Friday, September 30, 2011

NBA 2K12 Point Guard Ratings + Changes

Real 2K Insider is breaking down the NBA 2K12 ratings one step further, now sorting them by position and seeing if we can learn anything (not to mention see who the worst rating offenders are). As I've mentioned in other posts, 2K has changed up their ratings formula. More on that in the second half of this post, where I list the rating changes and their effects on the much maligned Overall rating.

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POINT GUARD RATINGS

TOP 1-10
93 - Chris Paul
92 - Derrick Rose
90 - Deron Williams
88 - Russell Westbrook
85 - Rajon Rondo
84 - Steve Nash
82 - John Wall
80 - Stephen Curry
80 - Tony Parker
79 - Chauncey Billups

Aside from John Wall (who was closer to to 7th best rookie than he was to 7th best PG), I don't really have any complaints here. 2K typically does an okay job of rating their star players - more often than not they're the only ones that get any sort of attention. Everyone of these players saw multiple revisions throughout the year, which is more than one can say about the players towards the bottom of the list.

TOP 11-20
79 - Jrue Holiday
78 - Devin Harris
78 - Brandon Jennings
77 - Michael Conley
77 - Jason Kidd
77 - Ty Lawson
77 - Gilbert Arenas
76 - Kyle Lowry
75 - Raymond Felton
75 - Darren Collison

In reality, Gilbert Arenas isn't even in the top half of BACKUPS anymore, much less the top half of starters. Instead of improving in distraction free Orlando he put up a dreadful 8.6 PER, and his disappearing act was the main reason Orlando flopped in the first round. He can't guard the position, was never any good at setting up teammates, and this was BEFORE injuries ravaged his legs. He is DONE.

TOP 21-30
75 - Aaron Brooks
74 - Jameer Nelson
74 - Mo Williams
74 - Louis Williams
74 - Rodney Stuckey
74 - Nate Robinson
73 - Baron Davis
72 - Ramon Sessions
72 - D.J. Augustin
72 - Earl Boykins

Nate Robinson, Ramon Sessions, and Earl Boykins are top 30 NBA point guards. These guys are THIRD STRINGS on their own teams.

TOP 30-40
72 - Kirk Hinrich
72 - George Hill
71 - Andre Miller
70 - Jonny Flynn
69 - Jose Calderon
69 - Delonte West
69 - Toney Douglas
69 - T.J. Ford
69 - Will Bynum
69 - Ishmael Smith

Jonny Flynn was absolute GARBAGE for Minnesota last season, contributing heavily to their 65 loss season. He is a crappier, smaller version of Jerryd Bayless when healthy. In the world of 2K, he's an alternative to Andre Miller or Jose Calderon.

Ishmael Smith. I don't need to say anything else.

TOP 41-50
68 - Mario Chalmers
68 - Luke Ridnour
67 - Ricky Rubio
67 - Derek Fisher
67 - Keyon Dooling
67 - Chris Duhon
66 - Beno Udrih
65 - J.J. Barea
65 - Jerryd Bayless
65 - Jarrett Jack

Udrih. Barea. Bayless. Jack. Worse than Chris Duhon. In stores October 4th.

TOP 51-60
65 - C.J. Watson
65 - Eric Bledsoe
64 - Steve Blake
64 - Eric Maynor
63 - Jeff Teague
63 - Jordan Farmar
63 - Goran Dragic
63 - Earl Watson
63 - Sebastian Telfair
63 - Antonio Daniels

Let's pretend for a moment that Eric Maynor, Jeff Teague, Jordan Farmar, and Goran Dragic didn't play AT ALL over the last two years. In other words, pretend that they're Antonio Daniels.

TOP 61-70
63 - Sherron Collins
63 - Eugene Jeter
62 - Marcus Banks
62 - Patrick Mills
62 - Ronnie Price
61 - Jannero Pargo
61 - Daniel Gibson
61 - Carlos Arroyo
61 - Avery Bradley
61 - Eddie House

I think it's a nice touch that Sherron Collins is rated equally to the rest of the players in the top 60.

Daniel Gibson might have played as many minutes this season as the rest of these players COMBINED.

TOP 71-80
60 - Mike Bibby
60 - Sundiata Gaines
60 - Zabian Dowdell
60 - Armon Johnson
59 - Acie Law
58 - Shaun Livingston
58 - Willie Warren
57 - Ben Uzoh
56 - Jeremy Lin
55 - Mustafa Shakur

Mike Bibby is apparently not a top 70 NBA point guard. I am sure the Heat would have gone to the Finals with Jeremy Lin as their starting PG. I personally can't wait until the rookies come in and knock Bibby down another 10 spots.

It's always amusing to see a player with a 3 year, 10 million dollar contract (Livingston) surrounded by D-Leaguers. 2K Sports calls this "business as usual."

TOP 81-91
55 - Greivis Vasquez
55 - Lester Hudson
54 - Luther Head
53 - Anthony Carter
53 - Chris Quinn
52 - A.J. Price
51 - Royal Ivey
50 - John Lucas
50 - Orien Greene
50 - Mario West
48 - Pape Sy

A.J. Price has been the Pacers backup PG for two years now. Considering the last two PGs on this list aren't PGs, can someone let the Pacers know they've been using the 5th worst PG in the entire league all this time? No wonder T.J. Ford hates it there in Indiana.

Can somebody let the Spurs know that they got lit up by the #81 PG in the league?

Nothing new here. The players with the worst ratings are still the same as last year... and the year before that... and the year before that...

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RATING CHANGES

I uncovered in a previous post that the vast majority of players (perhaps 99% of them, from the looks of it) ONLY had their shot ratings adjusted. Since those were conveniently the only ratings shown in the ratings video, this makes it much easier to tell why players went up and down.

I implemented the shot rating changes into 2K's final 2K11 roster to see how the player's overall rating was affected.  This helped me see how 2K's Overall formula has changed.

POINT GUARD FORMULA CHANGES
2K Sports (finally) started using HoopData for their shooting stats.  2K used "At Rim" to determine Inside Shot, which on the surface is the right decision but is going to lead to some REALLY awkward ratings for big men, but for the point guards who mostly aren't big dunkers, this isn't  that big of a deal (and in many cases takes care of some PGs whose Inside rating was way too high).
Close range also seems to have a higher rating value for PGs, perhaps even as valuable as Mid-Range rating. I actually agree with that assessment because this is the range where a PG's tear drops and floaters are coming from.  For the record, I believe that Close range is a combination of "3-9 feet" and "10-15 feet", as percentages & attempts from these ranges are usually similar.
Medium range has seen a much stricter, statistical approach.  Fans have already been quick to complain about Kobe Bryant's mid-range rating, which I addressed here.
The 3pt rating formula seems to have been overhauled.  Most players saw 4-6 point improvement in their 3pt rating which likely means the scale is just 5 points higher than it was previously.  This should hopefully fix 3pt% which was usually very low in online games as players needed to be totally wide open to hit shots more often than not.

Chris Paul
93 Overall (0)
93 Overall 2K11 (0)
80 Inside (-10)
81 Close (-3)
84 Mid (-1)
85 3pt (+2)
88 FT (-1)

It is worth noting that CP3's pass rating is shown as 97 in 2K11 but this is because he is wearing a shoe that gives him +3 pass rating.  I have no idea if he is wearing the same shoes in 2K12, if they have the same attribute boosts, if any at all (I hope not, but that's a story for another day).  Presuming he still has that +3 pass shoe, his overall drops by a point which makes sense since his Inside also dropped by 10 points.

Derrick Rose
92 Overall (+1)
91 Overall 2K11 (0)
88 Inside (0)
80 Close (-4)
77 Mid (-5)
79 3pt (0)
86 FT (+3)

By the way 2K fans, Derrick Rose ALSO shot 38% from 16-23 feet.  Why the Kobe complaints but no love for the MVP?  You might want to simultaneously note that Rose trails Kobe by 19 points from Close.  But enough about the obvious.  What you might not have noticed is that Rose saw decreases but his overall WENT UP.  Considering his high Inside rating, this was the first major clue that the rating held more importance for PGs.  It is also worth noting that Rose is the only player in the top 10 that did not see a boost in 3pt rating (really solidifying that the scale is higher).

Deron Williams
90 Overall (-1)
91 Overall 2K11 (0)
84 Inside (-5)
73 Close (-7)
81 Mid (-3)
80 3pt (+3)
85 FT (+2)

Deron had a tale of two seasons as his shooting percentages were GREAT until he hurt his wrist, and shut it down after some miserable production in New Jersey.  Going off his Utah only numbers,  he would surely rate at least a point higher.

Russell Westbrook
88 Overall (0)
89 Overall 2K11 (+1)
87 Inside (-1)
77 Close (+2)
75 Mid (-4)
76 3pt (+12)
84 FT (-3)

Westbrook helps confirm that the 3pt scale went up.  Granted he did hit 33% in his limited attempts.  I'm definitely seeing an error with his close rating though, as it should be worse than Deron's given his production from 10-15 feet and 3-9 feet.  Westbrook isn't nearly as effective when he isn't getting all the way to the rim (60% at rim compared to 26% from 3-9 feet).

Rajon Rondo
85 Overall (-2)
87 Overall 2K11 (0)
85 Inside (-5)
50 Close (-22)
68 Mid (0)
61 3pt (+9)
57 FT (+3)

Rondo helped confirm that Close is much more important than it was last year.  It's worth noting that he really isn't that much worse than Westbrook from there; whether that positively benefits Rondo or negatively benefits Westbrook remains to be seen.

Steve Nash
84 Overall (-1)
84 Overall 2K11 (-1)
89 Inside (-9)
88 Close (-7)
80 Mid (-10)
86 3pt (+1)
91 FT (-3)

A few fans have pointed out that Nash's 80 mid-range seems low, and I agree completely.  While he didn't have the awesome efficiency he did during his prime (50% from 2007-2009) he still hit 44%, only 1% worse than Paul who has an 84.  Nash was also 6% better than Rose who he leads by only 3 points.  The math just doesn't add up here.  Nash was still over 50% from 3-15 feet, which is why he has the best Close rating among PGs (though it also seems a bit low compared to other ratings we've seen).

John Wall
82 Overall (0)
81 Overall 2K11 (-1)
83 Inside (-2)
64 Close (-6)
64 Mid (-8)
73 3pt (+7)
77 FT (+2)

Wall's close/mid ratings tanked but that gets canceled out by the 3pt formula change.   His solid inside rating and athleticism (another area benefitting 2K12 players) keeps him status quo.  Worth noting that Wall was 11% worse from Mid-range than Rondo yet only trails him in Mid by 4 points.  This is because Rondo (41%) is actually a bit underrated.  2K didn't want to give Rondo a higher mid-range rating than Kobe because they knew they would have gotten laughed at even harder, but Rondo (91-223) certainly deserves a much better one than Wall (86-287).

Stephen Curry
80 Overall (-2)
83 Overall 2K11 (+1)
84 Inside (0)
72 Close (-7)
92 Mid (+6)
90 3pt (+4)
93 FT (+1)

It's really weird to me how selective 2K is with their implementation of stats.  Curry shot 48% from mid-range and has 92.  Nash shot 44% on one fewer attempt and has 84.  Rondo shot 41% on one fewer attempt per game and is 24 points worse.  I mean, if they're going to be selective, why bother following the stats on Kobe/Rose and just appease their fans?

Tony Parker
80 Overall (-4)
83 Overall 2K11 (-1)
97 Inside (+2)
78 Close (-14)
72 Mid (-8)
78 3pt (+8)
77 FT (-1)

Parker took a big Close hit and saw his overall rating plummet.  I have a feeling other ratings of his might have changed (probably defense related) to make up for the rest of his drop, which is greater than everyone else's so far.  I am also going to assume 2K is using 3-9 feet for their Inside rating which is the only way to explain Parker's high Inside rating and low Close rating given his 52% from that range.  Given that the description of "Inside" shot is "shots taken under the rim", this is probably a mistake, but will wait for some gameplay testing to make a full assessment.

Chauncey Billups
79 Overall (-3)
82 Overall 2K11 (0)
78 Inside (-10)
80 Close (+9)
69 Mid (-11)
87 3pt (+5)
92 FT (+1)

As with Deron, Billups shooting numbers took a hit after being moved at the trade deadline, mainly due to an injury suffered shortly after the move.  As with other players, Inside once again plays a huge role in overall rating now, as Billups' rating doesn't even budge in 2K11 with those shot ratings.

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All in all, I don't have a problem with the overall rating of Point Guards. Once I get to the other positions, then you'll see some rage unleashed.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Confirming 2K's new rating formula

Using the fanshot video again...

Elton Brand 2K12 (2K11 change in parenthesize)
77 Overall (-1)
83 Inside (-2)
99 Close (+9)
71 Mid (-3)
25 3pt (0)
?? LPS (82) - Not shown on roster screen; hopefully it's still a rating.
78 FT (+10)
48 Layup (0)
58 Dunk (0)
55 S.Dunk (0)
?? SOD (67) - Not shown on roster screen; same as with LPS.
68 SIT (0)
?? Handle (45) - Not shown, but surely still a rating.
33 OHD (0) - For whatever reason OHD is shown on roster screen but NOT handle? Weird.
34 SEC (0)
27 Pass (0)
72 Block (0)
71 Steal (0)
86 Hands (0)
62 OBD (0)
85 O-Reb (0)
70 D-Reb (0)
?? O-Post (79) - Not shown on roster screen, are they insane??? Roster interface is garbage if that's the case since this is one of most important ratings. IF IT AIN'T BROKE WHY FIX IT?????
70 D-Post
79 O-Awr (0)
72 D-Awr (0)
?? O-Clutch (35)
?? D-Clutch (25)
70 Cons (0)
83 Stam (0)
47 Speed (0)
45 Quick (0)
73 Str (0)
52 Vert (0)
77 Hustle (0)
55 Dur (0)
?? Pot (92)
?? Emo (60)

I think it's safe to assume that the hidden ratings remained unchanged as the ONLY ratings that DID change for Brand were his shot ratings. That is probably the case with most players (Yet another lazy summer for 2K Sports).

Brand saw a substantial increase in Close (+9) and FT (+10) ratings, minimal decreases from Inside (-2) and Mid (-3), YET STILL DROPPED ONE POINT OVERALL.

Brand with those EXACT ratings in 2K11 has 79 overall, TWO POINT HIGHER than his 2K12 rating

RATING FORMULA CHANGE CONFIRMED

As with Brand, Jrue Holiday's non-shot ratings are also identical to last season.  Let's go over his changes and see why he didn't decrease in rating.

Jrue Holiday

79 Overall (0)
79 Inside (-10)
76 Close (-3)
80 Mid (+10)
82 3pt (+6)
82 FT (+3)

Holiday is an 80 (+1) in 2K11 with those changes.  Let's look at a SG now.

Evan Turner
71 Overall (+1)
78 Inside (-5)
77 Close (+7)
74 Mid (+2)
74 3pt (+13)

The reasons for Turner's improvement should be obvious, as that is a huge boost to his 3pt rating.  Turner with those changes rates 72 overall in NBA 2K11.

Time for a SF.

Thaddeus Young
74 Overall (-1)
99 Inside (+11)
69 Close (-2)
70 Mid (-3)
76 3pt (0)

Young with those changes is still 75 overall in 2K11.  That is three players who have rated +1 in 2K11 using their 2K12 ratings, whereas Elton Brand, a PF, was +2 (confirming that bigs are taking larger hits than smalls).

Unfortunately, the way the video was shot, we cannot confirm all of Spencer Hawes' specific ratings... but given that he was never even edited the entire year last season, we can safely assume that he still hasn't been touched!

Spencer Hawes
59 Overall (-7)
85 Inside (+3)
70 Close (-5)
81 Mid (+5)
66 3pt (-1)

Hawes with those ratings is still 66 overall in 2K11.  He doesn't drop in rating at all.  2K12 knocks him down a whopping 7 overall points.  WHAT IN THE HELL?  Either something is majorly up with those hidden post offense ratings, or 2K added a new rating that is not at all favorable towards bigs.  This rating imbalance is so awful that it almost feels like a glitch to me.  Players are being PENALIZED for playing the center position.  This would make sense if the league were chock full of quality centers and crappy guards (like the 1960s), but the league has historically had it's share of stiffs and THE MAJORITY OF BACKUP CENTERS WERE ALREADY THE LOWEST RATED PLAYERS IN THE GAME.

Marreese Speights
67 Overall (-4)
88 Inside (+2)
78 Close (+3)
89 Mid (+11)
54 3pt (+7)

LOL at 2K Sports finding hoopdata.com and going wayyyyyyyy overboard with it.  All statistics require context.  89 Mid for Speights is about the most laughable rating I have seen so far.  He only shot 42% last season in a limited sample (54-129) and more importantly was assisted on 80% of his shots!  Anyway Speights went up in ALL FIVE shot categories yet still dropped 4 points.  2K11 Speights would be 72 overall which is 5 points higher than his 2K12 counterpart.

Tony Battie
47 Overall (-10)
60 Inside (-14)
64 Close (-22)
65 Mid (-8)
46 3pt (+14)

Battie was worthy of a substantial drop.  However after making those changes in 2K11 he only drops 3 points overall.  Seven more points are dropped by 2K12 for only god knows why?


I could comb over every player (and I might), but I think my point has been made clear.  Nothing has changed, but everything has gotten worse.

NBA 2K12 Preview: Charlotte Bobcats


CHARLOTTE BOBCATS
Basketball-Reference
Hoopdata
82games
ShamSports Salaries

ROSTER
79 - Tyrus Thomas (C/PF)
77 - Corey Maggette (SF)
77 - Kemba Walker (PG/SG)#
75 - D.J. Augustin (PG)
75 - Boris Diaw (PF/C)
72 - Kwame Brown (C)*
71 - Bismack Biyombo (C/PF)#
70 - Gerald Henderson (SG)
69 - D.J. White (PF/C)
66 - Dante Cunningham (SF/PF)*
66 - Dominic McGuire (SF)*
60 - Matt Carroll (SG/SF)
58 - DaSagana Diop (C)
56 - Eduardo Najera (PF)

* Denotes Free Agent
# Denotes Rookie

ROTATION/ROLES
LINEUP
C Kwame Brown (25) - Starter
PF Boris Diaw (34) - Starter
SF Corey Maggette (31) - Starter
SG Gerald Henderson (33) - Starter
PG D.J. Augustin (33) - Starter
BENCH
PG Kemba Walker (31) - Sixth Man
C Tyrus Thomas (22) - Role Player
SF Dante Cunningham (17) - Role Player
C Bismack Biyombo (14) - Prospect
PF D.J. White (0) - Prospect
SF Dominic McGuire (0) - Bench Warmer
SG Matt Carroll (0) - Bench Warmer
RESERVE
PF Eduardo Najera (0) - Bench Warmer
C DaSagana Diop (INJURED) - Bench Warmer



POSITION ANALYSIS
OFF = Points Per Possession, calculated by Synergy Sports
DEF = Points Allowed Per Possession, calculated by Synergy Sports
NET = The difference between these two (OFF-DEF = NET)
AVS = Average rating of starter at position)

REGARDING "NET"
This rating is not meant to say player X was more important to his team than player Y.  If a player with a limited role has +20 NET it means the player could handle more offensive touches or tougher defensive assignments (since backups typically face more lenient competition).  It can also mean the player was used expertly by his coach.  Conversely, a starter with a negative NET rating would likely benefit from fewer touches or better coaching.  It goes without saying that a star with +20 NET is just doing business as usual while a 3rd string backup with -20 NET is more or less wasting a roster spot (if you can't beat other 3rd strings in garbage time, who can you beat?).

TEAM AVERAGE
0.91 OFF (22nd)
0.90 DEF (13th)
+1 NET

POINT GUARD (AVS = 77)
77 - Kemba Walker#
75 - D.J. Augustin (0.93 OFF, 0.92 DEF, +1 NET)

I am leaning towards Kemba starting in Charlotte... perhaps not at first but certainly before the end of the year.  They need scoring and a star caliber presence to sell tickets.  Augustin is also in a contract year and the team probably can't afford to pay him if he has another season like the last (where he went from an inefficient scorer that couldn't run an offense to a passable 3pt shooter with an extremely solid A/T ratio.  Augustin really isn't anything more than a backup due to his defensive deficiencies anyway, and the time to sell high before losing him for nothing is effective immediately.

SHOOTING GUARD (AVS = 74)
70 - Gerald Henderson (0.93 OFF, 0.88 DEF, +5 NET)
60 - Matt Carroll (0.95 OFF, 1.12 DEF, -17 NET)

Henderson rebounded from a really poor rookie year to become a serviceable starter.  He won't score much, but he can defend, and he'll need to playing next to undersized PGs.

Carroll, like other Bobcats, clings to the league solely because of his guaranteed contract.  He can still shoot when left open, but not much else.

SMALL FORWARD (AVS = 76)
77 - Corey Maggette (0.96 OFF, 0.95 DEF, +1 NET)

65 - Derrick Brown (0.95 OFF, 0.98 DEF, -3 NET)

66 - Dante Cunningham (0.95 OFF, 0.95 DEF, 0 NET)
66 - Dominic McGuire (0.76 OFF, 0.80 DEF, -4 NET)

Maggette replaces Stephen Jackson as the high volume scorer of the team, a role he is surely better suited for than Jackson.  Maggette won't get his teammates involved, which is great, because most of his teammates are AWFUL offensively.  I question his ability to stay healthy (or rather, his willingness to play hurt, given the team's lottery projection and his large guaranteed contract), and he doesn't really fit the defensive mindset the rest of the team shares.

Cunningham and McGuire are both free agents, and assuming both are brought back, they will fight for the right to be the anti-Maggette.  McGuire actually IS the anti-Maggette since he is one of the best defenders and worst offensive players in the league.  Cunningham is the tweener in the middle - he has a solid mid-range jumper but not much else on offense, while he is a bit undersized to defend PFs and not quite quick enough to defend SFs.

POWER FORWARD (AVS = 79)
75 - Boris Diaw (0.94 OFF, 0.86 DEF, +8 NET)
69 - D.J. White (1.08 OFF, 1.04 DEF, +4 NET)
56 - Eduardo Najera (0.76 OFF, 0.98 DEF, -22 NET)

Diaw does a lot of the little things, ranking 8th in offensive rebound efficiency, and 7th in transition.  He also ranked 38th in post offense (0.97 PPP), 90th in post defense (0.90 PPP), 70th as a P/R Roller (0.99 PPP) and 59th defending it (0.92 PPP) which is a bit surprising given how undersized he usually is at PF and C.  I guess that's why he still plays those positions after all these years rather than his natural SF.

White has shown in his limited minutes that he can play, and could use some real burn now that it's his contract year.

Najera does not belong in the NBA at this point, and hasn't for the duration of the contract he signed with New Jersey 3 years ago.  What makes this inexcusable is that the Bobcats could have opted out last season but instead decided Najera would be worth 5 million over last season and the upcoming season.  Big mistake.

CENTER (AVS = 75)
79 - Tyrus Thomas (0.92 OFF, 0.88 DEF, +4 NET)
72 - Kwame Brown* (0.96 OFF, 0.89 DEF, +7 NET)
71 - Bismack Biyombo#
58 - DeSagana Diop (0.52 OFF, 0.86 DEF, -34 NET)

Tyrus Thomas is listed at center because he actually played a little more than half his minutes there (Diaw plays heavy minutes at PF and never misses games, I would obviously switch him back if Diaw were traded though).  Tyrus has quietly developed a solid mid-range game, and even sports a mediocre post game nowadays (which is much improved from where it was 4 years ago).  Creating shots off the dribble is never going to be a strength for him though, and 12% of his shots came in Isolation (with only 0.65 PPP).  Flat out giving up on those types of shots and giving them to Kemba and Maggette would go a long way towards making him a very efficient  offensive player.  I think Tyrus will finally break out this season if he can finally stay healthy.  Larry Brown is finally gone, Diaw has an expiring contract, Kwame may not even return as a free agent, and Biyombo is as raw as Tyrus was all those years ago.

Speaking of the rawness that is Biyombo, he will be brutal offensively, but all signs are that he will rebound and block shots at an elite level.  He might be able to give 15 solid minutes the way prime DeSagana Diop did.

Diop is DONE as an NBA player as he wasn't doing much on the court and  that was BEFORE tearing his achilles which knocked him out for the year.  He will not return until January 2012 at the earliest.  The former "High School Shaq" is 30 years old already, and after a major injury and minimal contributions, it's tough to see an NBA team taking another flier on him.  He's made his money and can sail off into the horizon.

Unlike Diop, Kwame doesn't seem to be going anywhere and had a career renaissance last season.  Kwame was actually ranked 67th at Post offense (27% of his possessions) thanks to an excellent foul drawing rate (19.5% vs 8.1 TO%).  He would do well to stay in Charlotte, the only team he's had substantial success for, the only team that can offer him a starting job, and perhaps most importantly, the only team that would be willing to offer him a decent contract.



DISCLAIMER
Rashidi is not employed by 2K Sports and these are not NBA 2K12's actual ratings.  These are the personal ratings of Rashidi, "The Real 2K Insider", calculated on NBA 2K11 using all available data/sources including but not limited to: Basketball-Reference82gamesHoopdataSynergySports, and DraftExpress.  Rashidi calculates his ratings using the same formulas 2K Sports does but is FAR more consistent in their implementation (and thus maintains his roster is what 2K Sports' would look like if they had him on the team). Rashidi's current NBA 2K11 roster "The Real NBA 2K12" can be downloaded for XBox360 via 2K Share.

SYNERGY SPORTS NOTE
Synergy is an excellent tool and I highly recommend you SUBSCRIBE to it (IF you have a quality computer and internet connection). Back in June I was working nights and wasn't able to watch the NBA Finals as they happened.  Every night I got home from work and was able to watch every game commercial free thanks to Synergy.  No timeout delays (when the game returns from commercial break and takes 20 seconds to get back to game action), no unwanted replays, no players complaining to the referees before lining up at the FT line.  Just the on-court action straight through.  The ability to select any play from any game for viewing is completely invaluable.  Please, give them your hard earned money just like EA Sports did for their basketball game that doesn't even exist.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Official NBA 2K12 ratings released

Editors Note: If anyone can help me get 2K12 early so I can finish this list and provide analysis on the Legends and their teams, please send an email to thereal2kinsider@gmail.com.

Via a fanshot YouTube video (updated video w/ all player ratings)

The initial fan reaction from these ratings has been negative.  A lot of people are complaining that their players went down in rating.  It would appear that this was a global change which seems to imply a change in 2K's rating formulas since it is HIGHLY DOUBTFUL that they would edit 300+ players when they have only shown willingness to edit a maximum of 20 per summer.

This is especially evident when looking at the ratings of lesser players that 2K never bothers editing.  Just about every center went down 5-6 overall points.  Most PFs went down 3-5 points.  SFs, SGs, and PGs mostly went down 1-2 points, so the big losers here were the big men.  This doesn't make a ton of sense to me.  Last season my ratings for the average starter were as follows: PG/77, SG/73, SF/76, PF/79, C/75.  For the most part, the ratings were balanced to reflect the overall talent in the league - PF is the deepest position, while SG is the weakest.

The main complaint that could be made about the previous formula is that shooting PF/C came out underrated; if one gave a PF a 99 3pt rating it would only improve their overall rating by 2 points... and we all know that a PF/C with a 99 3pt rating would be one of the best players of all-time (and certainly a very valuable commodity in the NBA where every team now utilizes a "stretch PF".  One would have thought that Dirk Nowitzki carrying the Mavericks to the championship would have earned this long needed formula change, since he is the biggest name that is underrated.

One of 2K's biggest flaws with 2K's ratings is that PF/C are way too slow in the game (low speed and quickness ratings).  It would appear that athleticism has taken a greater effect on the overall rating, which might help explain why LeBron and Rose went up a point, while Dwight Howard is one of only three centers to not drop in rating.

Here is a list of all the players that remained status quo or increased in rating.

POINT GUARD
Jrue Holiday (0)
Louis Williams (+1)
Brandon Jennings (0)
Earl Boykins (+2)
Derrick Rose (+1)
Ishmael Smith (+3)
Jeff Teague (0)
Marcus Banks (0)
Rodney Stuckey (0)
Zabian Dowdell (+1)
John Wall (0)
Sherron Collins (0)

It would appear that the league's most athletic PGs did not get hit with a decrease.  It seems that dunking as a greater effect on overall rating as all of these players can dunk (even Ish Smith with a 49 dunk rating and ridiculous speed/quick ratings) It would have been nice to see 3pt specialists get a boost (such as Mike Bibby, Daniel Gibson, Derek Fisher, Steve Blake) since those players are generally regarded as better players than say, ISHMAEL SMITH.

SHOOTING GUARD
Evan Turner (+1)
Garrett Temple (+2)
Matt Carroll (0)
Keith Bogans (0)
Manny Harris (+2)
Dwyane Wade (0)
Bill Walker (0)
Trey Johnson (0)
Sasha Vujacic (+1)
J.R. Smith (+1)
Gary Neal (0)
Thabo Sefolosha (+1)
Daequan Cook (+2)
Nick Young (+2)
Jordan Crawford (0)
Quinton Ross (0)

There are two different types of players among the SGs: defensive specialists, and 3pt specialists (Young and Smith are more than specialists but there is no denying their 3pt ability).  It seems Wade didn't drop because his defensive ratings are among the best in the game at SG.

SMALL FORWARD
Dominic McGuire (+2)
Joey Graham (+2)
Alonzo Gee (0)
Jamario Moon (+2)
Shane Battier (+1)
Sam Young (+3)
Damien Wilkins (+1)
LeBron James (+2)
Patrick Ewing Jr. (+1)
Francisco Garcia (0)
Quentin Richardson (+1)
Earl Clark (+1)
Caron Butler (0)
Shawn Marion (+1)
Wilson Chandler (0)
Paul George (+1)
Tayshaun Prince (+1)
Sonny Weems (+2)
James Anderson (0)
Mickael Pietrus (0)
Jared Dudley (+1)
Martell Webster (+1)
Maurice Evans (+3)
Cartier Martin (0)
Ime Udoka (0)
Ronald Dupree (+1)

It is very clear to me that defense counts more towards SF overall, and this is the main reason why LeBron went up 2 points from the end of last season.  While I was compiling the ratings list I raised an eyebrow when Battier, went up, had my suspicions when Q-Rich of all people went up, confirmed when Marion/Prince went up and Chandler  didn't drop (making him the highest rated Nugget player), and nailed the coffin shut when Maurice Evans went up by 3 points, more than any other player (though he now shares this dubious trait with Ishmael Smith).

Athletic defensive specialist Dominic McGuire now has an equal overall rating to that of Boris Diaw, which brings up an important point: "Overall" rating is NOT an overall rating.  Players with all-around abilities (like Diaw) do NOT fare well if they are at the PF position which values rebounding and shot blocking.  McGuire has absolutely no talent beyond his defense and this rates him as just as good "overall" because 2K has decided to place a high premium on defense and dunk rating.  There isn't a soul in the world who thinks McGuire or Diaw are comparable on any level.  This formula change leads to an unbalanced association mode.  Players like McGuire and Diaw are now on equal footing when it comes to trades and the ability to start for the team.  That is just... idiotic and terrible implementation by 2K Sports. If it wasn't broke, why fix it?

POWER FORWARD
Tyrus Thomas (+2)
Larry Sanders (0)
Kevin Garnett (0)
Zach Randolph (+2)
Paul Millsap (0)
Darnell Jackson (0)
Amare Stoudemire (0)
Dirk Nowitzki (0)
Kevin Seraphin (+1)

CENTER
Joakim Noah (0)
Dwight Howard (0)
Chris Andersen (0)
Alexis Ajinca (0)

Only three PF/C went up in the entire game, and only thirteen avoided a rating decrease. The players that were spared are almost overwhelmingly good defensive players. I would be willing to bet that Millsap is one of the few players that actually had their rating improved from 2K11, it just doesn't "show" due to formula change, although he could also fall under the "athleticism" blanket since Amare was also spared (though Amare does also have much better defense/rebound ratings than he actually deserves).  Dirk on the other hand has already been confirmed to get improved ratings (he has 99 Close/Mid rating this year).

Now that I have confirmed the formula changes, PLEASE STOP CRYING ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE PLAYER DROPPING!   Here is the list that you've all been waiting for.  Take out the formula changes and it doesn't differ very much from 2K11.  Complain to 2K about THAT.
______________________________________________________________________________

2K12 rating - Player (2K11 Final Rating / 2K11 Default Rating)

76ERS
POINT GUARD
79 - Jrue Holiday (79/70)
74 - Louis Williams (73/73)
63 - Antonio Daniels (63/63)
SHOOTING GUARD
85 – Andre Iguodala (87/85)
71 - Evan Turner (70/76)
62 - Jodie Meeks (64/58)
SMALL FORWARD
74 – Thaddeus Young (75/71)
67 – Andres Nocioni (68/68)
53 – Jason Kapono (58/58)
POWER FORWARD
77 - Elton Brand (78/73)
59 - Craig Brackins (65/65)
54 - Darius Songaila (65/62)
CENTER
67 – Marreese Speights (71/72)
59 - Spencer Hawes (66/66)
47 – Tony Battie (C) (57/57)

BOBCATS
POINT GUARD
72 – D.J. Augustin (74/69)
SHOOTING GUARD
69 – Gerald Henderson (70/67)
65 - Garrett Temple (63/63)
55 – Matt Carroll (55/55)
SMALL FORWARD
74 - Corey Maggette (74/78)
65 – Dominic McGuire (63/63)
60 - Dante Cunningham (61/61)
POWER FORWARD
73 – Tyrus Thomas (71/71)
65 - Boris Diaw (70/70)
61 - D.J. White (61/61)
55 - Eduardo Najera (63/63)
CENTER
63 - Joel Przybilla (67/67)
59 - Kwame Brown (62/62)
52 - DeSagana Diop (58/59)

BUCKS
POINT GUARD
78 - Brandon Jennings (78/75)
72 - Earl Boykins (70/70)
67 - Keyon Dooling (69/69)
66 - Beno Udrih (69/66)
58 - Shaun Livingston (60/60)
SHOOTING GUARD
83 – Stephen Jackson (84/84)
69 - Michael Redd (73/73)
SMALL FORWARD
69 - Chris Douglas-Roberts (71/71)
67 - Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (70/71)
65 – Carlos Delfino (68/68)
POWER FORWARD
66 - Drew Gooden (70/65)
66 - Ersan Ilyasova (69/63)
65 - Larry Sanders (65/65)
52 - Jon Brockman (53/53)
CENTER
78 – Andrew Bogut (84/82)

BULLS
POINT GUARD
92 – Derrick Rose (91/85)
65 - C.J. Watson (68/68)
61 - Jannero Pargo (62/62)
50 - John Luvas (48/48)
SHOOTING GUARD
69 – Ronnie Brewer (71/69)
68 - Keith Bogans (68/65)
62 - Kyle Korver (65/63)
SMALL FORWARD
77 - Luol Deng (79/77)
58 - Rasual Butler (61/61)
POWER FORWARD
77 - Carlos Boozer (85/85)
73 - Taj Gibson (75/69)
40 - Brian Scalabrine (44/44)
CENTER
82 - Joakim Noah (82/73)
63 - Kurt Thomas (68/68)
55 - Omer Asik (59/59)

CAVALIERS
POINT GUARD
73 - Baron Davis (78/79)
72 - Ramon Sessions (73/69)
61 - Daniel Gibson (61/61)
SHOOTING GUARD
67 - Anthony Parker (69/70)
64 - Manny Harris (62/62)
SMALL FORWARD
70 - Joey Graham (68/68)
67 - Alonzo Gee (67/68)
61 - Omri Casspi (66/66)
60 - Christian Eyenga (56/NA)
POWER FORWARD
74 - Antawn Jamison (79/78)
61 - Samardo Samuels (64/64)
51 - Luke Harangody (58/58)
CENTER
70 - Anderson Varejao (72/68)
57 - Semih Erden (58/NA)
53 - Ryan Hollins (54/55)

CELTICS
POINT GUARD
85 - Rajon Rondo (87/87)
69 - Delonte West (71/71)
61 - Avery Bradley (65/67)
61 - Carlos Arroyo (64/64)
SHOOTING GUARD
80 - Ray Allen (81/79)
59 - Von Wafer (59/61)
SMALL FORWARD
82 - Paul Pierce (84/83)
55 - Sasha Pavlovic (57/)
POWER FORWARD
83 - Kevin Garnett (83/80)
74 - Jeff Green (78/77)
70 - Glen Davis (72/64)
66 - Troy Murphy (72/72)
CENTER
68 - Jermaine O'Neal (74/74)
54 - Nenad Krstic (59/59)

CLIPPERS
POINT GUARD
74 – Mo Williams (76/76)
65 - Eric Bledsoe (68/64)
58 - Willie Warren (59/59)
SHOOTING GUARD
82 - Eric Gordon (84/74)
68 - Randy Foye (70/70)
SMALL FORWARD
69 - Al-Farouq Aminu (72/68)
67 – Jamario Moon (66/65)
62 - Ryan Gomes (66/66)
POWER FORWARD
85 - Blake Griffin (86/76)
58 - Craig Smith (62/62)
54 - Ike Diogu (56/56)
50 - Brian Cook (54/54)
CENTER
76 - Chris Kaman (79/78)
65 - DeAndre Jordan (66/54)

GRIZZLIES
POINT GUARD
77 - Michael Conley (78/73)
69 - Ishmael Smith (66/66)
55 - Greivis Vasquez (57/57)
SHOOTING GUARD
77 - O.J. Mayo (77/80)
68 - Tony Allen (72/66)
64 - Xavier Henry (66/66)
SMALL FORWARD
86 - Rudy Gay (87/81)
77 - Shane Battier (76/76)
68 - Sam Young (65/65)
POWER FORWARD
83 - Zach Randolph (81/80)
69 - Darell Arthur (71/63)
64 - Leon Powe (65/65)
CENTER
73 - Marc Gasol (77/77)
48 – Hamed Haddadi (54/54)

HAWKS
POINT GUARD
72 - Kirk Hinrich (75/74)
63 - Jeff Teague (63/63)
48 - Pape Sy (52/52)
SHOOTING GUARD
84 - Joe Johnson (85/88)
78 - Jamal Crawford (78/76)
SMALL FORWARD
65 - Marvin Williams (66/66)
61 - Damien Wilkins (60/60)
POWER FORWARD
84 - Josh Smith (86/83)
61 - Josh Powell (64/64)
CENTER
80 - Al Horford (82/78)
60 - Zaza Pachulia (65/65)
56 - Etan Thomas (61/61)
51 - Hilton Armstrong (58/58)
45 - Jason Collins (51/51)

HEAT
POINT GUARD
68 - Mario Chalmers (69/69)
61 - Eddie House (65/56)
60 - Mike Bibby (71/73)
SHOOTING GUARD
96 – Dwyane Wade (96/97)
65 – Mike Miller (70/72)
SMALL FORWARD
98 – LeBron James (96/97)
58 – James Jones (58/58)
POWER FORWARD
80 - Chris Bosh (83/87)
68 - Udonis Haslem (71/71)
54 - Juwan Howard (60/58)
CENTER
64 - Zydrunas Ilgauskas (70/70)
55 – Joel Anthony (58/58)
55 – Erick Dampier (60/60)
50 - Jamaal Magloire (57/57)
44 - Dexter Pittman (50/50)

HORNETS
POINT GUARD
93 - Chris Paul (94/95)
65 - Jarrett Jack (69/69)
62 - Marcus Banks (62/62)
SHOOTING GUARD
67 – Willie Green (69/69)
64 - Marco Belinelli (66/66)
SMALL FORWARD
72 - Trevor Ariza (75/79)
58 - Quincy Pondexter (62/66)
57 - Patrick Ewing Jr. (56/56)
POWER FORWARD
74 - David West (76/75)
72 - Carl Landry (74/75)
55 - Jason Smith (59/56)
CENTER
73 - Emeka Okafor (78/77)
54 - Aaron Gray (58/62)
49 - David Andersen (57/57)
45 - D.J. Mbenga (51/51)

JAZZ
POINT GUARD
78 - Devin Harris (80/78)
63 - Earl Watson (64/64)
62 - Ronnie Price (63/63)
SHOOTING GUARD
68 - Raja Bell (70/70)
SMALL FORWARD
74 - Andrei Kirilenko (75/74)
68 - C.J. Miles (69/58)
63 - Gordon Hayward (64/64)
POWER FORWARD
80 - Paul Millsap (80/74)
70 - Derrick Favors (73/73)
56 - Jeremy Evans (57/57)
CENTER
81 - Al Jefferson (83/80)
68 - Mehmet Okur (75/75)
55 - Francisco Elson (61/61)
43 - Kyrylo Fesenko (49/49)

KINGS
POINT GUARD
63 - Eugene Jeter (60/60)
SHOOTING GUARD
80 - Tyreke Evans (81/82)
74 - Marcus Thornton (75/69)
72 – John Salmons (74/74)
SMALL FORWARD
69 - Francisco Garcia (69/66)
60 - Donte Greene (62/62)
POWER FORWARD
74 – J.J. Hickson (75/65)
66 - Jason Thompson (71/71)
51 - Darnell Jackson (51/51)
CENTER
71 - DeMarcus Cousins (74/70)
68 - Samuel Dalembert (74/70)
49 - Hassan Whiteside (54/54)

KNICKS
POINT GUARD
79 - Chauncey Billups (82/83)
69 – Toney Douglas (72/70)
53 - Anthony Carter (57/57)
SHOOTING GUARD
71 - Landry Fields (72/NA)
65 – Bill Walker (65/6500)
66 – Roger Mason (68/68)
56 - Andy Rautins (58/60)
SMALL FORWARD
91 - Carmelo Anthony (92/93)
65 - Derrick Brown (67/67)
64 - Renaldo Balkman (66/66)
61 - Shawne Williams (63/NA)
POWER FORWARD
88 - Amare Stoudemire (88/86)
58 - Jared Jeffries (62/62)
CENTER
62 – Ronny Turiaf (67/66)
59 - Shelden Williams (61/60)

LAKERS
POINT GUARD
67 - Derek Fisher (68/69)
64 - Steve Blake (68/68)
SHOOTING GUARD
94 - Kobe Bryant (95/97)
72 - Shannon Brown (78/73)
59 - Trey Johnson (59/59)
SMALL FORWARD
71 - Ron Artest (76/79)
71 - Matt Barnes (73/73)
63 - Luke Walton (66/66)
63 - Devin Ebanks (66/66)
POWER FORWARD
86 - Pau Gasol (89/89)
78 - Lamar Odom (79/79)
60 - Derrick Caracter (63/63)
56 - Joe Smith (62/62)
CENTER
79 - Andrew Bynum (81/77)
53 - Theo Ratliff (60/60)

MAGIC
POINT GUARD
77 - Gilbert Arenas (81/83)
74 - Jameer Nelson (75/75)
67 - Chris Duhon (69/69)
SHOOTING GUARD
73 - Jason Richardson (75/73)
64 - J.J. Redick (66/66)
SMALL FORWARD
74 - Hedo Turkoglu (76/73)
71 - Quentin Richardson (70/70)
64 - Earl Clark (63/63)
POWER FORWARD
70 - Brandon Bass (71/71)
63 - Ryan Anderson (65/62)
49 - Malik Allen (58/58)
CENTER
93 - Dwight Howard (93/88)
50 - Daniel Orton (59/59)

MAVERICKS
POINT GUARD
77 - Jason Kidd (82/83)
65 - J.J. Barea (69/69)
SHOOTING GUARD
76 - Jason Terry (78/78)
70 - DeShawn Stevenson (71/68)
65 - Rudy Fernandez (66/68)
69 - Rodrigue Beaubois (73/69)
66 - Corey Brewer (71/70)
63 - Dominique Jones (66/66)
SMALL FORWARD
81 - Caron Butler (81/81)
78 - Shawn Marion (77/78)
POWER FORWARD
85 - Dirk Nowitzki (85/83)
51 - Brian Cardinal (56/)
CENTER
70 - Tyson Chandler (72/66)
65 - Brendan Haywood (71/71)
46 - Ian Mahinmi (51/51)

NETS
POINT GUARD
90 - Deron Williams (91/92)
63 - Jordan Farmar (67/67)
60 - Sundiata Gaines (64/64)
57 - Ben Uzoh (60/60)
50 - Mario West (52/57)
SHOOTING GUARD
67 - Sasha Vujacic (66/67)
64 - Anthony Morrow (65/65)
SMALL FORWARD
69 - Damion James (70/70)
66 - Travis Outlaw (68/69)
57 - Stephen Graham (58/)
POWER FORWARD
70 - Kris Humphries (74/62)
59 - Brandan Wright (64/64)
CENTER
76 - Brook Lopez (78/81)
56 - Dan Gadzuric (61/61)
52 - Johan Petro (56/56)

NUGGETS
POINT GUARD
77 - Ty Lawson (78/75)
71 - Andre Miller (76/76)
SHOOTING GUARD
76 - J.R. Smith (75/71)
71 - Arron Afflalo (72/65)
SMALL FORWARD
80 – Wilson Chandler (80/74)
67 – Danilo Gallinari (73/72)
65 - Gary Forbes (66/NA)
POWER FORWARD
76 - Kenyon Martin (77/77)
66 - Al Harrington (73/74)
CENTER
77 - Nene (80/75)
65 - Chris Andersen (65/66)
57 - Timofey Mozgov (61/NA)
54 - Melvin Ely (59/59)
52 - Kosta Koufos (58/58)

PACERS
POINT GUARD
75 - Darren Collison (76/80)
72 - George Hill (73/76)
69 - T.J. Ford (72/72)
52 - A.J. Price (53/53)
SHOOTING GUARD
73 - Dahntay Jones (72/74)
65 - Brandon Rush (69/65)
62 - Mike Dunleavy (65/65)
58 - Lance Stephenson (60/60)
SMALL FORWARD
81 - Danny Granger (82/83)
74 - Paul George (73/71)
67 - James Posey (69/70)
POWER FORWARD
71 - Tyler Hansbrough (73/68)
64 - Josh McRoberts (66/54)
CENTER
72 - Roy Hibbert (76/71)
62 - Jeff Foster (66/66)

PISTONS
POINT GUARD
74 – Rodney Stuckey (74/74)
69 – Will Bynum (71/71)
SHOOTING GUARD
76 – Richard Hamilton (77/77)
74 – Ben Gordon (77/76)
69 – Tracy McGrady (76/73)
63 - Terrico White (66/66)
SMALL FORWARD
77 – Tayshaun Prince (76/76)
59 – Austin Daye (61/60)
56 – DaJuan Summers (58/58)
POWER FORWARD
70 – Jason Maxiell (71/71)
67 – Charlie Villanueva (71/71)
61 – Chris Wilcox (62/62)
61– Jonas Jerebko (63/66)
CENTER
69 – Ben Wallace (74/74)
65 – Greg Monroe (70/67)

RAPTORS
POINT GUARD
69 - Jose Calderon (72/72)
65 - Jerryd Bayless (66/66)
SHOOTING GUARD
71 - Leandro Barbosa (73/75)
69 - DeMar DeRozan (71/64)
SMALL FORWARD
67 - Sonny Weems (65/60)
62 - Linas Kleiza (63/55)
62 – James Johnson (63/64)
61 - Julian Wright (64/64)
POWER FORWARD
68 - Amir Johnson (71/63)
66 - Ed Davis (67/67)
62 - Joey Dorsey (63/63)
60 - Reggie Evans (64/63)
CENTER
68 - Andrea Bargnani (73/74)
51 - Solomon Alabi (57/57)
43 - Alexis Ajinca (43/43)

ROCKETS
POINT GUARD
76 - Kyle Lowry (81/75)
70 - Jonny Flynn (74/74)
63 - Goran Dragic (68/68)
SHOOTING GUARD
79 - Kevin Martin (81/80)
70 - Courtney Lee (71/68)
SMALL FORWARD
72 - Terrence Williams (76/76)
69 - Chase Budinger (70/70)
POWER FORWARD
77 - Luis Scola (81/78)
72 - Patrick Patterson (74/72)
67 - Jordan Hill (69/69)
CENTER
70 - Chuck Hayes (72/68)
51 – Hasheem Thabeet (59/59)

SPURS
POINT GUARD
80 - Tony Parker (84/78)
53 - Chris Quinn (56/56)
SHOOTING GUARD
85 - Manu Ginobili (88/87)
65 - Gary Neal (65/65)
SMALL FORWARD
72 - Richard Jefferson (77/74)
67 - James Anderson (67/66)
62 - Daniel Green (63/63)
POWER FORWARD
84 - Tim Duncan (85/90)
65 - Antonio McDyess (68/68)
62 - Tiago Splitter (64/64)
43 - Steve Novak (45/45)
CENTER
68 - DeJuan Blair (72/69)
50 - Matt Bonner (58/58)

SUNS
POINT GUARD
84 - Steve Nash (85/85)
75 - Aaron Brooks (77/80)
60 - Zabian Dowdell (59/59)
SHOOTING GUARD
76 - Vince Carter (81/81)
SMALL FORWARD
80 - Grant Hill (82/77)
72 - Jared Dudley (71/71)
72 - Michael Pietrus (72/72)
70 - Josh Childress (71/77)
POWER FORWARD
64 - Channing Frye (70/63)
62 - Hakim Warrick (65/64)
56 - Gani Lawal (59/59)
CENTER
73 - Marcin Gortat (75/69)
63 - Robin Lopez (64/64)
52 - Garret Siler (59/59)

THUNDER
POINT GUARD
88 - Russell Westbrook (88/81)
74 - Nate Robinson (75/76)
64 - Eric Maynor (67/67)
51 - Royal Ivey (53/53)
SHOOTING GUARD
74 - James Harden (75/74)
68 - Thabo Sefolosha (67/66)
61 - Daequan Cook (59/59)
55 - Robert Vaden (56/56)
SMALL FORWARD
92 - Kevin Durant (93/91)
POWER FORWARD
75 - Serge Ibaka (76/65)
62 - Nick Collison (63/63)
CENTER
71 - Kendrick Perkins (73/72)
58 – Nazr Mohammed (65/65)
54 - Cole Aldrich (64/64)
40 - Byron Mullens (46/46)

TIMBERWOLVES
POINT GUARD
68 - Luke Ridnour (72/72)
67 - Ricky Rubio (ROOKIE)
63 - Sebastian Telfair (65/65)
SHOOTING GUARD
70 - Wesley Johnson (71/73)
60 - Wayne Ellington (61/61)
SMALL FORWARD
78 - Michael Beasley (80/74)
70 - Martell Webster (69/69)
58 - Lazar Hayward (63/63)
POWER FORWARD
81 - Kevin Love (82/74)
69 – Anthony Randolph (70/70)
60 - Anthony Tolliver (62/62)
CENTER
62 - Darko Milicic (67/57)
56 - Nikola Pekovic (61/61)
58 - Brad Miller (66/66)

TRAILBLAZERS
POINT GUARD
75 – Raymond Felton (78/73)
62 – Patrick Mills (66/66)
60 - Armon Johnson (64/64)
SHOOTING GUARD
78 – Brandon Roy (83/88)
73 – Wesley Matthews (76/66)
63 – Elliot Williams (64/64)
SMALL FORWARD
83 – Gerald Wallace (84/84)
74 – Nicolas Batum (76/69)
59 – Luke Babbitt (63/63)
POWER FORWARD
83 – LaMarcus Aldridge (84/77)
CENTER
71 – Marcus Camby (78/78)
70 – Greg Oden (75/75)
47 - Earl Barron (58/58)
X - Chris Johnson (MISSING since April, played games with Celtics even earlier than that)

WARRIORS
POINT GUARD
80 – Stephen Curry (82/80)
59 - Acie Law (61/61)
56 - Jeremy Lin (62/62)
SHOOTING GUARD
83 – Monta Ellis (87/84)
64 – Charlie Bell (65/66)
SMALL FORWARD
74 – Dorell Wright (77/64)
66 - Al Thornton (68/68)
64 – Reggie Williams (67/67)
POWER FORWARD
79 – David Lee (81/83)
64 – Epke Udoh (68/68)
60 - Louis Amundson (64/64)
53 – Vladimir Radmanovic (56/53)
CENTER
61 – Andris Biedrins (65/69)

WIZARDS
POINT GUARD
82 - John Wall (82/81)
55 - Mustafa Shakur (63/63)
SHOOTING GUARD
73 - Nick Young (71/66)
66 – Jordan Crawford (66/65)
SMALL FORWARD
74 - Rashard Lewis (76/76)
70 – Maurice Evans (67/67)
69 - Josh Howard (71/71)
POWER FORWARD
71 - Andray Blatche (73/72)
66 - Trevor Booker (66/66)
63 - Yi Jianlian (67/67)
55 - Kevin Seraphin (54/58)
CENTER
70 - Javale McGee (73/59)
51 - Hamady N'Diaye (57/57)

FREE AGENT
POINT GUARD
63 - Sherron Collins (63/63)
55 - Lester Hudson (58/58)
54 - Luther Head (58/58)
50 - Orien Greene (53/53)
SHOOTING GUARD
64 - Jerry Stackhouse (66/66)
63 - Antoine Wright (64/64)
63 - Quinton Ross (63/63)
62 - Marquis Daniels (64/64)
61 - Jermaine Taylor (62/62)
58 - Kyle Weaver (59/59)
56 - Maurice Ager (57/57)
54 - Morris Peterson (56/56)
SMALL FORWARD
65 - Cartier Martin (65/65)
63 - Ime Udoka (63/63)
61 - Mike Harris (64/64)
59 - Peja Stojakovic (61/61)
59 - Bobby Simmons (62/62)
58 - DeMarre Carroll (59/59)
58 - Rodney Carney (59/59)
57 - Jawad Williams (58/58)
55 - Ronald Dupree (54/54)
POWER FORWARD
60 - Pops Mensah-Bonsu (63/63)
57 - Jeff Adrien (61/61)
CENTER
51 - Brian Skinner (56/56)
49 - Sean Marks (53/53)
48 - Solomon Jones (53/53)
43 - Jarron Collins (48/48)

TOP 10 NBA 2K12
98 - LeBron James
96 - Dwyane Wade
94 - Kobe Bryant
93 - Chris Paul
93 - Dwight Howard
92 - Kevin Durant
92 - Derrick Rose
91 - Carmelo Anthony
90 - Deron Williams
88 - Amare Stoudemire

TOP 10 NBA 2K11
96 - LeBron James
96 - Dwyane Wade
95 - Kobe Bryant
95 - Chris Paul
93 - Dwight Howard
93 - Kevin Durant
92 - Carmelo Anthony
91 - Derrick Rose
91 - Deron Williams
88 - Amare Stoudemire

Notice any similarities?  2K hasn't done a damn thing.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

NBA 2K12 Preview: Philadelphia 76ers

PHILADELPHIA 76'ERS
Basketball-Reference
Hoopdata
82games
ShamSports Salaries

ROSTER
82 - Andre Iguodala (SF/SG)
80 - Elton Brand (PF/C)
78 - Thaddeus Young (PF/SF)*
76 - Jrue Holiday (PG)
75 - Louis Williams (PG/SG)
71 - Marreese Speights (C)
70 - Spencer Hawes (C)*
70 - Evan Turner (SG/SF)
69 - Jodie Meeks (SG)
67 - Nikola Vucevic (C)#
66 - Lavoy Allen (PF)#
65 - Andres Nocioni (SF/PF)
64 - Tony Battie (C)*
62 - Craig Brackins (PF)

* Denotes Free Agent
# Denotes Rookie

ROTATION/ROLES
LINEUP
C Spencer Hawes (21) - Starter
PF Elton Brand (34) - Starter
SF Andre Iguodala (37) - Starter
SG Jodie Meeks (30) - Starter
PG Jrue Holiday (35) - Starter
BENCH
PF Thaddeus Young (29) - Sixth Man
PG Louis Williams (23) - Role Player
SG Evan Turner (22) - Role Player
C Marreese Speights (9) - Prospect
SF Andres Nocioni (0) - Bench Warmer
PF Craig Brackins (0) - Prospect
C Nikola Vucevic (0) - Prospect
RESERVE
C Tony Battie (0) - Bench Warmer
PF Lavoy Allen (0) - Bench Warmer

POSITION ANALYSIS
OFF = Points Per Possession, calculated by Synergy Sports
DEF = Points Allowed Per Possession, calculated by Synergy Sports
NET = The difference between these two (OFF-DEF = NET)
AVS = Average rating of starter at position)

Regarding "NET" - These ratings are not meant to say player X was more important to his team than player Y.  If a player with a limited role has +20 NET it means the player could handle more offensive touches or tougher defensive assignments (since backups typically face more lenient competition).  It can also mean the player was used expertly by his coach.  Conversely, a starter with a negative NET rating would likely benefit from fewer touches or better coaching.  It goes without saying that a star with +20 NET is just doing business as usual while a 3rd string backup with -20 NET is more or less wasting a roster spot (if you can't beat other 3rd strings in garbage time, who can you beat?).

TEAM SUMMARY
0.94 OFF (14th)
0.88 DEF (7th)
+6 NET

POINT GUARD (AVS = 77)
76 - Jrue Holiday (0.88 OFF, 0.90 DEF, -2 NET)
75 - Louis Williams (0.95 OFF, 0.92 DEF, +3 NET)

Holiday at a mere 21 years of age is on the fast track to be a star.  Had he stayed in school he almost certainly would have been a top 5 pick in this year's draft, so kudos go to Philly's scouting department who drafted him after a subpar freshman season.  Holiday was 13-21 in the Post, with 11 SF% and 7 TO%, quietly ranking him the 6th most efficient post player in the league, which bodes extremely well for his development.  If the 6'4" Holiday can make this a staple of his game the way Chauncey Billups, Andre Miller, and Sam Cassell did it will make him that much more dangerous on the court.

"Sweet Lou" was an excellent compliment to Holiday, and showed an ability to carry the team offensively with Holiday out of the game. (ranking 7th in P/R efficiency).  He split his time at PG and SG (2K Rating 79 @ SG), and his presence keeps Evan Turner on the bench just as much as Iguodala.

SHOOTING GUARD (AVS = 74)
70 - Evan Turner (0.87 OFF, 0.93 DEF, -6 NET)
69 - Jodie Meeks (1.07 OFF, 0.85 DEF, +22 NET)

Evan Turner had a much maligned rookie campaign and it's tough to see him substantially improving given the current roster.  He found ways to score in isolations (56th) and in the post (38th), but his jumpshot was much worse than originally thought (223rd on Spotups).  More concerning was that he was EVEN WORSE on the break (only 248th with 0.98 PPP in transition) which is a bit puzzling given his reputation and the Sixers play style.  Improving his jumper and fastbreak decisions would be a step in the right direction as he waits for an Iguodala trade.

Jodie Meeks was one of the season's biggest surprises for a team sorely needing 3pt shooting.  It's worth noting that Meeks was actually a better 3pt shooter coming off screens (42%) and in transition (49%) than he was spotting up (37%).  That adds to his value because lots of players can shoot a high percentage spotting up.  It also means Meeks has room for improvement (though it could also mean he is due for some regression).

SMALL FORWARD (AVS = 76)
82 - Andre Iguodala (0.90 OFF, 0.81 DEF, +9 NET)
65 - Andres Nocioni (0.94 OFF, 1.03 DEF, -9 NET)

Iguodala took a lesser offensive role last season, and this allowed him to return to his defensive stopper roots.    Iguodala will never have what it takes to be a #1 option (or even a legit #2 option) but so long as he can set teammates up, run the break, and hit open threes, he will still prove highly valuable on the offensive end.  Iguodala was 46-117 (39.3%) on Spotup threes and only 18-80 (22.5%) in all other situations, so cutting the others out of his arsenal would do him (and the team) some good.

Nocioni really didn't do much aside from hit threes.  I remember when Nocioni entered the league and he had a defensive reputation, but all he's really shown in the league is that he's not afraid to foul hard.  Nocioni spends most of his time as a stretch PF that can't rebound or defend bigger players, and only sees playing time because Turner and Young can't shoot.

POWER FORWARD (AVS = 79)
80 - Elton Brand (1.01 OFF, 0.87 DEF, +14 NET)
78 - Thaddeus Young* (1.00 OFF, 0.93 DEF, +7 NET)
66 - Lavoy Allen#
62 - Craig Brackins (0.50 OFF, 0.89 DEF, -39 NET)

Brand had an offensive resurgence and had no short of weapons in the half-court, ranking highly in Post game (32nd), P/R game (84th), and Spotups (82nd).  He won't ever be the scorer he was 5 years ago, but makes a solid #2 man.  Unfortunately, he's the best Philly's got.

Young is quickly becoming the ultimate tweener, and the team's decision to play him predominately at PF is obvious to the statistical community.  Young's Post game (24th) and Pick/Roll game (51st as the Roll man) are great weapons while his Spotup game (323rd) is simply not.  Young also takes advantage of his speed on other PFs by ranking 12th in Transition offense.  Overall this might sound great, but on the defensive end Young doesn't have the strength to match other bigs and his Post Defense ranks 248th (1.02 PPP), meaning he is getting back just as much as he is giving.  Young is still "young" (only 23) and has time to develop but I'm not sure sure leaving as a free agent to be the starting SF of another team (like New Jersey) is much of a solution.

Allen and Brackins will essentially fight Andres Nocioni for 3rd string PF minutes.  That could change quickly if Young leaves as a free agent.

CENTER (AVS = 75)
71 - Marreese Speights (0.93 OFF, 0.74 DEF, +19 NET)
70 - Spencer Hawes* (0.82 OFF, 0.86 DEF, -4 NET)
67 - Nikola Vucevic#
64 - Tony Battie* (0.87 OFF, 0.89 DEF, -2 NET)

Even if one doesn't take much stock into Synergy it's pretty easy to see that Marreese Speights did not get a fair shot under Doug Collins, spending most of the season fighting Tony Battie for backup center minutes.  He desperately needs a change of scenery to show the offensive promise he showed his first two seasons was no fluke.

Hawes had a decent year and will probably come back for the qualifying offer (worth about 4 million for him).  It's unlikely he actually develops into Brad Miller as those in Sacramento optimistically predicted, but at the least he's proven he could be a competent backup center on a contending team.

Drafting Vucevic is the Sixers covering their butts in case Hawes gets a huge RFA offer the team doesn't want to match.  He also takes Speights' place when he gets traded, and could also push Battie out of town.

Battie only played 377 minutes over 38 games but was ahead of Speights in the rotation most of the year.  Battie actually played well in his limited time, but at age 35 he's not likely to repeat it.

DISCLAIMER
Rashidi is not employed by 2K Sports and these are not NBA 2K12's actual ratings.  These are the personal ratings of Rashidi, "The Real 2K Insider", calculated on NBA 2K11 using all available data/sources including but not limited to: Basketball-Reference, 82games, Hoopdata, SynergySports, and DraftExpress.  Rashidi calculates his ratings using the same formulas 2K Sports does but is FAR more consistent in their implementation (and thus maintains his roster is what 2K Sports' would look like if they had him on the team). Rashidi's current NBA 2K11 roster "The Real NBA 2K12" can be downloaded for XBox360 via 2K Share.

SYNERGY SPORTS NOTE
Synergy is an excellent tool and I highly recommend you SUBSCRIBE to it (IF you have a quality computer and internet connection). Back in June I was working nights and wasn't able to watch the NBA Finals as they happened.  Every night I got home from work and was able to watch every game commercial free thanks to Synergy.  No timeout delays (when the game returns from commercial break and takes 20 seconds to get back to game action), no unwanted replays, no players complaining to the referees before lining up at the FT line.  Just the on-court action straight through.  The ability to select any play from any game for viewing is completely invaluable.  Please, give them your hard earned money just like EA Sports did for their basketball game that doesn't even exist.