Saturday, January 12, 2013

NBA 2K13 Roster Analysis 1/12/13

Only two players received (minor) edits this week, down from 16 in last week's roster, as 2K has once again reverted to their lazy ways.

Worse, the two edited players have already seen multiple revisions this season.  Has 2K never heard of Nick Collison?  ....Don't answer that.

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PLAYER EDITS

Player attribute edits per roster
1/12: 2
1/5: 16
1/3: 1
12/25: 0
12/21: 0
12/18: 9
12/13: 1
12/8: 15
12/5: 14
11/17:  16

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Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
95 Overall (+1)
94 Inside (+5)
89 Med (+1)
70 Steal (+4)
52 DefReb (+2)

2013
Inside: 112-160 (70.0%)
Close: 114-251 (45.4%)
Mid: 71-165 (43.0%)
3pt: 77-219 (35.2%)
STL%: 2.0
DRB%: 11.6


2012
Inside: 162-239 (67.8%)
Close: 245-582 (42.0%)
Mid: 145-569 (41.6%)
3pt: 104-437 (30.0%)
STL%: 1.6
DRB%: 11.8

The Lakers keep getting worse, yet their team continues to get better and better.  At the time of his update last month, Kobe was shooting 47% from mid-range, so his rating should be trending down, not going up to an 89... and if anyone can explain the justification for the rebound boost, I'm all ears.

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Serge Ibaka
Serge Ibaka
85 Overall (+1)
58 3pt (+33)
79 FT (-1)

2013
Inside: 96-127 (75.6%)
Close: 52-98 (53.0%)
Mid: 62-135 (45.9%)
3pt: 7-23 (30.4%)

2012
Inside: 188-265 (70.9%)
Close: 75-179 (41.8%)
Mid: 81-198 (40.9%)
3pt: 2-7 (28.6%)

As I wrote last month, Ibaka needed a 3pt boost, and he finally got it.  I'd say his rating should be at least another 10 points higher though, as he's on pace to hit 16 this season. For example, Will Bynum was 7-29 (24.1%) last season and his 3pt rating is 64.

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COACHING CHANGES

The biggest change in the NBA two weeks has been two new NBA coaches.  Scott Skiles quit on his Milwaukee Bucks team, and was replaced by lead assistant Jim Boylan in the interim, while the Nets unceremoniously fired Avery Johnson and likewise replaced him with lead assistant P.J. Carlesimo in the interim.

Jim Boylan (Bucks)
Jim Boylan
Experience: 2 years
Teacher: D
Offense: D
Defense: C
Potential: B

P.J. Carlesimo (Nets)
P.J. Carlesimo
Experience: 9 years
Teacher: C
Offense: C
Defense: C
Potential: C

Both coaches have the same Coach Profiles (sliders) as their predecessors, so the only thing that has changed are the names, pictures, and a slight variance in their coach ratings.  I assume that any commentary related to the fired coaches has also been removed.

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INJURED PLAYERS

The big news is that the Lakers have had their frontline decimated by injury, as Howard/Gasol are out for at least another week while top backup Jordan Hill went down for the year.

John Wall also returns from injury while Kevin Love has surgery that will knock him out until April, if not the rest of the season (don't expect him back if they fall out of the playoff picture).

NEW
Marvin Williams (66/SF, Jazz)
Marcus Camby (73/C, Knicks)
Dwight Howard (92/C, Lakers)
Pau Gasol (81/PF, Lakers)
Jordan Hill (70/C, Lakers)
Kevin Love (89/PF, Timberwolves)
Meyers Leonard (59/C, Trail Blazers)

RECOVERED
Tyrus Thomas (71/PF, Bobcats)
Grant Hill (77/SF, Clippers)
Devin Harris (76/PG, Hawks)
Tyreke Evans (80/SG, Kings)
Marcus Thornton (75/SG, Kings)
John Wall (82/PG, Wizards)
Trevor Booker (67/PF, Wizards)
A.J. Price (55/PG, Wizards)

INJURED LIST
76ers: Andrew Bynum (87/C)
Bobcats: Byron Mullens (69/PF)
Bucks: N/A
Bulls: Derrick Rose (92/PG)
Cavaliers: Anderson Varejao (76/C)
Celtics: Chris Wilcox (64/PF)
Clippers: Chauncey Billups (81/PG), Trey Thompkins (63/PF)
Grizzlies: Quincy Pondexter (61/SF)
Hawks: Anthony Morrow (66/SG)
Heat: N/A
Hornets: N/A
Jazz: Mo Williams (78/PG), Raja Bell (71/SG), Marvin Williams (66/SF)
Kings: N/A
Knicks: Iman Shumpert (80/SG), Raymond Felton (79/PG), Marcus Camby (73/C), Rasheed Wallace (71/PF)
Lakers: Dwight Howard (92/C), Pau Gasol (81/PF), Jordan Hill (70/C), Steve Blake (68/PG)
Magic: Glen Davis (73/PF), Al Harrington (71/PF)
Mavericks: N/A
Nets: N/A
Nuggets: Wilson Chandler (80/SF)
Pacers: Danny Granger (83/SF), Sam Young (68/SF)
Pistons: N/A
Raptors: Andrea Bargnani (73/PF), Jonas Valanciunas (68/C)
Rockets: Royce White (68/PF)
Spurs: N/A
Suns: Channing Frye (67/PF)
Thunder: N/A
Timberwolves: Kevin Love (89/PF), Brandon Roy (80/SG), Chase Budinger (71/SF), Malcolm Lee (SG/65)
Trail Blazers: Elliot Williams (66/SG), Meyers Leonard (59/C)
Warriors: Andrew Bogut (79/C), Brandon Rush (71/SG)
Wizards: N/A
Free Agent: Sam Young (68/SF)

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PLAYER MOVEMENT

BULLS
Daequan Cook (SG/63) - from Rockets

HORNETS
Donald Sloan (PG/63) - from Free Agents

PACERS
Dominic McGuire (66/SF) - from Hornets

FREE AGENTS
Kris Joseph (63/SF) - from Celtics
Darius Johnson-Odom (68/SG) - from Lakers
Chris Douglas-Roberts (70/SF) - from Mavericks
Sam Young (68/SF) - from Pacers
Shelvin Mack (65/PG) - from Wizards

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MISSING PLAYERS

No new players were added.

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UPDATED MISSING PLAYER LIST
Kevin Jones (PF) - Cavaliers (12 games, 9.2 mpg)
Jarvis Varnado (PF) - Heat (5 games, 3.6 mpg)
Kevin Murphy (SG) - Jazz (4 games, 3.0 mpg)
Mike James (PG) - Mavericks (2 games, 7.5 mpg, 539 games played prior to this season)
Julyan Stone (PG/SG) - Nuggets (1 game, 5.0 mpg, played 22 games and 8.1 mpg last season)
Ben Hansbrough (PG/SG) - Pacers (14 games, 9.3 mpg)
Patrick Beverley (PG) - Rockets (0 games)
Diante Garrett (SG) - Suns (6 games, 5.0 mpg)
Kent Bazemore (SG/SF) - Warriors (20 games, 2.0 mpg)
TOTAL: 9

Mike James has been in previous 2K games and his re-addition to the game should not be particularly difficult.  He has been missing since last year though, so don't expect him to be added until he is signed for the rest of the season.

Kevin Jones' minutes are on the rise due to Anderson Varejao's injury, and he will be the next player 2K absolutely needs to add to their roster.

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INCORRECT LINEUPS

Only two lineups were off this week so it's good to see 2K finally get this area under control.

KNICKS
Jason Kidd (PG), Ronnie Brewer (SG), Carmelo Anthony (SF), Amare Stoudemire (PF), Tyson Chandler (C)
It has been widely reported that Amare Stoudemire will be coming off the bench for the foreseeable future, yet he has been starting in 2K's roster since 1/3.  Marcus Camby (prior to injury) and Kurt Thomas have been drawing all the PF starts since Amare returned.

WIZARDS
A.J. Price (PG), Bradley Beal (SG), Martell Webster (SF), Nene (PF), Emeka Okafor (C)
Garrett Temple has been starting since 12/29, practically since he was signed, averaging 33.5 minutes as a starter, yet 2K refuses to put him in the starting lineup.

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Liked the in-depth breakdown of 2K Sports' roster update?  Check out Rashidi's roster, The Real NBA 2K13.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

NBA 2K13 Roster Analysis 1/5/13

Fifteen players had attributes adjusted by 2K Sports in Saturday morning's roster update.  Many fans (including this one) were highly critical of 2K Sports releasing an update after two weeks and not updating any player's ratings.  It's nice to see the company make a quick response.

With that said, if the company can edit 15 players in one day, what is so hard about doing that EVERY SINGLE DAY?  The product would be considerably better off, and the ratings that I've been griping about for years would finally be attended to.

For a glossary of terms used in analysis, head to Basketball-Reference.

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PLAYER EDITS

Player attribute edits per roster
1/5: 16
1/3: 1
12/25: 0
12/21: 0
12/18: 9
12/13: 1
12/8: 15
12/5: 14
11/17:  16

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Larry Sanders
Larry Sanders
73 Overall (+8)
64 Close (+4)
64 Med (+4)
60 FT (+13)
53 Traffic (+5)
90 Block (+9)
72 OBD (+6)
83 OffReb (+7)
80 DefReb (+8)
78 DefPost (+9)
55 OffAwr (+13)
82 DefAwr (+13)
55 Consistency (+30)
82 Stamina (+2)
55 Strength (+7)
96 Hustle (+4)
80 Durability (+2)
80 Potential (+2)

2013:
Inside: 81-114 (71.1%)
Close: 17-57 (29.8%)
Med: 3-14 (21.4%)
3pt: 0-2 (0%)
FT: 29-48 (60.4%)
BLK%: 9.2 (leads league)
ORB%: 10.2
DRB%: 27.3 (9th in league)
PER: 18.1

2012:
Inside: 65-111 (58.6%)
Close: 9-43 (20.9%)
Med: 10-28 (35.7%)
3pt: 0-2 (0%)
FT: 18-38 (47.4%)
BLK%: 8.9
ORB%: 10.3
DRB%: 17.3
PER: 13.3

Sanders has been a shot blocking machine since entering the league, and absolutely deserves the maximum rating of 99.  His 8.9 BLK% last season would have ranked 2nd behind Serge Ibaka had he qualified, but for whatever reason 2K continues to play it conservative here.  Sanders and Ibaka are on another level compared to the rest of the league when it comes to shot blocking. 2K doesn't have a problem inflating the block ratings of many power forwards (Gasol 80, Aldridge 74, Bargnani 70) but when it comes to the players who deserve it, I guess it's because they don't score enough points (worried more about overall rating rather than actual game performance).

Sanders didn't deserve the ORB increase but deserved a larger DRB increase.  His DRB% merits a rating in the 90s.  Given how poor Sanders shoots away from the rim, he didn't need Close/Medium increases. Aside from that, the rest of his increases are fine, and a welcome sight for Bucks fans.

Rashidi's Rating: 78
Position Rank: 20th

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Greivis Vasquez
Greivis Vasquez
73 Overall (+3)
71 Inside (-8)
84 Close (+2)
82 3pt (+5)
80 FT (-2)
83 Layup (+4)
81 Security (+3)
85 Pass (+7)
58 Steal (-12)
81 Hands (+4)
48 DefReb (+8)
79 OffAwr (+6)
64 DefAwr (+5)
75 Consistency (+15)
95 Stamina (+1)
38 Strength (+5)
81 Hustle (+6)
76 Potential (+4)

2013
Inside: 38-90 (42.2%)
Close: 77-178 (43.2%)
Med: 24-47 (51.1%)
3pt: 35-93 (37.6%)
AST%: 46.6 (2nd in NBA)
STL%: 1.0
DRB%: 14.0
PER: 16.3

2012
Inside: 55-92 (59.8%)
Close: 86-199 (43.2%)
Med: 41-97 (42.3%)
3pt: 43-135 (31.9%)
AST%: 35.7
STL%: 1.9
DRB%: 10.3
PER: 14.2

Given that Vasquez has the second best assist rate in the NBA, it would have been nice to see him with a slightly higher Pass rating than 85.  Consistency jumping to 75 is a bit puzzling, as Vasquez has had just as many bad games as he has good (though lately it's mostly been good).

Rashidi's Rating: 81
Position Rank: 21st

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J.R. Smith
J.R. Smith
82 Overall (+3)
83 Med (+3)
82 3pt (-5)
80 FT (-5)
89 Layup (+4)
71 Traffic (+6)
80 Handle (+2)
76 OHD (+4)
75 Steal (-7)
38 OffReb (+5)
84 OffAwr (+8)
68 DefAwr (+4)
75 Consistency (+15)
92 Speed (+4)
93 Quickness (+1)
73 Hustle (+22)
85 Potential (+2)

2013
Inside: 43-71 (60.6%)
Close: 37-116 (31.8%)
Med: 69-146 (47.3%)
3pt: 50-152 (35.2%)
STL%: 2.1
ORB%: 2.2
PER: 16.6

2012
Inside: 44-73 (60.3%)
Close: 27-71 (38.0%)
Med: 46-116 (39.7%)
3pt: 72-221 (32.6%)
STL%: 2.9
ORB%: 3.4
PER: 15.2

I am quite torn on what to think of J.R. Smith and these rating changes.  On one hand, the stats-based ratings are fine, but on the other, by raising speed and quickness it is now possible to use J.R. Smith at the PG spot in the game to devastating effect.  Smith is athletic, but he's not prime Dwyane Wade athletic.

As with Vasquez, I don't really like Smith with a high consistency rating due to how erratic he is. His last 9 games have been very good (23.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3.6 apg, 46.1 FG%), but the 12 games prior to that were not (12.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.3 apg, 36.2 FG%).

Rashidi's Rating: 81
Position Rank: 11th

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Nikola Vucevic
Nikola Vucevic
68 Overall (+7)
85 Inside (-2)
71 Close (-11)
78 Med (+1)
63 FT (+10)
64 Dunk (+5)
68 Traffic (+2)
70 Fade (+9)
49 Security (+3)
35 Pass (+7)
69 Block (+9)
73 Hands (+4)
49 OBD (+7)
84 OffReb (+9)
75 DefReb (+7)
69 OffPost (+3)
68 DefPost (+3)
64 OffAwr (+4)
51 DefAwr (+9)
60 Consistency (+25)
79 Stamina (+4)
48 Speed (+4)
45 Quickness (+4)
56 Hustle (+12)
73 Potential (+7)

2013
Inside: 90-145 (62.1%)
Close: 50-115 (43.4%)
Med: 23-60 (38.3%)
3pt: 0-2 (0%)
FT: 31-48 (64.6%)
AST%: 8.0
BLK%: 2.7
ORB%: 12.6
DRB%: 26.5 (10th in league)
PER: 16.6

2012
Inside: 59-90 (65.6%)
Close: 43-124 (34.6%)
Med: 26-70 (36.1%)
3pt: 3-8 (37.5%)
FT: 18-34 (52.9%)
AST%: 6.2
BLK%: 3.1
ORB%: 12.0
DRB%: 21.7
PER: 14.3

Vucevic has long been underrated, dating back to last season.  However, his 68 Overall is still very low for a player who has proven himself to be an adequate starting center.
There was no reason for Close shot rating to go down.  Overrated based on last season, but appropriate for this season's performance.
Offensive Rebounding was underrated dating back to last season, which was fixed.
Defensive Rebounding was underrated last season, and while it was raised to 75, that is still slightly underrated going by last year's numbers... which means it is drastically underrated going by this season.  A top 10 defensive rebounder who just pulled down 29 rebounds in a game (18 defensive) has a mere 75 rating (given to an average rebounding PF/C).

Rashidi's Rating: 75
Position Rank: 30th

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Deron Williams
Deron Williams
86 Overall (-3)
83 Inside (-5)
88 Close (+6)
76 Med (-5)
76 3pt (+3)
83 FT (-1)
83 Pass (-9)
85 OffAwr (-5)
65 Consistency (-5)

2013
Inside: 51-76 (67.1%)
Close: 39-108 (36.1%)
Med: 35-94 (37.2%)
3pt: 54-171 (31.6%)
AST%: 37.3 (8th in league)
PER: 17.8

2012
Inside: 108-190 (56.8%)
Close: 83-214 (38.7%)
Med: 85-215 (39.5%)
3pt: 115-342 (33.6%)
AST%: 46.6 (3rd in league)
PER: 20.3

Williams saw his shooting percentages tank hard as soon as he joined the Nets, which is the main reason why former coach Avery Johnson is out of town.  More disturbing however, was the drop in his assist rate this season.  While this can be attributed to Joe Johnson taking some of Deron's ball handling responsibility, it's clear that less offensive responsibility hasn't yielded better results for Deron's shot either.

Rashidi's Rating: 84
Position Rank: 8th

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Brook Lopez
Brook Lopez
79 Overall (-1)
85 Inside (-12)
88 Close (-4)
72 Med (+2)
72 FT (-8)
81 OffAwr (+2)
79 DefAwr (+6)

2013
Inside: 98-141 (69.5%)
Close: 87-196 (44.3%)
Med: 20-52 (38.5%)
3pt: 0-0 (N/A)
FT: 96-132 (72.7%)
BLK%: 6.0
ORB%: 11.0
DRB%: 19.1
PER: 25.8 (5th in league)

2011 (only played 5 games in 2012)
Inside: 198-317 (62.5%)
Close: 361-768 (47.0%)
Med: 85-223 (38.1%)
3pt: 0-1 (0%)
FT: 385-489 (78.5%)
BLK%: 3.2
ORB%: 7.8
DRB%: 12.3
PER: 19.3

Like many fans, my jaw quickly dropped when I saw Lopez's rating had DROPPED rather than gone up.    Lopez is playing at an all-star level and is quite easily the best offensive center in the league.  PER isn't an end-all be-all stat, but anytime a player sees theirs go up SIX POINTS it signifies vast improvement (Reference point: Carmelo Anthony's career high 26.7 PER this season, up from last season's 21.1 and his 20.6 career average).

Part of the problem is that Lopez had so many ratings that he was very overrated coming into the season.  89 Block, 82 OffReb, 68 DefReb were all drastically overrated entering the year.  Those ratings are appropriate NOW, which means 2K should not be improving upon them.  The reality is that if Lopez were properly rated in the first place, his Overall rating would be +7 instead of -1.

On the surface, the changes 2K did make seen relatively fair by their standards.
While Lopez's Inside shot rating was grossly overrated when looking at his 2011 numbers, he has shown significant improvement here and the decrease was more than what was warranted.  A quick glance at Nikola Vucevic's production will clearly illustrate the discrepancy 2K has with consistently following their rating formulas.
Meanwhile the decrease to his Close shot rating was appropriate, though clearly was underrated entering the year.

As with most 2K ratings though, it's not about what they DID change, but rather what THEY DIDN'T.

It is frankly the definition of incompetence that 2K would give 75 Consistency to Greivis Vasquez and J.R. Smith but leave Brook Lopez at 70 Consistency.  Lopez is averaging 19 points in only 29 minutes (23 points per 36 mins), shoots 52% from the field on a high volume of shots, and has failed to score in double figures only three times all season despite playing fewer minutes than Vasquez or Smith.

Lopez is a legit 20 point scorer at the position it is hardest to score 20 points at, yet has only 81 Offensive Awareness (originally 79 entering the year).  Compare this to Rudy Gay (86), Luol Deng (83), or Andrea Bargnani (82, which is DOWN from the 89 he started the season with)

All 2K would have had to do is appropriately adjust those two ratings, and Lopez's overall rating wouldn't have dropped - in fact it might have gone up a point.  They could have spared themselves the ire of the growing number of fans who realize just how poor 2K's roster efforts are.  Instead, well, you know the story by now.

Rashidi's Rating: 84
Position Rank: 7th

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Andre Iguodala
Andre Iguodala
85 Overall (-2)
89 Inside (+3)
73 Close (-4)
72 Med (-3)
78 3pt (-6)
65 FT (+3)
72 Traffic (-3)
75 Pass (-7)
42 Block (+6)
73 Steal (-5)
81 DefAwr (-3)
70 Consistency (-5)

2013
Inside: 86-109 (78.9%)
Close: 26-90 (28.8%)
Med: 28-75 (37.3%)
3pt: 43-134 (32.1%)
FT: 79-126 (62.7%)
AST%: 19.2
BLK%: 1.3
STL%: 2.0
PER: 14.6

2012
Inside: 132-183 (72.1%)
Close: 47-119 (39.4%)
Med: 71-239 (29.7%)
3pt: 95-242 (39.3%)
FT: 121-196 (61.7%)
AST%: 23.7
BLK%: 1.0
STL%: 2.6
PER: 17.6

Everytime Iguodala drains a contested mid-range jumper against me online I want to stab this game in the face, given his awful production last season.  He's shot better this season, but the rating obviously still needed to go down some.  Close/Med could have gone down further though, as it's not like Iguodala has scored much over the last 2-3 years...  and not to harp on the point about Lopez's 70 Consistency any further, but Sixers and Nuggets fans WISH Iguodala were HALF that consistent.

Rashidi's Rating: 83
Position Rank: 6th

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Danilo Gallinari
Danilo Gallinari
76 Overall (+4)
81 Inside (-1)
79 Close (+16)
76 Med (+4)
81 3pt (+2)
83 FT (-4)
74 Layup (+2)
72 Dunk (+3)
69 Traffic (+4)
72 Handle (+3)
65 OHD (+4)
58 Security (+5)
55 Pass (+7)
63 Steal (-2)
79 Hands (+4)
51 OffReb (+11)
75 Consistency (+10)
85 Stamina (+2)
69 Speed (+5)
52 Hustle (+6)
72 Durability (+3)

2013
Inside: 51-95 (53.7%)
Close: 32-83 (38.5%)
Med: 34-86 (39.5%)
3pt: 61-175 (34.9%)
AST%: 11.4
STL%: 1.2
ORB%: 3.5
PER 16.5

2012
Inside: 103-176 (58.5%)
Close: 20-76 (26.3%)
Med: 40-102 (39.2%)
3pt: 64-206 (31.1%)
AST%: 13.0
STL%: 1.6
ORB%: 2.5
PER 16.5

Might as well be consistent and stick with the theme.  75 Consistency?????  Gallinari had a season high 28 points, followed it up with a 1-10 game, had 12 points the next night, and then had another 1-10 game on Christmas Day.  Two games later he scores a season high 39 points.... then follows it up with 7 points on 2-8 shooting.  CONSISTENCY???????

With that said, most of Gallinari's changes are welcome, given that he was underrated for three years or so.  Maybe someday they'll get around to lowering Wilson Chandler's rating... you know, that guy whose been backing him up since New York.

Rashidi's Rating: 79
Position Rank: 8th

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Paul George
Paul George
81 Overall (+2)
81 Inside (-2)
72 Close (-2)
73 Med (+7)
84 3pt (-1)
83 FT (+3)
72 Traffic (+6)
59 Pass (+6)
74 Steal (-10)
74 Hands (+4)
82 OBD (+4)
70 DefReb (+4)
83 OffAwr (+7)
81 DefAwr (+3)
90 Stamina (+2)
79 Durability (+4)

2013
Inside: 76-127 (59.8%)
Close: 35-105 (33.3%)
Med: 27-75 (36.0%)
3pt: 67-179 (37.4%)
FT: 80-98 (81.6%)
AST%: 19.2
STL%: 2.2
DRB%: 18.8
PER: 16.0

2012
Inside: 138-225 (61.3%)
Close: 46-128 (35.9%)
Med: 33-106 (31.1%)
3pt: 101-275 (36.7%)
FT: 146-182 (80.2%)
AST%: 13.6
STL%: 2.9
DRB%: 17.9
PER: 16.5

I'm not going to hide it.  I'm going to harp on Lopez again.

Offensive Awareness
83 - Deng: 17.4 points, 2.8 assists, 40.4 minutes
83 - George: 16.3 points, 3.7 assists, 36.0 minutes
83 - Gallinari: 16.3 points, 2.4 assists, 32.4 minutes
81 - Lopez: 18.9 points, 0.8 assists, 29.3 minutes
79 - Butler: 9.9 points, 0.8 assists, 23.3 minutes

What's 2K's favorite place to eat, Buffalo Wild Wings?

Anyway I agree with the rest of George's changes, which is probably a first for me.

Rashidi's Rating: 80
Position Rank: 6th

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Lance Stephenson
Lance Stephenson
69 Overall (+5)
75 3pt (+47) - via 1/3 roster update
60 Pass (+18)
68 OffAwr (+14)
52 DefAwr (+10)

2013
Inside: 56-75 (74.7%)
Close: 11-31 (35.4%)
Med: 10-40 (25.0%)
3pt: 24-62 (37.5%)
FT: 18-29 (62
PER: 11.9

2012
Inside: 23-41 (56.1%)
Close: 10-32 (31.2%)
Med: 11-29 (37.9%)
3pt: 5-32 (15.6%)
FT: 8-17 (47.1%)
PER: 7.0

As a testament to how poorly Stephenson was rated AND how unbalanced 2K's rating system is, Stephenson had 4 attributes adjusted over the past two days and saw his overall rating jump 10 points.

Don't be too quick to pat 2K Sports on the back though - Stephenson still has a paltry 47 Free Throw, 50 Ball Security, 25 Consistency, and 39 Hustle rating.  They didn't watch him play, or even look at the rest of his ratings.  They just fixed the ones fans complained about most (3pt and Pass) while throwing in their customary Awareness bumps.

Rashidi's Rating: 71
Position Rank: 43rd

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James Harden
James Harden
86 Overall (+3)
79 Close (+3)
77 Med (+2)
81 3pt (+1)
86 FT (+1)
84 Layup (+6)
78 SOD (+5)
49 Block (+12)
78 Steal (+12)
49 OffReb (+5)
40 DefReb (-3)
92 OffAwr (+3)
75 DefAwr (+4)
75 Consistency (+5)
96 Stamina (+2)
86 Speed (+3)
89 Quickness (+2)
86 Durability (+4)
89 Potential (+4)

2013
Inside: 126-195 (64.6%)
Close: 29-100 (29.0%)
Med: 36-95 (37.9%)
3pt: 66-183 (36.1%) - Assisted 47.0%
BLK%: 1.0
STL%: 2.6
ORB%: 2.6
DRB%: 9.6
PER: 23.8

2012
Inside: 191-281 (68.0%)
Close: 37-128 (28.9%)
Med: 27-64 (42.2%)
3pt: 156-370 (39.5%) - Assisted 84.2%
BLK%: 0.6
STL%: 1.6
ORB%: 1.9
DRB%: 12.2
PER: 21.1

I cannot stress enough how huge it is that Harden is drilling threes off the dribble at such a good clip.  His ability to pull up from distance is the primary reason he's been the most efficient Pick and Roll scorer in the league this season (1.11 Points Per Possession via Synergy Sports).

With that said, Harden's Shoot Off Dribble rating should EASILY be rated higher than other highly touted superstar players.

SOD
85 - Melo (Ast'd 45.6%)
84 - Durant (Ast'd 57.4%)
83 - Kobe (Ast'd 37.6%)
83 - Wade (Ast'd 43.9%)
81 - Pierce (Ast'd 64.4%)
78 - LeBron (Ast'd 39.2%) - On that note, why is the King underrated in this regard as well?
78 - Harden (Ast'd 31.1%)

Stop being so damn conservative when it comes to a player who has clearly shown himself to be an elite scorer in this league!

And good god 2K Sports, 75 Consistency for Harden?  On par with Greivis Vasquez, J.R. Smith, and Danilo Gallinari?  DOES ANYONE ON YOUR RATINGS TEAM KNOW WHAT THE HELL THEY ARE DOING?

Rashidi's Rating: 89
Position Rank: 3rd

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Marcus Morris
Marcus Morris
68 Overall (+3)
83 Inside (+2)
85 Close (+1)
78 3pt (+20)
69 FT (-6)
72 Traffic (+3)
62 Hook (+5)
54 Block (+9)
62 Steal (+6)
65 OffReb (+7)
61 DefReb (+1)
55 Consistency (+10)
76 Potential (+4)

2013
Inside: 41-63 (63.4%)
Close: 18-46 (39.1%)
Med: 9-27 (33.3%)
3pt: 43-114 (37.7%)
FT: 6-8 (75.0%)
BLK%: 1.2
STL%: 1.2
ORB%: 6.1
DRB%: 14.5
PER: 13.2

2012
Inside: 4-10 (40.0%)
Close: 6-15 (40.0%)
Med: 4-12 (33.3%)
3pt: 2-17 (11.8%)
FT: 37-53 (69.8%)
BLK%: 1.2
STL%: 0.8
ORB%: 4.6
DRB%: 10.2
PER: 3.8

Morris, a faceup bigman by trade, finally had his 3pt rating boosted to the point where he can make them in games.  I have no idea why any of his other shot ratings would go up though.

I suppose it also wouldn't be a 2K roster update if there weren't a block rating increase that made absolutely no sense.

90 Sanders (9.3 BLK%) - LOL do the math on this and wonder again why 2K's so conservative with him
89 Lopez (6.0 BLK%)
72 Brand (4.5 BLK%)
70 Bargnani (1.7 BLK%) - Well gee, that's not at all weird.
65 Nowitzki (1.2 BLK%) - 2012 production
65 Gallinari (1.0 BLK%) - Compare to Sanders plz
54 Morris (1.2 BLK%)
50 George (1.5 BLK%)
49 Harden (1.0 BLK%) - Glossed over it above but his clearly doesn't make sense either.
42 Iguodala (1.3 BLK%)
42 Boozer (1.2 BLK%)
33 Vasquez (0.3 BLK%)
31 J.R. Smith (1.0 BLK%)

There is absolutely no rhyme or reason to the block ratings in this game and it's because 2K openly defies using their own formula.  I guess they decided they couldn't remember which block formula they were using this week so they decided to make Morris the happy medium between Dirk and Boozer.

Rashidi's Rating: 69
Position Rank: 57th

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Goran Dragic
Goran Dragic
78 Overall (+1)
83 Inside (-5)
71 Close (-7)
73 Med (+5)
71 FT (-10)
72 Traffic (+3)
86 Handle (+2)
82 OHD (+2)
82 Security (+2)
82 OffAwr (+2)
71 DefAwr (+3)

2013
Inside: 70-108 (64.8%)
Close: 27-76 (35.5%)
Med: 23-50 (46.0%)
3pt: 44-129 (34.1%)
FT: 153-190 (80.5%)
PER: 18.6

2012
Inside: 130-183 (71.0%)
Close: 52-143 (36.3%)
Med: 27-72 (37.5%)
3pt: 68-202 (33.7%)
FT: 93-132 (70.5%)
PER: 18.0

Dragic finally has ball handling ratings more appropriate with a PG of his skill level.

Rashidi's Rating: 80
Position Rank: 21st

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J.J. Hickson
J.J. Hickson
76 Overall (+3)
93 OffReb (+13)
84 DefReb (+11)
80 Stamina (+2)
86 Hustle (+5)

2013
Inside: 110-178 (61.8%)
Close: 42-102 (41.1%)
Med: 12-19 (63.2%)
3pt: 0-1 (0%)
ORB%: 15.5 (3rd in league)
DRB%: 28.4 (6th in league)
PER: 20.5

2012
Inside: 106-168 (63.1%)
Close: 53-149 (35.5%)
Med: 25-74 (33.8%)
3pt: 0-2 (0%)
ORB%: 11.7
DRB%: 19.0
PER: 14.9

Hickson was the only player edited that didn't have any of his shot ratings touched - a bit puzzling considering his improvements from Close and Mid-range.

As with Vucevic, I'm not sure why 2K is being so conservative with one of the best defensive rebounders in the league.

Rashidi's Rating: 80
Position Rank: 17th

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David Lee
David Lee
84 Overall (+3)
94 Close (+2)
82 Med (+4)
82 FT (+4)
78 Hook (+2)
51 Pass (+5)
90 DefReb (+4)
87 OffAwr (+6)
85 Consistency (+5)
84 Stamina (+2)
82 Hustle (+16)
83 Durability (+13)

2013
Inside: 129-184 (70.1%)
Close: 88-207 (42.5%)
Med: 55-117 (47.0%)
3pt: 0-2 (0%)
AST%: 17.4
DRB%: 22.7
PER: 20.8

2012
Inside: 242-352 (68.8%)
Close: 155-393 (39.4%)
Med: 67-172 (39.0%)
3pt: 0-5 (0%)
AST%: 13.6
DRB%: 19.9
PER: 19.7

Crazy to me how Lee is widely known to be one of the league's best passing big men, yet his pass rating dwarfs that of many other players who saw updates this week.

AST%
19.2 Iguodala (75)
19.2 George (59)
17.4 Lee (51)
11.4 Gallinari (55)

You know what else is crazy to me?  How 2K was so conservative with Sanders, Vucevic, and Hickson yet they had no trouble boosting Lee's defensive rebound rating (which was overrated to begin with!) due to his popularity.

DRB%
28.7 Hickson (84) - 6th in league
27.3 Sanders (80) - 9th in league
26.5 Vucevic (75) - 10th in league
22.7 Lee (90)

Keep embarrassing yourselves, 2K Sports.

Rashidi's Rating: 84
Position Rank: 9th

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Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry
83 Overall (+1)
78 Inside (+7)
77 Close (+6)
88 Med (-4)
89 FT (-1)
84 SOD (+2)
84 Security (+4)
83 Pass (+4)
77 Steal (-5)
90 OffAwr (+2)
71 DefAwr (+4)
80 Consistency (+5)

2013
Inside: 26-46 (56.5%)
Close: 33-91 (36.2%)
Med: 72-172 (41.9%)
3pt: 99-220 (45.0%)
AST%: 28.6
STL%: 2.1
PER: 18.9

2012
Inside: 18-32 (56.2%)
Close: 15-54 (27.7%)
Med: 57-89 (64.0%)
3pt: 55-121 (45.5%)
AST%: 32.3
STL%: 2.8
PER: 21.1

Strange that Curry's pass rating would go up when his assist rate has gone down (his 3.3 Assist to Bad Pass Ratio is also well below average for a PG).

Rashidi's Rating: 83
Position Rank: 9th

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COACHING CHANGES?

Avery Johnson is still coach of the Brooklyn Nets.  Since everyone just got back from holiday break, I assume there wasn't enough time to program in P.J. Carlesimo (who will probably last through the remainder of the season).

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INJURED PLAYERS

2K either read my blog or heard other's complaints, as Anderson Varejao (out since 12/18) finally hit the injured list.

NEW
Anderson Varejao (76/C, Cavaliers)
Sam Young (68/SF, Pacers)

RECOVERED
Trevor Ariza (76/SF, Wizards)

INJURED LIST
76ers: Andrew Bynum (87/C)
Bobcats: Tyrus Thomas (71/PF), Byron Mullens (69/PF)
Bucks: N/A
Bulls: Derrick Rose (92/PG)
Cavaliers: Anderson Varejao (76/C)
Celtics: Chris Wilcox (64/PF)
Clippers: Chauncey Billups (81/PG), Grant Hill (77/SF), Trey Thompkins (63/PF)
Grizzlies: Quincy Pondexter (61/SF)
Hawks: Devin Harris (76/PG), Anthony Morrow (66/SG)
Heat: N/A
Hornets: N/A
Jazz: Mo Williams (78/PG), Raja Bell (71/SG)
Kings: Tyreke Evans (80/SG), Marcus Thornton (75/SG)
Knicks: Iman Shumpert (80/SG), Raymond Felton (79/PG), Rasheed Wallace (71/PF)
Lakers: Steve Blake (68/PG)
Magic: Glen Davis (73/PF), Al Harrington (71/PF)
Mavericks: N/A
Nets: N/A
Nuggets: Wilson Chandler (80/SF)
Pacers: Danny Granger (83/SF), Sam Young (68/SF)
Pistons: N/A
Raptors: Andrea Bargnani (73/PF), Jonas Valanciunas (68/C)
Rockets: Royce White (68/PF)
Spurs: N/A
Suns: Channing Frye (67/PF)
Thunder: N/A
Timberwolves: Brandon Roy (80/SG), Chase Budinger (71/SF), Malcolm Lee (SG/65)
Trail Blazers: Elliot Williams (66/SG)
Warriors: Andrew Bogut (79/C), Brandon Rush (71/SG)
Wizards: John Wall (82/PG), Trevor Booker (67/PF), A.J. Price (55/PG)

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MISSING PLAYERS

No new players were added.

Patrick Beverley was recently bought-out of his Russian contract by the Rockets and will be joining the team as soon as he gets FIBA clearance.  I assume he would take the roster spot of Scott Machado.

Terrel Harris was waived by the Heat today, 5 days before his contract became guaranteed.  There is a chance the team will bring him back later in the season on a 10-day contract.

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UPDATED MISSING PLAYER LIST
Kevin Jones (PF) - Cavaliers (8 games, 6.5 mpg)
Jarvis Varnado (PF) - Celtics (5 games, 3.6 mpg)
Kevin Murphy (SG) - Jazz (3 games, 3.0 mpg)
Julyan Stone (PG/SG) - Nuggets (0 games, currently injured, played 22 games and 8.1 mpg last season)
Ben Hansbrough (PG/SG) - Pacers (13 games, 9.8 mpg)
Scott Machado (PG) - Rockets (5 games, 3.8 mpg)
Diante Garrett (SG) - Suns (6 games, 5.0 mpg)
Kent Bazemore (SG/SF) - Warriors (17 games, 1.6 mpg)
TOTAL: 8

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PLAYERS ON WRONG TEAMS

Dominic McGuire (66/SF) - Hornets
Daequan Cook (63/SG) - Free Agent

McGuire was waived by the Hornets yesterday afternoon.  2K still has him on the active roster over Al-Farouq Aminu.

While the move is not yet official, the Bulls are in the process of signing Daequan Cook who just cleared waivers.

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INCORRECT LINEUPS

CAVALIERS
Kyrie Irving (PG), Dion Waiters (SG), Alonzo Gee (SF), Tristan Thompson (PF), Tyler Zeller (C)
Dion Waiters has played his last two games off the bench, reprising the sixth man role he played at Syracuse.  C.J. Miles moved to the starting lineup, as he's played much better in that role.

KNICKS
Jason Kidd (PG), Ronnie Brewer (SG), Carmelo Anthony (SF), Amare Stoudemire (PF), Tyson Chandler (C)
It has been widely reported that Amare Stoudemire will be coming off the bench for the foreseeable future.  Marcus Camby has been starting (and prior to that, Kurt Thomas).  A bit mind-boggling why 2K would start him when they are bringing Dirk Nowitzki off the Mavericks bench.

MAGIC
Jameer Nelson (PG), Arron Afflalo (SG), Maurice Harkless (SF), Andrew Nicholson (PF), Nikola Vucevic (C)
DeQuan Jones replaced the struggling Harkless in the starting lineup on 12/31.

MAVERICKS
Darren Collison (PG), O.J. Mayo (SG), Dahntay Jones (SF), Shawn Marion (PF), Chris Kaman (C)
Dirk Nowitzki was expected to enter the starting lineup on Saturday, and did so (shifting Marion back to SF).

SUNS
Goran Dragic (PG), Shannon Brown (SG), Michael Beasley (SF)Markieff Morris (PF), Marcin Gortat (C)
Beasley lost his starting job to Jared Dudley on 12/8.  Morris lost his job to Luis Scola on 12/12.  How 2K can go a month (SEVEN ROSTER UPDATES!!!) without paying attention to an entire team, I'll never know.

WIZARDS
Shelvin Mack (PG), Bradley Beal (SG), Martell Webster (SF), Nene (PF), Emeka Okafor (C)
2K seriously just added Wizards starting PG Garrett Temple to the game and didn't put him in the starting lineup.  I have no words.

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Liked the in-depth breakdown of 2K Sports' roster update?  Check out Rashidi's roster, The Real NBA 2K13.


Thursday, January 3, 2013

NBA 2K13 Roster Analysis 1/3/13

2K Sports returned from Christmas vacation.  With this roster update, one has to wonder when they'll actually return to work.

Sure, we had Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash return from injury two weeks after the fact, Eric Gordon, Amare Stoudemire and a collection of other players return, and even Avery Bradley after making his debut just last night.  Did they bother to do anything else?  Read on.

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COACHING CHANGES?

Avery Johnson is still coach of the Brooklyn Nets.  Since everyone just got back from holiday break, I assume there wasn't enough time to program in P.J. Carlesimo.

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PLAYER EDITS

Player attribute edits per roster
1/3: 1
12/25: 0
12/21: 0
12/18: 9
12/13: 1
12/8: 15
12/5: 14
11/17:  16

Lance Stephenson
64 Overall (+5)
75 3pt (+47)

16 days and the only attribute 2K could be bothered to change was Lance Stephenson's blatantly terrible 3pt rating.  This is what the company accomplished over the holidays.  It's officially time to rename their marquee feature "NBA Yesterday".

For the record, 2K also switched Kyle Korver's position to Small Forward three months late. While this lead to a change in Overall rating (63, +1), this does NOT qualify as an attribute change.

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INJURED PLAYERS

As you will read about in 2K and various gamer outlet's plugs, 2K focused on injuries this update!
(Oh boy!  Focusing on a feature nobody wanted to see in the first place!)
Well, here's the list of what changed.

NEW
Byron Mullens (69/PF, Bobcats)
Chris Wilcox (64/PF, Celtics)
Quincy Pondexter (61/SF, Grizzlies)
Devin Harris (76/PG, Hawks)
Anthony Morrow (66/SG, Hawks)
Mo Williams (78/PG, Jazz)
Tyreke Evans (80/SG, Kings)
Marcus Thornton (75/SG, Kings)
Raymond Felton (79/PG, Knicks)
Rasheed Wallace (71/PF, Knicks)
Glen Davis (73/PF, Magic)
Jonas Valanciunas (68/C, Raptors)

RECOVERED
Beno Udrih (68/PG, Bucks)
Tobias Harris (68/SF, Bucks)
Richard Hamilton (73/SG, Bulls)
Avery Bradley (79/SG, Celtics)
Eric Gordon (84/SG, Hornets)
Jason Smith (60/C, Hornets)
Amare Stoudemire (83/PF, Knicks)
Marcus Camby (73/C, Knicks)
Steve Nash (87/PG, Lakers)
Hedo Turkoglu (72/SF, Magic)
Dirk Nowitzki (84/PF, Mavericks)
Lance Stephenson (59/SG, Pacers)
Kyle Lowry (82/PG, Raptors)
Landry Fields (73/SF, Raptors)
Patrick Patterson (75/PF, Rockets)
Richard Jefferson (74/SF, Warriors)

MISSING
Anderson Varejao (76/C, Cavaliers) - Last played on 12/18

INJURED LIST

76ers: Andrew Bynum (87/C)
Bobcats: Tyrus Thomas (71/PF), Byron Mullens (69/PF)
Bucks: N/A
Bulls: Derrick Rose (92/PG)
Cavaliers: N/A
Celtics: Chris Wilcox (64/PF)
Clippers: Chauncey Billups (81/PG), Grant Hill (77/SF), Trey Thompkins (63/PF)
Grizzlies: Quincy Pondexter (61/SF)
Hawks: Devin Harris (76/PG), Anthony Morrow (66/SG)
Heat: N/A
Hornets: N/A
Jazz: Mo Williams (78/PG), Raja Bell (71/SG)
Kings: Tyreke Evans (80/SG), Marcus Thornton (75/SG)
Knicks: Iman Shumpert (80/SG), Raymond Felton (79/PG), Rasheed Wallace (71/PF)
Lakers: Steve Blake (68/PG)
Magic: Glen Davis (73/PF), Al Harrington (71/PF)
Mavericks: N/A
Nets: N/A
Nuggets: Wilson Chandler (80/SF)
Pacers: Danny Granger (83/SF)
Pistons: N/A
Raptors: Andrea Bargnani (73/PF), Jonas Valanciunas (68/C)
Rockets: Royce White (68/PF)
Spurs: N/A
Suns: Channing Frye (67/PF)
Thunder: N/A
Timberwolves: Brandon Roy (80/SG), Chase Budinger (71/SF), Malcolm Lee (SG/65)
Trail Blazers: Elliot Williams (66/SG)
Warriors: Andrew Bogut (79/C), Brandon Rush (71/SG)
Wizards: John Wall (82/PG), Trevor Ariza (76/SF), Trevor Booker (67/PF), A.J. Price (55/PG)


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MISSING PLAYERS

64 - Garrett Temple (SG/PG) - Wizards (5 games, 28.0 mpg, 3 starts)

Temple absolutely needed to be added as he's taken over starting PG duties due to all the injuries in Washington.  He was previously in 2K12 so his addition shouldn't have been difficult.

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UPDATED MISSING PLAYER LIST
Kevin Jones (PF) - Cavaliers (8 games, 6.5 mpg)
Jarvis Varnado (PF) - Celtics (4 games, 3.5 mpg)
Terrel Harris (SG) - Heat (7 games, 4.1 mpg, played 22 games and 14.5 mpg last season)
Kevin Murphy (SG) - Jazz (3 games, 3.0 mpg)
Julyan Stone (PG/SG) - Nuggets (0 games, currently injured, played 22 games and 8.1 mpg last season)
Ben Hansbrough (PG/SG) - Pacers (12 games, 9.1 mpg)
Scott Machado (PG) - Rockets (5 games, 3.8 mpg)
Diante Garrett (SG) - Suns (6 games, 5.0 mpg)
Kent Bazemore (SG/SF) - Warriors (17 games, 1.6 mpg)
TOTAL: 9

No pressing needs.
Hansbrough overtook D.J. Augustin for backup PG minutes but has been thoroughly unimpressive (and was probably just done to light a fire under the struggling Augustin).
Varnado, the newest addition to the list, has played well in his limited playing time.

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PLAYERS ON WRONG TEAMS

Donald Sloan (63/PG) - Cavaliers
Daequan Cook (63/SG) - Rockets
Shaun Livingston (62/PG) - Free Agent
James Anderson (65/SG) - Free Agent
Lazar Hayward (60/SF) - Free Agent

Sloan was waived by the Cavs on 12/25 to make room for Livingston, who was claimed off waivers and played on 1/2
Cook was waived by the Rockets on 1/2 to make room for Anderson
Hayward was signed by the Wolves on 12/31 and played on 1/2

Avery Bradley played last night and was activated.  Lazar Hayward played last night and is in the free agent pool.  2K Sports can't seem to be bothered to keep up with official transactions, as minor as they might be.

For what it's worth, Josh Howard (70/SF), who was erroneously on the Timberwolves roster last update has been removed from the game.  He tore his ACL and is out for the season, so this will prevent teams from signing him in Association.  Whether they remember to add him back to NBA 2K14 is another story.

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INCORRECT LINEUPS

A number of teams (finally) had their lineups fixed.  Naturally, a few more cropped up to take their place.  Incorrect list drops from 9 to 6.

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CAVALIERS
Kyrie Irving (PG), Dion Waiters (SG), Alonzo Gee (SF), Tristan Thompson (PF), Anderson Varejao (C)
Tyler Zeller has been starting in place of the injured Varejao for two weeks.  Of course, that only would matter if 2K had injured him.  Regardless, Dion Waiters moved to the bench last night, and will be the team's sixth man as he was in college.  C.J. Miles has moved to the starting lineup, where he has had significantly more success than off the bench.

KNICKS
Jason Kidd (PG), Ronnie Brewer (SG), Carmelo Anthony (SF), Amare Stoudemire (PF), Tyson Chandler (C)
It has been widely reported that Amare Stoudemire will be coming off the bench for the foreseeable future.  Kurt Thomas has been starting against bigger front-courts, while James White has been starting against smaller front-courts (shifting Melo to PF). A bit mind-boggling why 2K would start him when they are bringing Dirk Nowitzki off the Mavericks bench.

MAGIC
Jameer Nelson (PG), Arron Afflalo (SG), Maurice Harkless (SF), Andrew Nicholson (PF), Nikola Vucevic (C)
DeQuan Jones replaced the struggling Harkless in the starting lineup on 12/31.

MAVERICKS
Darren Collison (PG), O.J. Mayo (SG), Dahntay Jones (SF), Shawn Marion (PF), Chris Kaman (C)
Vince Carter replaced Jones in the starting lineup on 12/30.

SUNS
Goran Dragic (PG), Shannon Brown (SG), Michael Beasley (SF), Markieff Morris (PF), Marcin Gortat (C)
Beasley lost his starting job to Jared Dudley on 12/8.  Morris lost his job to Luis Scola on 12/12.  How 2K can go a month without paying attention to an entire team, I'll never know.

WIZARDS
Shelvin Mack (PG), Bradley Beal (SG), Martell Webster (SF), Nene (PF), Emeka Okafor (C)

2K seriously just added the Wizards starting PG to the game and didn't put him in the starting lineup.  I have no words.

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SUMMARY

THE BAD
16 days
1 Missing Player Added
1 Player Edit (1 attribute edited)
1 Player Position Change
5 Players on Wrong Teams
1 Incorrect Coach
6 Incorrect Lineups

THE GOOD
12 New Injuries
16 Injury Recoveries

If 2K Sports doesn't make a larger, considerably more detailed update quickly, there will surely be hell to pay within the community, one that already knows what a shoddy job 2K does in this department.

Archive of NBA 2K13 Association Simulations

Archive of simulation test results from my NBA 2K13 roster (made each time before a roster upload).

1/3 Roster


AWARDS
MVP: Russell Westbrook
ROY: Damian Lillard
6TH: Amare Stoudemire
DPY: Anderson Varejao
MIP: Robin Lopez
COY: Rick Adelman

Russell Westbrook getting MVP is a bit of a head scratcher since he isn't even the best player on his team.  Blame it on 2K's engine which looks at points, rebounds, assists, but NOT shooting percentage.

Amare Stoudemire likely won't qualify for Sixth Man since he missed the first two months of the season, but could make things interesting if he plays like a star off the bench IRL.

A decrease to Dwight Howard's ratings may have cost him Defensive Player of the Year, which is a good thing since Howard is extremely unlikely to get it this year.  Varejao won't get it either, as his team is 29th defensively, but it's good to see some variety here.

Robin Lopez is a worthy candidate for MIP, though Kemba Walker who won it in the last sim is probably more likely to walk with the award IRL.

ALL-NBA TEAMS
First Team: Russell Westbrook, Dwyane Wade, Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard
Second Team: Brandon Jennings, Jeremy Lin, LeBron James, Kevin Love, Anderson Varejao
Third Team: James Harden, Goran Dragic, Josh Smith, Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan

Last week we saw Brandon Jennings make All-NBA First Team despite inferior stats to Wade/Kobe AND a losing record.  This time we see Jeremy Lin make All-NBA Second Team (over James Harden!), LeBron James take a back seat to Blake Griffin on the First Team, and Anderson Varejao beat out Tim Duncan for the 2nd team.

Lin: 19.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 6.9 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Harden: 22.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 5.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Harden has the better statistical output (+3 points and FG%, +1 rebounds, -1 assists and steals), so 2K is certainly overvaluing either assists or steals in their All-NBA formula.

Griffin: 23.7 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.9 BPG
LeBron: 22.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Griffin actually trumps LeBron statistically.  I'll have to look into why LeBron was so passive in this simulation, as his scoring was 2nd on the team behind Wade's 23.5 PPG, and we know whose #1 in the pecking order IRL.

Varejao: 11.6 PPG, 14.1 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.8 BPG
Duncan:  17.5 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, 0.3 SPG, 1.7 BPG

Seriously, when did rebounds become more important than points?

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAMS
First Team: Kyle Lowry, Jason Kidd, Blake Griffin, Josh Smith, Anderson Varejao
Second Team: Goran Dragic, Dwyane Wade, Anthony Davis, Serge Ibaka, Dwight Howard

Blake Griffin takes Carlos Boozer's place in this week's "what???" selection.  Griffin (like Boozer) grabs a ton of rebounds and plays for one of the NBA's best defensive teams (which probably inflates his numbers a bit in the engine).

ALL-ROOKIE TEMAS
First Team: Damian Lillard, Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Dion Waiters, Andre Drummond
Second Team: Alexey Shved, Bradley Beal, Royce White, Andrew Nicholson, Jeff Taylor

Aside from White who isn't playing due to health issues, we'll probably see this at the end of the year. Last week's sim saw Terrence Ross and Jared Sullinger make the cut over Nicholson and Taylor which is probably more realistic if the season ended today.

PLAYOFF RESULTS
Thunder (1) defeat Rockets (8) in 7 games.
Timberwolves (5) defeat Nuggets (4) in 5 games.
Spurs (6) defeat Grizzlies (3)  in 5 games.
Lakers (7) defeat Clippers (2) in 7 games.

The Warriors are notably absent from the west bracket, and I will have to work to improve their ratings (they were only 7th last week).

Last week the Lakers were the #1 seed but were bounced in round one.  This week I decreased most of their ratings and they came in 7th, but they managed to upset the Clippers in the battle for Los Angeles.

Heat (1) defeat Hawks (8) in 6 games.
76ers (4) defeat Nets (5) in 7 games.
Bucks (6) defeat Bulls (3) in 7 games.
Knicks (2) defeat Wizards (7) in 6 games.

I can't believe I'm writing this, but the Wizards somehow made the playoffs despite being the lowest rated team in my roster (obviously, having John Wall for 82 games was a big factor).

Thunder (1) defeat Timberwolves (5) in 6 games.
Lakers (7) defeat Spurs (6) in 6 games.
76ers (4) defeat Heat (1) in 7 games.
Knicks (2) defeat Bucks (6) in 5 games.

Heat lose to a team that may not even make the playoffs IRL (granted, they do have Andrew Bynum in these sims).

Lakers (4) defeat Thunder (1) in 4 games.
Knicks (2) defeat 76ers (4) in 4 games
Lakers (7) defeat Knicks (2) in 5 games.

Looks like my Laker rating decreases were all for naught, as they go on to win the NBA Championship.
Kobe Bryant named Finals MVP.

RETIREMENTS
Players: Jason Terry, Grant Hill, Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, Marcus Camby, Rasheed Wallace, Pablo Prigioni, Jerry Stackhouse, Andre Miller
Coaches: Lawrence Frank
HOF: Ray Allen, Jason Kidd

This list is exactly the same as last week, with Jason Terry (2 years remaining on contract!!!!!!!!!!!!) taking the place of Richard Hamilton, and Kurt Thomas for whatever reason deciding to suit up for another year at age 41 while the rest of his younger teammates call it quits.  As with last time, Allen, Kidd, Camby, and Miller all have guaranteed years and few players EVER walk away from guaranteed money.  It's anyone's guess as to when 2K Sports figures this out.

Lawrence Frank retiring yet again still makes as little sense last week as it does now - he's one of the league's youngest coaches.

OFFSEASON SIGNINGS
David West, J.R. Smith, and Jarrett Jack signed with the Cavaliers. One of the biggest changes I made in this roster is giving Chris Paul a max extension with the Clippers to prevent him from signing with the Cavs as he does in every single Association or MyCareer.  The Cavs in turn spent their money on a better balanced team.  Bravo!
The Hawks signed Nate Robinson to backup extremely similar Louis Williams, pushing Jeff Teague to 3rd string.  LOL.  A possible solution in future rosters is switching Lou to SG in the future, as he's been starting there recently.
Hornets brought back Carl Landry to backup both Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson.  This is the same Landry the Hornets let walk to the Warriors because they had the other two guys.
Nikola Pekovic signed with the Jazz, replacing Paul Millsap.  This makes former #3 pick Enes Kanter a 3rd string behind Jefferson and Pek.
Knicks sign Jazz backups Jamaal Tinsley and Earl Watson to replace retired Kidd and Prigioni, bring in DeShawn Stevenson to replace J.R. Smith, and bring in Samuel Dalembert to replace retired Camby and Wallace.
As with last week, Dwight Howard left the Lakers, and the best replacement they could muster was Jermaine O'Neal.  The major difference between the last two weeks is THE LAKERS JUST WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!!  Dwight wouldn't stick around for the title defense on a better contract than any other team can offer?  I find that hard to believe.
Paul Millsap signed with the Magic, which beats him completely disappearing via glitch as he did in last week's sim.  Andray Blatche also signed with the Magic, as he did last week.
J.J. Hickson signed with the Pistons, turning Andre Drummond into a 3rd string (though the lack of quality PFs probably means Greg Monroe starts there).
Dwight Howard once again signed with the Rockets.  If this persists, I am likewise going to have to give him an extension with the Lakers, who are extremely likely to keep him regardless of their season results.  Who else do they have for the future?  While the concept of a Howard/Harden/Lin team sounds fun, turning Omer Asik into a 15 million dollar backup in 2015 is not.

Top Unsigned FAs
PG: Delonte West (73), Jeremy Pargo (72)
SG: J.J. Redick (74), Brandon Roy (73), Tony Allen (72)
SF: Stephen Jackson (73), Ronnie Brewer (72), Dahntay Jones (71), Anthony Morrow (71), Mike Dunleavy (71), Martell Webster (70), Damion James (70)
PF: Elton Brand (76), JaJuan Johnson (70)
C: Timofey Mozgov (66)

Overall, these are better results than we saw last week, despite some hiccups from 2K's simulation engine.  Time to see where next week's adjustments take us!


12/25 Roster

Results from 12/25 roster. Tested with player roles, chemistry, CPU trades, and injuries turned off.  No association simulations are exactly the same.

MVP: LeBron James
ROY: Damian Lillard
6TH: Ryan Anderson
DPY: Dwight Howard
MIP: Kemba Walker
COY: Mike D'Antoni

The top 3 are a given.  Ryan Anderson has outplayed both Jamal Crawford and Kevin Martin even though nobody in the media is reporting it due to market differences.  Dwight is a perennial DPOY when healthy, while Kemba is definitely a fine candidate for MIP.  COY is given to coach of the best team so this will often go to Lakers/Heat/Thunder coaches (though the idea of D'Antoni as COY is an amusing one given our knowledge of how the NBA season has actually played out).

All-NBA 1st: Russell Westbrook, Brandon Jennings, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard
All-NBA 2nd: Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Love, Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan
All-NBA 3rd: Stephen Curry, Deron Williams, Josh Smith, LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMarcus Cousins

Jennings on the 1st team over Wade and Kobe stands out as really bad.
Jennungs: 21.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 7.3 APG, 2.3 SPG, 41.7 FG%
Kobe: 24.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.6 SPG, 48.7 FG%
Wade: 23.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.5 SPG, 52.5 FG%

Chalk this one up to 2K Sports not understanding the importance of shooting percentage.

All-Defense 1st: Kyle Lowry, Chris Paul, Josh Smith, Serge Ibaka, Dwight Howard
All-Defense 2nd: Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala, Carlos Boozer, Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins

2K's defensive teams are usually atrocious since it looks exclusively at rebounds, steals, and blocks rather than actual ability (Awareness or On-Ball/Post ratings play no factor). I've never seen non-shot blockers like Boozer (9.2 DRB, 1.4 STL, 0.5 BLK) and Cousins (9.7 DRB, 1.4 STL, 1.0 BLK) make it before though.

All-Rookie 1st: Damian Lillard, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Anthony Davis, Dion Waiters, Andre Drummond
All-Rookie 2nd: Alexey Shved, Bradley Beal, Royce White, Terrence Ross, Jared Sullinger

Aside from White who isn't playing due to health issues, we'll probably see this at the end of the year.

PLAYOFF RESULTS
Timberwolves (8) defeat Lakers (1) in 6 games.
Grizzlies (5) defeat Clippers (4) in 7 games.
Thunder (6) defeat Spurs (3) in 7 games.
Nuggets (2) defeat Warriors (7) in 5 games.

Regardless of the order, these are the top 8 teams in the west.
The curse of the 2K sim engine strikes again, as it seems like one of the #1 seeds is destined to lose in the first round every season even though this rarely happens in reality.  I understand 2K likes to keep things varied in association, but come on, the best teams should advance the majority of the time, especially with chemistry and injuries turned off.

Heat (1) defeat Pacers (8) in 5 games.
Hawks (5) defeat Knicks (4) in 5 games.
Nets (6) defeat Sixers (3) in 6 games.
Bulls (2) defeat Celtics (7) in 7 games.

Only the Sixers would be a non-playoff team if the season started today.  On that note, the Bucks absence here (6th IRL) certainly nullifies Brandon Jennings' selection to All-NBA First team.

Timberwolves (8) defeat Grizzlies (5) in 6 games.
Nuggets (2) defeat Thunder (6) in 7 games.
Heat (1) defeat Hawks (5) in 6 games.
Nets (6) defeat Bulls (2) in 6 games.

The Western Conference Finals are between the west's worst two playoff teams.  Go figure.

Nuggets (2) defeat Timberwolves (8) in 5 games.
Heat (1) defeat Nets (6) in 4 games.
Heat (1) defeat Nuggets (2) in 6 games.

LeBron named Finals MVP.

RETIREMENTS
Players: Richard Hamilton, Grant Hill, Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, Marcus Camby, Rasheed Wallace, Pablo Prigioni, Kurt Thomas, Jerry Stackhouse, Andre Miller
Coaches: Lawrence Frank
HOF: Ray Allen, Jason Kidd

Of those players, there isn't a chance that Allen, Kidd, Camby, or Miller retire because they are all owed guaranteed money on their contracts (while Hamilton and Hill have team options).  When will 2K Sports figure out that players who are under contract DON'T retire?  It's ONLY been 12 years...

Lawrence Frank retiring makes no sense either considering he's only 42 years old.  Since we have AGES for players, how about we get them for coaches too?

OFFSEASON SIGNINGS
Dwight Howard signed w/ Rockets.  Lakers replaced him with Samuel Dalemebert.  WELP.
Chris Paul signed w/ Cavaliers, who still have Kyrie Irving. GO 2K!  Paul would NEVER pick a young rebuilding team over the contender he was already on who could also offer more money/years.  2K must be saying the Clippers would let Paul walk.
David West signed w/ Jazz, replacing Millsap.
Nate Robinson and Andray Blatche become the top 2 players on the Magic.
Nikola Pekovic signed w/ Mavericks.
Paul Millsap is nowhere to be found.  He disappeared.  High five for 2K glitches!

As you can see, an updated roster can only take us so far.

Friday, December 21, 2012

NBA 2K13 Roster Analysis 12/21/12



2K Sports released a 12/21/12 roster "update" that changed very little.  I guess they expected the world was going to end today with the Mayan Apocalypse.

I speculated in my 12/18 analysis that we would probably see 2K release a quick roster update to get Pau Gasol back into the Lakers lineup and that's exactly what they did.  Unfortunately, they needed to do a lot more than that, and had time to get it done.

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PLAYER EDITS

Not a single player was edited in the past three days.

Player attribute edits per roster
12/21: 0
12/18: 9
12/13: 1
12/8: 15
12/5: 14
11/17:  16

On the bright side, I guess I won't be staying in on a Friday night.

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INJURED PLAYERS

76ers: Andrew Bynum (87/C)
Bobcats: Tyrus Thomas (71/PF)
Bucks: Beno Udrih (68/PG), Tobias Harris (68/SF)
Bulls: Derrick Rose (92/PG), Richard Hamilton (73/SG)
Cavaliers: N/A
Celtics: Avery Bradley (79/SG)
Clippers: Chauncey Billups (81/PG), Grant Hill (77/SF), Trey Thompkins (63/PF)
Grizzlies: N/A
Hawks: N/A
Heat: N/A
Hornets: Eric Gordon (84/SG), Jason Smith (60/C)
Jazz: Raja Bell (71/SG)
Kings: N/A
Knicks: Amare Stoudemire (83/PF), Iman Shumpert (80/SG), Marcus Camby (73/C)
Lakers: Steve Nash (87/PG), Steve Blake (68/PG)
Magic: Hedo Turkoglu (72/SF), Al Harrington (71/PF)
Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki (84/PF)
Nets: N/A
Nuggets: Wilson Chandler (80/SF)
Pacers: Danny Granger (83/SF), Lance Stephenson (59/SG)
Raptors: Kyle Lowry (82/PG), Andrea Bargnani (73/PF), Landry Fields (73/SF)
Rockets: Patrick Patterson (75/PF), Royce White (68/PF)
Spurs: N/A
Suns: Channing Frye (67/PF)
Thunder: N/A
Timberwolves: Brandon Roy (80/SG), Chase Budinger (71/SF), Malcolm Lee (SG/65)
Trail Blazers: Elliot Williams (66/SG)
Warriors: Andrew Bogut (79/C), Richard Jefferson (74/SF), Brandon Rush (71/SG)
Wizards: John Wall (82/PG), Trevor Ariza (76/SF), Trevor Booker (67/PF), A.J. Price (55/PG)

NEW
Jason Smith (60/C, Hornets)
Marcus Camby (73/C, Knicks)
Patrick Patterson (75/PF, Rockets)

RECOVERED
Pau Gasol (81/PF, Lakers)
Stephen Jackson (78/SF, Spurs)

MISSING
Glen Davis (73/PF, Magic) - Will miss the next 4-6 weeks with a shoulder sprain.
Josh Howard (70/SF, Timberwolves) - Out for the season after tearing his ACL, shouldn't be on Timberwolves roster to begin with.

INCORRECT
Lance Stephenson (59/SG, Pacers) - Was listed as day-to-day, played on 12/18 and 12/19, and is still injured in the 12/21 roster.  Pathetic.

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MISSING PLAYERS

No new players were added (last on 12/18).

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UPDATED MISSING PLAYER LIST
Kevin Jones (PF) - Cavaliers (5 games, 6.6 mpg)
Terrel Harris (SG) - Heat (4 games, 5.8 mpg, played 22 games and 14.5 mpg last season)
Kevin Murphy (SG) - Jazz (3 games, 3.0 mpg)
Julyan Stone (PG/SG) - Nuggets (0 games, currently injured, played 22 games and 8.1 mpg last season)
Ben Hansbrough (PG/SG) - Pacers (8 games, 8.5 mpg)
Scott Machado (PG) - Rockets (1 game, 3.0 mpg)
Diante Garrett (SG) - Suns (5 games, 5.6 mpg)
Kent Bazemore (SG/SF) - Warriors (13 games, 1.3 mpg)
TOTAL: 8

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PLAYERS ON WRONG TEAMS

James Anderson (65/SG) - Spurs
Josh Howard (70/SF) - Timberwolves

McGuire signed with the Hornets and played on 12/16.  This roster is dated 12/18.  2K Sports' continued sloppiness simply cannot and should not be tolerated.

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INCORRECT LINEUPS

Heat finally had their lineup fixed after nearly a month.  Other than that, the same errors haven't been fixed.  The number of incorrect lineups is 9.

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BOBCATS
Kemba Walker (PG), Jeff Taylor (SG), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (SF), Byron Mullens (PF), Brendan Haywood (C)
Bismack Biyombo replaced Haywood in the starting lineup on 12/8. Gerald Henderson returned to the starting lineup on 12/15.

BUCKS
Brandon Jennings (PG), Monta Ellis (SG), Marquis Daniels (SF), John Henson (PF)Epke Udoh (C)
Larry Sanders took over starting duties from Henson on 12/5.  Luc Richard Mbah a Moute moved into the starting lineup on 12/12, shifting Sanders from PF to center, and Udoh to the bench.

HAWKS
Jeff Teague (PG), Kyle Korver (SG), Josh Smith (SF), Al Horford (PF), Zaza Pachulia (C)
As I pointed out 12/5, the Hawks proper starting lineup is DeShawn Stevenson at SG, Kyle Korver at SF, Josh Smith at PF, and Al Horford at C.  Korver has missed the last few games due to injury and Devin Harris has started in his place, shifting Stevenson to SF. (i.e. NOT Zaza Pachulia)

LAKERS
Chris Duhon (PG), Kobe Bryant (SG), Metta World Peace (SF), Pau Gasol (PF), Dwight Howard (C)
Jodie Meeks is the new starting SG in LA.  Kobe is shifting to SF, while Metta World Peace becomes the team's 6th man.

MAGIC
Jameer Nelson (PG), Arron Afflalo (SG), Maurice Harkless (SF), Glen Davis (PF), Nikola Vucevic (C)
Glen Davis will miss the next 4-6 weeks with injury.  His likely replacement in the starting lineup is Andrew Nicholson.

NETS
Deron Williams (PG), Joe Johnson (SG), Gerald Wallace (SF), Reggie Evans (PF), Brook Lopez (C)
Kris Humphries returned to the starting lineup on 12/18.

PACERS
George Hill (PG), Gerald Green (SG), Paul George (SF), David West (PF), Roy Hibbert (C)
Lance Stephenson is the starting SG, but is erroneously injured despite playing games on 12/18 and 12/19.

RAPTORS
Jose Calderon (PG), Demar DeRozan (SG), Linas Kleiza (SF), Ed Davis (PF), Jonas Valanciunas (C)
Mickael Pietrus has been starting at SF since 12/3.  Kleiza has started a grand total of three games on the season.

SUNS
Goran Dragic (PG), Shannon Brown (SG), Michael Beasley (SF), Markieff Morris (PF), Marcin Gortat (C)
Beasley lost his starting job to Jared Dudley on 12/8.

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SUMMARY
This was a half-assed injury update and nothing more.  Three new injuries, two players who recovered, all in the span of three days.  Sounds like 2K alright.