Anthony Bennett: Worst debut ever for #1 overall pick?

The Cavaliers shocked the world when they selected Anthony Bennett with the first pick in the 2013 NBA draft.  Unlike most #1 picks, Bennett was not expected to make an impact right away and it will be an uphill battle for him to get more minutes behind power forward Tristan Thompson.  That in itself exemplifies the weakness of this class.

Bennett shot 0-5 from the field in his pro debut, scoring only 2 points and collecting 5 rebounds in 15 minutes (while #2 overall Victor Oladipo has played far better thus far).  This left me wondering: "how many #1 overall picks played this poorly in their first NBA game?"  Is this an omen that he's the next Kwame Brown, or is there hope to cling on to?

Using Game Score, found on Basketball-Reference...

Game Score; the formula is PTS + 0.4 * FG - 0.7 * FGA - 0.4*(FTA - FT) + 0.7 * ORB + 0.3 * DRB + STL + 0.7 *AST + 0.7 * BLK - 0.4 * PF - TOV. Game Score was created by John Hollinger to give a rough measure of a player's productivity for a single game. The scale is similar to that of points scored, (40 is an outstanding performance, 10 is an average performance, etc.).

Excellent (20-25 GS)

24.7 LeBron James: 25 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals, 42 minutes (12-20 FG)

23.2 David Robinson: 23 points, 17 rebounds, 3 blocks, 34 minutes (6-11 FG)

22.3 Allen Iverson: 30 points, 6 assists, 37 minutes (12-19 FG)

20.6 Blake Griffin: 20 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 39 minutes (8-14 FG)

20.0 Anthony Davis: 21 points, 7 rebounds, 29 minutes (6-12 FG)

It should surprise no one that the King tops this list.   The hype for LeBron was off the charts, and he delivered in memorable fashion in his first NBA game.  The top four players on this list are superstars, so this bodes well for Anthony Davis.  Not just anyone can walk into the NBA and drop 20 points in their first game with a bulls-eye on their chest.

Above average (10-15 GS)

15.0 Chris Webber: 15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 34 minutes (5-12 FG)

13.6 Andrew Bogut: 13 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, 37 minutes (6-9 FG)

13.5 Dwight Howard: 10 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals, 4 blocks, 38 minutes (6-11 FG)

11.7 Tim Duncan: 15 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers, 35 minutes (6-9 FG)

11.4 Elton Brand: 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 35 minutes (3-11 FG)

11.2 Derrick Rose: 11 points, 9 assists, 3 steals, 32 minutes (3-9 FG)

11.1 Larry Johnson: 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, 26 minutes (4-8 FG)

10.6 Joe Smith: 14 points, 3 rebounds, 26 minutes (5-12 FG)

10.4 Derrick Coleman: 11 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 25 minutes (5-13 FG)

Solid all-around games for these top rookies that most of them would build upon.  Joe Smith is the only player here who never made an All-NBA team.

Below average (5-10 GS)

9.4 Michael Olowokandi: 14 points, 6 rebounds, 22 minutes (5-9 FG)

8.9 Patrick Ewing: 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 44 minutes (8-21 FG)

8.3 Shaquille O'Neal: 12 points, 18 rebounds, 3 blocks, 8 turnovers, 6 fouls, 32 minutes (4-8 FG)

8.1 John Wall: 14 points, 9 assists, 3 steals, 35 minutes (6-19 FG)

7.5 Danny Manning: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 27 minutes (6-10 FG)

6.3 Brad Daugherty: 8 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 37 minutes (3-8 FG)

Michael Olowokandi proved that a solid debut is not an indicator of future success (it was all downhill from there for Kandi-man).  Shaq's debut is probably the most interesting we've seen as he produced a ton of stats on opening night, both good and bad (obviously, he got it together).

Poor (0-5 GS)

3.6 Kenyon Martin: 10 points, 7 rebounds (4-16 FG)

3.4 Kyrie Irving: 6 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 26 minutes (2-12 FG)

3.4 Pervis Ellison: 6 points, 2 rebounds, 13 minutes (2-4 FG)

1.8 Kwame Brown: 2 points, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks, 12 minutes (1-2 FG)

0.5 Andrea Bargnani: 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks, 9 minutes (1-3 FG)

0.3 Glenn Robinson: 8 points, 4 rebounds, 5 turnovers, 13 minutes (3-5 FG)

While Kyrie Irving had an awful debuts, we find the majority of draft busts here at the bottom of the list.  It logically stands that a player who was bad in their first game is more likely to be bad in games 2, 3, 4, etc.

Abominable (Negative GS)

-0.8 Anthony Bennett: 2 points, 5 rebounds, 15 minutes (0-5 FG)

-3.0 Greg Oden: 0 points, 5 rebounds, 13 minutes (0-4 FG)

-3.3 Yao Ming: 0 points, 2 rebounds, 11 minutes (0-1 FG)

Bennett is one of only three #1 overall picks to have a negative impact in their first NBA game, and beats out Greg Oden for the worst shooting performance by a #1 overall pick in the lottery era. Yao Ming ranks as the worst pro debut, which gives Bennett and Cavs fans some hope. However, Yao was up to speed and playing at a high level in about two weeks.  Greg Oden has had the worst career in NBA history for a #1 overall pick and it's not exactly encouraging to find Bennett's name next to his.

It's still too early to write-off Bennett, but given NBA history, it's looking a bit grim.

NBA 2K14 Roster Analysis 10/30/13 - 2K responds

Responding to opening night criticism, 2K Sports quickly released another roster that completed all the missing transactions in the game, and added two of the missing players that were on the disc.

There were no new rating changes, although Marcus Morris of the Suns had his position changed to SF.

PLAYERS ADDED - 2
Mike Harris (62/SF) - Jazz
Hamady N'Diaye (52/C) - Kings

What is most disappointing about the missing players list is EIGHT of these players signed GUARANTEED contracts as far back as July.  2K Sports had THREE MONTHS (including one month with the game in consumer hands) to add these players in advance of opening night, and failed to do so.

MISSING PLAYERS - 24
Hollis Thompson (SF) - 76ers
Brandon Davies (PF) - 76ers
James Southerland (SF) - Bobcats
Miroslav Raduljica (C) - Bucks - GUARANTEED (signed 7/26/13)
Matthew Dellavedova (PG) - Cavaliers
Henry Sims (C) - Cavaliers
Phil Pressey (PG) - Celtics - GUARANTEED (signed 7/22/13)
Vitor Faverani (C) - Celtics - GUARANTEED (signed 7/22/13)
Nick Calathes (PG) - Grizzlies - GUARANTEED (signed 8/20/13)
Pero Antic (C) - Hawks - GUARANTEED (signed 7/26/13)
Ian Clark (SG) - Jazz
Chris Smith (PG) - Knicks
Toure Murry (SG) - Knicks
Elias Harris (PF) - Lakers
Ryan Kelly (PF) - Lakers
Gal Mekel (PG) - Mavericks - GUARANTEED (signed 7/11/13)
Arnize Onuaku (PF) - Pelicans
Luigi Datome (SF) - Pistons - GUARANTEED (signed 7/16/13)
Dwight Buycks (PG) - Raptors - GUARANTEED (signed 7/16/13)
Julyan Stone (PG) - Raptors
Robert Covington (PF) - Rockets - GUARANTEED (signed 7/15/13)
Dionte Christmas (SG) - Suns
Robbie Hummel (SF) - Timberwolves
Ognjen Kuzmic (C) - Warriors - GUARANTEED (signed 9/27/13)

PLAYER MOVEMENT
Darius Morris (66/PG) - 76ers (from Free Agent)
Mike James (65/PG) - Bulls (from Free Agent)
Roger Mason (69/SG) - Heat (from Free Agent)
Cole Aldrich (61/C) - Knicks (from Free Agent)
Solomon Jones (52/C) - Magic (from Free Agent)
Donald Sloan (64/PG) - Pacers (from Free Agent)
Rasual Butler (60/SF) - Pacers (from Free Agent)
Ronnie Brewer (73/SG) - Rockets (from Free Agent)
Ish Smith (71/PG) - Suns (from Free Agent)
A.J. Price (56/PG) - Timberwolves (from Free Agent)
Gani Lawal (56/PF) - Free Agent (from 76ers)
Reggie Williams (64/SF) - Free Agent (from Rockets)
Chris Johnson (64/C) - Free Agent (from Timberwolves)

OVER/UNDERRATED PLAYERS
Since there is a glimmer of hope that 2K Sports is paying attention to criticism this season, here is a list of ratings that ruin Association/MyCareer modes because the players are off.

Bobcats: Ben Gordon (76/SG) will start over Gerald Henderson (74/SG)
Cavaliers: Anthony Bennett (76/PF) will start over Tristan Thompson (74/PF); Alonzo Gee (71/SF) will start over Earl Clark (70/SF)
Celtics: Kris Humphries (72/PF) will start over Brandon Bass (70/PF)
Hawks: Cartier Martin (65/SF) will start over Kyle Korver (64/SF) and DeMarre Carroll (64/SF)
Magic: Hedo Turkoglu (72/SF) will play over Maurice Harkless (71/SF)
Nets: TyShawn Taylor (68/PG) will play over Shaun Livingston (62/PG)
Nuggets: J.J. Hickson (77/C) will start over JaVale McGee (75/C); Wilson Chandler (81/SF) will start over Danilo Gallinari (76/SF); Anthony Randolph (71/PF) will play over Darrell Arthur (68/PF) and Timofey Mozgov (67/C)
Pistons: Chauncey Billups (81/PG) will play over Will Bynum (71/PG)
Raptors: Tyler Hansbrough (72/PF) will start over Amir Johnson (71/PF); Steve Novak (53/SF) will never play
Rockets: Aaron Brooks (77/PG) will start over Jeremy Lin (76/PG) and Patrick Beverley (73/PG); Ronnie Brewer (73/SG) will play over Francisco Garcia (68/SF) and Omri Casspi (66/SF)
Spurs: Matt Bonner (58/C) will never play
Thunder: Jeremy Lamb (71/SG) will start over Thabo Sefolosha (70/SG)

Testing an Association, the following free agent signings ironically happen:
Bulls signed Richard Hamilton (74/SG)
Lakers signed Lamar Odom (72/PF)
Spurs signed Stephen Jackson (79/SF)
Suns signed Shannon Brown (74/SG)

What would solve that?  Accurate rating decreases for all of the above.

NBA 2K14 Roster Analysis 10/29/13 - Opening Night

This is just another piss-poor opening night from 2K Sports.  This is nearly as bad as last year's horrific opening night roster!  2K bamboozled all of you with their "Dynamic Rosters" and "Stats Inc" rhetoric.  It's still the same crap.

I for one am anxious to see what EA Sports and NBA Live is capable of in the roster department.  2K Sports can't even get current-gen right; should we REALLY have any faith that they'll get next-gen right?

If you want REAL NBA 2K14 rosters rather than this lackluster effort then I suggest you download my opening night roster file for XBox 360
The Real NBA 2K14 (10-29-13)
Just search for Gamertag on 2K Share: Real 2K Insider

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RATING CHANGES - 5
Paul George (89/SF), Byron Mullens (66/C), and Tony Wroten (63/PG) changed positions which resulted in an Overall rating change, but had no actual attribute changes.  C.J. Miles (71/SG) also changed positions but his Overall remains unchanged.

Darren Collison
80 Overall (+1)
40 Dunk (+12)
78 Vertical (+18)

Antawn Jamison
75 Overall (-1)
50 Vertical (-16)

2K Sports saw fit to lower Jamison's Vertical but saw ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG with his 90 OFFENSIVE AWARENESS or 90 CONSISTENCY.  Aaaaaaaaalllllrighty then.

Quincy Pondexter
66 Overall (-1)
35 Hustle (-40)
79 Potential (+6)

This restores Pondexter's Hustle back to it's nonsensical 2K13 value.

Alex Len
62 Overall (+5)
66 Dunk (+5)
48 Fade (+8)
62 Hook (+11)
31 Pass (+2)
79 Block (+1)
54 OBD (+6)
61 OffPost (+11)
69 DefPost (+7)
52 OffAwr (+8)
73 DefAwr (+10)
58 Quickness (+3)

Len averaged a team-low 2.8 points and team-high 3.8 fouls in the preseason, so one can only wonder what 2K Sports is basing this on.  Oh right, Gortat was traded.  Remind me what that has to do with Len?   Plumlee will be starting.  If 2K felt this way about Len, it should have been reflected well before any trade.

Klay Thompson
75 Overall (+2)
82 Layup (+3)
83 SOD (+5)
83 OffAwr (+3)
64 DefAwr (+3)
75 Consistency (+5)
78 Speed (+3)
78 Quickness (+5)

83 Shoot Off Dribble for a player who was assisted on 83% of his field goals last season.  Makes sense.

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PLAYERS ADDED - 1
Gani Lawal (56/PF) - 76ers

Lawal is re-added to the game (he was still on the disc, having been in 2K13's roster), but in typical 2K Sports fashion, they did this AFTER he was waived.

MISSING PLAYERS - 26  (last year: 30)
Hollis Thompson (SF) - 76ers
Brandon Davies (PF) - 76ers
James Southerland (SF) - Bobcats
Miroslav Raduljica (C) - Bucks
Matthew Dellavedova (PG) - Cavaliers
Henry Sims (C) - Cavaliers
Phil Pressey (PG) - Celtics
Vitor Faverani (C) - Celtics
Nick Calathes (PG) - Grizzlies
Pero Antic (C) - Hawks
Ian Clark (SG) - Jazz
Mike Harris (SF) - Jazz
Hamady N'Diaye (C) - Kings
Chris Smith (PG) - Knicks
Toure Murry (SG) - Knicks
Elias Harris (PF) - Lakers
Ryan Kelly (PF) - Lakers
Gal Mekel (PG) - Mavericks
Arnize Onuaku (PF) - Pelicans
Luigi Datome (SF) - Pistons
Dwight Buycks (PG) - Raptors
Julyan Stone (PG) - Raptors
Robert Covington (SF) - Rockets
Dionte Christmas (SG) - Suns
Robbie Hummel (SF) - Timberwolves
Ognjen Kuzmic (C) - Warriors

A few of these players have been signed for a while to guaranteed contracts and there's absolutely no good reason for them to be missing one month until the game's release.  The rest made their teams in preseason and it's anyone's guess if 2K will ever add any of them.  Last year it took 2K Sports SIX MONTHS to add Kent Bazemore.

PLAYER MOVEMENT
Jamaal Tinsley (PG) - Jazz (from Free Agents)
Emeka Okafor (C) - Suns (from Wizards)
Marcin Gortat (C) - Wizards (from Suns)
Royce White (PF) Free Agents (from 76ers)
Jeremy Tyler (PF) Free Agents (from Knicks)
Marcus Camby (C) - Free Agents (from Rockets)
Shannon Brown (SG) - Free Agents (from Suns)
Malcolm Lee (SG) - Free Agents (from Suns)
Kendall Marshall (PG) - Free Agents (from Suns)

PLAYERS ON WRONG TEAMS - 13 (last year: 18)
Gani Lawal (PF) - 76ers (should be Free Agent)
Reggie Williams (SF) - Rockets (should be Free Agent)
Chris Johnson (C) - Timberwolves (should be Free Agent)
Darius Morris (PG) - Free Agent (should be 76ers)
Mike James (PG) - Free Agent (should be Bulls)
Roger Mason (SG) - Free Agent (should be Heat)
Cole Aldrich (C) - Free Agent (should be Knicks)
Solomon Jones (C) - Free Agent (should be Magic)
Donald Sloan (PG) - Free Agent (should be Pacers)
Rasual Butler (SF) - Free Agent (should be Pacers)
Ronnie Brewer (SG) - Free Agent (should be Rockets)
Ish Smith (PG) - Free Agent (should be Suns)
A.J. Price (PG) - Free Agent (should be Timberwolves)

2K Sports should be ashamed of themselves.  It's well known that regular season rosters are finalized the day before the game comes out.  These moves are now official in the eyes of everyone besides 2K Sports.

INCORRECT LINEUPS - 10 (last year: 6)
Bobcats: Cody Zeller starting over Josh McRoberts
Cavaliers: Alonzo Gee starting over Earl Clark
Celtics: Kelly Olynyk starting over LOL OH WAIT VITOR FAVERANI NOT PRESENT
Hawks: John Jenkins starting over DeMarre Carroll (Korver shifting to SG)
Jazz: Alec Burks starting over Richard Jefferson (Hayward shifting to SG)
Kings: Luc Mbah a Moute and Jason Thompson starting over John Salmons and Patrick Patterson
Lakers: Jodie Meeks and Chris Kaman starting over Steve Blake and Shawne Williams (Gasol shifting to C)
Magic: Glen Davis starting over Kyle O'Quinn (Davis is injured)
Pelicans: Tyreke Evans starting over Al-Farouq Aminu
Suns: Gerald Green starting over P.J. Tucker

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INJURIES - 33
Jason Richardson (73/SG) - 76ers
Nerlens Noel (71/C) - 76ers
Arnett Moultrie (60/PF) - 76ers
Brendan Haywood (64/C) - Bobcats
Ekpe Udoh (67/C) - Bucks
Andrew Bynum (86/C) - Cavaliers
Carrick Felix (68/SG) - Cavaliers
Tyler Zeller (65/C) - Cavaliers
Rajon Rondo (90/PG) - Celtics
Maalik Wayns (63/PG) - Clippers
Louis Williams (79/SG) - Hawks
Gustavo Ayon (64/C) - Hawks
Trey Burke (73/PG) - Jazz
Brandon Rush (71/SG) - Jazz
Marvin Williams (65/SF) - Jazz
Carl Landry (76/PF) - Kings
J.R. Smith (84/SG) - Knicks
Kobe Bryant (93/SG) - Lakers
Devin Harris (76/PG) - Mavericks
Brandan Wright (68/C) - Mavericks
Tornike Shengelia (59/SF) - Nets
Danilo Gallinari (76/SF) - Nuggets
Danny Granger (80/SF) - Pacers
Darius Miller (64/SF) - Pelicans
Brandon Jennings (83/PG) - Pistons
Terrence Jones (64/PF) - Rockets
Emeka Okafor (77/C) - Suns
Russell Westbrook (91/PG) - Thunder
Chase Budinger (69/SF) - Timberwolves
C.J. McCollum (72/SG) - Trail Blazers
Festus Ezeli (63/C) - Warriors
Chris Singleton (67/PF) - Wizards
Marcus Camby (71/C) - Free Agents

INCORRECT INJURIES - 1
Terrence Jones (64/PF) - Rockets: (Day-to-day)

MISSING INJURIES - 4
Kwame Brown (60/C) - 76ers
Carlos Delfino (69/SF) - Bucks
Glen Davis (75/PF) - Magic
Jeremy Tyler (63/PF) - Free Agents

2K brings it's dreaded injuries back (making this roster and any further releases USELESS to any custom roster editors), but it shouldn't surprise anyone that they missed a couple.

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NBA 2K claims to be the #1 sports simulation but such a claim would require paying attention to the details. I read an article today on Knickerblogger that I think completely applies here.  2K's roster work is a continued blight upon the series and prevents it from being a TRUE champion.  Just because NBA Live hasn't released a game in 3 years, doesn't mean 2K has been releasing perfect 10/10 titles.  Far from it.  They have been getting by and doing just enough to keep their fans sated.  Just being "good enough" isn't (and never should be) "good enough".  I sincerely hope EA Sports manages to give 2K Sports a swift kick in the ass and remind them that anyone is beatable if they're not putting forth the effort.

NBA 2K14 Roster Analysis 10/25/13 - The return of "Dr. J" Julius Erving

"Dr. J" Julius Erving was added to the 1977 Sixers team in the lastest NBA 2K14 roster update.  Given that we only received one version of Erving (he is still missing from the 1985 Sixers team), I assume that his inclusion is really only for the purposes of MyTeam (which is where the real profit is for 2K).

Julius Erving (SF/SG)
96 Overall
99 Inside Shot (aka Standing Layup)
84 Close Shot
73 Medium Shot
60 3pt Shot
78 Free Throw
99 Layup
99 Dunk
80 Standing Dunk (SF avg = 51)
97 Spin Layup
93 Euro Step Layup
95 Hop Step Layup
98 Runner
94 Step Through
95 Shoot in Traffic
65 Post Fadeaway
62 Post Hook
35 Shoot Off Dribble (SF avg = 71)
89 Ball Handling  (SF avg = 72)
75 Off-Hand Dribbling
81 Ball Security
70 Pass
76 Block
86 Steal
89 Hands
88 On-Ball Defense
69 Offensive Rebound
73 Defensive Rebound
60 Post Offense
68 Post Defense
91 Offensive Awareness
91 Defensive Awareness
95 Consistency
95 Stamina
91 Speed
88 Quickness
84 Strength
99 Vertical
88 Hustle
95 Durability
97 Potential
55 Emotion
Signature Skills: Highlight Film, Posterizer, Finisher, Shot Creator, Closer

2K Sports once again proves they have no idea what they are doing in their player rating department.
How bad is that 35 SOD?  The lowest rated SF is Earl Clark (50) who used to be a PF. Most centers rate higher.  Of course, most centers don't have 89 Ball Handling either.  Many gamers will be fooled into thinking Erving is another LeBron James or Michael Jordan, but the SOD will hinder him drastically and frustrate many.

Erving is ultimately a poor man's Dominique Wilkins.  Nique has an even more absurd 99 Standing Dunk (Erving and Nique are the only non PF/C with 80+ SD), better rebound ratings, and better shooting ratings (that's before a 50 point gap in SOD rating).  Erving is technically a better ball handler (but can't put it to great use), and his defensive ratings are about 10 points better than Nique's.

What should have been the triumphant return of a 4x MVP (3x ABA, 1x NBA) is instead a bit of a dud.  Don't get me wrong, Dr. J will still be a better MyTeam player than 90% of the players out there, but he'll play more like Josh Smith than he will the player Michael Jordan emulated, and the lack of realism is ultimately disappointing.

ATTRIBUTE CHANGES
As far as I can tell, only one player received rating changes in the 10/25 roster, despite numerous over/underrated players that litter the 2K Sports roster.

Andre Drummond (C/Pistons)
74 Overall (+2)
45 Handle (+10) - Uh... what?
30 OHD (+5)
82 DefPost (+12) - Held opponents to 0.77 PPP
83 DefAwr (+3)
55 Consistency (+10)
86 Hustle (+18) - Tell that to UConn
88 Potential (+8)

PLAYER MOVEMENT
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
Daniel Orton (56/C) from Free Agents

ATLANTA HAWKS
Cartier Martin (65/SF) from Free Agents

PLAYERS ON WRONG TEAMS
MIAMI HEAT
Jarvis Varnado (61/PF) to Free Agents

NEW YORK KNICKS
Jeremy Tyler (63/PF) to Free Agents

FREE AGENTS
Seeing as how 2K added camp invite Cartier Martin to the Hawks, I see no reason why they couldn't have added the rest of the camp invites, particularly players who are locks to make their respective teams.

Ronnie Brewer (73/SG) to Rockets
Ish Smith (71/PG) to Suns
Roger Mason (69/SG) to Heat - Varnado was waived to make room for Mason
Jamaal Tinsley (69/PG) to Jazz
Louis Amundson (67/PF) to Clippers
Diante Garrett (67/PG) to Thunder
Darius Morris (66/PG) to 76ers - Long known he would make the team
Mike James (65/PG) to Bulls
Donald Sloan (64/PG) to Pacers - HAS A TWO YEAR GUARANTEED CONTRACT!!!!
Cole Aldrich (61/C) to Knicks
Rasual Butler (60/SF) to Pacers
A.J. Price (56/PG) to Timberwolves

RETIREMENTS
Tracy McGrady announced his retirement and was quickly removed from the game by 2K Sports in their 10/18 roster update.  Maybe they should get around to these guys?

Corey Maggette (74/SF) - Stated he would retire after being cut by Spurs
Raja Bell (71/SG)
Antonio Daniels (68/PG) - Has been retired for THREE YEARS now
James Posey (67/SF) - Has been retired for THREE YEARS now
Jerry Stackhouse (65/SF)
Luke Walton (64/PF) - Broadcasting Lakers games
Kurt Thomas (64/PF)
Jared Jeffries (64/PF) - Nuggets scout
Bobby Simmons (59/SF)
Joel Przybilla (57/C)
Malik Allen (57/PF) - Has been retired for THREE YEARS now
Matt Carroll (57/SG) - Sixers shooting consultant
Vladimir Radmanovic (56/PF) - Announced retirement earlier in month
Brian Skinner (54/C)
Francisco Elson (54/C)
Brian Cardinal (52/PF) - Has been retired for two years now.

OVERSEAS
Terrence Williams (73/SF)
Delonte West (73/PG)
Maurice Evans (71/SF)
James White (69/SG)
Darius Johnson-Odom (69/SG)
Armon Johnson (66/PG)
Antoine Wright (65/SG)
Josh Selby (65/SG)
Sherron Collins (65/PG) - out of NBA for 3 years
Linas Kleiza (64/SF) - has stated no desire to ever return to NBA
Donte Greene (63/SF)
Travis Leslie (63/SG)
DaJuan Summers (61/SF)
Jeremy Pargo (61/PG) - signed multi-year deal with CKSA Moscow
Charles Jenkins (61/PG)
Samardo Samuels (60/C)
Darington Hobson (60/SF)
Christian Eyenga (60/SF)
Luke Babbitt (60/SF)
Kyle Weaver (60/SG)  - out of NBA for 3 years
Kim English (60/SG)
Hassan Whiteside (59/C)
Hamed Haddadi (59/C)
Justin Harper (59/PF)
Earl Barron (57/C)
Luke Haranbody (57/PF)
Andy Rautins (57/SG) - out of NBA for 3 years
Johan Petro (56/C)
Jon Brockman (56/PF)
D.J. Mbenga (52/C) - out of NBA for 3 years
Kyrylo Fesenko (52/C)

COME ON ALREADY
Kelenna Azubuike (71/SG) - Not an NBA player following multiple knee surgeries
Antoine Wright (65/SG) - Out of NBA for 3 years
Quinton Ross (62/SG) - Out of NBA for 3 years
Rodney Carney (61/SF) - Out of NBA for 3 years
Ronald Dupree (56/SF) - Out of NBA for 3 years
Orien Greene (53/PG) - 5 NBA minutes in the last 6 years
Darnell Jackson (52/PF) - Out of NBA for 3 years

NBA 2K14 Chicago Bulls Rating Changes

Derrick Rose
92 Overall (0)
76 3pt (-1)
Skills Added: Pick & Roll Maestro, One Man Fastbreak
Skills Removed: Shot Creator, Ankle Breaker

Joakim Noah
82 Overall (-1)
67 Layup (+16)
53 Pass (+3)
87 Block (+1)
67 Steal (+7)
88 OffReb (-6)
83 DefReb (-8)
Skills Added: Tenacious Rebounder, Defensive Anchor
Skills Removed: Hustle Points

Luol Deng
79 Overall (-4)
78 3pt (-4)
81 FT (+4)
44 Block (-16)
64 Steal (+2)
70 OffReb (-9)
48 DefReb (-27)
81 OffAwr (-2)
83 DefAwr (-3)
75 Consistency (-5)

Carlos Boozer
77 Overall (-2)
86 Close (-4)
85 Med (-4)
73 FT (+4)
62 Dunk (+8)
44 Block (+2)
62 Steal (-6)
74 OffReb (-9)
92 DefReb (+4)
75 OffAwr (-3)
60 Consistency (-10)
80 Stamina (+2)
61 Hustle (+13)
86 Durability (+8)
84 Potential (-9)
Skills Removed: Bruiser

Jimmy Butler
76 Overall (0) - Would rate 78 at SF
74 Inside (-8)
82 3pt (-1)
50 Block (+4)
70 Steal (+2)
82 OBD (+6)
72 OffReb (+10)
42 DefReb (-13)
70 DefPost (+7)
84 DefAwr (+6)
65 Consistency (+5)
99 Stamina (+10)
93 Hustle (+5)
85 Potential (+5)
Skills Added: Lockdown Defender

Taj Gibson
75 Overall (-1)
67 FT (+5)
89 Block (+5)
57 Steal (-3)
80 OffReb (-10)
69 DefReb (-4)
86 Durability (-9)
Skills Added: Posterizer

Kirk Hinrich
74 Overall
84 3pt (+3)
71 FT (-7)
50 Block (+12)
69 Steal (+3)
31 OffReb (+4)
38 DefReb (+1)
90 Stamina (-4)
Skills Added: Charge Card, Pick Dodger, Floor General

Mike Dunleavy
70 Overall (+2)
88 3pt (+4)
82 FT (+1)
55 Block (+17)
41 OffReb (+3)
63 DefReb (+16)
Skills Added: Charge Card

Marquis Teague
66 Overall (-2)
41 3pt (-25)
62 FT (-9)
52 Block (+23)
62 Steal (-2)
45 DefReb (+5)

Nazr Mohammed
64 Overall (+3)
72 FT (+8)
82 Block (+30)
65 Steal (+1)
87 OffReb (+3)
78 DefReb (+2)

Top post defenders in the NBA (2013)

This week I'm working on an article and study regarding Synergy Sports Postup stats (both offense and defense) in order to expand my understanding of the NBA game, as well as improve upon my NBA 2K Post Offense/Defense rating formulas. 

I figure it can't hurt to tease with the top post defenders in the NBA. A lot of people criticize Synergy's raw data but I'd say they look pretty damn accurate when implementing tighter controls.

Synergy's flaw is that it "ranks" every player with 26+ possessions (a paltry number, leading to nearly 300 qualifiers) and does not differentiate by position.  It's extremely important to distinguish position when comparing the ranking.  Tony Parker (0.69 Points Per Possession Allowed) may have a better "score" than Tim Duncan (0.75 PPP allowed) but a point guard is going to be hopelessly outmatched against a center, or even a big wing.  Given such a contrast in the quality of opposition, positional context is required for the data to make sense.

Not only have I broken things down by position, but also raised the possession requirement from 26+ possessions to 100+ possessions.  This should help us avoid statistical anomalies that are more likely to occur with smaller sample sizes (Hamed Haddadi's 0.53 PPP allowed in 30 possessions is a key example).  I'm looking strictly at NBA players who played regular minutes.

CENTERS (Median Poss% = 36, Range = 23-51)
0.58 Dwight Howard
0.64 Tiago Splitter
0.64 Tyson Chandler
0.64 Kevin Garnett
0.65 Marcin Gortat
0.66 Marc Gasol
0.70 Larry Sanders
0.72 Nikola Pekovic
0.73 Robin Lopez
0.73 Joakim Noah
0.73 Chuck Hayes
0.74 DeMarcus Cousins
0.75 Tim Duncan
0.75 JaVale McGee
0.76 Emeka Okafor
0.76 Festus Ezeli
0.77 Andre Drummond
0.78 Kosta Koufos
0.78 Chris Kaman
0.79 Al Horford
0.79 Al Jefferson
0.79 Roy Hibbert
0.80 Elton Brand
0.81 Chris Bosh
0.81 Kevin Seraphin
0.83 Kendrick Perkins
0.83 Bismack Biyombo
0.84 Jonas Valanciunas
0.84 Epke Udoh
0.85 DeAndre Jordan
0.85 Omer Asik
0.86 Greg Stiemsma
0.88 Brook Lopez
0.89 Nikola Vucevic
0.89 Lavoy Allen
0.90 Spencer Hawes
0.93 Greg Monroe
0.94 J.J. Hickson
0.97 Greg Smith
0.98 Meyers Leonard
1.01 Tyler Zeller

POWER FORWARDS (Median Poss% = 28; Range = 21-40)
0.64 Carmelo Anthony
0.71 Josh Smith
0.71 LaMarcus Aldridge
0.73 Shane Battier
0.75 Pau Gasol
0.75 Nick Collison
0.76 Zach Randolph
0.76 Brandon Bass
0.79 Tristan Thompson
0.79 Jason Thompson
0.79 Lamar Odom
0.80 Paul Millsap
0.81 Udonis Haslem
0.81 Jason Maxiell
0.83 Luis Scola
0.84 David Lee
0.84 Serge Ibaka
0.84 Amir Johnson
0.84 Boris Diaw
0.86 Carl Landry
0.86 Ryan Anderson
0.88 Blake Griffin
0.88 Markieff Morris
0.89 Thaddeus Young
0.89 Kenneth Faried
0.89 David West
0.90 Carlos Boozer
0.90 Anthony Davis
0.92 Patrick Patterson (HOU)
0.96 Derrick Williams
0.97 Dante Cunningham
1.02 Ersan Ilyasova
1.06 Reggie Evans

SMALL FORWARDS (13-16 Poss% for these elite SFs)
0.72 Jeff Green
0.75 Metta World Peace
0.84 Jimmy Butler
0.87 Paul George

NO QUALIFIERS for Shooting Guard or Point Guard position. (J.R. Smith was close w/ 99)

Given the low number of SFs who qualified (it's certainly worth noting the ones who did), I'm going to lower the bar for the perimeter positions to squeeze out the top performers at each position.

SMALL FORWARDS (80+ poss; Range = 9-16%)
0.71 Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
0.72 Jeff Green
0.75 Metta World Peace
0.75 Kevin Durant
0.78 Luol Deng
0.80 Caron Butler
0.80 Paul Pierce
0.84 Jimmy Butler
0.87 Paul George
0.88 Chandler Parsons
0.89 Evan Turner

You may notice the absence of LeBron James.  I myself am a bit shocked given that Synergy includes playoff games in their data. LeBron had 99 games and 3,837 minutes under his belt, yet still did not qualify.  LeBron recorded only 50 post defense possessions across that time, and it made up only 5.6% of his defense (surprisingly low given his defensive acumen and the fact that he's playing more PF than ever before).  He had a ton of success when he did defend the post, with 0.56 PPP allowed (6th best mark in Synergy's database).

LeBron's 0.56 PPPA in those 50 possessions is a great example of why I placed these restrictions on the data, as his overall mark is great but he's defending postups half as much as other small forwards.  Sample size is definitely an issue given that his mark is so far ahead of the pack.  LeBron may very well be the best post defender at the SF position, but we need more data to conclusively say that.

SHOOTING GUARDS (65+ poss; Range = 8-11%)
0.61 Kevin Martin
0.71 Danny Green
0.78 James Harden
0.82 Monta Ellis
0.88 Dwyane Wade
0.91 Luke Ridnour
0.93 J.R. Smith
0.93 Arron Afflalo
0.95 Klay Thompson
0.94 Lance Stephenson
1.06 Jason Kidd
1.06 Randy Foye

POINT GUARDS (50+ poss; Range = 5-8%)
0.69 Isaiah Thomas
0.67 Tony Parker
0.75 Chris Paul
0.80 Raymond Felton
0.81 George Hill
0.86 Ty Lawson
0.89 Jarrett Jack
0.98 Damian Lillard

I have thoughts on each of these, but you'll have to wait until the completion of the article.  For now, enjoy!

NBA 2K14 Top 50 Player Ratings (Real 2K Insider vs 2K Sports)

Ten days into owning NBA 2K14, I'm ready to release my Top 50 NBA Player Ratings and see how the list compares with 2K Sports.

For the most part, I use all the scales and advanced statistics that 2K Sports uses to calculate their player attributes, but have always been far more consistent with their implementation.  I've always considered my ratings to be what 2K's would look like if they were willing to put in the work.  This is what I accomplished in a little more than a week's time.

Looking at the Overall ratings, how would you say I did?
Which players should be higher/lower on either list?
Leave a comment below!

TOP 1-10

Rashidi

2K Sports

101 – LeBron James (+1)	100 - LeBron James
97 – Kevin Durant (+3)	94 - Kevin Durant
95 – Chris Paul (+2)	93 - Chris Paul
93 – Derrick Rose (+1)	93 - Kobe Bryant
92 – Dwyane Wade (+1)	92 - Derrick Rose
92 - Kobe Bryant (-1)	91 - Carmelo Anthony
92 – Rajon Rondo (+2)	91 - Dwyane Wade
91 - Russell Westbrook (0)	91 - Russell Westbrook
91 – Tony Parker (+5)	91 - Dwight Howard
89 – Carmelo Anthony (-2)	90 - Rajon Rondo

TOP 11-20

Rashidi	2K Sports
89 – Tim Duncan (+2)	89 - Kyrie Irving
89 – James Harden (+1)	88 - James Harden
89 – Blake Griffin (+5)	88 - Stephen Curry
89 – Kyrie Irving (0)	88 - Deron Williams
88 – John Wall (+3)	88 - Paul George
88 – Dwight Howard (-3)	88 - Jrue Holiday
87 – Stephen Curry (-1)	87 - Tim Duncan
87 – LaMarcus Aldridge (+3)	86 - Tony Parker
87 – Deron Williams (-1)	86 - Andrew Bynum
87 – Kevin Garnett (+5)	86 - Manu Ginobili
TOP 21-30
Rashidi	2K Sports
87 – Monta Ellis (+5)	86 - Kevin Love
86 – Andrew Bynum (0)	86 - Josh Smith
86 – David Lee (+5)	86 - Rudy Gay
86 – Paul Pierce (+2)	86 - Andre Iguodala
85 – Serge Ibaka (+1)	85 - John Wall
85 – Dirk Nowitzki (+2)	85 - Ty Lawson
85 – Marc Gasol (+3)	84 - Blake Griffin
85 – Mike Conley (+2)	84 - Al Jefferson
85 – Josh Smith (-1)	84 - LaMarcus Aldridge
85 – Paul George (-3)	84 - Serge Ibaka
TOP 31-40
Rashidi	2K Sports
85 – Kawhi Leonard (+3)	84 - Paul Pierce
85 – Andre Iguodala (-1)	84 - Damian Lillard
84 – Brook Lopez (+4)	84 - J.R. Smith
84 – Chris Bosh (+3)	83 - Dirk Nowitzki
84 – Al Horford (+2)	83 - Kemba Walker
84 – David West (+4)	83 - Mike Conley
84 – Manu Ginobili (-2)	83 - Zach Randolph
84 – Zach Randolph (+1)	83 - Brandon Jennings
84 – Jrue Holiday (-4)	83 - Kyle Lowry
83 – Paul Millsap (+3)	83 - Eric Gordon
TOP 41-50
Rashidi	2K Sports
83 – Kevin Love (-3)	82 - Amare Stoudemire
83 – Jamal Crawford (+3)	82 - Kevin Garnett
83 – Damian Lillard (-1)	82 - Al Horford
82 – Anderson Varejao (+5)	82 - Marc Gasol
82 – Al Jefferson (-2)	82 - Joakim Noah
82 – Tyson Chandler (+5)	82 - Tyreke Evans
82 – Joakim Noah (0)	82 - Monta Ellis
82 – Roy Hibbert (+2)	82 - Eric Bledsoe
82 – Rudy Gay (-4)	82 - Kawhi Leonard
82 – Tyreke Evans (0)	82 - O.J. Mayo

These player ratings will be made available later this month in a roster file on 2K Share.  For now, feel free to pick apart this teaser!

NBA 2K14 Roster Analysis 9/30/13

Somehow YouTube lost the first 3 minutes of the video... bear with me as I'm still a bit of a noob.

Nerlens Noel
71 Overall (-1)
49 OffAwr (-2)
77 DefAwr (-3)

Michael Carter-Williams
69 Overall (+8)
80 Pass (+12)
77 Steal (+11)
72 OBD (+13)
70 OffAwr (+4)
71 DefAwr (+21)
60 Consistency (+25)
85 Potential (+5)

Jordan Crawford
75 Overall (-1)
72 OffAwr (-6)

Kelly Olynyk
68 Overall (+6)
88 Inside (+10)
81 Close (+6)
76 Medium (+6)
77 Fade (+9)
76 Hook (+9)
42 Handle (+5)
30 OHD (+5)
48 Security (+5)
78 Hands (+10)
81 OffPost (+10)
75 OffAwr (+7)
51 DefAwr (+2)
60 Consistency (+20)
56 Speed (+5)

Chris Bosh
81 Overall (-1)
60 Strength (-5)

Derrick Favors
77 Overall (-1)
45 Consistency (-15)

Gordon Hayward
75 Overall (+6)
82 FT (-1)
73 Dunk (+11)
78 Layup (+9)
77 SOD (+2)
74 Handle (+4)
68 OHD (+4)
79 OffAwr (+3)
72 DefAwr (+21)
65 Consistency (+5)
77 Speed (+11)
76 Quickness (+14)
76 Vertical (+11)
86 Hustle (+5)

Monta Ellis
82 Overall (-3)
78 Med (-8)
85 OffAwr (-4)
60 DefAwr (-4)
65 Consistency (-15)

Ricky Ledo
65 Overall (-4)
73 Med (-5)
73 SOD (-3)
91 Handle (-4)
89 OHD (-4)
68 Security (-4)
68 Hands (-3)
58 OBD (-6)
63 OffAwr (-5)
42 DefAwr (-4)
25 Consistency (-5)

Paul George
88 Overall (+1)
58 Strength (+16)

David West
80 Overall (+1)
90 Strength (+17)

Lance Stephenson
72 Overall (-2)
82 Layup (-4)
59 OffAwr (-11)
50 Consistency (-10)

Andre Iguodala
86 Overall (+1)
80 Consistency (+10)

PLAYERS ADDED
Aron Baynes (60/C) - Spurs

MISSING PLAYERS (100% Guaranteed contracts)
Miroslav Raduljica (C) - Bucks
Vitor Faverani (C) - Celtics
Phil Pressey (PG) - Celtics
Nick Calathes (PG) - Grizzlies
Pero Antic (C) - Hawks
Gal Mekel (PG) - Mavericks
Luigi Datome (SF) - Pistons
Dwight Buycks (PG) - Raptors
Ognjen Kuzmic (C) - Warriors

TRANSACTIONS
Tony Wroten (68/SG) - 76ers (from Grizzlies)
Caron Butler (80/SF) - Bucks (from Suns)
P.J. Tucker (66/SF) - Suns (from Free Agents)
Viacheslav Kravtsov (57/C) - Suns (from Free Agents)
Ishmael Smith (71/PG) - Free Agents (from Bucks)
Donte Greene (63/SF) - Free Agents (from Celtics)
Fab Melo (53/C) - Free Agents (from Grizzlies)

MISSING TRANSACTIONS
Donald Sloan - Pacers (from Free Agents)

Updated Player Ratings for NBA 2K14's Stars

By comparing the top players of NBA 2K14 to their NBA 2K13 iterations, we can see what changes 2K Sports made during the off-season and judge whether these were acceptable changes or not.

LeBron James	Kevin Durant
100 Overall (NC)	94 Overall (-1)
85 3pt Shot (+8)	91 Standing Layup (-2) - AKA Inside Shot
75 Free Throw (-2)	87 3pt Shot (+1)
63 Block (+6)	74 Block (+1)
76 Steal (-2)	40 OffReb (-20)
54 OffReb (-1)	82 DefReb (+4)
79 DefReb (+11)	98 Potential (+1)
Kobe Bryant	Chris Paul
93 Overall (-2)	93 Overall (-1)
87 Medium Shot (-1)	89 Close Shot (-3)
78 3pt Shot (-4)	78 3pt Shot (-5)
83 Free Throw (-1)	88 Free Throw (+2)
92 Ball Security (-3)	30 Dunk (-27)
39 Block (+2)	30 Block (+2)
69 Steal (+3)	93 Steal (-1)
78 On-Ball Defense (-2)	46 OffReb (+10)
45 OffReb (+5)	42 DefReb (-14)
57 DefReb (+7)
85 Speed (-1)
89 Quickness (-1)
76 Vertical (-4)
84 Durability (-15)
Derrick Rose	Carmelo Anthony
92 Overall (NC)	91 Overall (-2)
76 3pt Shot (-1)	89 Standing Layup (-2) - AKA Inside Shot
	48 Block (+3)
	59 Steal (-1)
	68 OffReb (-12)
	62 DefReb (-3)
Russell Westbrook	Dwyane Wade
91 Overall (+1)	91 Overall (NC)
80 Free Throw (-2)	72 Free Throw (-3)
40 Block (+9)	94 Layup (-5)
80 Steal (+2)	63 Block (+1)
57 OffReb (+1)	82 Steal (+2)
49 DefReb (+4)	55 OffReb (+1)
	48 DefReb (+5)
	90 Vertical (-3)
	97 Potential (-2)
Dwight Howard	Rajon Rondo
91 Overall (+1)	90 Overall (+1)
98 Standing Layup (+6) - AKA Inside Shot	64 Free Throw (+4)
92 Block (+4)	35 Block (+6)
66 Steal (+2)	79 Steal (+1)
83 OffReb (-12)	51 OffReb (+2)
95 DefReb (+6)	55 DefReb (+2)
James Harden	Stephen Curry
88 Overall (NC)	88 Overall (NC)
87 Standing Layup (-1) - AKA Inside Shot	71 Standing Layup (-10) - AKA Inside Shot
83 3pt Shot (+2)	91 3pt Shot (-3)
85 Free Throw (-1)	29 Block (+1)
47 Block (-5)	74 Steal (-6)
78 Steal (-2)	44 OffReb (+6)
89 Hands (+4)	40 DefReb (-4)
44 OffReb (-5)
48 DefReb (+8)
75 DefAwr (+1)
85 Consistency (+5)
98 Stamina (+2)
90 Durabiliy (+4)
93 Potential (+6)
Deron Williams	Jrue Holiday
88 Overall (NC)	88 Overall
84 Standing Layup (+1) - AKA Inside Shot	79 Standing Layup (-12) - AKA Inside Shot
85 Free Throw (+1)	75 Free Throw (-3)
44 Block (+11)	44 Block (+6)
63 Steal (+1)	74 Steal (+2)
33 OffReb (+7)	51 OffReb (+3)
35 DefReb (-9)	39 DefReb (-8)
Paul George	Tim Duncan
87 Overall (+4)	87 Overall (NC)
88 Standing Layup (+7) - AKA Inside Shot	81 Free Throw (+12)
82 3pt Shot (-2)	99 Block (+13)
90 Layup (+12)	61 Steal (+1)
77 Shoot In Traffic (+3)	71 OffReb (-13)
78 Shoot Off Dribble (+6)	98 DefReb (+8)
73 Ball Security (+5)
54 Block (-1)
85 Hands (+6)
84 On-Ball Defense (+2)
51 OffReb (-15)
77 DefReb (+4)
61 PostDef (+6)
90 OffAwr (+6)
84 DefAwr (+2)
85 Consistency (+10)
95 Stamina (+3)
84 Speed (+5)
88 Quickness (+6)
81 Hustle (+9)
95 Durability (+12)
95 Potential (+7)

Every player had their Steal, Block, and Rebound ratings adjusted.
Kobe (Medium) and Paul (Close) were the only players who received changes to non-Inside/3pt/FT shooting ratings.
Paul George (and to an extent Kobe and Harden) were the only player(s) to receive a full-blown edit.
Derrick Rose went untouched.

It's clear that Block, Steal, ORB, and DRB were edited globally, so let's see how well these hold up to scale.

Name	Block	BLK%
Tim Duncan	99	6.4
Dwight Howard	92	4.9
Kevin Durant	74	2.6
LeBron James	63	1.9
Dwyane Wade	63	1.9
Derrick Rose	40	1.4
Paul George	54	1.3
Carmelo Anthony	48	1.1
James Harden	47	1.0
Jrue Holiday	44	0.9
Deron Williams	44	0.8
Kyrie Irving	43	0.8
Russell Westbrook	40	0.6
Kobe Bryant	39	0.6
Rajon Rondo	35	0.5
Chris Paul	30	0.4
Stephen Curry	29	0.3

We can see that leaving Derrick Rose's ratings alone simply because he missed all of last season actually hurts continuity because he was out of scale dating back to 2012.  He's a pretty good shot blocker for a guard.

Big men seem to have a different scale for block rating than perimeter players.  Dwight Howard blocks nearly twice as many shots as Kevin Durant (2.3% differential), yet the gap between he and Durant (18 points) is the same as the gap between Durant is much closer than Durant and Carmelo Anthony (26 points for 1.5% differential).  This study is limited by the fact that there are only two big men (Howard and Duncan) among the league's top 16 players in NBA 2K14.  Perhaps if players were held to the same global scale, this would not be the case.

Name	Steal	STL%
Chris Paul	93	3.8
Dwyane Wade	82	2.8
Russell Westbrook	80	2.6
Rajon Rondo	79	2.6
Paul George	78	2.6
James Harden	78	2.4
LeBron James	76	2.4
Kyrie Irving	75	2.3
Jrue Holiday	74	2.2
Stephen Curry	74	2.1
Kevin Durant	70	1.9
Kobe Bryant	69	1.8
Dwight Howard	66	1.6
Deron Williams	63	1.4
Derrick Rose	62	1.4
Tim Duncan	61	1.2
Carmelo Anthony	59	1.1

If you're thinking the ratings seem kind of high, you're not alone.  50 steal rating is the absolute lowest rating given to ANY NBA player who played last season (Ryan Hollins and Meyers Leonard, each with 0.5 STL%).  Of course, this didn't stop 2K Sports from giving out steal ratings under 50 to FIVE rookies.  Alex Len and Rudy Gobert are the new lows with 38 Steal, which would translate to ZERO STL% going with this scale.  I doubt whoever came up with the rookie ratings was the same person responsible for implementing the ratings changes to NBA players, else they would have followed scale.  All this does is confirm what we've known for years - that 2K Sports is majorly confused when it comes to their player ratings.  Having multiple editors who aren't on the same page is a probable cause.

What also doesn't make sense to me is that block rating seems to be using the full 25-99 scale while steals have been kept from 50-99.  Under block rating we see Stephen Curry (0.3 BLK%) at a paltry 29 block rating having an 11 point rating difference from Russell Westbrook (0.6 BLK%) despite a largely neglibible 0.3% difference.  For steals we see a 15 point difference between Carmelo Anthony (1.1 STL%) and Stephen Curry (2.1 STL%) for a full percentage point.

Name	OffReb	ORB%
Dwight Howard	83	10.4
Tim Duncan	71	7.3
Carmelo Anthony	68	6.1
Russell Westbrook	57	4.8
Dwyane Wade	55	4.7
LeBron James	54	4.4
Rajon Rondo	51	3.7
Paul George	51	3.4
Jrue Holiday	51	3.3
Chris Paul	46	2.8
Kobe Bryant	45	2.5
James Harden	44	2.4
Stephen Curry	44	2.3
Derrick Rose	48	2.1
Kyrie Irving	41	1.8
Kevin Durant	40	1.8
Deron Williams	33	1.2

2K Sports did well to reign in the offensive rebound ratings of many players like Melo and Durant who were clearly out of scale.  In NBA 2K13 Kevin Durant (60) had an ORB rating higher than LeBron James (55) and Russell Westbrook (56) which obviously made no sense.

Leaving Derrick Rose as is continues to hurt the continuity, as he's the only player out of scale.

Name	DefReb	DRB%
Tim Duncan	98	29.6
Dwight Howard	95	27.4
LeBron James	79	20.8
Kevin Durant	82	20.3
Paul George	77	19
Carmelo Anthony	62	15.9
Rajon Rondo	55	13.6
Kobe Bryant	57	13.1
Dwyane Wade	48	12.6
James Harden	48	11.9
Russell Westbrook	49	11.8
Kyrie Irving	41	10.8
Chris Paul	42	10.5
Jrue Holiday	39	9.5
Stephen Curry	40	9.1
Deron Williams	35	8.5
Derrick Rose	45	8.4

The scale for defensive rebounding is considerably murkier than it was for offensive rebounding, as a few players are clearly out of order.  Dwyane Wade most notably is within 0.5 percentage points of Kobe Bryant but trails him by 9 points, while Russell Westbrook trails Wade by 0.6 percentage points and actually has a rating one point higher.

Ignoring Derrick Rose hurts again since he should rank as the worst defensive rebounder on this list, but instead is comparable to Wade and Westbrook.

While it's nice that 2K has been paying more attention to stats, it would have been great to see them globally adjust more than four attributes for the entire league.  With the regular season concluding mid-April, they've had five and a half months to be working on player ratings.  That's nearly half a year spent on the sidelines doing very little.  The baby steps are welcome, but in this rapidly evolving age of technology, NBA fans expect much greater advances than what we've been given thus far.