Legacy | The Los Angeles Lakers Franchise

[TheICON562]

Hello everyone,

I am new to the site so hopefully I will be able to learn this quickly and catch on. I am going to start my Lakers franchise on NBA 2K11. I had already had franchises going, but something happened to my external hard drive and everything was erased so I have to begin again. I don't mind since it gives me the chance to try something new.

Now a bit of information about my franchise. I am a member of operationsports and along with some other members we went through the 2K11 roster and we made changes to players and to coaches attributes, tendencies, everything. We felt that our formulas that we put together and with the data that we compiled that the entire 2K11 roster played more to our perception of how they play in real life. Our goal, just like everyone who plays sports games is to get as close to realism as possible. I think that NBA 2K11 along with MLB and FIFA have made a great effort to provide that for all of us and it allows us to get a hands on experience in the way we want the game and the presentation to be. So with that being said, the roster I am using is a custom roster that was put together four months ago and continued to be updated all the way through the end of the season when any player movement took place. I will be playing this season, the 2010-11 season with all players who changed teams on the team that they were contracted to at the end of the season. For example, Carmelo Anthony is a New York Knick, not a Denver Nugget. I waited until after the NBA Finals to start so that no player movement would enable me to have to start over. As far as the NBA Draft, I download a custom draft class from NBA 2K share and however the order of selection is, I will not interfere and use the order that teams picked this year. Example, if Cleveland does not make the playoffs and does not get the first pick overall, I will not do any editing for them have Erving on their roster for the following season. I want to create a NBA Franchise that plays out as if the season started before the draft. So I hope that you all follow and you enjoy reading. If you have any advice or suggestions, I'm open to them. I want to create and provide a great franchise stories that are interesting and exciting.

**The 2010 off season player movement and the 2010-11 season player movement will be combined into one huge summer, therefor LeBron James and Chris Bosh going to Miami and Amar'e Stoudemire going to the Knicks and Carmelo Anthony being traded to the Knicks will be viewd as happening in the same off season**

**The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off their back-to-back championship and will be going for the three-peat**

[TheICON562]

Lakers survive Game 7 against Celtics, claim 16th championship
LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant sprinted after the ball, which Lamar Odom joyously flung downcourt to burn the remaining seconds in Game 7 of the NBA finals. With the celebration starting behind him, Bryant chased it down and then held it aloft to his teammates.

The Los Angeles Lakers' 16th championship was secure following a gritty 83-79 victory over the Boston Celtics. Bryant's legs may have been dead, but he didn't stop running until the buzzer.

The two-time finals MVP has a ring for every finger on one hand precisely because he never slows down, even with injuries, the Celtics' defense and his own erratic shot conspiring against him. That's why this ring will have a special place in his collection, and this banner in the Staples Center rafters will loom a little larger than the rest to Kobe.

"I wanted it so, so bad," Bryant said. "On top of that, I was on E. Man, I was really, really tired, and the more I tried to push, the more it kept getting away from me."

Out of an unsightly 6-for-24 shooting performance, Bryant led the Lakers to a sweet repeat with 23 points and 15 rebounds Thursday night. While he could barely make a shot or even hold onto the ball at times, Bryant relentlessly drove the lane to earn nine free throws in the fourth quarter while Los Angeles erased a 13-point second-half deficit.

The Lakers earned their rings by winning a gritty, grind-it-out Game 7 for the first time in their franchises' history.

"This one is by far the sweetest, because it's them," Bryant said after the Lakers beat Boston for the first time in a Game 7. "This was the hardest one by far. I wanted it so bad, and sometimes when you want it so bad, it slips away from you. My guys picked me up."
While the basketball in Game 7 wasn't terribly attractive, as evidenced by the Lakers' 32.5 percent shooting and 12 missed free throws alongside the Celtics' 15 turnovers and 53-40 rebounding disadvantage, the teams' collective will and determination still were stirring – and they'll only get more beautiful with age.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson also has his 11th championship, matching Boston great Bill Russell's total and possibly putting a cap on Jackson's remarkable career if he decides to leave the Lakers. The Zen Master will have trouble walking away from the chance for a fourth threepeat next year.

[TheICON562]

Lakers begin to overhaul their bench mob with veteran signings
LOS ANGELES - The Lakers fresh coming off their most recent championship have taken the mindset, "that was last year.". The NBA official free agent signing period has begun and the Lakers took little time before making their first serious move. The question going into the off season was about their bench, how prior to the year before players like Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Luke Walton and Shannon Brown had all gone thru ups and downs this past season as to where the previous year they were a steady group. Well Jordan Farmar expressed his desire that he wants to start at the point guard and with Derek Fisher more than likely to resign Farmar will have to play the waiting game unless he wants to take offers from other teams. That is what he did, agreeing with the New Jersey Nets on a 3 year deal. So that left the Lakers with a spot vacated and in need of a solid all around back up the Lakers and free agent point guard Steve Blake agreed to a 5 year, $20 million deal. The Lakers used their mid-level exemption to sign Blake, who last year started in Portland before being traded to the Clippers for Marcus Camby just before the trade deadline. Blake has always been someone the Lakers coveted, but even more so after last year's season finale against the Clippers where Blake recorded his first career triple double against the Lakers. Blake will obviously be a much needed veteran improvement to the Lakers bench unit as well as provide sufficient rest for Derek Fisher.


Originally selected by the Washington Wizards in the second round (38th pick) of the 2003 NBA Draft, Blake has averaged 7.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 499 games (299 starts) while shooting .393 from behind the arc for his career




Lakers continue to overhaul bench with 2 free agent signings
LOS ANGELES - The Lakers have announced that they have come to terms with free agent center Theo Ratliff and free agent forward Matt Barnes. A press conference was held at the Lakers training facility in El Segundo. Swingman Matt Barnes is reported to have reached an agreement with the Lakers on a two-year deal worth $3.6-million. The second year of the contract is a player option and should Barnes choose to stay in L.A. beyond 2011 he’ll take home a cool $1.9-million for his troubles.

Barnes, a California native and UCLA alum, brings his high energy game to an already strong bench. Despite his differences with Kobe Bryant, Barnes will be a welcome addition adding versatility and providing the world champions with another perimeter defensive specialist.

Ratliff – nicknamed the Body Snatcher – brings size and a veteran presence to the Laker bench. While he won’t bring much to the table in terms of offense (career average of 7.3 ppg) Ratliff’s shot blocking prowess ranks among the best in the NBA (2.4 swats per game for his career).

Mitch Kupchak touted Ratliff’s defensive abilities and professional demeanor as vital additions to the Lake Show roster.

[µTorrent]

Good to see a Lakers remake of their 10-11 season.

[TheICON562]

Lakers roster close to completion with Fisher, Brown back on board
LOS ANGELES - Derek fisher will resign with the Lakers......decision came after speaking with Kobe! "While this may not be the most lucrative contract I've been offered this off season, it is the most valuable." "At the end of the day, there's one person I could not turn away from," Fisher tells us. "Kobe Bryant asked me to stay but supported whatever decision I made. He and I have played together for 11 seasons, came into the league together as kids, and has been loyal to me even when others had doubts."

Shannon Brown resigned with the Lakers to a 2-year $4.6 million dollar contract. Brown had higher offers from the Knicks, Cavaliers, and Hornets but took less money for the chance at winning a third championship. “Shannon could have made more money somewhere else, but I think he really wanted to play this out with the Lakers,” said Brown’s agent Mark Bartelstein. “They’ve won it all two years in a row and the chance to win three straight championships doesn’t come around every day.”

The Lakers are pretty much set and ready to defend their championship. L.A. lost Jordan Farmar, Adam Morrison, Josh Powell, and D.J. Mbenga and replaced them with Steve Blake, Matt Barnes, Theo Ratliff, Derrick Caracter, and Devin Ebanks. Quietly the Lakers have had the best summer of any NBA team not not named Miami and Chicago.

[TheICON562]

NBA POWER RANKINGS - WEEK 1
As the NBA 2010-11 season is about to get underway later on today, here are the highly talked about power rankings from your friends at nba.com and espn.com. Of course these rankings do not factor in last season. The busy free agent signing off season mainly is the main point behind the current rankings.

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

[TheICON562]

Number	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt	School	Year
15	Ron Artest	SF	6'7"	260	St. John's (NY)	12th
9	Matt Barnes	SF	6'7"	226	UCLA	8th
5	Steve Blake	PG	6'3"	160	Maryland	8th
12	Shannon Brown	SG	6'4"	211	Michigan State	5th
24	Kobe Bryant	SG	6'6"	205	Lower Merion HS	15th
17	Andrew Bynum	C	7'0"	285	St. Joseph HS	6th
45	Derrick Caracter	PF	6'9"	275	UTEP	Rookie
3	Devin Ebanks	SF	6'9	215	West Virginia	Rookie
2	Derek Fisher	PG	6'1"	210	Arkansas-Little Rock	15th
16	Pau Gasol	PF	7'0"	250	Spain	10th
10	Trey Johnson	SG|PG	6'6"	216	Jackson State	1st
7	Lamar Odom	PF|SF	6'10"	230	Rhode Island	12th
50	Theo Ratliff	C|PF	6'10"	235	Wyoming	16th
1	Joe Smith	PF|C	6'10"	225	Maryland	16th
4	Luke Walton	SF	6'8"	235	Arizona	8th

Head Coach: Phil Jackson
Asst. Coaches: Frank Hamblen, Brian Shaw, Jim Cleamons, Chuck Person
Trainer: Gary Vitti

[TheICON562]

First game of the season vs. Rockets up next. Will post recap of game along with boxscore when I'm done.

In the other games on opening night it was Miami at Boston and Phoenix at Portland. Both of those games are final and below are a quick recap of their games.

Portland 92, Phoenix 89 - Andre Miller's team leading 20 points and 5 assists was enough for Portland to escape opening night. Gerald Wallace chipped in with 15 points, 5 assists. Greg Oden returned from his one year absence. Vince Carter led the Suns with 14 points and 6 rebounds while Aaron Brooks countered with 13 points off of the bench.

Miami 102, Boston 88 - LeBron James, made his debut as a member of the Miami Heat along with Chris Bosh and returning Dwayne Wade. In a game where it was back and forth til the Heat opened the game up in the fourth quarter. James nearly had a triple-double in his first game with 21 points, 9 rebounds and 13 assists. Dwyane Wade led the Heat witih 26 points, 6 rebounds and Chris Bosh added 8 points and 10 rebounds. Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Rajon Rondo, looking to increase his rank in the top point guards of the leagues from what I've seen he is a very skilled and intelligent player. The Heat took Ray Allen out of the game completely. In the end Allen finshed with 2 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists on 1-10 shooting from the field and 0-6 from three point range.

[TheICON562]

Lakers open up season with familiar opponent, but unfamiliar result
"Unable to get stops down the stretch the Lakers are aware what they need to bring to the table on nightly basis to achieve their goal"

LOS ANGELES, CA - The lights, the cameras, the hyped crowd, you could tell something was happening, but it wasn't the OSCARS on this October night in Los Angeles at STAPLES Center. The noise was the celebration and presentation of the 16th championship banner and the ring ceremony honoring the back-to-back world champions...the Los Angeles Lakers. After the ceremony however, another celebration took place, only this time it was the Lakers who were the ones watching as the Houston Rockets overcame shooting guard Kevin Martin's first quarter injury, Yao Ming fouling out late down the stretch to win the season opener 100-93. Not to say that the Rockets didn't deserve this victory, infact they had a 52-45 lead at halftime and took a 72-70 lead into the fourth quarter. Despite the stellar play of Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum, who both led the Lakers with 23 points apiece and Pau Gasol adding 18 points, the Lakers were not able to hit that "one" shot, that we have all grown accustom to seeing. Kobe had a few opportunities, Ron Artest had a shot at one, but on this night it wasn't going in. The Rockets (1-0), missed the playoffs last season after making it the previous year, losing to the Lakers in an unforgettable seven game second round series were poised to start this season on the right foot. Speaking of feet, it was also the return of starting all-star center Yao Ming, who sat out all of last season with a foot injury. Yao Ming's statline for his first game in over a year and a half read..21 minutes played, 1-2 field goals, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 blocked shot, 2 points and 6 fouls. Not the kind of numbers one would come to expect, but with Yao being on doctor's orders to play no more than a minimum of 24 minutes, he was at crucial times affective. Shooting guard Kevin Martin however was not affective, leaving the game after 8 minutes with a bruised rib cage. It was the unlikely trio power of Kyle Lowry, Courtney Lee and Terrence Williams that led the Rockets to this win. Lee, who replaced Martin in the first quarter finished with a team high 20 points
as did Kyle Lowry. Terrence Williams added 16 points and 7 rebounds with Luis Scola notching a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

The Lakers came out in the second half with more of a chip on their shoulder, and that gave them the advantage early and jumped on the Rockets to make a 52-45 deficit turn into a 64-64 tie. The Lakers actually took the lead 70-66 before the Rockets scored 13 straight points between the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth. Down 79-70, the Lakers Lamar Odom led the Lakers on a 9-0 run, scoring seven of his points in that run pulling them even. Finally, the Rockets up 93-91 with 22.7 seconds left in the game were able to find Goran Dragic on the perimeter and he was able to knock down the decisive three pointer to put Houston up for good.

The Lakers will get ready to take their showcase on the road to take on another familiar opponent, actually one that couldn't ask for a better time to face the Lakers again...the Phoenix Suns, Friday in Phoenix.

Jordan Brand Player of the Game:
Kyle Lowry, point guard, Houston Rockets
40 minutes
20 points
1 rebound
8 assists
3 steals
2 turnovers
6-18 FGM-A
3-9 3FGM-A
5-7 FTM-A

**Is there anyone on here that could share with me the correct way to create a table for my boxscores?**

[Cruzerr]

Use operationsports.com/generators (google it) Otherwise,tough start.