Andrew's 06 Bulls, Part 2 :: 07/08 (October 2007)

[Andrew]

Andrew's NBA Live 06 Bulls Dynasty, Part 2

Yes, it's back. Thanks to everyone who provided feedback in my "thinking of starting a new Dynasty" thread, after much deliberation I've decided to dust off and continue my favourite Dynasty to date. Just in case this is short lived - and to avoid messing up the voting/inductions - I'm going with a new thread, for the full back story please check out the original one here.

A quick recap of the basic settings:

Season Length: 82 games
Quarter Length: 12 minutes
Playoff Format: 7-7-7-7
Rosters: Originally started with NLSC 05/06 season rosters, with Shawn Kemp added as a free agent (66 overall)
Sliders: Mine
Difficulty: Superstar

2005/2006 Results Overview

Regular Season: 48-34
Playoffs: 16-1 (Won NBA Championship)
2005/2006 Season Stats

2006/2007: The Story So Far

October 28th 2006: vs MIA (116-124 W)
October 29th 2006: @ MIN (119-126 L)
October 31st 2006: vs NJN (114-112 L)
November 4th 2006: vs MEM (118-93 W)
November 9th 2006: @ PHI (116-103 W)
November 13th 2006: @ ORL (106-75 W)
November 15th 2006: vs NJN (122-117 L)

Record: 4-3
Next Game: November 16th 2006, vs New Orleans Hornets

Current Roster

Starting Lineup

C: Tyson Chandler (76 overall)
F: Chris Wilcox (70 overall)
F: Luol Deng (75 overall)
G: Ben Gordon (80 overall)
G: Kirk Hinrich (81 overall)

Bench

F Andres Nocioni (75 overall)
F/G Danny Granger (71 overall)
G Chris Duhon (72 overall)
C/F Shawn Kemp (65 overall)
F/C Nick Collison (69 overall)
G Monta Ellis (63 overall)
F/G Trevor Ariza (67 overall)

Inactive Roster

G/F Steve Smith (61 overall)
G Eddie Gill (63 overall)
G Matt Carroll (60 overall)

Additional notes moving forward

Because I've got all the NBA Live PC art installed, I've decided to run with the various updated jerseys a few seasons early. Likewise, I've changed the Sonics to the Thunder rather than fiddling around and restoring the Sonics art with a new art file abbreviation, so I'm going with the idea that the relocation happened with the sale of the team back in 2006 (everything happening much quicker than it would in reality). Aside from that, it's business as normal, continuing on from before.

[Andrew]

November 16th, 2006
New Orleans (80) at Chicago (95)
Bulls win behind strong second half
[ Boxscore ]

The Chicago Bulls rarely looked liked the defending champions in the first half, tentatively trading baskets with the visiting New Orleans Hornets and spending most of the first two quarters trailing. However, a spirited defensive performance in the third quarter quickly turned the game in their favour as they bounced back from a disappointing home loss to New Jersey last night with an impressive 95-80 victory.

Late in the first quarter, Hornets' rookie shooting guard Timothy Washington nailed a three pointer to put New Orleans up 25-22, a lead they would hold through the rest of the first half. A stagnant Bulls offense allowed the Hornets to lead by as many as eight during the half, but the 2006 champs rallied as Tyson Chandler gobbled up rebounds and altered shots in the paint. Second year standout Chris Paul and first overall pick Liu Cotton both found themselves in foul trouble early on, limiting their effectiveness as they played just 27 and 22 minutes respectively. By halftime, the Bulls reduced the deficit to one.

Hard nosed defense allowed the Bulls to recapture the lead in the third, though the game remained close throughout the period with the lead changing twice before Chicago managed to string together a couple of baskets to hold onto a three point leading heading into the fourth. Without Paul and Cotton in top form however, the Hornets were unable to match Chicago's scoring in the final quarter, with the lead ballooning to as many as eighteen as the Bulls aggressively defended the paint, picked off passes and converted turnovers and bad shots into points at the other end. Chandler finished with 17 rebounds including nine at the offensive end, while last season's Finals MVP Ben Gordon finished with 19 points along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Kirk Hinrich finished with 15 points, 7 assists and 3 rebounds while making the play of the game early in the first quarter with an alley-oop to Chandler from beyond midcourt. Chris Wilcox registered a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds to go along with three blocked shots.

Brandon Bass top scored for the Hornets with 19 points and had 13 rebounds. PJ Brown had a surprising performance with 18 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double of his own. Cotton scored 14 points on 5/10 shooting including 2/3 from three point range in his 22 minutes of play, while Paul's foul trouble led to a quiet night with just seven points, though he also contributed seven assists and three rebounds.

Notes: The Hornets failed to register a single block in the game. The Bulls tallied five (Chandler 2, Wilcox 3)...Chicago shot poorly from the free throw line, going 11/20 for the game compared to the Hornets 12/14...Chicago won the rebounding battle 48-41 (21-13 at the offensive end)...New Orleans had 19 turnovers to Chicago's nine.

Current Record: 5-3
Next Game: November 18th 2006, @ New York

[Kenny]

Good to see you start another dynasty (or picking up from where you left off). I love the fact that you have Shawn Kemp and Danny Granger before he became a star. Best of luck

[Andrew]

Thanks. Still deciding whether or not I'll make any changes or indeed sim a season or two, but I think I might play at least a few more games. I wanted to play at least one game before I did any simming to see which players I wanted to keep, I'll probably still look to trade Nocioni and Duhon at some point but I'll probably hold onto Gordon and am considering keeping Chandler around as well. I tinkered a bit too much in the offseason and earlier this season as I wasn't quite satisfied with my moves but I'll see how things go, the Hornets game was pretty fun and I'm liking the roster having picked it up again.

[Azzdogs]

The names on your bench are really strong, Ellis, Granger, Ariza. But I guess their ratings are a little different.

[Andrew]

Yeah, which is good and bad. It gives me a good young core to try and develop, but knowing how they've turned out in real life it's a bit distracting as it feels like my team is stacked even though their ratings from the old 05/06 rosters aren't that great. I sometimes find myself trying to do too much with players like Granger as they're not quite as dependable as they are these days, but I'm hoping to develop at least one or two of them into solid sixth man candidates or better as time goes on.

November 18th, 2006
Chicago (99) at New York (69)
Bulls embarrass Knicks in MSG
[ Boxscore ]

Chicago's starters hardly broke a sweat as the defending champions cruised to an easy 99-69 victory over old rivals the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden. After trading baskets with the Bulls early on, the Knicks seemed to self-destruct, showing little enthusiasm at either end of the court and were booed consistently and mercilessly by an irate home crowd by the time the Bulls starters left the game for good with four minutes left in the third quarter, none of them having played more than 26 minutes.

"Just awful," Knicks coach Larry Brown commented after the game. "We looked completely disinterested out there. No one gave a damn we were being blown out on our own floor. Just unacceptable." Only two Knicks scored in double figures led by Crawford with 18, with most coming in a half-hearted run during the fourth quarter which still failed to cut into Chicago's lead. Ben Gordon led all scorers with 20 points and went 4/7 from beyond the arc. He also had a team high six assists in 26 minutes of play.

New York made a brief run at the beginning of the second quarter to pull within five, but seemed to quickly run out of steam as the Bulls once again pulled away. The lopsided score allowed Chicago's bench ample playing time, with all twelve players seeing court time and more than ten minutes of action. The Bulls' reserves scored 44 points, more than half New York's total points and only eleven fewer than the Bulls' starting five. "Our bench did a great job tonight," said Bulls coach Andrew Begley. "They came in with the same intensity as our starters and took care of business at both ends. Not every game is going to be as lopsided as this one but the way we played tonight gives us a lot of confidence moving forward."

Notes: Both teams combined for only ten free throws. The Bulls were 7/8, the Knicks made 2/2...Chicago outrebounded New York 47-34, including 17-9 at the offensive end...Knicks G Quentin Richardson is still feeling the effects of a strained shoulder. He played just 11 minutes, going scoreless on 0/6 shooting.

Current Record: 6-3
Next Game: November 20th, 2006, vs Boston

[Phil89]

Yeah, which is good and bad. It gives me a good young core to try and develop, but knowing how they've turned out in real life it's a bit distracting as it feels like my team is stacked even though their ratings from the old 05/06 rosters aren't that great. I sometimes find myself trying to do too much with players like Granger as they're not quite as dependable as they are these days, but I'm hoping to develop at least one or two of them into solid sixth man candidates or better as time goes on.

That's always the risk when playing previous years versions of games or even playing on slightly outdated rosters. It's hard to immerse yourself in the game when you know that players or teams are different to their real life counterparts.

Anyway, nice wins. And good luck against the Celtics

[Azzdogs]

When you rebound like that its almost impossible not to get the win.

[Andrew]

That's always the risk when playing previous years versions of games or even playing on slightly outdated rosters. It's hard to immerse yourself in the game when you know that players or teams are different to their real life counterparts.

Agreed, though Dynasty Mode is about creating your own reality so at the same time it's fun in its own way.

When you rebound like that its almost impossible not to get the win.

No doubt. With the CPU's tendency to grab offensive boards and score immediately, it's essential to clean up on the defensive glass.

November 20th, 2006
Boston (79) at Chicago (93)
Granger shines as Bulls defeat Celtics
[ Boxscore ]

Danny Granger led all scorers with 22 points while adding 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals as the Bulls held off the Celtics for a 93-79 win in the United Center. Granger scored 15 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Bulls' reserves came up big. Paul Pierce's 16 points topped the Celtics, who fell to 4-6 on the year with the loss.

Perhaps encouraged by their increased playing time two nights ago in the Bulls' rout of the New York Knicks, Chicago's bench was the key to holding off a Celtics team that made a spirited run in the third quarter to cut a double digit lead to just two heading into the fourth quarter. With Ben Gordon struggling and the offense not clicking with the starting five on the floor, Chicago turned to their bench and promptly outscored Boston 22-7 in the first six minutes of the final period. Although the starters would briefly return when a late surge allowed the Celtics to cut the lead to nine, it was Granger and Andres Nocioni who were the heroes of the game with clutch free throw shooting. Both players had emphatic dunks - Nocioni's drawing a three point play - to keep Chicago's lead intact and seal the victory. Granger also played admirable defense on perennial All-Star Pierce, who finished 7/17 from the field and had four turnovers.

Celtics starting point guard Marcus Banks had a miserable night, picking up five fouls in just eight minutes of play, opening up an opportunity for rookie Logan Ashmore to see more time on the floor. Ashmore, the 12th pick in the 2006 Draft, scored only two points in 20 minutes of play but had five assists. Al Jefferson had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds while Gerald Green contributed 11 points off the bench. Tyson Chandler registered a double-double for the Bulls with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Notes: Shawn Kemp was injured with two minutes remaining in the first quarter. He did not return...Chris Wilcox led the Bulls with five assists...Boston shot better than Chicago (50.7% to 45.8%) and made just one fewer field goal, but shot only two free throws to the Bulls' 21 attempts. Chicago made fourteen from the line.

Current Record: 7-3
Next Game: November 22nd 2006, vs Denver


November 21st, 2006
Bulls C Kemp day-to-day

CHICAGO, IL -- Chicago Bulls' centre Shawn Kemp is listed as day-to-day with a severe elbow bruise. Kemp fell awkwardly after being fouled by Gerald Green with two minutes remaining in the first quarter of Chicago's 93-79 victory over the Boston Celtics last night and although he would return to the bench at the beginning of the second quarter, he did not re-enter the game. He is currently averaging 4.7 ppg and 4.7 rpg off the bench for the Bulls in just under sixteen minutes a game. Last year he started for the team during their championship run, averaging 11.9 ppg and 8.4 rpg in a surprising comeback season.

[Martti.]

Great to see this going again, the best option in my mind. And a great start so far, sucks that Kemp went down.

If the rosters were as of this season, that roster would be way too stacked, especially at the 2 and the 3. But it feels better to develop a player into a star over the course of a dynasty, rather than starting with a star and slowly seeing his contributions decrease.

Good luck and can't wait to see what you have planned for us.

[Clutch]

That's always the risk when playing previous years versions of games or even playing on slightly outdated rosters. It's hard to immerse yourself in the game when you know that players or teams are different to their real life counterparts.

Agreed, though Dynasty Mode is about creating your own reality so at the same time it's fun in its own way.

That's definitely the fun and challenge of keeping a dynasty; I love when players who are mediocre IRL get to shine in dynasty mode!

Really awesome you're back up and running Andrew and best choice as well; will be interesting as you gain or lose momentum the more the season continues

Repeat or deplete? that is the question

[Andrew]

Thanks for the comments guys. Here's the last game for this evening.

November 22nd, 2006
Denver (104) at Chicago (94)
Bulls rally falls short, Nuggets end eight game skid
[ Boxscore ]

Just 3-10 coming into tonight's game against the Chicago Bulls, the Denver Nuggets hardly look intimidated by the defending champions. Carmelo Anthony scored 17 of his team high 24 points in the first quarter as the Nuggets raced out to an early lead and never looked back, leading by as many as 24 before a fourth quarter surge gave the Bulls one last glimmer of hope before ultimately succumbing for their fourth loss of the season and third in the United Center.

With Melo on fire in the first quarter, the Nuggets quickly established a double digit lead though a couple of baskets by Chris Duhon and Danny Granger towards the end of the quarter cut the deficit to seven. Chicago completely collapsed in the second quarter however, shooting a woeful 24% from the field as they were outscored 21-13. Ben Gordon nailed a three pointer at the halftime buzzer to cut the lead to fifteen but the Bulls' struggles continued in the third quarter as the Nuggets extended their lead and seemed to have the game well in hand heading into the fourth quarter.

Gordon would finish with 33 points as he led a furious Chicago rally in the fourth quarter and behind blistering 73.9% shooting, the Bulls came close to making a comeback as the game wound down, even cutting the deficit to single digits with just under four minutes left. The run would ultimately come up short however as Earl Boykins hit a three pointer over Gordon to put the game out of reach with just under ninety seconds to play. Boykins finished with 15 points and a game high 8 assists for the Nuggets. Kenyon Martin was also dominant for the Nuggets with 14 points and 16 rebounds while Dermarr Johnson added 20 points off the bench. Chris Wilcox finished with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists for the Bulls, who are now 7-4.

Notes: Denver won the battle of the boards 48-32 (22-12 at the offensive end)...Shawn Kemp missed his first game of the season with a sore elbow. He is expected to return against the Pacers on November 25th...Steve Smith was activated in Kemp's absence but did not play. Trevor Ariza also did not see any court time against the Nuggets...Kirk Hinrich fouled out the first time this season.

Current Record: 7-4
Next Game: November 25th 2006, @ Indiana


November 25th, 2006
Paul Pierce out with broken finger

BOSTON, MA -- Boston Celtics star swingman Paul Pierce is expected to be out at least a week with a broken finger. The injury occurred during Boston's 86-83 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks last night. Pierce finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds but was in visible discomfort by the end of the game. He will likely miss at least a week and will undergo further evaluation on Monday. Pierce is in the midst of another stellar season, averaging 27.5 ppg - good for second in the league this year behind Elton Brand's 27.9 ppg - along with 8.5 rpg, 5.2 apg and 1.8 spg through the first twelve games of the year. The Celtics have struggled however, having won just five games thus far.

[Kenny]

Wow, that Denver side brings back memories. I completely forgot that Julius Hodge was in that game. Nice game by Ben Gordon and it looks like Chris Wilcox is machine in your dynasty

[Andrew]

He's been playing pretty well, I reckon I'll keep him around. I recall not being too sure about that acquisition during those first seven games but he seems to be fitting in quite well at the moment.

[kibaxx7]

Good to see you back Andrew! Loving Granger in this squad. You should consider trading Nocioni for an additional big man if Kemp is on the sidelines for a while.

[kb4]

I will follow for sure. Andrew's dynasties are just classics.

[Fresh8]

Very awesome to see this up and running. About time dude. I will be following.

Good stuff so far! Go Kemp!

[Cleveland wins]

Another classic dynasty Andrew, any plans like the last time to get rid of Nocioni? Do you plan on making any trades? How about boosting your bench with some three point shooters?

[Andrew]

Good to see you back Andrew! Loving Granger in this squad. You should consider trading Nocioni for an additional big man if Kemp is on the sidelines for a while.

That's why I've got Collison. Kemp will actually be back in the next game, he could've played in the last one but I decided to hold him out as that seemed like the most realistic course of action.

I will follow for sure. Andrew's dynasties are just classics.

Thanks, appreciate it.

Very awesome to see this up and running. About time dude. I will be following.

Good stuff so far! Go Kemp!

Thanks as always for the support Sit. Kemp's probably not going to have as good a year this time around but hopefully he'll be a solid backup.

Another classic dynasty Andrew, any plans like the last time to get rid of Nocioni? Do you plan on making any trades? How about boosting your bench with some three point shooters?

I'll probably make a trade or two at some point but right now I'm liking the lineup that I have; it's working out a bit better than it was through the first seven games. Nocioni and Duhon are two of the players I'm most open to trading but I'll see how things go over a few more games before I start exploring trade options.

[dare]

Nice start of the season, are you going to include real draftees? it would be great if that happens

[Clutch]

wowza... strong game by D. Johnson (DerMarr?) off the bench for DEN; "leading by as many as 24 before a fourth quarter surge" - ouch

still, some big games buy a few of your guys (Wilcox/Gordon); hopefully it's just an off night for the champs

[kibaxx7]

Good to see you back Andrew! Loving Granger in this squad. You should consider trading Nocioni for an additional big man if Kemp is on the sidelines for a while.

That's why I've got Collison.

Ah, didn't see him. Great then

[anthony22]

nice team there,Andrew
good luck

[Andrew]

Thanks for checking in, everyone.

Nice start of the season, are you going to include real draftees? it would be great if that happens

No, I've already gone with generated rookies for this second season so I'll keep it that way.

[Phil89]

So no Rose or Noah then?