Another Level (NBA 2K11 My Player)

[Bucket]

Nice move for you. Now it's your team

[kibaxx7]

Two Nuggets threads from you? Great move

[Axel The Great]

Nuggets. Have fun playing alongside Chauncey!

[Kenny]

Nice one man!

Thanks Icefox, I particularly can't wait since they're my favourite team

Wow, great decision man! Good luck on your stay with Denver, a bright season is waiting for you

Thanks Justine, I just hope I'm not on a team with a bunch of brain explosions like the rookie year

Nice move for you. Now it's your team

Chauncey Billups and Nene might disagree with you there, but it's definitely a great challenge for me.

Two Nuggets threads from you? Great move

I'm hoping being on my favourite team will add some longevity to this one. I'm loving the mode despite it's obvious flaws.

Nuggets. Have fun playing alongside Chauncey!

That I shall, apart from being the Nuggets, I saw the roster with him on it and I couldn't refuse.

[Kenny]

Prologue

After Denver's franchise player Carmelo Anthony left for the Pacers, the Denver Nuggets had a large void to fill at the 3. Coming off a surprise All-Rookie First Team season, Kenny Young has gone from the guy nobody expected anything from to replacing arguably the franchise's greatest player. With J.R. Smith and Arron Afflalo moving on and the retirement of coach George Karl, the Nuggets are a side in transition and Young now has the opportunity to be at the forefront of this movement. Can he rise to the challenge or fade away into obscurity?

Stay tuned for the sophomore season of Another Level.

[Kenny]

The First Three Months (October To December)

I was going to do this in a monthly format, butunder the circumstances of which this season has started, the first three should really be put together. Here it is, the story so far:

Kenny Young was one of Denver's big signings in the off-season along with Jamal Crawford.



The first game he played for the Nuggets he had to guard Kevin Durant. KD ended up scoring 43 points in 43 minutes as Denver were on the end of a 105-87 blowout. Young had 14 points and 10 rebounds in his first game for Denver.



His second game started with great promise with this and 1 against the Mavs.



Denver is a team at a crossroads and two key players to their transition are in picture.



The chronic ankle injury that plagued Kenny Young last season came back in just the 2 game of his sophomore campaign. The game against Dallas was bittersweet. Young had 12 points and 13 rebounds in 25 minutes to help Denver to a 103-96 win, but the Nuggets paid a heavy toll with Young to be out for 2-4 weeks with a Severely Sprained Ankle.



With the Nuggets struggling to 3-6, some trades were made and Young came back early from injury after missing 6 games.



It would be a decision he'd regret though, playing for just 13 minutes before aggravating his already injured ankle. Denver ended up losing 103-100.



At 7-14, Denver pulled the trigger on some more trades. It's now becoming evident that the Nuggets are having a firesale this year, already getting rid of the under-performing Jamal Crawford.



Three of Denver's new faces: Marcin Gortat, Brandon Rush and Cartier Martin.



Despite being a poor on-ball defender, a great strength of his game is his help defense. Here he is blocking a layup of Stephen Jackson.



All signs were good for Kenny once again as he performed this spectacular windmill dunk.



But the ankle would give in once again. Add another 2-4 weeks on the sidelines and a 12 point loss to the Bobcats.



After missing 9 games, Young came back with a vengence against Portland. At this point Denver were 11-18.



Despite another disappointing loss, a positive to this game was that Kenny Young got through it without injury. He had a pretty good stat-line at the end to: 20 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.



Another new team mate of Kenny's is Keyon Dooling. Unfortunately he didn't help the Nuggets overcome the Jazz and the losing continues in the post-Melo era. Young had another solid outing with 14 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.

The Trades

Kenyon Martin and Renaldo Balkman for Marcin Gortat (ORL)
Jamal Crawford for Brandon Rush and Larry Sanders (IND)
2012 First Round Pick for Marreese Speights (PHI)
Ben Wallace and Wesley Fowlkes for Cartier Martin and Davor Kasparov (MEM)
Gary Forbes for Keyon Dooling (MIL)

Record: 11-20

Games Played by My Player: 6

------------------------------------------

Looks like in addition to being arguably the league's most frustrating player, I'm going to be on another cellar dweller team... huzzah! I almost gave in to Thierryitis, but I'll try to ride this out. Hopefully some wins are on the way.

[Axel The Great]

Wow, that must be frustrating to get injured that many times. At this rate, you'll probably take Yao's career path and become GM of a team from Australia during your free time. What's your durability rating?

[Bucket]

3 injuries? You should upgrade your durability
Impressive game against Blazers

[kibaxx7]

Man, that sucks But you had some really nice statlines in the way.

That's what I don't like about My Player mode, all those CPU trades.

[Martti.]

Only fitting you signed with the Nuggets!

You can't seem to stay healthy.

[Houndy]

Legit, you signed with the Nuggets.

Sucks you have 3 injuries

[Kenny]

Wow, that must be frustrating to get injured that many times. At this rate, you'll probably take Yao's career path and become GM of a team from Australia during your free time. What's your durability rating?

I think my guy would be more likely to make a rap album or buy some fur coats

Before my third injury I actually bumped my durability rating up to 80, but obviously that wasn't enough.

3 injuries? You should upgrade your durability
Impressive game against Blazers

I did but yeah, obviously not enough to avoid it completely.

I was really happy with the Portland game, my shooting percentage has been down this season, but I was on fire in that one.

Man, that sucks But you had some really nice statlines in the way.

That's what I don't like about My Player mode, all those CPU trades.

At this rate I'm going to be one of those "what if" players. It is rather frustrating, but it does help get through the season quickly

I hate all the trades as well. Hedo Turkoglu completely screwed me over last season.

Only fitting you signed with the Nuggets!

You can't seem to stay healthy.

Legit, you signed with the Nuggets.

Sucks you have 3 injuries

Yeah, I dunno what my guys ankles are made out of; he has big hops yet they fail on him at any given moment.

Nuggets were always going to be my first choice. Funny thing was, last season I actually had some interest from them when it came to a trade deadline deal, but I decided to stick with the Wizards for the entire season and go from there.

[Kenny]

January to All-Star Weekend

Again, I was going to post this month-by-month. I could summarise the following with this one picture:



But some other things happened as well, so the normal format will follow.

One of the areas Young has looked to improve through practice is his jumpshot. He's just beginning to find his range.



When healthy, he can put up good numbers even against the great teams. Against the Lakers he had 22 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.



Despite chronic injuries, he still plays with the same reckless abandon.



Don't tell Johan Petro that Kenny Young is soft.



Despite sticking with the Lakers most of the way, the Nuggets ended up losing by 103-97.



Kenny exploded against the Hornets, but Denver still lost. In 35 minutes, Young had 26 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.



Just as we see a glimpse of his potential, he falls to another injury. This time a strained abdomen that would keep him out for 2-4 weeks.



During his injury, Denver pulled the trigger on another big trade. This time, Young's favourite team mate Chauncey Billups was traded to the Rockets for Kyle Lowry and Brad Miller.



Kenny had a strong first half back and was the pick of the Denver team.



He managed to surpass his career high of 20 rebounds by grabbing 22 against the Bucks, as well as 13 points, 5 assists and 3 steals. But the Bucks won the close encounter by 105-102.



One step forward, two steps back. Kenny lasted just 2 minutes against the Chicago Bulls before injuring that troublesome ankle once again. He was on the court long enough to register his 1000th career point, but this latest injury will see him miss the Rookie Challenge.

Record: 18-39

Games Played by My Player: 11

----------------------------------------------------

So, after this I bumped up my durability rating to 98. If I continue to get injuries at the rate I have been, I will call complete shenanigans on this game

[Justine.]

That injuries Another trade? Hate that Billups trade

[Bucket]

What the f...? A lot of injuries, and Billups traded for Lowry and Millers...
57 games and you played only 11, that sucks. Looks like your second season will end fast.

[Axel The Great]

Even though I like Lowry, I don't like that trade. I hate how 2K hyped their 'improved' trade logic only to have it still be really bad. You should get to work on that rap album with all those injuries I guess. Nice game you had against the Lakers.

[kibaxx7]

Again, not liking the deals...

But I started a new My Player save anyway.

[Houndy]

Your ankle is screwy

You're producing.. hope your career doesn't end up like T-Mac.

[Kenny]

That injuries Another trade? Hate that Billups trade

I hate it as well; Lowry is a nice backup point guard, but a starting two? I don't think so.

What the f...? A lot of injuries, and Billups traded for Lowry and Millers...
57 games and you played only 11, that sucks. Looks like your second season will end fast.

\

I know, things haven't gone as planned and I hate the fact that this team is getting blown up.

Even though I like Lowry, I don't like that trade. I hate how 2K hyped their 'improved' trade logic only to have it still be really bad. You should get to work on that rap album with all those injuries I guess. Nice game you had against the Lakers.

The My Player mode still needs a lot of improvements, the "trade logic" has to be a big one on the list. That and the dumbass AI you tend to play with. The opposition hits contested shots when your team mates often miss wide open looks. I'm thinking the album shall feature Shaq

Again, not liking the deals...

But I started a new My Player save anyway.

I hate that the team management is completely out of my control. In the rookie season, they asked me for 5 players I'd like to play with and they delivered none of them. And I didn't aim that high; I believe I even asked for the Birdman just to have another big on the team that could block shots.

Good luck with your My Player

Your ankle is screwy

You're producing.. hope your career doesn't end up like T-Mac.

That's just it, I'm happy with the numbers I get when I play, I just can't seem to stay on the court. I'm not putting up the numbers to be classified as the next T-Mac... probably more like Shaun Livingston right now

[Kenny]

Post All-Star Break (End of February)

I bumped my durability up to 98, so hopefully the next few posts won't consist of my guy laying on the ground:

The Nuggets completed another trade, sending Jason Maxiell and Chris Andersen to the Kings for Francisco Garcia and Donte Greene.



The game following that trade, the Nuggets won against Memphis 97-89. Despite having a sub-par 6 point game off 2-8 shooting, Young helped out in other ways with 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals. This alley oop dunk was the highlight of the night.



Shocking everyone (including his coach), Kenny nailed his first career 3 pointer against the Nets.



He came out firing against his old coach Kurt Rambis.



His dominance continued as he recorded a season high 31.



The Nuggets picked up their second game in a row, beating New Jersey 108-98.



Kenny Young was the player of the game with 31 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal from 32 minutes of play. He was also far more efficient than last game, shooting 12 of 20 from the field and hitting 100% from the line.



However the next game he had one of the best perimeter defenders in the league guarding him. He almost had a triple double (12 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists) and a career high 4 steals, but Denver lost 89-77.



Young's jumpshot seems to be improving by the game.



He once again had an outstanding first half, this time being compared to the greatest player in the world. Despite grabbing his second career triple-double and filling out the stat-line (13 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks), Kenny Young and the Denver Nuggets were emphatically blown out by the hot Atlanta Hawks by 100-67.

Record: 20-41
Games Played by My Player: 15

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Well, the plus side is that I managed to get a couple of wins and it looks like the ankle is holding up (for now). Hopefully the next report can be a long one, with My Player completing the whole month injury free

As always, the second post on the front page will be updated if you want to check My Player's stats.

[karlsanada10]

You look liike Jesus in this. no joke. And I like it. Inspired me to play 2k11 again.haha. Imma play later.

[Bucket]

No injuries? ..... Finally Good job. Kenny dominates after injury
Billups is gone, and now this is your team

[Axel The Great]

He once again had an outstanding first half, this time being compared to the greatest player in the world

Nice one.

Better luck this time around. As much as I like Donte Greene from my first story, again, I don't like what management is doing. This team doesn't need wings when you're healthy.

[kibaxx7]

Nice to see you injury-free for at least a month

Also great job in getting another couple of triple-doubles and your first career trey.

[Houndy]

The Management Sucks.

You, rock.