Hey guys, a lot of you guys might not know who I am, but I used to do Live dynasties back in the day (not very popular ones I might add) and I've been away from the forums for a long time. However, I've recently upgraded my 2k13 and after perusing through the old Association/Dynasty story section, I've become motivated to post my own once again! The only problem is, I'm somewhat torn between a few different teams that I've really grown to love while playing the game.
By the way, I have the most recently updated rosters thanks to the NBA365 updates. I will be playing the Association starting from the 2013-2014 season.
So why these four out of thirty teams in particular? Well the biggest reason is that they are all rebuilding teams or teams that are on the cusp of making the playoffs. I find that this will add an extra challenge to the game, and will make the story a lot more interesting than playing a team that's a surefire bet to lay the smackdown on a lot of teams. Everyone loves a good underdog story, and the ups and downs of the season will make for an entertaining ride.
Raptors - Like a battered house wife, I love the Raptors no matter how mediocre they are. I've been bred to unconditionally love this team, and I actually do like some of the pieces that they have roster-wise. The real selling point for this team for me is to see my hometown team succeed, and the new management in place has given some optimism for the near future. They are in a precarious situation though. They have a lot of players entering or in their prime and many of them are striving for a playoff push, where as the best way to start becoming a championship contender would be to clean house.
Orlando Magic - The Orlando Magic have some nice pieces that I am interested in. The story of Tobias Harris being a benchwarmer in Milwaukee and then turning into a stud after a change of scenery was one of my personal favourite story lines of last season. Overall, the team has a nice blend of veterans and promising young players. The ability to juggle different player roles and the surging youth moment on this team is highly appealing. Oladipo, Harkless, Nicholson are young guys on the bench that are hungry for some playing time and watching them grow up (or get traded for another asset!) will be fun for me.
Denver Nuggets - This team is just a blast to play. Run and gun, fast break, lengthy wing players and great depth. What makes for an interesting dynamic is that while they did not experience a lot of player turnover, they certainly did in terms of management and coaching personnel. How that will shape the future of an underachieving team that won 57 regular season? There is a lot of uncertainty with regards to how well Denver will do, as many analysts seemed to have pegged them as having downgraded their roster.
Portland Trail Blazers - I fell in love with this team back in 99-00 when they had those great Rasheed Wallace teams and have quietly followed them throughout their Jail Blazer era and the short resurgence they experienced with Brandon Roy. This team has constantly been fucked up by unfortunate circumstances and they are once again trying to piece together something a competitive team. They recently added a ton of depth, with a nice mix of young guys like Robinson and McCollum. Much like Orlando, it will be fun to watch the youngins grow except there will be steeper expectations with regards to post-season aspirations.
Remember, this story is essentially for you guys, the readers. I think what makes a pretty good story aside from a solid presentation and good writing is the ability for the poster to engage the audience members. There are a lot of decision points (e.g. Will the Raptors rebuild or tank? Will the Magic look to deal away more veterans to stockpile more young assets? etc.) that the readers can have a say in. Getting a dialogue and discussion going about the content of the story itself will be one of the aspects of differentiation that I will emphasize. In a way, I'm trying to push a more "choose your own adventure" style of Association with the readers calling the shots on different choices that I can present to them.
So remember, cast your vote! It matters! If you have voted, feel free to post your choice and why you chose it. I'd love to hear back from you guys.
