Trade advice needed

[asgsjb]

Wow...the conversation is picking up. Cool.

As to your earlier question, JT, I am not too tall...5'9" - 5'10". Maybe my perception was screwy, but Reggie looked more like 6'4". Not that this would have been short, by any means, but I just automatically think b-ball players should be huge. Wrong assumption.

No surprise about Podkolzin v. Ben Wallace. No contest there.

Cool dialogue about the sim thing. I wonder about the Inside Scoring thing. But with Ming and Garnett, inside scoring is not lacking. And if I recall right, LeBron and Wade have pretty good inside scoring for guards. Then with the backups, I believe Howard, Smith and Kaman all have decent to above average inside scoring. I don't know...I thought maybe it was the settings, but my sim settings are easier than my action settings, so in theory, I should be winning more with the sim.

By the way, Seushiro, with the Iverson-injury thing and the impact on ratings, I thought I read that injuries sap a players stats until you go to the "edit player" function and hit "save" (even though you are not adjusting anything about the player)...then the player's stats go back to normal level. I don't know if I am reading your post right in interpreting this is the issue you are talking about, but if I am on target, then try that solution.

[JT_55]

100 posts in a topic!

Wow! Congrats, asgsjb. You made a topic with 100 posts in it. I think there were only a few in 2005 Dynasty section that had more than a 100 posts.

Wade sucks at inside scoring. Even Ridnour beats him in that regard. Didn't check about King James, though. You're right, Howard has good inside scoring rating as well as Yao and Garnett (duh).

I think what Seushiro means is that injured players loses stats after the off-seasons player progression. I've heard someone say that if a player has a bad year (stats-wise), then they lose ratings. But 89 Speed and 86 Quickness is still not too bad.

[asgsjb]

But do I get any commission for having a topic with 100 posts? :)

Didn't realize that about Wade. He's so good at taking the ball to the hoop and dunking, I just assumed he had a good inside scoring rating. I guess it's how you use him. I take him to the hoop, but maybe in the sim, the CPU assumes he takes outside shots. Who knows.

Interesting about the bad stats thing. I guess that gives us good reason to (1) play the games rather than sim them (as in the sim, the CPU may just play the starters the most and give les PT to others, hurting the stats of the less-played players), (2) play the backups more so they become more valuable (or at least not lose stats), and (3) ensure your starters have good stats. I mean, it would suck to have a decent backup like Kaman lose ratings because he was a seldom-used backup to a hardy, high-stamina center like Ming.

[JT_55]

Here. You get this: .

It doesn't matter with Wade. When you take him to the hoop he's going to dunk it anyway, so he get the job done no matter how bad his inside scoring is.

It is better to play the game, but the backups don't seem to lose any ratings. I played many seasons, and only the guys who are "over the hill" lose ratings. Milicic doesn't play much if you don't move him from Detroit, but he gets 5+ anyway. I have Bosh playing behind Yao for three season and doesn't get much action, but he still gains 8 points in 2 years. There maybe another factor in player progression. If I don't trade for Prince and he stays in Detroit, he gets 5+ ratings every time. When I put him with a great team, he only gains 3.

[Seushiro]

Well Playing is better cause you get dynasty points. . . Training the team helps and increases your GM rating faster then winning games.

By Mid Season you will have the ultimate PDA and your Boss would say I can feel we can go all the way this year. . .

The funny part after reading that message I switch to regular sim and simulated all the way just to get Kobe knocked out of MVP honors and my 99 rating team sweeped in the 1st-round by a 86 Detroit Pistons . I was 67-15 but had to restart due to shame.

Thanks for the injury tip I will try that when I get a star injured. . . I have a team doctor now so it will be long before that happens again. . .

Do you guys think the CPU also Goes through team training? they don't improve much each year the only way the CPU improves is when they pic Free Agent Star Players. . .

[JT_55]

You still gain Dynasty points if you sim, but not as much.

You bought a team doctor? Boy, those things are expensive. I'd rather train, but that's my opinion.

Yep, CPU teams do go through training camp, but I'm not sure about over the course of the season.

[asgsjb]

I think the dynasty points are lower for simming because the CPU does not play every player...and that's 250 points right there. Plus, as the scores tend to be lower, I am sure the amount of rebounds, steals, points, etc. that are needed for more dynasty points are not being reached.

I was under the impression that the team doctor and other purchasable items only had 1 season's impact. I could be wrong on that. Ina ny event, I also prefer to train my players with my dynasty points as compared to buying other items.

Interesting about your simulated game, Seushiro...a 99 team being swept by an 86 team. That supports what I was saying about the sim factor and how the scores don't make sense. The 2 times I've tried simming a whole season, I had 98 ranked teams...both times, my 98 team had a little over a .500 record during the regular season. I was even losing games to teams ranked in the low 80's. It made no sense. I am glad to see it wasn't just me....I was getting worried I did something screwy with settings or something.

[JT_55]

Well, simming does have some advantages. The obvious one is that is takes less time, but there's also something else. Take Yao for an example. His steals are very, very bad, and I rarely get any steals for him (the exceptions are double-teaming when he picks up the ball). So if I play the whole season, he may only get, like, 10-20 steals. But to the CPU, the fact that he even has a steal rating gives him more steals than I would get from him.

I also thought the team doctor was only one season. Then again, I don't intend on buying them so I won't need to know how long they last.

[asgsjb]

Have you managed to put together the "perfect team" yet (100 rated)? I just managed to move a 98 team to 99 by trading Ridnour and Petrius for Battier. The team now looks like this:

PG: Wade, Barbosa, Blake
SG: Redd, Battier, Piatkowski
SF: Artest, G.Wallace, J.Smith, G.Rice
PF: Brand, Chandler, Sweetney
C: Ming, Kaman

Does the program allow for a 100 rated team? If I moved some of my 3rd tier guys...Piatkowski or Rice, for example...to get better players, would that move me to 100?

Not that this is the be all and end all...a 99 rated team is darn good. Just curious about if a 100 rating is ever allowed.

[JT_55]

Doubt it. The All-Star team is only 99, so unless you have a team with Shaq, Garnett, Carter, Kobe, and Baron Davis, I don't think you could get a 100 team. And even then it might not be 100. Most EA Sports games have a limit of 99 for both player ratings and team ratings. The only exceptions I have seen are MVP Baseball 2003 and NHL 2003. And even in those games you have to wait a few years for the players to develop into 100.

That's a really good team you have, anyway. I wouldn't change it unless to get younger.

[asgsjb]

I give you credit for that team....I followed your suggested trade techniques.

Don't think I'm going to do much more trading with this team unless it is in a deal for Piatkowski or Rice. They are the only 2 players on that team who are ranked under 50 and are over 30 years old. The rest of the team is pretty young and most (but not all) are signed for a few years...my oldest PG is Blake (24), Redd is 25, Battier is 26, Artest is 25, Wallace is 22, Josh Smith is 19, Brand is 25 and my other 2 PF's are 22, Ming is 24 and Kaman is 22. I could possibly go younger at SG, but I like Redd a ton (talent-wise, youth, contract price and term of contract)...and Battier is a pretty good buy for a backup SG/SF. I may see what's out there nonetheless.

[JT_55]

Yeah, I actually prefer Redd over Lebron (in terms of just playing) because he can shoot the three. Business-wise, Lebron has a longer contract, so...yeah. You could try to get him if you prefer, though. It'll get you 4 years younger.

You can still target Okafor or Howard instead of Chandler, and maybe Kapono or Korver if you do decide to give up Piatkowski or Rice. But those are the only ones I could think of off the top of my head.

[asgsjb]

Good trade suggestions. I was thinking about the Okafor/Howard thing. I do like Chandler...good for blocks and has some size. But Okafor or Howard would be a step up. Good points on Korver/Kapono too. I'll let you know if it works out.

[JT_55]

My 100th post!

Man, some people already have a few thousand (also Jackal's 10K and Andrew's 20+K) and I'm just happy to get 100. They must've been here for a long time.....

Anyway, back on topic. Brand's size is still bugging me. But I guess it shouldn't be much of a problem if both of us didn't notice it until you checked the stats. Other than that, maybe go for Childress or Kaman for Bosh. I wouldn't do the Bosh trade, though. Not with Brand there. Losing anymore size won't be good.

[asgsjb]

Congrats on your 100th!

Yup, the Brand size thing is a head-scratcher. But on offense, he plays as he should...powerful, a great scorer, pretty unstoppable. The size thing on Live '05 plays out on defense. In real life, Brand is a good blocker, but in Live '05, the size thing keeps him from blocking as well as he does in real life.

I agree about Bosh. I like him, but his size and lower block rating makes him a defensive detriment. I am probably better off sticking with Kaman there...at least I get a 7-footer at center that way.

[JT_55]

Thanks.

You should get there too, soon. I say about mid-July barring any more trips to see Ratatouille. lol

Brand is sort of like Ben Wallace in a sense. Thet're both short for their position, but makes up for it with great skill and size (width, that is, not height). Brand is good on offence, but when playing a good blocking frontcourt, he still gets blocked sometimes. More so than most other big men.

[asgsjb]

LOL...no, had my fill of Ratatouille. :)

With Brand, the interesting thing is that he has an 81 block rating, so you'd think he'd have more blocks. But again, the Live '05 height factor makes it that his 81 rating results in less blocks than the same 81 block rating on a taller player. In fact, Okafor (6'10"....2 inches taller than Brand) is blocking better for me than Brand, and Okafor has a 76 block rating.

You are right about his offense. He is a force, but if he goes against a big-time blocker, he is going to get blocked.

Not only does Brand's height play a factor, but his expensive contract hurts. You don't mind spending $12M on him if he's going to kick butt in all facets of the game, but that's a lot of money for a player who may get blocked by taller defenders and who may not be able to defend against taller offensive players.

Frankly, to keep under the cap, a team might be better off spending their PF money on Okafor or Howard than on Brand. Not that I'd pass on Brand if lesser PF's are the only option...but if I could get Okafor or Howard, that might be a better use of money.

[JT_55]

Well, what about Gasol? He is a year younger, he developes better, and his 7'0" frame doesn't hurt either. He may be a bit hard to get with his high rating and miniscule contract, but he is always a target for me in the second season, even with the salary boost.

That is the reason Brand doesn't get as many block. Remember the time I told you that I don't get as much blocks from AK 47 than T-Mac? They're the same height, but SF's are generally taller than SG's so it's harder for AK 47 to block people even with his very high block rating (I think he's twice McGrady's).

Howard and Okafor are definately cheaper than Brand and mmore effective (two heads are better than one!).

[asgsjb]

Interesting about Kirilenko. I had never played with him, but you're right...he probably is not as effective a blocker in Live '05 as he is in the actual NBA. Is he really bad at blocking or just less impressive than expectations?

Gasol would be a good "get", but you are right that his high rating and low salary makes it tough to get him. When you mention his salary boost, how much does his salary go up when his contract renews? He's at $4.32M in this last year of his contract...what salary does he then go to after the renewal?

[JT_55]

14-15 million. Around that for Gasol. I'd pay it though. I think it's worth every single cent. He's the youngest 80+ PF out there. But if you're looking for cheaper methods, it's back to basics with Howard and/or Okafor.

AK 47 is just not as good as his 80+ blocking rating would dictate. He's still better than most other SF's (just can't beat Prince's wingspan).

[asgsjb]

Wow! That's quite a salary increase. Yes, he's worth that, but if you want to keep your cap at a reasonable level, I think one's better off with Okafor or Howard. And if you want blocks, Okafor's the pick between him and Howard. At least with Okafor and Howard, you get a cheap price for a few more years and then you can sweat the salary increase. With Gasol, if you are at or above the cap, then you are deep in the hole when his salary jumps up to $14-15M.

So on Kirilenko vs. Prince, who ends up being a better Live '05 defender/blocker? Prince is 6'9", with 75 jump, 41 block and 75 defensive awareness ratings. I don't have AK-47's stats in front of me, but I know his block rating is much higher than Prince's. And what is AK-47's height? If shorter than Prince, who is a better defender/blocker between them...AK-47 with less height but a higher block rating or Prince with 6'9" height and a much lower block rating?

[JT_55]

They're both the same height in real life but there may be a mistake in the game. Prince has very long arms so he could reach higher. If you watch Detroit games, the commentators always rambles about his long arms if he gets a rebound or block. Not sure about AK 47's jump, but his defensive awareness should be pretty high; he won DPOY in the game twice.

Bottom line, AK 47 is the better defender, but if you're looking for someone cheaper or someone who can block almost as well (if not bettter), than take Prince.

You can try to test this. Play a game with the Knicks against Utah. See if Houston gets blocked as much as when you play Detroit.

[asgsjb]

Happy July 4th...hope you had a good one.

Was curious as to where my Knicks dynasty might be heading, so I simmed to the end of the year (not saving it, though) to get to the draft and free agent signing/trade period. Here's what I found:

- The rookies I was getting at the end of the rounds were pretty bad...not worth getting.

- Houston's contract is a killer. He makes $17M+ this year and that was impossible to trade...next year, he goes up to a little over $19M. With every team over the cap next year and without any team having 3 players each averaging $6-7M who are lower in rank than Houston, I will not be able to get rid of his contract. And if I drop him, nobody will pick him up, so I'd be paying his contract without being able to use him.

- Ilgauskas goes up 1 point in rank, but his contract drops to $7-8M per year. He is worth re-signing at that price.

- Hardaway interestingly enough drops his salary to about $4-5M from $14.6M. If he remains ranked in the low 60's, he may be worth re-signing for 1 year and using as trade bait.

- The best free agents I can sign in the preseason are at PG...Pargo, Brevin Knight, Steve Blake.

- Trading is a bit difficult. I played around with different offers and here's what I was able to verify:

- I can trade Jason Willaims and Brevin Knight to Toronto for Alston and Mo Pete. Mo Pete would be my key backup for when I can lose Penny and Houston.
- I can trade Gerald Wallace (re-signed for 3 years at a little over $3M/yr.) and Sweetney to Houston for Ming, although Ming is in the last year of his contract at that point and I am sure his salary goes up nicely.
- I can then trade Ilgauskas to Milwaukee for D.Mason.
- The above would leave me with the following starting team: Alston, Kobe, Mason, Okafor, Ming, with backups of: Moochie Norris and Pargo at PG, Houston and Mo Pete at SG, Josh Smith and Korver at SF, nobody at PF, and Haywood, Mihm and Mohammed at C. Is that an improvement? I don't know.

[JT_55]

Happy July 4th to you too...did you go see the fireworks?

No suprise about the rookies. Usually get low 40s with very weak drafts. The first overall pick one of my weak drafts was 56. If I had it, I'd rather trade it away. Always draft for centers if you don't want anyone in particular, because they give better trade leverage.

Might be able to help you with Houston. I got rid of him in my Knicks dynasty but forgot how. I'll check and then tell you.

In his prime, Ilgauskas is one of those wild cards. I've seen him go up one, stay the same, and go down one. Depends on if you're lucky. But for salary purposes, I'd take Kaman or Bosh instead.

Stupid me. I tried to get rid of Haraway and was sucessful, but guess who I got back...not Houston, but Szerzbiak. From an expiring contract to a long term one.

Yao contract goes up a little too nicely...for his wallet. Don't get me wrong, he's still value at 9M/year, but negatively gearing the contract will get you somewhere in the neighbourhood of 12-13M. But seven years later though, you'll thank yourself for it (about 6M/year for a guy that is rumored to be 99 in his prime). I'd do the trade, though. It's Yao, after all.

The J-Will trade is so-so. I wouldn't do it, but then if Kobe goes down I only have Houston at SG. This trade is more of a personal preference; depends if you like Alston and Mo Pete or J-Will.

The team is definately an improvement. But ess so if Okafor and/or Yao goes down somewhere in the season. While making trades for better starters, you depleted your bench. Try to use my method and shop your centres and Norris for a decent backup PF. Remember, not all trades have to be a big bang.

[asgsjb]

Missed the fireworks. It was supposed to storm, so I didn't think they were even going to do any fireworks. So I missed out.

Would love to trade away my picks at the draft. But I didn't see where one can do that. Do you know how to do a deal at the draft? I saw other teams doing it, but I didn't see the button for it.

I'd appreciate any help on pawning off Houston. I'd even trade him for a beer and a box of popcorn. :)

With Ilgauskas approaching 30, I'd also take a younger C like Bosh or Kaman for him.

Good point on Ming. I guess by negatively gearing the contract, it hurts my cap now, but it will ease up nicely later when he's peaking. Good move.

I like J-Will, but I'd love to move to a younger cheaper PG. Alston isn't younger, but he is cheaper. And he can hit the 3 and defend nicely. I'd prefer Hinrich, though. I'm not overly excited about the J-Will trade idea, as Alston is a step down and Mo Pete is a bit pricey for a backup. And as both are ranked less than J-Will, I'd be hurting my trade chances by now having lower-ranked trade pieces. Perhaps I should wait and see what Tinsley re-signs for and try to make a deal with Indiana. I can also see what Chandler and Curry re-sign for and try to do a deal with Chicago that includes Hinrich.

I agree about the depth concern. The starters look nice after these deals, but Okafor would be my only PF. My PF spot looks better with Sweetney as the backup. Perhaps I can still do the Wallace/Sweetney deal for Ming and then try to trade a backup C for a backup PF.

Well, I guess in the end I'll have time to mull it all over. I still have 3 games left in March and then the April games...then comes playoffs. So I have some time before I have to put this plan in place.