The 2K10 & Beyond Project - Season 19/20: DeRozan exacts revenge on Wizards

[jubba910]

It’s October 2009, and you’ve just got your hands on the next instalment in the NBA 2K series on your PC, NBA 2K10. However,

Imagine that moment with today’s landscape, 11 instalments of the 2K franchise later, knowing that you have the opportunity to continue that first season not into the next season within the same game, but the next game.

Beginning with NBA 2K10, each season the game will evolve to the next instalment, carrying over as much as possible to the next season from the one previous which will be detailed in the guidelines below. Essentially creating a parallel universe from 2010 to 2020 and beyond that will lead down many wacky paths, with everyone that existed in the original roster file of NBA 2K10 to everyone drafted the years after, although likely almost all not with the same original destination.

Season Format

82 Game Season, 7-7-7-7 Playoff Structure

Simulated vs Watched Games
Regular Season: Game of the Fortnight
Will watch a game of the season every two weeks, especially during these early years when the games aren’t as engaging.

Playoffs: First Round Simulated unless Game 7, Second Round & Conference Finals Simulated until Elimination Game
The first three rounds will only feature Game 7’s and elimination games in the second round and Conference Finals being watched, to speed up the potential of some long contested series.

NBA Finals: Watched
These will be watched game by game.
(Depending on the success and interest in this series, I may look into streaming these on Twitch if those are interested).


Injuries

Will reset every year, if a player is injured for the season, they will be gone for the rest of that season. If there are a season ending injury in the playoffs/finals, that player will miss the entire next season (removed from Roster).


Ratings (The Elephant in the Room)

This would be the hardest thing to monitor and undertake, as it would be a mammoth task to adjust ratings of players for ongoing years, this is something I have come to terms with, and will have to be something that you will also have to accept, but the next games ratings will overwrite those from the previous. This does create bias where players will have better on-paper ratings than the previous seasons that they have played, but will simply not be possible in a project this size. This also means that players who bust in real life will bust in game also, but will in turn also bring pain and further suffering to teams that they didn’t originally.


Limitations

I have undertaken a beta of this project myself in the past months, going from 2K10-2K14, and have noticed some limitations which will need to be overcome/accepted for this to be completed.

NBA 2K12-14
Even when controlling all 30 teams, these games don’t allow you to cycle between teams to make free agency offers without advancing a day outside of the team of the current offer. Due to this, CPU will be given the reigns to offer free agents contracts, which will make some deals not the most appropriate due to the AI’s decision making, but it’s something that has to be overcome.

General

Due to controlling 30 teams, the CPU will have the control of all tasks such as lineup management, staff hiring’s/firings, pre-draft/post-draft workouts etc., the only thing that won’t be enabled is CPU trading, as this when trialed lead to some nightmare deals where teams were trading franchise players for garbage.


Trade Deadline

This will rely heavily on the rumour mill. Depending on who is unhappy, they’re likely to be traded. Additionally, Upcoming Free Agents at the deadline will also be looked at in possible trade scenarios if their team is on a downturn/not delivering results.


Offseason Guidelines;

A lot of the below is most likely to be referred to a few seasons into this, meaning it may be information overload now, but will become useful when people may question future happenings.
*Any mention of “overall” will refer to the game in which the events are happening unless stated otherwise.

Draft

Pick Logic
Picks will be ranked in their original slots as the best available in that position on the original draft order for the first 30 picks, with the logic that if a team took a player earlier than expected in that position, it was deemed that they had the upside to be justified at that pick. After the 30th, the best available from that point will be drafted to each team.

Need vs. Best Available:
- If the player currently on roster in the position of Best Available is not above an Overall of 80, or is not in the Top 5 rated players on the team, this will continue to be measured to Next-Best Available until the teams Need becomes next available.
- Special considerations (Consensus #1 prospects – John Wall, Anthony Davis, Anthony Bennett-Just Kidding) will be taken in certain situations where it’s undeniable that a team would pick the prospect over their current player in that position, unless they have a franchise player (Above 88OVR) in that position.
- Additionally, if the team drafted a player with a top 10 pick in the position of the Best Available in the previous two years, the next best available will be taken, unless that player has dropped below 70 overall or the team has the #1 pick and the top prospect is a clear upgrade from their original pick.

Free Agency

Logic
- On 2K10-11, some user-made offers will be made by teams with cap-space to attempt to sign lucrative free agents to help encourage movement.
- Free Agency will be dictated by the game in which the season is played. This will include in-game retirements, with a player being placed in free agency in the next game and a significant drop of 10 from their overall, leaving them open to return in the next game if a team is willing to pick them up and could create some historic comeback stories.
- A player below a rating of 70 will not be offered a contract by the user, CPU will determine if they do/do not get signed, streamlining a majority of the Free Agency period.

Will be posting my 2009-10 preview soon, and welcome any feedback to the current format!

Quick Links

Season 09/10

Season Preview
Monthly Report: November
Monthly Report: December
Monthly Report: January
Trade Deadline
Monthly Report: February
Monthly Report: March
Monthly Report: April
Awards & Playoff Picture
NBA Playoffs
NBA Finals
Player Retirements & Player/Team Options
Player Re-Signings
NBA Draft Lottery
NBA Draft
Free Agency


Season 10/11

Opening Day Roster Download
Team Depth Charts
Season Preview
Monthly Report: November
Monthly Report: December
Monthly Report: January
Trade Deadline
Monthly Report: February
Monthly Report: March
Monthly Report: April
Awards & Playoff Picture
NBA Playoffs
NBA Finals
Player Retirements & Player/Team Options
Player Re-Signings
NBA Draft Lottery
NBA Draft
Free Agency


Season 11/12

Opening Day Roster Download
Team Depth Charts
Season Preview
Monthly Report: November
Monthly Report: December
Monthly Report: January
Trade Deadline
Monthly Report: February
Monthly Report: March
Monthly Report: April
Awards & Playoff Picture
NBA Playoffs
NBA Finals
Player Retirements & Draft Lottery
Player/Team Options & Amnesties
NBA Draft
Free Agency

Season 12/13

Opening Day Roster Download
Team Depth Charts
Season Preview
Monthly Report: November
Monthly Report: December
Monthly Report: January
Trade Deadline
Monthly Report: February
Monthly Report: March
Monthly Report: April
Awards & Playoff Picture
NBA Playoffs
NBA Finals
Player Retirements & Draft Lottery
Player/Team Options & Amnesties
Free Agency
NBA Draft

Season 13/14

Opening Day Roster Download
Team Depth Charts
Season Preview
Monthly Report: November
Monthly Report: December
Monthly Report: January
Trade Deadline
Monthly Report: February
Monthly Report: March
Monthly Report: April
Awards & Playoff Picture
NBA Playoffs
NBA Finals
Player Retirements & Draft Lottery
Player/Team Options & Amnesties
NBA Draft
Player Re-Signings
Free Agency

Season 14/15

Opening Day Roster Download
Team Depth Charts
Season Preview
Monthly Report: November
Monthly Report: December
Monthly Report: January
Trade Deadline
Monthly Report: February
Monthly Report: March
Monthly Report: April
Awards & Playoff Picture
NBA Playoffs
NBA Finals
Player Retirements & Draft Lottery
Player/Team Options & Amnesties
NBA Draft
Player Re-Signings
Free Agency

Season 15/16

Team Depth Charts
Season Preview
Monthly Report: November
Monthly Report: December
Monthly Report: January
Trade Deadline
Monthly Report: February
Monthly Report: March
Monthly Report: April
Awards & Playoff Picture
NBA Playoffs
NBA Finals
Player Retirements & Draft Lottery
NBA Draft
Player/Team Options & Amnesties
Player Re-Signings
Free Agency

Season 16/17

Team Depth Charts
Season Preview
Monthly Report: November
Monthly Report: December
Monthly Report: January
Trade Deadline
Monthly Report: February
Monthly Report: March
Monthly Report: April
Awards & Playoff Tree
NBA Playoffs
NBA Finals
Retirements, Realignment & Lottery
Player/Team Options & Amnesties
NBA Draft
Player Re-Signings
Free Agency

Season 17/18

Team Depth Charts
Season Preview
Monthly Report: October
Monthly Report: November
Monthly Report: December
Monthly Report: January
Trade Deadline
Monthly Report: February
Monthly Report: March
Monthly Report: April
Awards & Playoff Tree
NBA Playoffs
NBA Finals
Player/Team Options & Amnesties
Player Retirements & Draft Lottery
NBA Draft
Player Re-Signings
Free Agency

Season 18/19

Team Depth Charts
Season Preview
Monthly Report: October
Monthly Report: November
Monthly Report: December
Monthly Report: January
Trade Deadline & Player Re-signings
Monthly Report: February
Monthly Report: March
Monthly Report: April
Awards & Playoff Tree
NBA Playoffs
NBA Finals
Player Retirements & Draft Lottery
Player/Team Options
Free Agency

Season 19/20

Team Depth Charts
Season Preview
Monthly Report: November
Monthly Report: December
Monthly Report: January
Trade Deadline
Monthly Report: February
Monthly Report: March
Monthly Report: April

[Andrew]

Definitely an interesting idea! Looking forward to seeing how it plays out.

Just one minor correction in the intro, though. NBA 2K10 came out in 2009, ready for the 2010 season.

[jubba910]

Knew there'd be something I screwed up, cheers!

[Andrew]

No worries! As I said, looking forward to seeing how it all plays out. And on a side note, the fact that NBA 2K10 and NBA 2K11 came out 11 and 10 years ago makes me feel very tired.

[jubba910]

2009-10 Season Preview


Coming off a dominant year, the Los Angeles Lakers look set to visit the NBA Finals for a third consecutive year, meanwhile in Orlando Dwight Howard will be itching to go a step further with the addition of All-Star Guard Vince Carter adding further star power to the Magic Lineup.

This season seems to be as interesting now as it will be in its inclusion, with the 2003 Draft Class trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all heading towards Free Agency this summer. In what could see the landscape shift dramatically, the Cavaliers, Raptors and HEAT all have a mountain of pressure to further bolster their lineups in order to appease their stars.

When asked about what lies ahead beyond the current season, the reigning MVP LeBron James seemed rather unfazed about his future in Cleveland;

For the past two years, I've seen two straight premature Playoff exits. That’s not good enough. I expect better of myself and this team, and I see no reason to look beyond this season until we’re hoisting the NBA Championship.

Another team to watch closely this season will be the Boston Celtics. Following their Conference Finals loss to the Magic, Coach Doc Rivers was quick to dismiss the claims that the Celtics window may have already closed;

When you look at us against most teams in this Conference, our composure and experience shines through. You may look at that as a negative, but I have full faith that this roster will be standing tall at the conclusion of this season. We definitely limped into last year’s Playoffs with Kevin (Garnett) out, but at full strength we’re hard to deny.

One of the teams that holds some of the biggest question marks is the Oklahoma City Thunder. In their second season in their new home, it seems to only be a matter of time until Kevin Durant is challenging LeBron James as one of the best players in the league. Asked about his meteoric rise to the NBA’s upper echelon, Kevin was humbled;

It’s a massive complement to myself and a bigger testament to the organization that has put so much faith in me to go out and there and produce night in and night out on the floor. I think with this young core of myself, Russ, Serge and now bringing James (Harden) into the fold, we see no reason why teams should consider us an easy W.

Division Previews


Eastern Conference – Atlantic Division



In one of the most diverse divisions this season, a lot of promise and potential can be seen in the Atlantic Division. The Nets will be looking for major production through their tandem of Devin Harris & Brook Lopez, the Raptors hoping a combination of Chris Bosh and the newly arrived Hedo Turkoglu can bring the Great White North a true contender, and the youth of 76ers’ Andre Iguodala & Jrue Holiday as well as leadership through Elton Brand can take the City of Love to greater heights. Though the giant still commands this division in the Boston Celtics, who add championship veteran Rasheed Wallace to their stacked experienced lineup, banner #17 lays begging for Beantown as long as their aging stars can stay healthy.


Eastern Conference – Central Division



In what could be LeBron’s last year in his hometown, the Cavaliers are feeling the pressure after failing to return to the Finals for the second straight year. They add Shaquille O’Neal as a major influence in the frontcourt, but are currently a leg behind their Eastern Conference counterparts in star power. Look for Dan Gilbert to play a major role at the Trade Deadline to appease the King and bring a title to Ohio. Below sit a bunch of mid-standing battlers, with the exciting Derrick Rose in Chicago looking to continue to grow, Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva looking to make their big breaks in Detroit, and the Pacers & Bucks aiming for a playoff berth.


Eastern Conference – Southeast Division



Can the Magic return to the Finals? The Atlanta Hawks will have something to say about that. In what has been one of the most consistent rosters in recent years, the Hawks are primed to make the Southeast division a true dogfight, and their leader Joe Johnson primed for an extension alongside the explosive Josh Smith and Al Horford. Time may be up for the longstanding big 3 in Washington of Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler & Gilbert Arenas, outgunned and outmanned, it could be time to hit the reset button in Washington. The Bobcats look to be joining Washington as the whipping boys of the division, with Gerald Wallace needing some serious help from his teammates to get this team above .500. Miami will be looking to Michael Beasley to improve and make himself the true second option behind Wade, as a playoff berth looks crucial to maintaining the services of their Chicago-born star.


Western Conference - Pacific Division



A new year, same old Lakers. The titans of Los Angeles look set to reign strongly over their Pacific counterparts, with the Clippers, Warriors and Kings all housing young prospects for the future in Stephen Curry, Tyreke Evans and #1 pick Blake Griffin. In what seems overdue, the time is no more now than this season for the Phoenix Suns. With the tandem of Amare Stoudemire & Steve Nash waving goodbye to the Diesel, the run-and-gun Suns are reaching the end of their window to make a true postseason push. The Lakers have only gotten stronger this offseason, bringing in full time lockdown defender and enforcer Ron Artest to complete the most powerful starting five in the Western Conference. Anything less than a championship would be seen as a failure in the eyes of Jack Nicholson and the passionate Laker fan base.


Western Conference – Southwest Division



In a division of consistency, I ask you to pick who will reign supreme. The three teams of Texas look set to have long runs into the postseason, none stronger than the Spurs. The time is quickly ticking on the Rockets to find the Yao-McGrady connection strong enough to garner postseason success. The young and gritty Memphis Grizzlies could be a true wild card for the entire Conference, with their young core of Gay, Conley & Gasol adding the scoring Allen Iverson and now seasoned powerhouse down low Zach Randolph, they’re no team to balk at. Following another great season, Chris Paul in New Orleans again finds himself in a tricky position, relying on the seasoned frontcourt of Okafor and West to produce enough to win games. It wouldn’t be too far to suggest a major shake-up in the Big Easy.


Western Conference – Northwest Division



No division looks more competitive across the league. The Nuggets, Jazz and Trailblazers look set to battle down to the wire to taste the postseason. With the addition of Ty Lawson, the Nuggets look set to have deep run and head back to the Conference Finals. If Greg Oden can stay healthy, it’s hard to deny the Blazers causing some serious damage, though the experience of Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer and the Jazz will prove a true test. The Thunder and Wolves look set to build up young prospects, with James Harden joining the dynamic duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, while Kevin Love teams with Al Jefferson in what could be the most terrifying frontcourt of the NBA for years to come.



Award Predictions


Most Valuable Player

LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

It’s almost undoubtable that LeBron will lead his Cavaliers in almost every statistic for the 2009-10 season on the way to a top seed in the Eastern Conference. The King is firmly sat on his thrown, and it could be a long time until we see someone that can unseat him.


Rookie of the Year

Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers

The hype all points towards this year’s #1 pick. Pairing with Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby in the frontcourt, Baron Davis should run a majority of plays through the young stalwart. Pairing with an outside presence of Eric Gordon, Blake looks set to lead this Clippers team into a new generation.


Defensive Player of the Year

Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

If the Magic have any chance of returning to the NBA Finals, the defensive presence of Dwight Howard has to be a key factor. Combining his blocking ability with unmatched strength in the low-post, it’s hard to look past Dwight.


Most Improved Player

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

Looking to trade this in for an MVP trophy in the not too distant future, its likely with more help around him this year that Kevin Durants numbers skyrocket, much like their win total.

Sixth Man of the Year

Jamal Crawford, Atlanta Hawks

The undoubted favourite for the coming season, Jamal Crawford is the spark plug that looks set to help push these Hawks to new heights. Look for him to be the factor in close games against opposing benches.


Coach of the Year

Phil Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers seemed destined to bring in 60+ wins with the addition of Ron Artest to an already stacked lineup. The Zen Master will look to collect this trophy on the way to ring #10.

[Andrew]

Good stuff, let's see how it turns out! Interested to see if you'll have Griffin miss the season or re-write history in that regard.

[jubba910]

I'm taking it from the perspective of no injury to Blake, so straight off the bat the Clippers will be a different team this year!

[Andrew]

I like it.

[jubba910]

Opening Day Power Rankings

1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Boston Celtics
4. Denver Nuggets
5. Orlando Magic
6. Dallas Mavericks
7. Houston Rockets
8. San Antonio Spurs
9. New Orleans Hornets
10. Philadelphia 76ers
11. Memphis Grizzlies
12. Utah Jazz
13. Washington Wizards
14. Atlanta Hawks
15. Miami Heat
16. Portland Trail Blazers
17. Los Angeles Clippers
18. Detroit Pistons
19. Golden State Warriors
20. Phoenix Suns
21. Toronto Raptors
22. Oklahoma City Thunder
23. Charlotte Bobcats
24. Chicago Bulls
25. New York Knicks
26. Indiana Pacers
27. Minnesota Timberwolves
28. New Jersey Nets
29. Milwaukee Bucks
30. Sacramento Kings

[jubba910]

Opening Night Double-Header

BOS 114 @ CLE 98
27th October 2009

Celtics dominant over King & Cavaliers


Ray Allen shone brightest of the Celtics three-headed monster, with 9 of his 27 points coming in back-to-back-to back three-pointers in a 37 team point third quarter.






LAC 120 @ LAL 93
27th October 2009

Clippers deliver shock upset against defending champion Lakers


Blake Griffin stamped his authority on the Staples Center floor with a 31-point, 14-rebound performance on debut.

[Andrew]

Great debut for Blake. Complete collapse for the Lakers in the fourth there.

[jubba910]

POR 96 @ MEM 103
10th November 2009

Grizzlies shoot their warning shot to the Western Conference


The veteran leadership of offseason recruit Allen Iverson proved vital down the stretch, with 11 fourth quarter points.

[Andrew]

A whole season of Iverson on the Grizzlies will be interesting to see.

[jubba910]

MIA 103 @ ORL 123
25th November 2009

Magic too strong in the battle of Florida


Dwight continued his dominant form for the top-placed Magic with a 26-point, 9 rebound and 6 assist performance.

[Andrew]

Beastly performance for Dwight.

[jubba910]

Monthly Report: November 2009

Conference Standings

Eastern Conference


Western Conference



League Leaders

Points


Rebounds


Assists


Steals


Blocks



Injury Report


Stories

Slow start in the Big Apple


It looks like Free Agency couldn't come sooner for the New York Knicks, limping to an East worst 2-13 through the first month of the season. The question becomes what pieces do they consider part of their future, and if they begin a fire sale in preparation for a mammoth 2010 free agency period?


Murmurs of Rookie unrest in Milwaukee


Rumours are swirling that Bucks PG Brandon Jennings may already be looking at his time beyond Milwaukee. Considered one of the true mysteries of potential out of this past draft, teams that come knocking will most likely have trouble paying unders for a possible franchise PG.

Teams proving the critics wrong


It may be early days, but the Sacramento Kings, Charlotte Bobcats, Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers have found themselves in the top halves of their Conferences, after opening day power rankings having them in the lower third of the league. The most evident slow start has been the Denver Nuggets, tipped to be a major contender in the West, they find themselves on the wrong end of a 6-9 record.

[Andrew]

Surprisingly slow start for the defending champs.

[jubba910]

DEN 102 @ SA 92
5th December 2009

Nuggets topple West-leading Spurs


Few stars shone brighter than JR Smith against the Spurs, putting up a solid 18 points, and further increasing his potential for a large extension at this season's end.

[jubba910]

UTA 112 @ ATL 111
18th December 2009

Williams' last second shot sinks Hawks


League-wide assist leader Deron Williams stuffed the assist column with 22 assists alongside his 22 points, including the most crucial 2 with 0.4 seconds left.

[Andrew]

Huge 20-20 game from Deron Williams there.

[jubba910]

CLE 129 @ LAL 126
25th December 2009

Cavaliers outlast Lakers in Christmas Day OT Thriller


Mo Williams stepped up to the plate, nailing the 3-point dagger to keep the Lakers at bay, and extending the defending champ's losing streak to 7 straight.






BOS 99 @ ORL 105
25th December 2009

Carter leads incredible fourth quarter comeback against Celtics


In a possible preview of this season's Eastern Conference Finals, a last quarter flurry from Vince Carter and the Magic helped cement themselves as the team to beat in the East.

[Andrew]

Could be some Playoffs previews there.

[jubba910]

Monthly Report: December 2009

Conference Standings

Eastern Conference


Western Conference



League Leaders

Points


Rebounds


Assists


Steals


Blocks



Injury Report



Award Races

Most Valuable Player


Rookie of the Year


Sixth Man of the Year


Defensive Player of the Year


Most Improved Player


Stories

Hollywood enters panic mode


The Los Angeles Lakers somehow find themselves below .500 after the first two months of the season. In a season where 60+ wins seemed achievable, they leave themselves vulnerable to a lower seed in the playoffs than they ever expected.

Was Orlando just missing some Vinsanity?


The Orlando Magic have firmed as a serious championship contender, currently with a league leading 24-7 record. Vince Carter has proved well worth the pieces spent, and things look to be nothing but positive in Orlando.

Heat's winning ways keep Wade happy, talk of early extension?


Rumours are circling that Dwyane Wade may forgo the wild frenzy of this years free agency, reportedly opening extension talks with Miami already for a multi-year extension to keep him as the HEAT's stalwart.

[Andrew]

Wow, the Lakers are really struggling.

[jubba910]

NO 87 @ OKC 96
6th January 2010

Young Thunder take Scalp of Hornets


Though not his best shooting performance, Kevin Durant showed leadership in their surprise upset of a charging Hornets squad.