Royal Ivey (PG/SG)

ANALYSIS
The Sixers liked Meeks pre-draft, and didn't give up anything of substance to get him. This is really just shuffling the deck though. Iguodala and Dalembert live to see another day. Dalembert is surely a goner this summer however.

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Phoenix Suns

No Moves.

ANALYSIS
The Suns opted to keep Amare Stoudemire, as it seems no team was really sure whether he'd opt out at the end of the year or not. Perhaps they also realized that his numbers are padded by the Suns' system. Or perhaps more likely, Amare realized his free agent value would take a hit if he went to a system that wouldn't pad his numbers, and sent out every red flag he possibly could. In any event, Steve Nash can breathe a sigh of relief, since I'm sure he didn't re-sign to be playing with J.J. Hickson the next two years.

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Portland Trailblazers

ADDITIONS
78 - Marcus Camby (C)

SUBTRACTIONS
69 - Travis Outlaw (PF/SF)
65 - Steve Blake (PG)

ANALYSIS
Portland just keeps on collecting the top defensive centers on the planet. At the moment it doesn't seem likely that he re-signs, but oh man, imagine if he did? Aldridge/Oden in the starting lineup next season with Camby/Przybilla behind them? At the least, he'll help them on their playoff run and prevent LaMarcus Aldridge from getting overworked.

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Sacramento Kings

ADDITIONS
76 - Carl Landry (PF)
65 - Joey Dorsey (C/PF)
64 - Dominic McGuire (SF)

SUBTRACTIONS
78 - Kevin Martin (SG)
72 - Larry Hughes (SG) (buyout)
66 - Sergio Rodriguez (PG)
60 - Hilton Armstrong (C)
59 - Kenny Thomas (PF) (waived)
2010 2nd Round Pick

ANALYSIS
Trading Martin for Landry was a great move for the Kings, as they had soured on Martin due to the emergence of Tyreke Evans. Landry could start at power forward, pushing either foul prone Jason Thompson or disappointing Spencer Hawes to the bench. Dorsey is a good rebounder and defender that he could see rotation minutes for the pillow soft Kings. Hughes is injured (fractured finger) and is not expected to report. He'll either work out a buyout or sit out the remainder of his contract.

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San Antonio Spurs

ADDITIONS
2010 2nd Round Pick (Bobcats)

SUBTRACTIONS
61 - Theo Ratliff (C)

ANALYSIS
Ratliff wasn't playing much as the team has started to look at Ian Mahinmi (not to mention the fact that DeJuan Blair is a heckuva player).

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Toronto Raptors

No moves.

ANALYSIS
The Raptors are basically crossing their fingers and praying that Bosh re-signs. Good luck to them.

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Utah Jazz

ADDITIONS
2010 First Round Pick (Grizzlies)

SUBTRACTIONS
69 - Ronnie Brewer (SG/SF)

ANALYSIS
Brewer seems to have to hit a wall in terms of development, and the Jazz had a glut of swingmen. They also have New York's 2010 lottery pick, and they'll look to rebuild through the draft. They failed to move Carlos Boozer before he hits free agency, and they'll have to hope for a sign and trade if they want to get any value for him now (with Miami his most likely suitor, don't get on it).

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Washington Wizards

ADDITIONS
73 - Josh Howard (SF)
68 - Al Thornton (SF)
64 - Quinton Ross (SG/SF)
64 - James Singleton (PF/SF)
2010 1st Round Pick (Cleveland)
2010 2nd Round Pick (Sacramento)

SUBTRACTIONS
77 - Caron Butler (SF/SG)
74 - Antawn Jamison (PF)
72 - Brendan Haywood (C)
71 - Zydrunas Ilgauskas (C) (buyout)
68 - DeShawn Stevenson (SG)
64 - Dominic McGuire (SF)
63 - Mike James (PG) (buyout)

ANALYSIS
Make no mistake, the Wizards made the trades they did solely to get under the luxury tax this season. They traded all of their starters from the 2007 playoff run with the exception of Arenas (who is all but unmovable sans a contract termination). Once they decline Josh Howard's 11.8 million dollar option for 2011, their net gain from these trades will be Al Thornton and the 30th pick in the 2010 draft. It will be a slow climb back to respectability for Washington.

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TEAM RATINGS

Here's how my team ratings stack up

EAST OVERALL (Rashidi)
85 Celtics (3rd)
84 Cavaliers (1st)
83 Hawks (4th)
83 Bobcats
80 Magic (2nd)
79 Heat (7th)
79 Sixers
77 Bucks (8th)
77 Pistons
75 Raptors (5th)
75 Bulls (6th)
75 Nets
74 Knicks
72 Pacers
67 Wizards

WEST OVERALL (Rashidi)
88 Lakers (1st)
84 Nuggets (2nd)
83 Jazz (3rd)
82 Mavericks (4th)
81 Thunder (5th)
81 Spurs (7th)
80 Grizzlies
79 Blazers (8th)
79 Rockets
78 Suns (6th)
76 Kings
75 Warriors
74 Clippers
73 Hornets
72 Wolves

Here's how 2K Sports ranks.

EAST OVERALL (2K Sports)
87 Cavaliers (1st)
86 Celtics (3rd)
84 Hawks (4th)
83 Bobcats
80 Sixers
78 Magic (2nd)
78 Nets (Yes, you are reading this correctly)
76 Knicks
75 Bulls (6th)
75 Pistons
74 Raptors (5th)
73 Heat (7th)
72 Pacers
71 Bucks (8th) (no respect all season)
67 Wizards

WEST OVERALL (2K Sports)
90 Mavericks (4th)
86 Nuggets (2nd)
83 Grizzlies (for the love of god, they are 10th in the west. overrated all season.)
83 Spurs (7th)
82 Lakers (1st) (90 w/ healthy Kobe)
82 Rockets
80 Thunder (5th)
80 Jazz (3rd)
79 Suns (6th)
79 Blazers (8th)
73 Hornets (IIRC, 79 w/ healthy Paul)
72 Kings
72 Wolves
65 Clippers
64 Warriors

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Celtics vs Magic: Sim Data

Testing out my roster again, here's a matchup between the Celtics and Magic.

TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT
CPU vs CPU
12 minute quarters
HoF difficulty
Default gameplay sliders

GAME TWO: Celtics 94, Magic 92

The first thing we notice is the score of the game was much lower than the Lakers/Mavericks game I previously tested. This is to be expected given the differences in tempo.

Lakers 70, Mavericks 55
Magic 60, Celtics 50

CELTICS (pts-reb-ast-stl-blk)
Perkins: 2-7-1-0-1 (1-2 FG) - 30 mins
Garnett: 24-14-3-3-3 (11-15 FG, 2-4 FT) - 38 mins
Pierce: 18-3-5-2-1 (7-14 FG, 0-2 3PT, 4-4 FT) - 37 mins
R.Allen: 17-2-0-1-1 (7-14 FG, 2-7 3PT, 1-1 FT) - 39 mins
Rondo: 14-0-8-5-0 (6-13 FG, 2-5 FT) - 38 mins, 7 turnovers
BENCH
Wallace: 6-6-2-0-1 (3-5 FG) - 22 mins
T.Allen: 2-0-3-1-0 (1-1 FG) - 17 mins
Davis: 6-3-1-0-0 (3-4 FG) - 12 mins
House: 5-0-1-0-0 (2-4 FG, 1-2 3PT) - 11 mins

Garnett had a very dominant game and you'll need to check out the GameTrack to see just how he did it. He was a terror on both ends of the court, and it goes without saying that he was the player of the game. Rondo was active on defense, coming up with 5 steals, though he did turn the ball over 7 times himself. Pierce/Allen operated as jump shooting finishers, while Perkins was a relative non-factor on offense against Dwight Howard, but more than made up for it on the defensive end (plus it wasn't really necessary with KG going off like it's 2004).

TEAM STATS
94 points
41-72 FG (56%)
3-11 3PT (27%)
9-14 FT (64%)
24 assists (17 turnovers)
7 fouls
35 rebounds (3 off)
12 steals
7 blocks
52 PIP (55%)
19 bench (20%)
2 second chance (2%)
10 fast break (11%)

MAGIC (pts-reb-ast-stl-blk)
Howard: 13-6-4-1-0 (5-15 FG, 3-6 FT) - 37 mins
Lewis: 14-6-1-2-0 (6-10 FG, 2-4 3PT) - 31 mins
Barnes: 13-8-1-1-0 (6-15 FG, 1-6 3PT) - 35 mins
Carter: 14-2-3-4-0 (5-13 FG, 3-7 3PT, 1-2 FT) - 35 mins
Nelson: 7-1-8-4-0 (3-6 FG, 1-2 3PT) - 30 mins, 6 turnovers
BENCH
Pietrus: 13-2-2-2-2 (6-7 FG, 1-1 FT) - 20 mins
Williams: 5-1-3-1-0 (2-5 FG, 1-3 3PT) - 19 mins
Redick: 7-0-1-0-0 (3-5 FG, 1-3 3PT) - 13 mins
Anderson: 2-3-0-1-0 (1-2 FG, 0-1 3PT) - 13 mins
Gortat: 4-3-0-1-0 (2-3 FG) - 12 mins

Howard did not play well against Perkins (big surprise), but it still managed to be a close game thanks to the bench contributions, particularly from Pietrus.

TEAM STATS
92 points
39-81 FG (48%)
9-26 3PT (34%)
5-9 FT (55%)
23 assists (16 turnovers)
10 fouls
31 rebounds (5 off)
17 steals
2 blocks
44 PIP (48%)
31 bench (34%)
7 second chance (8%)
6 fast break (7%)

GAMETRACK
Stats are one thing, but how are these players getting their points?

Kevin Garnett
Zone: 4x Inside, 3x Close, 4x Medium
Post: None
Drive: 2 Layup (2 basket cut), 2 Dunk (2 Alley)
Jumper: 1 off-dribble, 6 catch
Defender: 2x Lewis, 2x Anderson, 4x Open via Double Team

KG didn't do anything in the post which is simply great - I feared that he'd been abusing Lewis in the post, but instead it was Orlando's fault for leaving him open so much. Even the two times he was defended by Anderson, it was minimal at best as Anderson gave him about 3 feet of space which is more than enough to put up an unmissable auto-hook.

Paul Pierce
Zone: 2x Inside, 3x Close, 2x Medium
Post: 2x hook, 1x fade
Drive: 2x layup (1 off-dribble, 1 basket cut)
Jumper: 1x off dribble, 1x catch
Defender: 1x Barnes, 2x Pietrus, 2x Lewis, 1x Carter, 1x Nelson,

Pierce drained what would be the game winning jumper w/ 6 seconds left over Lewis. He was presented with a wide variety of matchups; he posted up smaller players and, and drove on the slower players. He scored 10 pts in the first half (8 in the 1st qtr) which is what led to him getting doubled and opening up things for Garnett in the 3rd quarter.

Ray Allen
Zone: 3x Inside, 1x Close, 3x Three (once w/ foot on line)
Drive: 3x Layup (2 basket cut, 1 off-dribble)
Jumper: 4x Catch
Defender: 2x Lewis, 2x Barnes, 1x Carter, 1x Williams

Allen was assisted on 6 of his 7 shots, and all of his jumpers were off the catch.

Rajon Rondo
Zone: 5x Inside, 1x Medium
Crossover FT jumper on Nelson
Fastbreak layup on Nelson (plus the foul)
Fastbreak dunk (fouled from behind by Carter)
Pick/Roll by KG, Nelson gets caught, Rondo drives, Barnes rotates late and gets called for foul on the lay in.
Drive by Nelson on another pick and roll.

Vintage Rondo, nothing else needs to be said.

Dwight Howard
Zone: 4x Inside, 1x Close
2 Alley Dunks, 2 Post Ups, 1 open auto-hook.

Rashard Lewis
Zone: 2x Inside, 2x Close, 2x Three
Two catch/shoot threes, two post ups over the smaller Pierce, two basket cut layups.

Matt Barnes
Zone: 2x Inside, 2x Close, 1x Medium, 1x Three
2x post ups, 2x basket cuts, 1x catch/shoot three, 1x faceup in KG's face

Vince Carter
Zone: 2x Inside, 3x Three
One drive, one basket cut, three catch and shoot threes.

Jameer Nelson
2x Inside, 1x Three
One off-dribble three, one basket cut, one fastbreak layup

Mickael Pietrus
Zone: 5x Inside, 1x Medium
All his shots were cuts to the basket except for a fastbreak dunk, and a kickout for a 15 foot jumper.

Kinda strange to see Barnes as a do-everything scorer, but somebody had to step up with Howard struggling.

Lakers vs Mavericks: Sim Data

Further testing out my new coach sliders, here's a matchup between the Lakers and the new Mavericks. The Mavs are are looking to contend w/ L.A. with their added depth, and it will be interesting to see if they fit well.

TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT
CPU vs CPU

12 minute quarters
HoF difficulty
Default gameplay sliders

GAME ONE: Mavericks 114, Lakers 106

MAVERICKS (pts-reb-ast-stl-blk)
Haywood: 16-8-0-0-1 (8-8 FG) - 28 mins
Nowitzki: 25-13-5-2-0 (10-18 FG, 0-1 3PT, 5-6 FT) - 37 mins
Marion: 10-6-0-1-1 (3-6 FG, 0-1 3PT, 4-4 FT) - 37 mins
Butler: 22-2-6-1-0 (10-16 FG, 2-6 3PT) - 39 mins
Kidd: 15-0-13-1-0 (5-8 FG, 2-3 3PT, 3-4 FT) - 27 mins
BENCH
Terry: 14-0-1-0-0 (6-13 FG, 1-2 3PT, 1-2 FT) - 31 mins
Dampier: 3-5-0-0 (1-2 FG, 1-2 FT) - 17 mins
Barea: 4-0-3-0-0 (2-4 FG) - 17 mins
Stevenson: 5-1-1-0-0 (2-3 FG, 1-1 3PT) - 9 mins
Beaubois: 0-0-0-0-0 (0-1 FG) - 3 mins

TEAM STATS
114 points
47-79 FG (59%)
6-14 3PT (42%)
14-18 FT (77%)
29 assists (7 turnovers)
15 fouls
35 rebounds (2 off)
5 steals
2 blocks
54 PIP (47%)
26 bench (23%)
0 second chance (0%)
6 fast break (5%)

Dallas' new players clicked really well and it will be very interesting to see how they perform in real life. Caron Butler was the player of the game, while Haywood didn't even miss a shot. Haywood really benefitted from playing next to Jason Kidd, instead of his selfish Washington teammates. The Mavericks killed it on the offensive end and their high FG% was a result of the crisp passing that led to easy inside shots.

LAKERS (pts-reb-ast-stl-blk)
Bynum: 18-14-0-0-1 (8-12 FG, 2-3 FT) - 35 mins
Gasol: 25-9-1-0-0 (10-16 FG, 5-6 FT) - 39 mins
Artest: 15-2-2-2-0 (6-14 FG, 3-6 3PT) - 37 mins
Bryant: 29-2-3-1-0 (13-23 FG, 3-5 FT) - 34 mins
Fisher: 5-3-7-1-0 (2-12 FG, 1-6 3PT) - 35 mins
BENCH
Odom: 7-7-4-3-0 (3-5 FG, 0-1 3PT, 1-2 FT) - 23 mins
Brown: 2-0-0-0-0 (1-2 FG, 0-1 3PT) - 18 mins
Farmar: 3-1-2-0-0 (1-3 FG, 1-1 3PT) - 14 mins
Walton: 2-0-0-0-0 (1-2 FG, 0-1 3PT) - 9 mins

TEAM STATS
106 points
45-89 FG (50%)
5-16 3PT (31%)
11-16 FT (68%)
19 assists (7 turnovers)
13 fouls
38 rebounds (10 off)
7 steals
1 blocks
66 PIP (62%)
14 bench (13%)
10 second chance (9%)
6 fast break (6%)

Kobe was his usual self. Gasol and Bynum were huge, grabbing 9 of the Lakers 10 offensive rebounds which is what kept them in the game despite Dallas' huge edge in FG%. Artest provided solid support but they didn't get much else from the rest of the team. Derek Fisher frankly cost the team the game, with both terrible shooting and ineffective defense on Jason Kidd (most of Kidd's easy assists to Haywood were drives that forced the center to leave Haywood). It would have been nice to see Farmar get his regular minutes rather than Fisher play 35 minutes in a stink bomb.

GAMETRACK
Stats are one thing, but how are these players getting their points?

Dirk Nowitzki
Zone: 3x Inside, 5x Close, 2x Medium
Post: 4x Post (3 hook)
Drive: 3 layup (2 basket cut)
Jumper: 1 off-dribble, 2 catch (1 Pick/Roll)
Defender: 4x Gasol, 2x Bynum, 2x Odom, 1x Artest

Caron Butler
Zone: 4x Inside, 3x Medium, 2x Three
Post: 2x Post (1 fade, 1 hook)
Drive: 3x Layup (1 basket cut, 2 fastbreak), 1x Dunk (1 basket cut)
Jumper: 1x off dribble, 3x catch
Defender: 2x Artest, 2x Walton, 2x Fisher, 1x Brown

Brendan Haywood
Zone: 6x Inside, 1x Close, 1x Medium
Long story short, Haywood was assisted by Kidd or Dirk on 7 of his shots and he wasn't contestd on any of them. His lone unassisted shot was a post hook on Derek Fisher.

Jason Kidd
2 catch/shoot threes, 1 fastbreak layup, 1 driving layup on Fisher, 1 ankle breaking behind the back on Gasol en route to 20 footer.

Jason Terry
4 of 6 made shots were catch/shoot jumpers. Was assisted on 5/6 shots.

Shawn Marion
1 basket cut layup, 1 fastbreak dunk, 1 post over Brown

Kobe Bryant
Zones: 4x Inside, 5x Close, 3x Medium, 1x Three (got counted as 2pt even though no foot on line)
Post: 5x Post (3 fade, 1 hook, 1 generic + foul)
Drive: 3x layup (1 basket cut, 1 set play + foul), 1x dunk (set play + foul)
Jumper: 2x off-dribble, 2x catch
Defender: 5x Butler, 5x Terry, 1x Stevenson

Pau Gasol
Had more layups/dunks than Bynum, usually off someones pass rather than a post up.

Andrew Bynum
Everything in the paint, two-thirds of shots were postups which was much higher ratio than Gasol.

Ron Artest
All catch and shoot jumpers except for a postup on Barea.

Lamar Odom
Putback dunk, postup, layup

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Simulation Stats: Lakers vs Celtics

Here's an example of a game you'll get with my rosters. I've been working on my player/coach tendencies and they should be completed by the end of the break.

Lakers
110 Points
46-82 FG (56%)
7-13 3PT (53%)
11-12 FT (91%)
31 Assists
12 Turnovers
9 Fouls
40 Rebounds (10 Offensive)
9 Steals
2 Blocks
54 Points in Paint (49%)
28 Bench Points (25%)
8 Second Chance Points (7%)
2 Fast Break Points (1%)

Celtics
93 Points
38-74 FG (51%)
4-15 3PT (26%)
13-17 FT (76%)
27 Assists
13 Turnovers
8 Fouls
27 Rebounds (4 Offensive)
8 Steals
4 Blocks
44 Points in Paint (47%)
10 Bench Points (10%)
0 Second Chance Points (0%)
4 Fast Break Points (4%)

I don't mind the high FG% because it compensates for teams not going to the line enough in the game.

Scoring by qtr
Celtics: 26-18-21-28
Lakers 26-36-27-21

LAKER STATS (Pts-Reb-Ast-Stl-Blk)
Andrew Bynum: 16-14-4-0-2 (6-10 FG, 4-5 FT) - 28 mins, 7 offensive boards
Pau Gasol: 7-9-4-0-0 (3-4 FG, 1-1 FT) - 31 mins
Ron Artest: 13-2-3-2-0 (5-9 FG, 1-1 3PT, 2-2 FT) - 28 mins
Kobe Bryant: 34-3-2-0-0 (15-30 FG, 0-1 3PT, 4-4 FT) - 29 mins, 3 turnovers
Derek Fisher: 12-2-5-2-0 (5-7 FG, 2-4 3PT) - 27 mins
BENCH
Lamar Odom: 5-6-4-2-0 (2-4 FG, 1-1 3PT) - 27 mins
Shannon Brown: 14-1-1-1-0 (6-7 FG, 2-2 3PT) - 19 mins
Jordan Farmar: 0-0-6-1-0 (0-4 FG, 0-2 3PT) - 22 mins, 3 turnovers
Luke Walton: 0-1-1-1-0 (0-2 FG, 0-1 3PT) - 11 mins
DJ Mbenga: 0-0-0-0-0 (0-1 FG) - 11 mins
Sasha Vujacic: 8-2-1-0-0 (2-2 FG, 1-1 3PT) - 8 mins
Josh Powell: 4-0-0-0-0 (2-2 FG) - 4 mins

+/- Hero: Andrew Bynum (+22)
+/- Goat: DJ Mbenga (-12)

The SGs just could not be stopped. Brown caught fire, scoring 6 points in the last 1:15 of the 1st quarter, and added 4 more points in the next 3 mins of the 2nd. Kobe subbed him for him and scored 14 points in the final 6 mins of the 2nd, completely breaking the game open.

CELTICS STATS
Kendrick Perkins: 12-4-2-2-2 (5-5 FG, 2-4 FT) - 35 mins
Kevin Garnett: 18-14-3-1-1 (7-16 FG, 4-4 FT) - 36 mins
Paul Pierce: 16-1-7-0-0 (8-18 FG, 0-2 3PT) - 36 mins, 3 turnovers
Ray Allen: 30-2-1-2-1 (11-17 FG, 4-9 3PT, 4-4 FT) - 36 mins
Rajon Rondo: 7-1-10-3-0 (3-6 FG, 0-1 3PT, 1-2 FT) - 37 mins, 4 turnovers
BENCH
Rasheed Wallace: 2-5-0-0-0 (0-4 FG, 0-1 3PT, 2-2 FT) - 23 mins
Tony Allen: 0-0-1-0-0 (0-1 FG, 0-1 3PT) - 17 mins
Eddie House: 4-0-3-0-0 (2-4 FG, 0-1 3PT) - 14 mins
Glen Davis: 4-0-0-0-0 (2-3 FG) - 12 mins

+/- Hero: Kevin Garnett (+9)
+/- Goat: Tony Allen (-28) - in only 17 mins!

Ray Allen was on fire, and the Celtics were dead in the water when he wasn't in the game. His backup, Tony Allen, contributed absolutely nothing and was actually the one the Laker guards torched on defense. Perkins had a decent game but got wrecked on the glass by Bynum which cost the team numerous possessions.

Josh Smith = God?

I just ran a sim because I worked all night on team and player tendencies.

Josh Smith was named Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, and Most Improved Player. He was not named to the All-NBA First team, however (which means the MVP is an aberration, thankfully).

Josh Smith
16.9 ppg
10.3 rpg
4.2 apg
2.4 spg
2.8 bpg
55 FG%
30 3PT%
61 FT%

I'm going to make a few tweaks across the board (not touching the Hawks though, Smith explosions be damned) because I caught a few players I didn't adjust tendencies for and the stats were way off. I'll probably post some results later.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Affiliates and stuff

It occured to me that I hadn't checked the blog email account in approximately 9 months (it's not my primary email). I had a few offers for affiliation and whatnot that I did not intend to ignore.

So I'll take this time to say I'm open to all offers and ideas from you folk out there. I will be checking the email account now, which is thereal2kinsider@gmail.com. Hope to hear from ya'll soon.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Associaton Sim [02-06-10]

It's been a month and a half since my last association update. I spent the night revamping my coach profiles and I want to test out the sim results.

I turned off all variables for this simulation (Player Roles, Injuries, Progressive Fatigue, Trades).

LEAGUE LEADERS

POINTS
Bryant 28.0
LeBron 26.8
Durant 26.2
Bosh 26.2
Nowitzki 25.4
Yao 23.3
Martin 23.1
Wade 22.6
Johnson 22.2
Duncan 22.2
Monta 21.9
A.Jefferson 21.8
Howard 21.2
Melo 21.0 - CPU puts J.R. Smith in starting lineup, cuts into Melo's shots.
Granger 20.5

February simulation
25+ ppg: 5
20+ ppg: 15

December simulation
25+ ppg: 8
20+ ppg: 24

Real Life
25+ ppg: 7
20+ ppg: 16

Much more realistic now.

REBOUNDS
G.Wallace 14.7
Bosh 14.5
Howard 13.3
Duncan 13.2
P.Gasol 12.5
Lee 12.5
Lopez 11.7
Camby 11.7
Randolph 11.1
B.Wallace 10.9
Horford 10.8
Bogut 10.5
Boozer 10.5
Jefferson 10.4

February
12+ rpg: 6
10+ rpg: 14

December
12+ rpg: 7
10+ rpg: 17

Real Life
12+ rpg: 3
10+ rpg: 10

It's worth noting Bosh averaged 16.4 rpg in my December simulation but was down to 14.5 in February. Progress is being made, but I doubt this will ever be perfected due to the game's slanted calculation methods.

ASSISTS
Kidd 10.6
Rondo 10.2
Deron 9.3
Nash 9.3
Paul 8.2
Harris 7.8
Davis 7.5
Brooks 7.4
Billups 7.2
Parker 7.1

February
9+ apg: 4
7+ apg: 10

December
9+ apg: 5
7+ apg: 12

Real Life
9+ apg: 5
7+ apg: 8

As expected, the drop in scoring lead to a drop in assists, and likewise gives us a more realistic result.

I didn't adjust lineups before starting the simulation, so Paul (injured reserve) was re-inserted into the lineup by the CPU and given 36 mpg, while his backup Darren Collison saw 30 mpg. Collison averaged 5.7 apg and he probably cut into Paul's totals.

STEALS
Rondo 2.9
Ariza 2.8
Iguodala 2.8
Paul 2.4
J.Smith 2.4
Kobe 2.3
B.Davis 2.3
Ginobili 2.3
Wade 2.2
Curry 2.2
B.Wallace 2.1
Kidd 2.1
Ellis 2.0
R.Brewer 2.0

February
3.0+ spg: 0
2.5+ spg: 3
2.0+ spg: 14

December
3.0+ spg: 1
2.5+ spg: 7
2.0+ spg: 14

Real Life
3.0+ spg: 0
2.5+ spg: 0
2.0+ spg: 3 (Rondo leads league with 2.4)

There are still far too many steals, but at least we're moving in the right direction. I don't care as much about this one, because even with all the steals player turnovers are still far too low (Monta, Rose, and Tyreke lead the league with 3.0 turnovers). Monta leads the league right now with 4.1 turnovers. We might just have to chalk this one up as a 2K design flaw.

BLOCKS
Howard 3.0
Duncan 2.9
J.Smith 2.9
Okafor 2.6
B.Lopez 2.4
P.Gasol 2.4
Perkins 2.3
Bogut 2.3
Yao 2.3
Camby 2.2
A.Jefferson 2.2
Dalembert 2.1
Noah 2.0
R.Lopez 2.0
Hollins 2.0

February
3.0+ bpg: 1
2.5+ bpg: 4
2.0+ bpg: 15

December
3.0+ bpg: 3
2.5+ bpg: 8
2.0+ bpg: 24

Real Life
3.0+ bpg: 0
2.5+ bpg: 1 (Howard leads league w/ 2.7)
2.0+ bpg: 8

As with steals, there are still too many blocks, but it's definitely a step in the right direction. Plus, Robin Lopez and Ryan Hollins don't qualify for league leaders in real life, while Yao is out for the year. It's a bit closer to realistic than the results show.

TEAM STATS

I didn't do this in my last simulation so I won't have previous data to compare it to.

TEAM POINTS (Real Life rank in parenthasize)
Suns 105.2 (1st) - DING
Warriors 104.3 (3rd)
Lakers 103.7 (5th)
Nuggets 103.5 (2nd)
Magic 101.6 (15th) - no injuries in this sim.
Knicks 101.6 (12th) - Nate starting all season over Duhon.
Cavaliers 101.2 (11th)
Spurs 101.7 (14th) - No injuries to big 3.
Kings 99.9 (9th) - DING
Rockets 99.7 (10th) - DING
Wolves 99.2 (21st)
Jazz 98.6 (7th)
Celtics 98.6 (18th) - No injuries.
Nets 98.5 (30th) - Ugh, they are still too good.
Thunder 98.4 (19th)
Pacers 97.8 (17th)
Hawks 97.7 (8th) - Somewhat perplexing.
Clippers 97.7 (26th) - Healthy Blake Griffin.
Raptors 97.7 (4th) - JJ/DD in starting lineup is my best guess.
Sixers 97.3 (24th) - Healthy team, plus Iverson at start.
Wizards 97.1 (23rd) - Non-Suspended Arenas... pretty close at 21st though.
Blazers 96.6 - DING
Bucks 95.6 (20th) - Healthy Redd.
Mavericks 95.6 (13th) - Very odd, given Dirk/Kidd's high ppg/apg.
Bobcats 95.1 (27th)
Hornets 94.9 (16th)
Heat 94.8 (25th)
Grizzlies 94.5 (6th) - Well, this one couldn't be more wrong.
Bulls 91.5 (28th)
Pistons 89.5 (29th) - If I can get the Nets this low the bottom 3 will be perfect!

100+ ppg
February: 8
Real Life: 15 (league avg: 99.9)

Point totals are down across the board in my simulation. The league average is down by about 2 ppg. Tough to know why without further investigation.

There will also obviously be some fluctuation from sim to sim. Memphis only won 30 games (2nd worst in league) and their low scoring output was obviously a reason. In another sim where the AI decides to let Memphis win, they probably score a lot more points. The Lakers were the highest rated team, but won as many games (45) as the NY Knicks. The game uses a much different sim logic in association as it does during the playoffs (which we'll find out shortly).

For a first time, these are pretty good, and they'll likely get better.

TEAM FG%
Cavaliers .483
Warriors .465
Lakers .464
Suns .462
Jazz .462
Sixers .462
Blazers .461
Spurs .460

February
.480+: 1
.460+: 8

Real Life
.480+: 4
.460+: 13

Looks like the drop in scoring can be attributed to a league-wide drop in FG%. That's awesome.

TEAM 3PT%
Magic .425
Cavaliers .418
Celtics .410
Suns .410
Mavericks .399
Bucks .397
Knicks .395
Warriors .393
Kiings .391
Blazers .390

February
.400+: 4
.390+: 10

Real Life
.400+: 2
.390+: 2

So much for the FG% theory. Teams are hitting threes at a high clip and that compensates for the lower FG% (if anything, it explains where it's coming from).

TEAM FT%
.791 Pacers
.788 Mavericks
.776 Thunder
.776 Nets
.774 Rockets
.771 Kings
.769 Raptors
.765 Hornets
.764 Heat
.763 Knicks
.762 Wolves

February
.800+: 0
.780+: 2
.760+: 11

Real Life
.800+: 1
.780+: 5
.760+: 16

LOL. Are FTs really the reason why? I wouldn't have expected that one. Not really sure what to make of it or what could even be done about it.

TEAM RANKINGS

WEST RANKINGS
1. Rockets (9th) - Healthy Yao and T-Mac plays a "slight" factor here.
2. Jazz (3rd)
3. Spurs (6th)
4. Lakers (1st)
5. Suns (5th)
6. Nuggets (2nd)
7. Navericks (4th)
8. Blazers (7th)
9. Thunder (8th)
10. Warriors (14th)
11. Kings (13th)
12. Clippers (12th)
13. Hornets (11th)
14. Grizzlies (10th)
15. Wolves (15th)

Take out those obviously asterisked Rockets and we've got the top 8 playoff teams, albeit in scattered order. No complaints here. The only thing that could make it better would be swapping the Grizzlies and Warriors.

EAST RANKINGS (Real Life in parenthasize)
1. Cavaliers (1st)
2. Magic (3rd)
3. Celtics (2nd)
4. Hawks (4th)
5. Knicks (10th) - Ugh
6. Raptors (5th)
7. Sixers (11th) - Chill
8. Nets (15th) - LOL
9. Bucks (9th)
10. Bobcats (6th)
11. Wizards (13th)
12. Bulls (8th)
13. Pacers (12th)
14. Heat (7th) - They're free falling, but that's obviously a stretch.
15. Pistons (14th)

Could be better, could be worse. East is pretty much a crap shoot beyond the top 4 anyway.

AWARDS

MVP: LeBron James (26.8 pts, 8.3 reb, 6.4 ast, 1.2 stl, 1.2 blk)
ROY: Tyreke Evans (18.1 pts, 5.7 reb, 5.6 ast, 1.9 stl, 0.5 blk)
SMY: Marcus Camby (6.9 pts, 11.7 reb, 1.2 ast, 0.4 stl, 2.2 blk
DPY: Josh Smith (16.7 pts, 9.9 reb, 4.2 ast, 2.4 stl, 2.9 blk)
MIP: Danilo Gallinari (14.2 pts, 4.7 reb, 1.3 ast, 0.7 stl, 1.1 blk)
COY: Mike Brown

December Results
MVP: LeBron James (31.8 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

Real Life Predictions
MVP: LeBron James
ROY: Tyreke Evans
SMY: Jamal Crawford
DPY: Dwight Howard (dark horse: Gerald Wallace)
MIP: Ersan Ilyasova (dark horse: Danilo Gallinari)
COY: Mike Brown (dark horse: Scott Brooks)

LeBron's stats dropped across the board since the last sim, and they're actually more realistic now.
Evans' shot tendencies were fixed and that's given him realistic point production (slight drops in reb and ast dont hurt either).
Camby is a 6th man when Blake Griffin is healthy. Can't really do much about that. I'd still rather have him take the award than T-Mac.
While not related to his DPOY award, good to see Josh Smith gave us a realistic assist total this time (as well as decreased scoring).
CDR ain't starting in Jersey anymore, which puts the award back in Gallinari's hands (as it was in previous simulations).

February All-NBA Teams (1st, 2nd, 3rd)
PG: Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, Deron Williams
SG: Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Monta Ellis
SF: LeBron James, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant
PF: Chris Bosh, Josh Smith, Pau Gasol
C: Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson

December 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

PG is great, the top 3 players are there, and Rondo ahead of Deron is minor.
I would have liked to see Roy get the 3rd SG spot but I suppose the last one is always going to be a bit of a crap shoot.
I'm a little annoyed that Iggy keeps beating Melo out for the 3rd team. J.R. Smith is canceling out Melo's 99 shot tendency. I might have to look into that.
Duncan would rank at PF if I didn't have him at C, but what's with Josh Smith continuing to make the team? Dirk averaged 25 ppg and Smith made it over him.
Wolves had the league's worst record, it'd be nice to see Jefferson's stats to not be given such high regard (esp since Dirk missed the team at PF with better stats). At the least I would have liked to see Yao since his team was #1. Or even David Lee since the Knicks were inexplicably 5th. Whatever.

Real Life Predictions
1st: Bryant (G), Wade (G), James (F), Bosh (F), Howard (C)
2nd: Williams (G), Roy (G), Durant (F), Nowitzki (F), Duncan (C)
3rd: Paul (G), Johnson (G), Anthony (F), Wallace (F), Gasol (C)

There are so many good forwards in the league that they're going to have to count Duncan and Gasol as centers. Dwight Howard and Al Horford are the only centers going to the all-star game in either conference this season - nuff said.

February All-Defensive Teams (1st, 2nd)
PG: Jason Kidd, Tyreke Evans
SG: Dwyane Wade, Trevor Ariza
SF: Gerald Wallace, Andre Iguodala
PF: Josh Smith, Pau Gasol
C: Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan

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

Kidd over the league leader in steals? Are you kidding me?
Iguodala over LeBron due to LeBron's steals being cut in half.

Real Life Predictions
1st: Rondo, Bryant, Wallace, Smith, Howard
2nd: Wade, Battier, James, Garnett, Duncan

Durant is my sleeper pick to make it over Battier.

February All-Rookie Teams (1st, 2nd)
PG: Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry
SG: James Harden, Demar DeRozan
SF: Omri Casspi, Jonas Jerebko
PF: Blake Griffin, Serge Ibaka
C: DeJuan Blair, Hasheem Thabeet

December 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

As usual, the position restrictions are hella annoying as only two PGs can be selected (thus snubbing Jennings this time). At least SF was fixed this time around.

Real Life Predictions:
1st: Evans (G), Jennings (G), Casspi (F), Harden (F), Blair (C)
2nd: Curry (G), Flynn (G), Jerebko (F), Gibson (F), Ibaka (C)

Hopefully the NBA does the right thing and rids us of position restrictions on the rookie teams. Ty Lawson, Darren Collison, Demar DeRozan, and Marcus Thornton deserve more recognition than Serge Ibaka. I'd even take Lawson over Harden but we can't exactly list him as a forward.

PLAYOFF TREE

As usual, expect 2K's sim engine to get reamed by unrealistic results.

WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. Rockets (NBA Champions)
2. Jazz (lose in conference finals 1-4)
3. Spurs (lose in second round 3-4)
4. Lakers (lose in second round 3-4)
5. Suns (lose in first round 1-4)
6. Mavericks (lose in first round 1-4)
7. Nuggets (lose in first round 3-4)
8. Blazers (lose to in first round 1-4)

EASTERN CONFERENCE
1. Magic (lose in NBA Finals 3-4)
2. Cavaliers (Swept in first round by 7th seed Sixers. This game is so retarded!)
3. Celtics (lose in first round 2-4 to 6th seed Raptors)
4. Hawks (lose in first round 1-4 to 5th seed Knicks)
5. Knicks (swept in second round by Magic)
6. Raptors (lose in conference finals 1-4)
7. Sixers (lose in second round 3-4 to 6th seed Raptors)
8. Nets (lose in first round 1-4)

Yao Ming is your 2010 Finals MVP. High five 2K for coming up with the one result that had absolutely no chance of ever occuring this season.

In other news, Andre Iguodala is apparently just too damn much for LeBron James. Moving on.

NBA OFF-SEASON

PLAYER RETIREMENTS
Kurt Thomas
Francisco Elson
Lindsey Hunter
Cuttino Mobley
Derek Fisher
Chucky Atkins
Grant Hill
Kevin Ollie
Juwan Howard

At least Camby didn't retire this time. I don't think Fisher will retire but it's not entirely unrealistic.

COACH RETIREMENTS
George Karl

Last time only Jerry Sloan retired (sometimes Karl, Sloan, and Adelman will all quit at once). The only semi-realistic thing about this is Karl's contract is up at the end of the year, and it was leaked that he's not returning to Denver. So it's a remote possibility.

2010 FREE AGENT PERIOD

LeBron, Wade, Bosh, and Johnson all re-signed with their teams before hitting the market, which is exactly what happened in the last simulation (actually, Amare joined them this time). I've already criticized 2K in the past that teams are allowed to re-sign players before they hit the open market, something that just does not happen in real life.

That leaves the following players to pick from

PGs
79 N.Robinson
78 Felton - Restricted (Not supposed to be restricted, but he is)
76 Lowry - Restricted
74 Foye
73 W.Bynum - Restricted
70 Telfair
68 Boykins
68 Duhon
67 Alston
65 Watson
65 J.Williams
64 S.Rodriguez
64 Tinsley
64 Blake

SGs
81 Ginobili
76 McGrady
72 L.Hughes
70 S.Brown
69 F.Murray
67 Redick (Supposed to be restricted, but he's not)
67 T.Allen
66 Bell

SFs
81 Gay - Restricted
76 J.Howard
67 Morrow
66 Alexander
66 A.Wright
66 J.Graham

PFs
87 Boozer
78 T.Thomas - Restricted
76 Scola
74 Harrington
73 Camby
71 Outlaw
70 Amundson
69 Warrick
67 S.Williams
66 Haslem
64 A.Johnson

C
81 Lee
76 J.O'Neal
74 S.O'Neal
73 Gooden
68 Krstic - Turned down his 5.8 Player Option, looks like I need to delete that.
68 Hayes - Team turned down his ridiculously cheap 2.1 Team Option.
68 B.Wallace
68 Dampier
66 Haywood

Your 2010 Knicks
C David Lee (81)
PF Jared Jeffries (66)
SF Rudy Gay (81)
SG Wilson Chandler (76)
PG Nate Robinson (79)
Bench
SF Danilo Gallinari (74)
PG Chris Duhon (68)
SG J.J. Redick (67)
PF Jordan Hill (68)
PG Toney Douglas (69)
PF Amir Johnson (64) - He'll be higher rated when I actually get around to him.
C Eddy Curry (60)

That's about the best they can do in a season where the only all-star that hit the open market was Carlos Boozer. It certainly beats last time where I ended up with T-Mac and Kyle Lowry.

Geez this took a long time.