Denver Nuggets 2.0 [S2: 55-19]

[Kenny]

Game: NBA 2K15
Platform: PS3
Mode: Association
Difficulty: All-Star
Sliders: Default w/ tweaks
Quarters: 9 minutes
Simmed Quarters: 12 minutes

For 2k15, I'm revisiting my favourite team. Initially I was worried about controlling the Nuggets because of how much I tend to suck at this game. But since the Nuggets are sucking in real life, I figured I had nothing to lose.

It will be in the old TNL format (i.e: 5 Game Summaries), with a few tweaks. Doing full recaps of every other game didn't particularly work for me with my Cleveland story, so I'm going back to basics.

I apologise in advance if I trade for/acquire any Nuggets players from the Melo era. I'll try my best not to let nostalgia get the better of me. At this point, I'd say there's a 75% chance that this team will be Earl free.

[Kenny]

Association Archive

All-Time Roster

Code: Select all

Chris Andersen (2015-present)
Arron Afflalo (2014-2016)
Darrell Arthur (2014-2015)
Kelenna Azubuike (2015)
Wilson Chandler (2014-present)
Seth Curry (2016-present)
Kenneth Faried (2014-2016)
Randy Foye (2014-2015)
Danilo Gallinari (2014-2015)
Alonzo Gee (2014)
Jerami Grant (2015-present)
Erick Green (2014-present)
Gary Harris (2014-present)
Mario Hezonja (2015-present)
J.J. Hickson (2014-2015)
Ty Lawson (2014-present)
David Lee (2016-present)
Shawn Marion (2015-present)
JaVale McGee (2014-2016)
Timofey Mozgov (2014)
Chucky Newton (2015-present)
Jusuf Nurkic (2014-present)
Jermaine O'Neal (2016-present)
Jason Richardson (2016-present)
Nate Robinson (2014-2015)
Mirza Teletovic (2015)
Derrick Williams (2014-present)

Awards and Achievements

Championships

None

Finals MVP

None

Awards

Team Selections

All NBA Third Team

Ty Lawson (2015)

All Defensive First Team

Kenneth Faried (2015)

All Defensive Second Team

Ty Lawson (2015)

All Rookie Second Team

Gary Harris (2015)

All-Star Weekend Participants and Awards

All-Star Game

Kenneth Faried (2015)
Ty Lawson (2015-2016)

All-Star Game MVP

None

Rising Star Challenge

Gary Harris (2015-2016)
Mario Hezonja (2016)

Rising Star Challenge MVP

Gary Harris (2015)

Dunk Contest

Kenneth Faried (2015)

Dunk Contest Champion

None

Three Point Contest

Arron Afflalo (2015)
Gary Harris (2016)
Ty Lawson (2015)

Three Point Contest Winner

None

[Kenny]

Inaugural Opening Night Roster

The Starters


Timofey Mozgov | Kenneth Faried | Wilson Chandler | Arron Afflalo | Ty Lawson

The Bench


Danilo Gallinari | Nate Robinson | J.J. Hickson | JaVale McGee | Randy Foye | Gary Harris | Alonzo Gee

IR


Darrell Arthur | Jusuf Nurkic | Erick Green

[Kevin]

Excited!

[Phil89]

There's no real superstar on this team, but a good group of solid role players. I'm interested to see which direction you take them.

[Andrew]

#TheReturn

[Kenny]

Excited!

Awesome I hope this can live up to the hype.

:applaud:

There's no real superstar on this team, but a good group of solid role players. I'm interested to see which direction you take them.

I think that's why I like the post-Melo Nuggets. There are a bunch of quality players, with some fringe all-stars (I'd consider Lawson, Faried and Afflalo in that group). JaVale McGee is a fun video game player too.

#TheReturn

It feels like The Decision to me, since I'm quitting on Cleveland, but I am "coming home" I suppose

[Kenny]

5 Game Summary

The Nuggets have had a solid start to their 2014-2015 campaign with 3 wins in their first 5 games. They started with a comeback win against the Detroit Pistons. Despite missing Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder were able to halt the Nuggets momentum. The Nuggets proved their resiliance by blowing out the Kings in both games, but they were brought back down to Earth by the Cavaliers.

The feature game is the opener against the Pistons:

Nuggets Steal Opening Game

The Nuggets recorded a thrilling 92-86 comeback win against the Pistons on opening night. Down by as many as 15 in the 4th quarter, the Nuggets were able to rally and win the fourth quarter 31-15.

Wilson Chandler was judged as the best player of the game, as he led the Nuggets with 18 points, while also blocking 3 shots. Arron Afflalo was solid in his first game back for the Nuggets, with 14 points. Kenneth Faried (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Ty Lawson (12 points, 10 assists) both registered double-doubles, while J.J. Hickson added 10 points off the bench.

For the Pistons, most of their offense was run through Brandon Jennings. He had 22 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Greg Monroe was a dominant force in the paint, with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Josh Smith added 13 points.

DET@DEN

DEN: 92
(Chandler 18, Afflalo 14, Faried 13)
DET: 86
(Jennings 22, Monroe 17, Smith 13)

Jordan Performer of the Game: Wilson Chandler 18 points (7-13 FG) 3 rebounds 1 assist 3 blocks

Rebounds

DEN: Mozgov 15
DET: Drummond 13

Assists

DEN: Lawson 10
DET: Jennings 4

Last 5 Games

DET: 92-86 W
@OKC: 97-93 L
SAC: 102-78 W
@SAC: 110-91 W
CLE: 106-96 L

Overall: 3-2

Highlights

Timofey Mozgov had a nice start to the season, particularly in rebounding. He followed up his 15 rebound performance against Detroit with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks against the Thunder.

Ty Lawson has been a walking double-double to start the season, and he continued that against the Cavs, with 23 points and 12 assists.

Arron Afflalo had his best game back in a Nuggets uniform in Sacramento. He scored 20 points and picked up 5 assists.

JaVale McGee showed promise in the Nuggets first game against the Kings. McGee had 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks off the bench.

Injuries

Kenneth Faried - Sprained Ankle, 1-2 weeks (Hurt)
Arron Afflalo - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)
Wilson Chandler - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)
Timofey Mozgov - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)
Nate Robinson - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)

#AnkleGate #ImprovedAnkleLogic42K16

Next 5 Games

@POR
POR
@IND
@NYK
@CLE

[Cruzerr]

Whats up with the ankles in your game? I haven't had a single ankle injury to any players in the whole league.

To be fair, you were really close against the bigger teams like OKC and CLE. I can see you getting to the playoffs. Keep it up!

[Kevin]

Whats up with the ankles in your game? I haven't had a single ankle injury to any players in the whole league.

To be fair, you were really close against the bigger teams like OKC and CLE. I can see you getting to the playoffs. Keep it up!

Magic of Live

[Lamrock]

Already off to a better start than the real Nuggz!

[Andrew]

#AnkleGate

"Is it the shoes?"

[Phil89]

I think realistically you won the winnable games and came fairly close against two top teams. Those two wins against Sacramento could be vital in the playoff race at the end of the season.

At some point this season it would be cool to see a JaVale McGee triple-double attempt

[mp3]

I like the game summary idea it flows really well.

That is a bit strange with all the ankle injuries

[Martti.]

Good start, but what's with all the ankle sprains? I know it's not realistic, but I usually turn injuries off. Just because I can't be bothered to switch up the rotation all the time and plus, I will always get every teams best.

Good to see the old recap format back.

[Kenny]

Whats up with the ankles in your game? I haven't had a single ankle injury to any players in the whole league.

To be fair, you were really close against the bigger teams like OKC and CLE. I can see you getting to the playoffs. Keep it up!

Whats up with the ankles in your game? I haven't had a single ankle injury to any players in the whole league.

To be fair, you were really close against the bigger teams like OKC and CLE. I can see you getting to the playoffs. Keep it up!

Magic of Live

I've had ankle problems since NBA 2K11 with my player. After playing NBA Live 10, where there are basically no injuries, I tend to bump up the injury sliders in 2K so I can have a challenge I didn't have in Live. I have since bumped the frequency down and bumped the severity up. We'll see how that goes.

OKC and CLE were good barometers for me. It showed me that the difficulty is about right for me at the moment.

Already off to a better start than the real Nuggz!

They did get a win over the Pacers... but I still have one more!

#AnkleGate

"Is it the shoes?"

Have to get on Leftos' case about those shoes...

I think realistically you won the winnable games and came fairly close against two top teams. Those two wins against Sacramento could be vital in the playoff race at the end of the season.

At some point this season it would be cool to see a JaVale McGee triple-double attempt

I thought so too. The Kings are doing great in real life, but I'm not entirely sure if they will sustain that success. Whereas OKC and Cleveland are fairly stacked with talent.

If I get close, there will be a shameless attempt, no matter what the score is

I like the game summary idea it flows really well.

That is a bit strange with all the ankle injuries

Thanks, it's worked for me in the past, so I thought I'd go back to it.

I can't help but laugh about the ankles. It's probably a conspiracy so they can get medicinal marijuana (even though it's legal for recreational use in Colorado).

Good start, but what's with all the ankle sprains? I know it's not realistic, but I usually turn injuries off. Just because I can't be bothered to switch up the rotation all the time and plus, I will always get every teams best.

Good to see the old recap format back.

As I said before, the injury sliders are the first ones I tend to bump up. I like testing my depth and having injuries allows me to do that more legitimately.

This format is certainly easier for me than recapping singular games. But yeah, that's just me.

[Kenny]

5 Game Summary

It was another mixed result for the Nuggets in this 5 game stretch, as they once again went 3-2. They started positively by winning both games against the Blazers, but they fell to the Pacers in the next game. The Nuggets bounced back emphatically against a Meloless Knicks, but followed that with another loss to the Cavaliers.

The feature is the second Blazers game in Denver:

Nuggets Withstand Lillard and Blazers

The Nuggets won their second consecutive game against Blazers 103-96. It was a battle of two of the league's most exciting point guards, as Damian Lillard and Ty Lawson both led their teams in points. Lillard (32) outscored Lawson (26), but the Nuggets point guard also picked up 15 assists, opposed to Lillard's 3.

Even though Kenneth Faried (sprained ankle) didn't play, the Nuggets supporting cast did well to back up Lawson. Wilson Chandler also played a key role in the Nuggets victory, with 20 points, while Randy Foye (12) and Danilo Gallinari (10) also had solid contributions.

The Blazers were also missing their starting power forward (LaMarcus Aldridge), but his replacement did a fair job. Thomas Robinson had the Blazers only double-double of the night with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Aside from Lillard, he was the only double-digit scorer for the Blazers, with Nicholas Batum (9) and C.J. McCollum (9) both narrowly missing out.

POR@DEN

DEN: 103
(Lawson 26, Chandler 20, Foye 12)
POR: 96
(Lillard 32, T Robinson 10, Batum 9)

Jordan Performer of the Game: Ty Lawson 26 points (9-19 FG) 5 rebounds 15 assists 1 steal 1 block

Rebounds

DEN: Hickson, McGee 6
POR: T Robinson 10

Assists

DEN: Lawson 15
POR: Matthews, Lillard 3

Last 5 Games

@POR: 100-93 W
POR: 103-96 W
@IND: 98-84 L
@NYK: 106-88 W
@CLE: 114-102 L

Overall: 6-4

Highlights

Arron Afflalo had an excellent game in a losing effort against the Cavaliers. He had 25 points and 4 assists.

JaVale McGee narrowly missed out on a double-double against the Portland Trail Blazers, as he scored 22 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. He also proved to be a presence on the defensive end, blocking 3 shots.

Alonzo Gee has been heating up lately and he helped keep the Nuggets in the game against the Pacers. He had 16 points while shooting 4-8 from beyond the arc.

Nate Robinson decided his new poster would be against one of his old teams. He ended up with 9 points and 6 assists off the bench, and the dunk of the night.

Injuries

Ty Lawson - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)
Danilo Gallinari - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)
Wilson Chandler - Back Spasms, Day-to-day (Hurt)
Gary Harris - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)
Darrell Arthur - Sprained Ankle, Day-to-day (Hurt)

#AnkleGate #WilsonsBackThough

Next 5 Games

OKC
NOP
@LAL
CHI
@PHX

[Kenny]

10 Game Player Review

It's only a small sample size, but it's enough to give some initial first impressions about the roster. At 6-4 there are a lot of positives within the lineup.

The Starters

JaVale McGee
10 games (6 starts)
8.6ppg 5.5rpg 0.9bpg .603FG%

After missing most of last season, the plan was going to be to ease JaVale McGee into the season and eventually put him into the starting lineup. But due to an ankle injury to Timofey Mozgov, and some fine performances by JaVale, he was elevated into the starting lineup a lot quicker than anticipated. So far, the signs have been positive. He's had the odd game where he has looked dangerous on both ends. The boneheaded plays have been there as well, but at least he's not J.R. Smith.

Kenneth Faried
7 games (7 starts)
15.9ppg 8.9rpg 2.9apg 1.3bpg .612FG%

Despite missing three games with an ankle injury, Faried has been great so far this season. On the team he ranks first in rebounds (8.9) and second in points (15.9). He's been getting more plays run for him and has really thrived as a second-to-third option for the Nuggets. Faried also looks like a much improved player from mid-range as well.

Wilson Chandler
9 games (9 starts)
12.8ppg 3.9rpg 1.3bpg .465 FG% .351 3PT%

Much like Timofey Mozgov, Wilson Chandler was initially seen as a temporary starter. With Danilo Gallinari back playing, it was envisioned that Chandler would eventually go back to a sixth man role. However, if his current form continues, it will be hard to put him back on the bench. I love Chandler's versatility. He has played effectively at both forward positions and has shot the ball pretty well.

Arron Afflalo
7 games (7 starts)
14.6ppg 4apg .417 FG% .418 3PT%

It is very odd to see a player with a three point percentage higher than his overall field goal percentage, but so far Arron Afflalo has accomplished this statistical anomaly. With his three-and-d play as effective as any two guard in the game, Afflalo has been a welcome return to the Nuggets squad.

Ty Lawson
10 games (10 starts)
16.1ppg 11.2apg 2.6spg .476 FG% .469 3PT%

Ty Lawson is the team's leader, both tangibly and intangibly. Statistically, he is first in points (16.1), assists (11.2) and steals (2.6). He's also been a great floor general, getting his teammates involved and knowing when to take matters into his own hands. He has a lot of great point guards to contend with in the West (Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Stephen Curry, just to name a few), but if he continues with form like this, he wouldn't look out of place in an All-Star team.

The Bench

Danilo Gallinari
8 games (3 starts)
6.8ppg 2.9rpg 1.3apg .449 FG% .300 3PT% .800 FT%

I have to admit, I was looking at potential trade scenarios for Gallo. He had a pretty slow start to the season and shot the ball quite poorly. But he has improved his numbers quite dramatically over the last few games and now I think I'm more willing to persist with him in the sixth man role.

Timofey Mozgov
6 games (4 starts)
6.5ppg 6.7rpg 1.2bpg .679 FG%

Mozgov had a great start to the season, but it was derailed by an ankle injury. Since JaVale McGee did a solid job while he was out, Mozgov now faces an uphill battle to get his spot back, particularly since the front office seems insistent on nurturing McGee's potential (it was a big reason why Kosta Koufos was traded). Even though Timofey isn't going fully Asik on the situation, he doesn't appear to be happy about. Don't be surprised if he asks for a trade before the deadline.

J.J. Hickson
10 games (1 start)
5.8ppg 5.2rpg .675 FG%

Much like Timofey Mozgov, J.J. Hickson is another starting caliber big with a limited role in the Nuggets system. And to his credit, he has been great in his minutes on the floor. He has shot the ball well and has aggressively hit the boards. He just happens to be on a team that's quite high on its starting power forward.

Randy Foye
10 games (3 starts)
4.2ppg 3.6apg .567 FG% .385 3PT%

All the buzz around the return of Arron Afflalo made Randy Foye the forgotten man. But even though he's averaging a career-low in points so far, his field goal percentage is way up on his career percentage of 40.9%. At this stage of his career, it could be argued that Foye would help his team more in a smaller role, and so far, it has been the case.

Gary Harris
7 games
7.3ppg 3.4apg .500 FG% .478 3PT%

It has been a solid start to Harris' career. Every since he hit his first shot (which happened to be a three), Harris has been a very consistent shooter, which has earned him more minutes. I'd like to see more of him before I can make a real evaluation of what his role could be on this team, but so far so good.

Alonzo Gee
8 games
9.9ppg 1.5apg .580 FG% .543 3PT%

What a start it has been for Alonzo Gee. It's really hard to believe that he could put up these numbers, particularly with Chandler and Gallinari ahead of him in the rotation, but he has been lights out just about every time he's been on the court. Great value for a guy who's earning less than $1M this season. His play has actually been a big reason why I've considered trading Gallinari. But I can't be too hasty, as I suspect his crazy shooting numbers will level out as the season progresses.

Nate Robinson
7 games
7.4ppg 4.9apg .388 FG% .379 3PT%

Nate can be both the most entertaining player on the team and the most frustrating. There's simply no happy medium for him. While he has shown glimpses of being the team's energy off the bench, he has also been bloody frustrating in how one-dimensional his game is. For that reason, he has lost a lot of his minutes to Gary Harris and probably won't re-sign next season as a result.

IR

Darrell Arthur
3 games
8ppg 4.7rpg 1.7bpg .667 FG% .800 FT%

Arthur spent a lot of time as a healthy injury reserve, which has ultimately put a huge chip on his shoulder. So far he's played great in his limited minutes and he has really created a rotation dilemma for me. Do I trade Hickson so I can give him more minutes? Or do I trade Mozgov and make Hickson the backup centre? Those are a couple of questions I need to answer before Arthur gets regular playing time.

Jusuf Nurkic
4 games
3.5ppg 2.3rpg .429 FG%

So far in 4 games, nothing has really stood out about Jusuf Nurkic. Currently he's just another big body on the bench who can commit 6 good fouls a game. But I must emphasise the fact that the sample size has been small.

Erick Green
2 games
0ppg 2.5apg

Have not seen enough of Erick Green to really have an idea what his game is like.

[Kevin]

What bothers me is that it says 2k15 in the "Platform" area but the pictures are from '14/'13

[Kenny]

KevinParker13, I'm playing on PS3 and I haven't figured out if there's a function to screen cap in game, hence the poor quality images.

[Lamrock]

Nice player review. I'd definitely make a trade if I were in your shoes. I had McGee and Wilson Chandler in I think my Bobcats association a couple years back. McGee is a fantastic 2K player as a defensive anchor, while I loved Chandler off the bench as backup SF and a stretch 4. I'd definitely consider shopping Gallo and Mozgov/Hickson.

Don't believe 2K15 has a screen cap option. 2K11 had this amazing feature called a Pressbook which took several pictures throughout the game and could be uploaded online, but they took it out.

[Martti.]

Really like the way Gee is playing. Maybe trading Gallo would be good, you could open up more minutes for Alonzo.

[mp3]

I am shocked that McGee isn't even averaging 1bpg!

Thought he would be killing that stay.

[Kenny]

Nice player review. I'd definitely make a trade if I were in your shoes. I had McGee and Wilson Chandler in I think my Bobcats association a couple years back. McGee is a fantastic 2K player as a defensive anchor, while I loved Chandler off the bench as backup SF and a stretch 4. I'd definitely consider shopping Gallo and Mozgov/Hickson.

Don't believe 2K15 has a screen cap option. 2K11 had this amazing feature called a Pressbook which took several pictures throughout the game and could be uploaded online, but they took it out.

I love both McGee and Chandler for the same reasons (plus McGee is ridiculous in fastbreak situations). Even though his contract is large, I'm hesitant about moving Gallinari because I like his offensive versatility as well. I think I have a weakness for players who can play both forward positions. At this point, Hickson is getting the bulk of Mozgov's minutes. So yeah, that's my preference on the situation.

The screen cap option was one of the first things I looked for since I relied on it so heavily in NBA Live 10. I just need to learn how to get good quality photos of my TV from my camera, now.

Really like the way Gee is playing. Maybe trading Gallo would be good, you could open up more minutes for Alonzo.

I was definitely surprised. He was a bit of a nothing player when I had him in the Cleveland association.

I am shocked that McGee isn't even averaging 1bpg!

Thought he would be killing that stay.

It usually takes me a while to get into a rhythm when it comes to blocking shots. I think I'm getting the hang of it though.

If it's still under 1 when the season ends, I'll be very surprised.

[Kenny]

6 Game Summary

Since there were six games left in November, I thought I would add an extra game to the usual 5 game summary.

It didn't start all that well for the Nuggets. They lost fairly convincingly to both the Thunder and the Pelicans. Luckily they took care of business against Lakers to get back on track. The Nuggets were awfully close to picking up an upset win over the Bulls, but they were denied in the overtime period.

Just when it looked like the Nuggets were coming back down to Earth, they picked up two straight wins against the Phoenix Suns, which put them two games above .500 (9-7).

The feature is the last game against the Suns:

Faried Dominates the Suns

Kenneth Faried had his best game of the season in Denver's 107-90 win over Phoenix. The Manimal was involved in just about everything, as he recorded an impressive stat-line of 27 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks. He even hit a buzzer-beating three to end the 3rd quarter.

Ty Lawson also continued his impressive campaign, with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists on the night. Along with Kenneth Faried, Danilo Gallinari also filled up the stat sheet with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Randy Foye and Nate Robinson both added 13 each, while Arron Afflalo scored 10 points.

While the Nuggets had six players in double-digits, the Phoenix Suns could only manage three. Gerald Green led the scoring with 26. Eric Bledsoe was their best player, as he scored 19, while assisting on 8 attempts. Markieff Morris added 14 points.

PHX@DEN

DEN: 107
(Faried 27, Lawson 16, Gallinari 14)
PHX: 90
(Green 26, Bledsoe 19, Mark. Morris 14)

Jordan Performer of the Game: Kenneth Faried 27 points (12-19 FG) 17 rebounds 4 assists 4 blocks

Rebounds

DEN: Faried 17
PHX: Plumlee 12

Assists

DEN: Lawson 9
PHX: Bledsoe 8

Last 6 Games

OKC: 114-106 L
NOP: 94-83 L
@LAL: 107-98 W
CHI: 110-108 L (OT)
@PHX: 104-86 W
PHX: 107-90 W

Overall: 9-7

Highlights

The Manimal had a couple of great performances against the Suns. Before his 27-17 effort in the feature, he had 13 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks in the previous game.

Danilo Gallinari was back at his best against the Lakers, as he poured 26 points. His effort included 3-5 from beyond the arc.

Darrell Arthur had a surprise impact on the Pelicans game. He scored 24 points on 10-14 shooting. Perhaps it's time for him to get bumped up into the rotation.

When Erick Green was brought in during the dying stages of the 4th quarter, it raised a lot of eyebrows. But the seldom-used rookie repaid Brian Shaw's faith. He hit the game-tying field goal, as well as two big threes in the overtime period. Green ended up with 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocks.

The Nuggets suffered a tough loss against the Thunder, but JaVale McGee got the Denver fans on their feet with this play. He ended up with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Injuries

No injuries to report!

Next 5 Games

@UTA
POR:
@WAS
@ATL
@TOR