Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Shooting in Traffic

Lately a lot of people have been asking me about how I come up with my Shoot in Traffic (SIT) ratings. A magician never reveals his secrets ;)

However, I will give you guys the tools to figure it out for yourselves, and I'll provide an explanation of my logic when that happens.

My system is certainly better than 2K Sports' which essentially comes down to a player's reputation. Whenever people complain on the 2K Insider's blog that a player is rated too low, they will inevitably receive a 2-3 point boost to their Shoot off Dribble (SOD) and SIT the following week whether they actually deserved it or not. I devised ways for both to be fairly measured.

I will now list the SIT ratings of the top 10 overall players at each position, and compare to 2K Sports.

Point Guard (Rashidi)
Billups: 76
Parker: 68
Arenas: 68
Westbrook: 67
Williams: 63
Rondo: 62
Rose: 61
Davis: 61
Paul: 60
Nash: 50

Point Guard (2K Sports)
Parker: 81
Arenas: 78
Billups: 76
Paul: 76
Nash: 75
Williams: 73
Rose: 69
Davis: 69
Rondo: 67
Westbrook: 60

2K Sports has Russell Westbrook far behind the top PGs in the league which is a bit absurd when you consider how frequently he drives into traffic compared to Steve Nash who is always looking to pass the moment the defense collapses onto him.

Shooting Guard (Rashidi)
Martin: 77
Wade: 76
Bryant: 72
Roy: 68
Evans: 67
Ginobili: 65
Jackson: 63
Monta: 62
Carter: 59
Johnson: 57

Shooting Guard (2K Sports)
Kobe: 84
Wade: 81
Monta: 78
Ginobili: 77
Evans: 77
Roy: 73
Jackson: 73
Carter: 73
Johnson: 72
Martin: 71

Going through two guard positions, it is clear that I have lower ratings than 2K Sports.

Rashidi
80-89: 0
70-79: 4
60-69: 13
50-59: 3

2K Sports
80-89: 3
70-79: 13
60-69: 4
50-59: 0

They're actually symmetrical... I certainly didn't expect when writing this up. It does show I didn't go overboard, and players that most players recieved a fair decrease from their value... one that won't become clear without including the front-court players.

Small Forward (Rashidi)
Maggette: 87
James: 79
Pierce: 79
Durant: 78
Anthony: 77
Wallace: 72
Gay: 69
Granger: 67
Artest: 64
Iguodala: 63

Small Forward (2K Sports)
James: 84
Artest: 84
Durant: 83
Anthony: 82
Pierce: 79
Iguodala: 78
Maggette: 72
Granger: 72
Gay: 69
Artest: 69
Wallace: 62

While many of you will be focusing on the huge jump I've given Maggette (one that ends up being substantially higher than anyone else thus far), I'd also like you to compare the Iguodala and Wallace gap for each ratings set. Maggette, btw, has played a ton of PF this season.


Power Forward (Rashidi)
Bosh: 87
Jefferson: 84
J.Smith: 84
Stoudemire: 80
Gasol: 79
Boozer: 74
Randolph: 66
Nowitzki: 66
Garnett: 62
Scola: 61

Power Forward (2K Sports)
Jefferson: 84
Boozer: 79
Gasol: 79
Garnett: 77
Scola: 77
Nowitzki: 76
Stoudemire: 75
Randolph: 75
Bosh: 72
J.Smith: 64

The differences between Kevin Garnett and Chris Bosh was the main reason I knew something was off with 2K Sports' SIT ratings. You'll notice that my ratings are getting much higher; I did not raise everyone however, as half of the players still went down while the rest went up.

Center (Rashidi)
Howard: 88
Nene: 82
S.O'Neal: 79
Okafor: 79
Duncan: 74
Oden: 74
Lee: 73
Yao: 73
Horford: 66
Bogut: 63

Center (2K Sports)
S.O'Neal: 79
Howard: 78
Okafor: 74
Duncan: 74
Lee: 68
Bogut: 68
Nene: 67
Horford: 66
Oden: 64
Yao: 63

Centers received substantial increases. Shaq is 2K's top SIT center, which just isn't really accurate anymore given the whole being 37 years old thing.

Let's combine C and PF now...

Rashidi
80-89: 6
70-79: 8
60-69: 6

2K Sports
80-89: 1
70-79: 12
60-69: 7

Does anyone else find it weird that 2K thinks guards finish better in traffic than bigmen? Is there any sane person out there who REALLY thinks Tony Parker finishes in traffic better than every center in the league?

I certainly don't - which is why I don't follow 2K's seemingly methodless approach.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

NBA Real 2K Insider [St. Patrick's Day Special]

I'm not finished writing it up yet, but this is my way of letting you know the roster was released and there were a huge amount of changes.  I've been slacking lately on the updates as I have been very busy lately, but hopefully this should suffice for most.

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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 [St. Patrick's Day Special]
GAMERTAG: Real 2K Insider
PLATFORM: Xbox 360

HIGHLIGHTS
85.6% of all active players in the NBA (359/419) have been edited!
All edited players updated monthly!
No missing players!
Accurate player positions, player roles, and rotations for all teams!
Accurate contracts for all edited players!
Updated shooting tendencies and accessories!
Updated coach profiles for all teams!
Revised speed and quickness ratings for bigmen!
Revised shoot off dribble and shoot in traffic for all players!

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PLAYER MOVEMENT

to be continued...
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INJURY REPORT


to be continued...

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ROTATION UPDATES

Toney Douglas has emerged as the NY Knicks' starting point guard.  I am not a huge Douglas fan, but he certainly deserves it over Chris Duhon (who has completely fallen out of the rotation since the trade deadline).  I would honestly like to know why Nate Robinson couldn't even get into games under Mike D'Antoni, but the moment the Knicks trade Nate, D'Antoni immediately benched Duhon in favor of a career 3rd stringer who never ran a minute of the system (Sergio Rodriguez) and a rookie whose offensive flaws (namely, running a team) are exactly the same.  At least we know Mike doesn't let his personal feelings dictate his coaching strat... OH WAIT.

to be continued...
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BIGGEST MOVERS

79/PG - Darren Collison (+3):
73/SG - John Salmons (+3):
73/SG - Shannon Brown (+4):
72/PF - Andray Blatche (+5):
72/PG - Toney Douglas (+3):
69/SG - Marcus Thornton (+3):
69/PG - Sergio Rodriguez (+6):
68/PF - J.J. Hickson (+4):
65/SF - Bill Walker (+5):

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THE RATINGS

359/419 (.856) NBA players updated
(+/-) = Difference from 2K Sports roster
LW = Overall change from last week

WAITING FOR THE CALL
PG: Ronnie Price (65), Marcus Banks (64), Marcus Williams (61)
SG: Gerald Henderson (67), Corey Brewer (66), Nick Young (66)
SF:  Ryan Gomes (66), Dominic McGuire (64), Trenton Hassell (62)
PF:  Udonis Haslem (70), Tyler Hansbrough (68), Darrell Arthur (65)
C: Jeff Foster (67),  Dan Gadzuric (61), Rasho Nesterovic (61)

NBA TOP 10
95 - LeBron James (SF/PF)
94 - Kobe Bryant (SG/SF)  (LW: +1)
94 - Chris Paul (PG)  (INJURED)
93 - Dwyane Wade (SG/PG)  (LW: -1)
91 - Tim Duncan (C) (+1)
90 - Dwight Howard (C)  (LW: +2)
89 - Deron Williams (PG)  (LW: +1)
87 - Chris Bosh (PF/C)
87 - Carmelo Anthony (SF)
87 - Kevin Durant (SF)
87 - Brandon Roy (SG/SF)

2K Sports TOP 10
97 - LeBron James (SF/PF)
96 - Kobe Bryant (SG/SF)
96 - Dwyane Wade (SG/PG)
95 - Chris Paul (PG)
92 - Deron Williams (PG)
91 - Carmelo Anthony (SF)
90 - Tim Duncan (PF/C)
89 - Dwight Howard (C)
88 - Kevin Durant (SF/PF)
88 - Brandon Roy (SG/SF)
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POINT GUARDS (76/83)
94 – Chris Paul (-1) (INJURED)
89 – Deron Williams (-3) (LW: +1)
85 – Rajon Rondo (-2)
83 – Steve Nash (+1)
82 – Baron Davis (0)
81 – Gilbert Arenas (-4) (SUSPENDED, OUT FOR SEASON)
81 - Russell Westbrook (-3) (LW: +1)
80 – Chauncey Billups (-4)
80 – Derrick Rose (-4)
79 – Tony Parker (-2) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON) (LW: -2)
79 – Tyreke Evans (0)
79 – Darren Collison (0) (LW: +3)
78 – Devin Harris (0) (LW: -1)
78 – Aaron Brooks (-1)
77 – Nate Robinson (-1) (LW: +1)
76 – Jason Kidd (-4)
76 – Raymond Felton (+2)
76 – Brandon Jennings (-1)
76 – Jonny Flynn (+1)
75 – Jameer Nelson (-2)
75 – Mo Williams (-2) (LW: -2)
75 – Rodney Stuckey (+1)
75 – Ty Lawson (-1) (INJURED)
75 – Kyle Lowry (+1)
74 – Stephen Curry (-2)
74 – Andre Miller (-4)
74 – Louis Williams (0)
73 – Luke Ridnour (0)
73 – T.J. Ford (0)
73 – Will Bynum (+1)
72 – Jarrett Jack (+2) (LW: +1)
72 – Toney Douglas (+5) (LW: +3)
72 – Mario Chalmers (0)
71 – Michael Conley (-2)
71 – Jose Calderon (-1)
71 – Keyon Dooling (0) (LW: +1)
71 – Rafer Alston (-3) (SUSPENDED, OUT FOR SEASON)
70 – Mike Bibby (-5)
70 – Jason Williams (+1) (LW: +2)
70 – Earl Boykins (+3)
69 – Earl Watson (+4)
69 – Sergio Rodriguez (+8) (LW: +6)
69 – Chris Duhon (0)
69 – Goran Dragic (+1)
69 – Beno Udrih (+6)
69 – Jose Barea (-2) (LW: +1)
69 – Sebastian Telfair (+2) (INJURED) (LW: NEW)
68 – Randy Foye (-2)
68 – George Hill (-3)
68 – Carlos Arroyo (+3)
68 – Jrue Holiday (0) (LW: -2)
68 – Ramon Sessions (-2)
68 – Eric Maynor (0)
68 – Rodrigue Beaubois (+1) (LW: +1)
67 – C.J. Watson (-1)
67 – Jordan Farmar (+1)
67 – Jamaal Tinsley (0)
67 – D.J. Augustin (-2)
66 – Derek Fisher (-5)
66 – Jeff Teague (0)
66 – Sundiata Gaines (0) (LW: +5)
65 – Steve Blake (-4) (LW: +1)
64 – Jannero Pargo (+1) (LW: NEW)
64 – Anthony Johnson (+3)
64 – Mustafa Shakur (CAP) (10-Day Contract) (LW: NEW)
63 – A.J. Price (+8)
62 – Patrick Mills (-6)
61 – Daniel Gibson (0) (LW: -1)
61 – Bobby Brown (+3)
61 – Lester Hudson (-1) (D-LEAGUE)
61 – Acie Law (+1) (LW: +1)
61 – Cedric Jackson (CAP) (10-Day Contract)
60 – Anthony Carter (+2)
60 – Shaun Livingston (+1) (10-Day Contract) (LW: NEW)
60 – Kenny Hasbrouck (CAP) (10-Day Contract) (LW: NEW)
59 – Royal Ivey (+4)

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SHOOTING GUARDS 63/74
94 - Kobe Bryant (-2) (LW: +1)
93 – Dwyane Wade (-3) (LW: -1)
87 – Brandon Roy (-1)
85 – Joe Johnson (-4)
81 – Manu Ginobili (-5)
80 – Monta Ellis (-5)
79 – Stephen Jackson (-5)
77 – Kevin Martin (-1) (LW: -1)
77 – Vince Carter (-2) (LW: -1)
76 – Caron Butler (-1) (LW: -1)
76 – Jason Terry (-2)
76 – James Harden (+2) (INJURED)
75 – O.J. Mayo (-4)
75 – Tracy McGrady (-1) (LW: -1)
75 – Ray Allen (-3) (LW: +1)
75 – Ben Gordon (-3)
75 – Delonte West (+1)
74 – Allen Iverson (-7) (PERSONAL, OUT FOR SEASON) (LW: -2)
74 – Kirk Hinrich (-1)
74 – Leandro Barbosa (0)
73 – Richard Hamilton (-2)
73 – Jason Richardson (+1)
73 – John Salmons (-1) (LW: +3)
73 – Jamal Crawford (-2)
73 – Shannon Brown (0) (LW: +4)
72 – Eric Gordon (-2) (LW: -2)
72 – J.R. Smith (+2) (LW: -1)
72 – Larry Hughes (0)
71 – Jerryd Bayless (+3)
70 – Flip Murray (+4)
70 – Rudy Fernandez (+2)
70 – Francisco Garcia (+2) (LW: NEW)
70 – Raja Bell (-1) (INJURED)
69 – Marcus Thornton (0) (LW: +4)
69 – Ronnie Brewer (-1) (INJURED)
68 – Mike Miller (-2)
68 – Courtney Lee (0) (LW: -1)
68 – Michael Redd (-7) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON)
68 – Arron Afflalo (+3)
68 - Roger Mason (-2) (LW: NEW)
68 – Willie Green (0)
67 – Anthony Parker (-2) (LW: +1)
67 – Thabo Sefolosha (0) (LW: +1)
67 – Charlie Bell (+1)
67 – Tony Allen (+1)
67 – Terrence Williams (-5)
66 – Eddie House (+4) (LW: +4)
66 – Sasha Vujacic (-1)
65 – J.J. Redick (+10)
65 – Devin Brown (+5)
64 – Marco Belinelli (-1)
64 – Jerry Stackhouse (-3)
64 – Garrett Temple (CAP) (10-Day Contract)
63 – Keith Bogans (-3)
63 – Wesley Matthews (+1)
62 – DeShawn Stevenson (-6) (LW: NEW)
62 – Mardy Collins (+6)
62 – Danny Green (-2) (LW: NEW)
60 – Daequan Cook (0) (LW: NEW)
60 – Jodie Meeks (+1) (LW: NEW)
60 – Mario West (+2)
59 – Morris Peterson (+4)
25 – Cuttino Mobley (CAP) (RETIRED)

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SMALL FORWARDS (65/83)
Rating – Player 73/85
95 – LeBron James (-2)
87 – Kevin Durant (-1)
87 – Carmelo Anthony (-4)
82 – Gerald Wallace (-1)
81 – Paul Pierce (-1) (LW: -1)
81 – Danny Granger (-2) (LW: +1)
80 – Andre Iguodala (-5) (LW: -1)
78 – Ron Artest (-2)
77 – Rudy Gay (-3)
77 – Andrei Kirilenko (+2)
75 – Luol Deng (-2)
75 – Tayshaun Prince (-1)
75 – Trevor Ariza (-3) (LW: -1)
74 – Shawn Marion (-6)
74 – Grant Hill (-2) (LW: +1)
73 – Shane Battier (-2)
73 – Josh Howard (+2) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON)
73 – Dahntay Jones (+1) (LW: -1)
72 – Hedo Turkoglu (-2)
72 – Richard Jefferson (-1)
72 – Jared Dudley (0)
72 - Kelenna Azubuike (+1) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON)
71 – Carlos Delfino (+8)
71 – Mickael Pietrus (-1)
71 – Travis Outlaw (+2) (LW: +2)
70 – Quentin Richardson (+1)
69 – Danilo Gallinari (+1)
69 – Omri Casspi (+4) (LW: +1)
69 – Matt Barnes (+3)
68 – Martell Webster (+2)
68 – Marvin Williams (+2)
68 – Andres Nocioni (-1) (LW: -2)
68 – Al Thornton (0)
68 – Marquis Daniels (+4)
68 – Jamario Moon (+2) (LW: NEW)
68 – Dorell Wright (+4) (LW: NEW)
68 – Chris Douglas-Roberts (-4) (LW: -1)
67 – Jarvis Hayes (-1)
67 – Nicolas Batum (+3) (LW: +2)
67 – Mike Dunleavy (+5)
67 – James Posey (-4)
67 – Maurice Evans (0) (LW: +1)
67 – Luke Walton (+1) (INJURED)
67 – Joey Graham (-2)
66 – Jonas Jerebko (+2)
66 – C.J. Miles (+8)
66 – Anthony Morrow (+1)
66 – Chase Budinger (-2) (LW: +1)
65 – Rasual Butler (+4)
65 – Sonny Weems (+9)
65 – Antoine Wright (+3)
65 – Bill Walker (+4) (LW: +5)
65 – Sam Young (-1)
65 – James Johnson (+4) (LW: NEW)
64 – Donte Greene (+2) (LW: +1)
64 – Kyle Korver (+3)
64 – Joe Alexander (+4) (LW: -1)
64 – Alonzo Gee (CAP) (10-Day Contract)
64 – Reggie Williams (CAP) (10-Day Contract)
63 – Jawad Williams (+4) (LW: NEW)
63 - Rodney Carney (+3) (LW: NEW)
63 – Derrick Brown (-5)
62 - Peja Stojakovic (+2) (INJURED)
62 – Julian Wright (-1) (LW: -2)
62 – Michael Finley (-4)
62 – Jonathan Bender (+2)
62 – Othyus Jeffers (CAP) (10-Day Contract)
61 – Earl Clark (-3) (D-LEAGUE)
61 – Marcus Landry (+7) (D-LEAGUE)
60 – Jason Kapono (+2)
60 – J.R. Giddens (+3)
59 – Devean George (-2)
56 – Adam Morrison (+2)

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POWER FORWARDS 76/87
87 – Chris Bosh (0)
86 – Pau Gasol (-1)
83 – Dirk Nowitzki (-1)
83 – Josh Smith (-1)
83 – Carlos Boozer (-3)
82 – Amare Stoudemire (-3) (LW: +1)
80 – Kevin Garnett (0) (LW: -4)
80 – Al Jefferson (-1)
78 – Zach Randolph (-2)
77 – Luis Scola (0)
77 – Kevin Love (+3)
77 – Blake Griffin (0) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON)
76 – LaMarcus Aldridge (-1) (LW: -2)
76 – Carl Landry (0) (LW: -1)
76 – Corey Maggette (-2)
76 – David West (+1)
76 – Jeff Green (+1)
76 – Tyrus Thomas (+4) (LW: +1)
75 – Kenyon Martin (0) (INJURED)
75 – Lamar Odom (-3)
74 – Elton Brand (0) (LW: -1)
74 – Michael Beasley (-1)
74 – Wilson Chandler (+1) (INJURED)
74 – Al Harrington (0)
74 – Paul Millsap (0)
73 – Antawn Jamison (-5) (LW: -1)
73 – Rashard Lewis (+1)
72 – Andray Blatche (0) (LW: +5)
72 – Troy Murphy (0)
72 – Anderson Varejao (+3)
72 – Leon Powe (+6) (LW: NEW)
71 – Ersan Ilyasova (+8)
70 – Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (0) (LW: -1)
70 – Boris Diaw (0)
70 – Drew Gooden (+3) (LW: +1)
70 – Craig Smith (+8)
70 – Thaddeus Young (-1)
70 – Charlie Villanueva (-2) (LW: NEW)
70 - Jason Maxiell (+2) (LW: NEW)
70 – Brandon Bass (+2)
70 - Louis Amundson (+5)
69 – Taj Gibson (-1) (LW: +2)
69 – Hakim Warrick (+4) (LW: -1)
69 – Amir Johnson (+5) (LW: NEW)
68 – J.J. Hickson (+2) (LW: +4)
68 – Kris Humphries (+3)
68 – Shelden Williams (+7)
67 – Antonio McDyess (-2)
67 – Yi Jianlian (0)
67 – Jared Jeffries (+3) (LW: +1)
67 – Glen Davis (+2) (LW: +1)
67 – Renaldo Balkman (+1) (INJURED)
67 – Brandan Wright (+2) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON)
66 – Ryan Anderson (+4) (LW: +1)
66 – Reggie Evans (+1) (LW: NEW)
66 – Jordan Hill (+2) (LW: -2)
66 – Chris Wilcox (+3) (INJURED) (LW: NEW)
65 – Darius Songaila (+3)
65 – Serge Ibaka (+4)
65 – Dante Cunningham (+3)
64 – James Singleton (+4)
64 – Jon Brockman (+10) (LW: NEW)
64 – Joe Smith (+1)
63 - Josh Powell (-2)
63 – Eduardo Najera (0) (LW: +1)
62 – Anthony Tolliver (+2)
62 – Matt Bonner (+4)
62 – Tim Thomas (+2) (PERSONAL, OUT FOR SEASON)
61 – Josh Boone (+3)
61 – Bobby Simmons (-1)
61 – Jason Smith (+4) (LW: NEW)
59 – Vladimir Radmanovic (+5) (INJURED)
59 – Malik Allen (+1)
59 – Taylor Griffin (-3)
53 – Brian Scalabrine (+9)
48 – Steve Novak (+3)

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CENTERS 71/90
91 – Tim Duncan (+2)
90 – Dwight Howard (+1) (LW: +2)
85 – Yao Ming (+2) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON)
81 – Greg Oden (+6) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON)
80 – David Lee (-1)
80 - Andrew Bogut (-1)
79 – Al Horford (0)
79 – Shaquille O’Neal (+3) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON)
79 – Emeka Okafor (-1)
78 – Kendrick Perkins (+5)
78 – Nene (+3)
78 – Marcus Camby (+1) (LW: +3)
77 – Chris Kaman (-1)
77 – Andrew Bynum (0)
77 – Brook Lopez (-4) (LW: -2)
77 – Joakim Noah (+4) (INJURED)
77 – Jermaine O’Neal (+1)
76 – Marc Gasol (-1)
74 – Roy Hibbert (+2)
74 – DeJuan Blair (+5)
73 – Samuel Dalembert (+3)
73 – Rasheed Wallace (-1)
72 – Mehmet Okur (+1)
72 – Brendan Haywood (0)
72 – Ben Wallace (-3) (LW: +1)
72 – Andris Biedrins (+1) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON)
72 – Anthony Randolph (+1) (INJURED)
72 – Marreese Speights (0) (LW: -1)
72 – Marcin Gortat (+4)
71 – Andrea Bargnani (-2)
71 – Jason Thompson (-1) (LW: -2)
71 – Erick Dampier (+10)
71 – Nazr Mohammed (+6) (INJURED)
71 – Zydrunas Ilgauskas (0)
71 – Chris Andersen (+3)
69 – Robin Lopez (+5) (LW: +2)
69 – Joel Przybilla (+2) (INJURED, OUT FOR SEASON)
68 – Chuck Hayes (-1)
68 - Ronny Turiaf (+1)
68 – Tyson Chandler (+2) (LW: +1)
67 – Spencer Hawes (+1)
67 – Zaza Pachulia (+2)
67 – Kurt Thomas (-2)
66 – Nenad Krstic (+6)
65 – Joey Dorsey (0) (LW: NEW)
64 – Brad Miller (-2)
64 – Channing Frye (0) (LW: +1)
64 – Hasheem Thabeet (+7)
64 – Kwame Brown (0)
63 – Juwan Howard (+5)
63 – Darko Milicic (+4)
63 – Etan Thomas (+1)
63 – Aaron Gray (0)
62 – Theo Ratliff (+2) (LW: NEW)
62 – Jeff Pendergraph (-1)
61 – JaVale McGee (+1) (LW: NEW)
61 – DeAndre Jordan (+5) (LW: +1)
61 – Johan Petro (+4)
60 – Solomon Jones (+6)
60 – Hilton Armstrong (+2) (LW: NEW)
60 – DJ Mbenga (+8)
60 – Eddy Curry (-5) (INJURED)
59 – Brian Skinner (+1) (LW: NEW)
59 – Chris Hunter (-1)
58 – Chris Richard (CAP) (LW: +1)
58 – Francisco Elson (-4) (INJURED) (LW: NEW)
58 – Adonal Foyle (+1) (INJURED)
56 – Randolph Morris (+6)
52 – Jason Collins (0)
51 – Jarron Collins (+3)
25 – Jerome James (-18) (RETIRED) (LW: NEW)
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Thoughts? Suggestions? Complaints? Leave a comment, or send an email to thereal2kinsider@gmail.com

Monday, March 8, 2010

NBA Real 2K Insider [03-08-10]

I've been super busy lately but found time to upload a new NBA 2K10 roster. I don't think there will be a writeup this week, but maybe I'll find time for one this week.

I'm also looking to upload an MLB 2K10 roster and anyone who has any rating suggestions or changes for either game should comment here.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Fake Player Names

Every year there are players not in the MLB Players Association that are masked with fake names. Most prospects are already in the game under such fake names. They usually have the same initials, but more importantly their age, height, weight, and bat/throw arms should match up with their real life counterpart.

There are exceptions to the initials rule, which occasionally makes it difficult to figure out who a player is. One player in the FA pool who stands out is "Lee Choo". Lee Choo = Kenji Johjima, the former Mariner catcher that went back to Japan (you can even see that his birth country is Japan when you edit him).

Can you guys come up with any? Post them here and let's get as complete a list as we can.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

MLB 2K10 Ratings [3-2-10]

EDITORS NOTE: These ratings are "wrong" too. I went to a Franchise Draft and that apparently changed the lot of them. Even w/o the draft there are differences that aren't in either batch I've posted. I've got Jason Bay @ 89 when he was 88 in both posts. This is truely strange as I've never seen rating inconsistencies like this before.


I just picked up MLB 2K10 and the ratings I previously posted were not accurate. My guess is the screenshots I took them from were from an outdated build of the game.

To rectify this, I'm going to post the top 10 at each position, and the change from what was previously reported.

CATCHER
93 – Joe Mauer (-2)
87 – Brian McCann (0)
86 – Victor Martinez (-2)
84 – Jorge Posada (0)
83 – Kurt Suzuki (+3)
82 – Mike Napoli (0)
82 – Yadier Molina (+2)
82 - Ryan Doumit (+3)
82 – Russell Martin (-2)
80 – Miguel Montero (0)
80 – Matt Wieters (-2)

Catchers seemed to trend downward, although Suzuki and Doumit were the obvious big winners.

FIRST BASE
98 – Albert Pujols (0)
93 – Kevin Youkilis (+2)
93 – Lance Berkman (+4)
93 – Mark Teixeira (+2)
91 – Joey Votto (+4)
90 – Derrek Lee (+1)
90 – Prince Fielder (-1)
90 – Ryan Howard (+2)
90 – Miguel Cabrera (-1)
89 – Kendry Morales (+1)
89 – Carlos Pena (+2)
89 – Adrian Gonzalez (-2)

First basemen were the big winners here with 8 of the top 12 going up while only 3 went down. Adrian Gonzalez was only one to drop more than a point, while two players went up a whopping 4 points. I had pointed out that Votto was underrated and that appears to be fixed, while lots of other users clamored for a boost to Ryan Howard which was also addressed.

SECOND BASE
92 – Chase Utley (-1)
90 – Ian Kinsler (+2)
89 – Ben Zobrist (+2)
88 – Brian Roberts (+2)
88 – Brandon Phillips (+2)
88 – Dustan Pedroia (-3)
87 – Robinson Cano (0)
86 – Aaron Hill (+2)
86 - Howie Kendrick (Kudos to myself leaving him off the previous list)
84 - Gordon Beckham (+2)

Many people complained about Dustan Pedroia being rated too high and that seems to have been addressed, as he drops from the 2nd best second baseman to the 6th best. Just about everyone else went up by two points.

THIRD BASE
95 – Alex Rodriguez (0)
93 – Evan Longoria (0)
91 – David Wright (+2)
91 – Pablo Sandoval (+2)
89 – Ryan Zimmerman (0)
88 – Chipper Jones (0)
87 – Michael Young (0)
87 – Mark Reynolds (-1)
85 – Scott Rolen (+3)
84 – Chone Figgins (-2)
84 – Adrian Beltre (+3)

I figured a lot of Mets fans would complain about the franchise player being rated too low, and it seems 2K listened. For the record, David Wright is my favorite player, but he's gonna have to have a heck of a rebound season to justify that rating.

Also, four positions through and it seems clear that more players have gone up than there are that have gone down. Hopefully 2K isn't unbalancing the gameplay by catering to fans early.

SHORTSTOP
94 – Hanley Ramirez (0)
93 – Troy Tulowitzki (+4)
90 – Jose Reyes (+2)
89 – Jimmy Rollins (+3)
88 – Jason Bartlett (+3)
87 – Derek Jeter (-3)
84 – Yunel Escobar (+2)
84 – Asdrubal Cabrera (+1)
84 – Alcides Escobar (+4)
83 – Erick Aybar (+4)

A lot of players might be getting boosts, but at least 2K is dropping the players who clearly needed to be dropped (Jeter).

LEFT FIELD
94 – Ryan Braun (+2)
93 – Matt Holliday (+2)
89 – Manny Ramirez (-1)
89 – Carl Crawford (0)
88 – Jason Bay (0)
88 – Carlos Lee (+3)
87 – Alfonso Soriano (+3)
86 – Jacoby Ellsbury (+1)
85 – Adam Lind (0)
85 – Johnny Damon (0)
85 - Josh Willingham (+4)

Raul Ibanez is the biggest loser as he dropped from 87 (6th best) to 84 (15th best).


CENTER FIELD
94 - Carlos Beltran (Rating previously unavailable)
92 – Torii Hunter (+4)
91 – Matt Kemp (+2)
89 – Josh Hamilton (+3)
88 – Grady Sizemore (+1)
88 – Shane Victorino (+3)
87 – Andrew McCutchen (+3)
87 – Curtis Granderson (0)
86 – Nate McLouth (+2)
85 – B.J. Upton (+3)
85 - Alex Rios (+5)

I guess Curtis Granderson is the biggest loser here since he's the only one who didn't go up. Alex Rios meanwhile jumped 5 points which makes me real curious as to what changed in the last two weeks.

RIGHT FIELD
90 - Ichiro (0)
89 - Justin Upton (+2)
89 – Jayson Werth (+3)
88 – Hunter Pence (+2)
88 – Nick Markakis (+1)
87 – Ryan Ludwick (+3)
87 – Nelson Cruz (+4)
87 – J.D. Drew (+2)
87 – Andre Ethier (0)
86 – Shin-Soo Choo (+1)
86 – Garrett Jones (+2)
86 – Vladimir Guerrero (+2)
86 – Brad Hawpe (+3)

Ethier drops from 3rd to 9th by no fault of his own. As with CF, everyone else went up!

STARTING PITCHER
98 – C.C. Sabathia (+4)
98 – Tim Lincecum (0)
97 – Zack Greinke (0)
96 – Jake Peavy (+4)
95 – Dan Haren (+2)
93 – Roy Halladay (-3)
92 – Felix Hernandez (0)
91 – Chris Carpenter (0)
91 – Justin Verlander (+1)
91 – Rich Harden (+2)
91 – Johan Santana (-3)
91 – Josh Beckett (+1)

C.C. Sabathia just leapfrogged the 2009 AL Cy Young winner, which will surely be a hot topic of debate. Is he really on Lincecum's level?


RELIEF PITCHER
93 – Jonathan Papelbon (+1)
93 – Mariano Rivera (-1)
92 - Joe Nathan (-2)
90 – Andrew Bailey (+2)
89 – Joakim Soria (0)
88 – Jonathan Broxton (0)
87 – Heath Bell (+1)
86 – Francisco Rodriguez (0)
85 – Trevor Hoffman (-2)
85 – Jose Valverde (-1)

Interestingly, it seems most of the relief pitchers have dropped in rating, whereas most hitters went up. Brad Lidge dropped from 74 overall to 70, just when you thought things couldn't get any worse for him. I wonder if this was by intelligent design.

AL TEAMS
97 Yankees (0) (EAST)
96 Red Sox (0) (WILD CARD)
89 Twins (+1) (CENTRAL)
88 Angels (+1) (WEST)
87 Rangers (+1)
87 Rays (+1)
84 Orioles (0)
82 White Sox (+1)
80 Mariners (0)
79 Tigers (+5) - Johnny Damon effect
75 Blue Jays (0)
75 Indians (0)
74 Athletics (-1)
73 Royals (0)

As I stated previously, if you're not a Yankee or Red Sox fan, it must suck to know that the Wild Card is nigh-unattainable barring significant injuries to the aforementioned clubs.

NL TEAMS
91 Phillies (+1) (EAST)
89 Dodgers (0) (WEST)
86 Cardinals (+2) (CENTRAL)
82 Cubs (0) (WILD CARD)
81 Braves (0)
81 Giants (+1)
81 Rockies (+1)
80 Brewers (+2)
80 Mets (+5) - Rod Barajas effect? LOL. (82 overall w/ Beltran)
77 Marlins (0)
76 Diamondbacks (-1)
75 Reds (+2)
74 Astros (0)
74 Nationals (+1)
74 Padres (-2)
69 Pirates (-1)

I'm guessing Mets fans complained en masse and got the team's ratings boosted. 2K would have a healthy Mets team contending for the wild card with the Cubbies. Maintaining health is always a stretch for the Mets, but the rest of the league is weak compared to the AL where 10 of 14 teams have 80+ rating (comapred to 8 of 16 in the NL), so I suppose it's possible.

Well, that's that. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to win a million dollars.