NBA 2K9 / NBA Live 09 Impressions [Archive] - Front Office Football Central

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RainMaker

10-11-2008, 03:51 AM

Anyone picked up either of these games this year? I've played both, each has their own good elements.

2K9 is a small improvement from last year. Same gameplay flaws but better atmosphere and detail. Game seems to flow a little better too and the CPU is a bit more competitive. The inside post game is flawed and too easy to score. Can usually be fixed by toning down the shooting slider.

Live is a big step up but still a bit behind 2K. However, they have 5 on 5 online which is an absolute blast. I thought it would be bad with all the kids who play online, but it's been surprisingly fun. For the most part, players play to win. You do get the occasional ballhog, but it's not too bad. I'd recommend this to anyone, more or less eliminates the CPU flaws. I had a blast as Chris Paul racking up assists.

2K advertises a 5 on 5 mode, but their servers have been total crap. I wouldn't pick up this game if you're interested in this mode. They also pulled out a lot of other online features like lobby and 2K cam, so it's more or less just an offline game at the moment.

stevew

10-11-2008, 07:48 AM

I'd have to think a poll would show that 80% or more of FOFC gamers will buy 2k9. At this point, they would basically have to give Live away for free before I would even consider playing it.

Balldog

10-11-2008, 10:27 AM

I'm loving 2k9 at this point, but yeah shooting inside is too easy. I'm sure someone will get a slider set to fix this.

Pumpy Tudors

10-11-2008, 11:24 AM

I never used the lobby in the 2K games, and I thought the 2K cam was crap (I know I'm in the minority on that one), so I'm good. :)

Ironhead

10-11-2008, 11:35 AM

I had a lot of fun with last year's version but the wonky college players that were created killed the long term immersion for career mode. Probably won't pick it up unless that is fixed. Too many other good games out there right now that I haven't even played, let alone bought.

Icy

10-11-2008, 01:51 PM

I'll probably pick 2k9 in he future as love the series but right now my addiction to NHL09 online team play is the worst i can remember in years of gaming, and i have never been a huge hockey fan (i might turn into it now).

So I'm going to resist the urge to buy more games until i get tired of nhl09 and it can be months from now (too bad we are adults and can't play games everyday and as much time as i would like). Also got FIFA09 in my waiting to purchase list for the future. It seems EA is finally doing good games besides the yearly madden crap.

Eaglesfan27

10-11-2008, 02:55 PM

rjolley

10-13-2008, 01:55 PM

Noticed that NBA2K9 will be out on the PC this year. And, the price will be $19.99.

If it's modable like NBA Live 2K9 for the PC has been, and it plays as well as the console version, that'll be a definite buy.

Neon_Chaos

10-13-2008, 03:11 PM

sooner333

10-13-2008, 03:14 PM

I probably would have stuck with last year's version, but I wanted to be able to play as the Thunder, so I ended up pulling the trigger on 2k9.

Balldog

10-13-2008, 04:16 PM

Same for me. If that is fixed, I'll definitely pick it up at some point, but otherwise I'll pass.

I haven't tried it but I guess you can edit prospects this year.

rjolley

10-13-2008, 04:45 PM

The 2k9 version to be released for the PC is a direct port of the XBOX 360 version.

Which, in general, isn't a bad thing at all. If it's modable like NBA Live, that would make it a definite buy. If not, I'll just stick with the 360 version.

Groundhog

10-13-2008, 05:29 PM

Yeah, I may actually hold out for the PC version. If it easy as easy to access the database as it was in NBA Live - wow.

Neon_Chaos

10-14-2008, 03:53 AM

I have really gotten into the Association mode for 2k9.

You can automate several mundane tasks (rookie scouting!) and it makes life much more easier for me as a GM/Coach.

:)

Icy

10-14-2008, 05:20 AM

Never played a Blood Bowl game but looks interesting and i'll follow it.

Eaglesfan27

10-14-2008, 08:18 AM

Never played a Blood Bowl game but looks interesting and i'll follow it.

Wrong thread ;)

I'm looking forward to when some of you can comment on if the rookies are more realistic when they come onto the rosters.

Icy

10-14-2008, 08:22 AM

Wrong thread ;)

I'm looking forward to when some of you can comment on if the rookies are more realistic when they come onto the rosters.

Lol yes, that happens when you read different threads on different Firefox tabs.

Sgran

10-14-2008, 08:29 AM

Neon_Chaos

10-14-2008, 08:53 AM

Anyone playing either game on PC? I haven't bought NBA Live for a while, so I might pick it up at some point. I don't know why people hate on it so bad. I just got interested in sim gaming, but I never hated Live.

Because, for the last four years or so, Live has been the haven of the arcade gamer, while 2k has been the haven of people who actually like to run plays and play at a sim pace.

The gap is closing down, though.

heybrad

10-19-2008, 11:50 AM

Anybody have a sllider set that this producing fairly realistic results? I've looked on OS but I'm not sure which of the multiple options I should use. Out of the box, it's way to easy to score.

Sweed

10-20-2008, 04:35 PM

Anybody have a sllider set that this producing fairly realistic results? I've looked on OS but I'm not sure which of the multiple options I should use. Out of the box, it's way to easy to score.

I don't have the game yet but the last two years I used Bizcanos sliders, with some minor tweaks for my abilities, and had good luck. If I get the game his will be the first I try.

Sweed

10-20-2008, 04:40 PM

dola

I am thinking of trading in Madden (at least had some fun with it this year but it is time to move on while there is still some trade value) for NBA 2k9 as I loved the last two versions on the ps3. However there is a lot of posts saying the game is flawed on the OS boards. Lot's of this seems to be online gamers and since they don't have separate threads for impressions\bugs for online or solo gamers it's hard to tell what is what.

So those that have the game here for either 360 or ps3 is 2k9 in need of a patch before being playable or is it good enough to go now?

Balldog

10-21-2008, 05:20 AM

Sweed

10-21-2008, 07:28 AM

PS3 version is fine without a patch.

thanks, going out to pick it up today.

mattlanta

11-17-2008, 09:59 PM

I'm thinking whether or not it's worth it to ask for this game for Christmas. I don't have Xbox Live, and if I did, I would only have Live for two days (so I would be able to download the rosters). Speaking of rosters, have the roster updates come out yet? Also, if you start out with the original rosters, I know it's not really updated because Salim Stoudamire is still on the team, but are the people that are supposed to be on the Hawks' team in the game still? Whether they're in Free Agency or on another team... for example, are Randolph Morris, Othello Hunter, etc. on the original rosters that come with the game?

Now that you've had the game for a while, I want to ask most of you guys who have it what you really think about this game. I know some reviews are written right after you get the game so you're still pumped up about it. That's why I wait a month or so after a game is released before I judge the game because the first few reviews people write are mostly hyped.

RainMaker

11-17-2008, 10:41 PM

I'm pretty tough on EA, but NBA Live isn't a bad game this year. 2K went much more arcadey this year and is only a little more realistic than Live. But I'm really digging the 5 on 5 with Live this year, it's a ton of fun. I thought it would be mostly kids playing like idiots, but I've surprisingly gotten in a lot of games with guys who play their roles. One of the best features in a basketball game in a long time and gives Live the slight edge in my book.

RainMaker

11-17-2008, 10:42 PM

Now that you've had the game for a while, I want to ask most of you guys who have it what you really think about this game. I know some reviews are written right after you get the game so you're still pumped up about it. That's why I wait a month or so after a game is released before I judge the game because the first few reviews people write are mostly hyped.
Depends what you play. 2K is a better game for offline associations and stuff. Live is better online as 2K really doesn't have online this year. Just a matter of what you plan on playing more.

Mizzou B-ball fan

11-18-2008, 08:07 AM

I played NBA 2K9 quite a bit. One of my biggest frustrations was the control scheme. I felt like I had to do the equivalent of a finishing move in Mortal Combat just to complete a spin move. It was a real turn-off. I don't need the 'All-Play' controls by any means, but it would be nice if they trimmed down the controls a bit and didn't make it quite so complicated.

The Association mode in 2K9 is well done, though the menu system is a bit clunky at times.

Eaglesfan27

12-01-2008, 05:38 PM

I was just researching Live vs NBA 2k9 on the OS boards because I'm getting the NBA itch and I found this info that I thought was pertinent to the discussion. NBA 2k9 will have a patch out for the PS3 on 12/3 and soon after on the 360. Here is a list of fixes which has sold me on going with NBA 2k9 (although I might still change my mind - the discussion seems much closer this year):

General

Inbound Bug - We have corrected an issue where teams would not inbound the ball after a made basket, resulting in a non-authentic experience. This turned out to be a timing-specific issue with regards to quitting out of another game mode.

Player DNA – We found an issue where face sliders were getting offset when downloading the DNA of a player that another user has previously uploaded. Downloaded players should now look identical to when the original user uploaded the Player DNA.

Created Player Scrolling Crash – When a player was created with the ‘Thick’ body type and was not placed on a team, on the Bobcats, or on the Thunder, the game would crash when attempting to load the player model in the create player screen or in-game. This issue has been addressed.

Exiting Game Mode Crash – A crash was identified when the user attempted to leave a game mode (Association, Playoffs, etc.) when starting the game mode after receiving an updated Living Roster. This issue has been addressed.

Development Drill Crash – Related to the issue above, a few users were seeing a crash when attempting to perform a development drill after loading an Association file. The triggering issue has been identified and resolved.

Substitution Issue – It was discovered that when the user would change their ‘Substitution Method’ to ‘By Rotation’, the CPU would remain in the ‘By Fatigue’ method which would result in inconsistent subs or none at all. The CPU will now replicate the ‘Substitution Method’ chosen by the user’s team.

2K Cam Framerate – We have greatly improved the framerate gameplay in the 2K camera. Additional cameras have also seen performance boosts with the changes made.

Injury Frequency – In-game injuries during The Association will now occur at a lower frequency. This is particularly true with hard fouls, loose ball dives, and general falls.

Association League Leaders – Users playing through The Association with 5 minute quarters were finding that their players who should qualify for the league leaders weren’t properly being listed. This issue has been corrected.

Association Simulation – The simulator inside The Association has been tuned to produce more realistic game results. We found the final scores for most games to be too high pre-patch.

Online

Player Match Crash – It was discovered on launch day that when a certain number of users simultaneously select the ‘Player Match’ option, the game will eventually crash when looping through the available players.

Team-Up Lag – An intense round of optimization has taken place for the Team-Up experience. The changes made grant significant speed improvements for users on slower broadband connections such as lower-end DSL connections. The end result is a much smoother gameplay experience for everyone.

‘2K’ Cam – In order to increase user satisfaction with the title, we have added the ‘2K’ camera angle as a playable camera angle when playing online.

First FT Lag / Difficulty – The first free throw of an online game had a variable amount of lag depending on which camera was chosen for the shot. We have corrected this issue by asserting a fixed camera for this shot that eliminates any controller lag. In addition to this, the ‘make’ window for free throws in online play has been increased to account for the timing difference.

Waiting For Opponent – Users with poor connections were causing the game to loop too long on the “Waiting for Opponent” dialog before continuing on into the game. We’ve cleaned up this behavior to place players into the game in a much quicker fashion.

Quick Match Connection Problems – An issue was identified where users were being re-directed to the online FAQ instead of being taken into a game. This message will now only appear in appropriate situations.

Online League Injuries – In online leagues, injured players that were taken off the roster weren’t healing. The game now properly detects injured players and heals them in the appropriate time frame regardless of where they are placed on the roster.

PS3 Voice / Team-Up – An issue was uncovered where voice chat would drop or become intermittent when more than two users were talking simultaneously. This issue has been resolved.

Team-Up Cameras – The Broadcast camera for Team-Up has been optimized to show the user a better balance of their player, the ball, and they player they should be guarding. Also, 2K Cam has been added to the list of cameras the user can use during Team-Up play.

Gameplay

Subbing Fouled Out Player – A bug was found where you could substitute in a player who had previously fouled out, only when using the quick-sub method of the On-The-Fly Coaching menu.

Resetting Substitutions – When the user queued up substitutions via the On-The-Fly Coaching feature, re-accessing the feature before the substitutions actually took place would cause the subs to be reset such that the user would have to manually perform them again. We have addressed this issue.

Points Off Turnovers – It was discovered that this statistic was not calculating correctly when it is reported to the server for online league games. We have isolated the issue in the AI and have addressed the problem such that the stat is correctly reported.

Double Dribble Issue – By performing a sequence of moves that ended in a hop step, the user was able to perform a double dribble. This issue has been corrected.

Jab Step Fixes – The ‘Jab Step’ move has been reconstructed to be more balanced in the post. Specifically, it should not be effective in user vs. user games unless the ball-handler touches the defender. Also, performing the ‘Jab Step’ should no longer make the defense go back when the ball-handler loses the dribble.

Points in the Paint – In an effort to increase user satisfaction, we have tuned interior defense in combination with shooting percentages for shots taken in the paint. The result is something we feel will be more in-line with what our users are expecting.

Shooting Percentages – Continuing with the above description, we have tuned down shot success of perimeter shots when the defender is amply covering the offensive player taking the shot.

PlayVision – PlayVision in Team-Up was showing everyone’s starting point with no indication on which was yours. We have changed the behavior to only show the floor art for the player you are controlling.

General Fixes – A large number of other smaller issues have been addressed with the aim of increasing user satisfaction. These changes, while minor, have improved the quality of gameplay.

Sweed

12-01-2008, 06:39 PM

I've been having a blast playing 2k9 on the ps3. I only play my single player association, never online. I'm so happy with the results I'm getting with the sliders I d'loaded (bizcanos v.5) I'm hesitant to install the patch.

I have had no frame rate issues using the 2k camera. There is a hesitation when shooting free throws that would throw me off if I were using my skill to make them. It's not a bad frame rate or glitch but when you pull back the stick the FT animation doesn't always start, then you have to pull the stick back again. Not knowing for sure whether it will start or not, makes it very hard on your timing if you are doing FTs manually. But I have always had the players set to "real free throw pcts" so it doesn't effect my play.

I'm more concerned with having to redo sliders with the shooting percentages being tweaked in the patch. The thing is the sliders I use have layup success set so low (10) that players like Derrick Fisher miss some that should obviously be made. It's acceptable to me though as the total FG % comes out ok with the inside scoring being a little too easy for big guys like Bynum. Maybe with the new patch I can up the layups and get the same results in a more realistic fashion. It's just that I hate to have to go back and start playing slider tag again:mad:

I still highly recommend the game. I play with the Lakers and don't try to get the ball to anybody to create the stats they should have. I play the game the way it presents itself, ie if any player has the shot he takes it, if not then I try to move the ball. Just playing in the flow of the game generates pretty real numbers for me.

Currently 14-3 in my association.

Kobe leads in scoring at about 27 ppg.
Bynum is around 14 ppg and 12 boards
Gasol 17ppg and 9-10 boards.
Odom 14 ppg and 9 boards off the bench.
Vuacic (sp?) 11 ppg off the bench.

I find the cpu defense to be much harder to crack unless you purposely exploit the block defense (which is still better than last year IMHO).
And maybe this old man's skills aren't as good as many players but I find that I can't let up in games. Even if I build a 20 point lead I have to work to keep it. In previous years I pretty much knew the game was over.

vex

12-01-2008, 06:48 PM

Does anyone know if you can send draft files from College Hoops 2K8 to NBA 2K9?

DaddyTorgo

12-01-2008, 06:56 PM

Groundhog

12-01-2008, 07:06 PM

Does anyone know if you can send draft files from College Hoops 2K8 to NBA 2K9?

Appears to be a negative on that, from what I read on the OS boards yesterday.

Groundhog

12-01-2008, 07:08 PM

i'm very much enjoying 2k9 for the PC. still working on tweaking sliders to make sure it's not too easy on me, but i definately can't let up too much - every so often i'll get a blow out, but every so often i'll lose too.

I've got it on PC but I confess I haven't actually played through an entire game. My PS3 controller just wont bloody work with my PC for some reason, and playing it with a keyboard is impossible.

DaddyTorgo

12-01-2008, 07:09 PM

that's irritating Mr. Hog.

You could get a logitech dual action pc controller for like $20 or something i think...that's what i have

Eaglesfan27

12-02-2008, 08:06 AM

Microsoft released the patch sooner than the NBA2k9 developer thought they would. As a result, the 360 patch is out now.

rjolley

12-30-2008, 03:47 PM

What improvements are in the patch? Is the game worth buying now?

Does anyone know if the PC version is modable like NBA Live was?

Anthony

12-30-2008, 04:00 PM

the only thing i don't like about these games is when i set my quarters to like 7 minutes, the stats are always screwed up. its like my guys don't get enough stats to compete with the other players. playing 5 on 5 online sounds like fun though. i'll look into this more.

DaddyTorgo

12-30-2008, 04:04 PM

What improvements are in the patch? Is the game worth buying now?

Does anyone know if the PC version is modable like NBA Live was?

define moddable? i've seen some work done on it, and there's apparently a group that has cracked the game open and done some extensive modding, but they are waiting to release a "package"i guess.

rjolley

12-30-2008, 04:13 PM

Actually, just able to create new uniforms, stadiums, player models, etc. The things they did with NBA Live were very nice.

Comey

12-30-2008, 05:24 PM

I really like NBA2k9. It's a lot of fun. I'm playing ten minute quarters, and getting very realistic stats.

I may get NBA Live just for the 5-on-5, though. Seems fun.

rjolley

02-05-2009, 09:29 AM

NBA 2K9 is available at Target for $39.99 for the 360 and PS3. I'm not sure if it is a sale price or not, but if you're looking to pick it up, that's a good price.

Looking at BestBuy.com and Amazon.com, they have it for $39.99 and the PC version for $19.99. Might be the time for the usual price drop, though I thought it usually happened after the All-Star break.

Edit: Not to be outdone, Walmart.com has it for $39.82 and the PC version for $18.82.

sooner333

02-15-2009, 11:20 AM

Any good slider sets for this one now. I was struggling just on Pro with defaults, but then after playing a bunch of College Hoops, that didn't seem to go well as I was shooting in the 80% range through a quarter. It also helps that Kevin Durant is now a 90 with the new roster update, but that can't be all of it.

DaddyTorgo

02-15-2009, 11:53 AM

hey sooner - hxxp://forums.nba-live.com/viewtopic.php?f=94&t=62332

is what i use

Calis

02-15-2009, 01:42 PM

I'm annoyed by the fact the PC version of 2k9 has a demo on Steam, and from what I understand it requires Steam to be installed to run...but you can't buy it on Steam.

DaddyTorgo

02-15-2009, 01:46 PM

I'm annoyed by the fact the PC version of 2k9 has a demo on Steam, and from what I understand it requires Steam to be installed to run...but you can't buy it on Steam.

pretty sure you can buy it on steam, no?

Calis

02-15-2009, 01:56 PM

pretty sure you can buy it on steam, no?

Nope. I've been trying for a while now. :) There's the demo but no option to buy.

I imagine they must've had issues with retailers over it or something. I can't imagine why else it wouldn't be available for purchase.

Pumpy Tudors

02-16-2009, 03:04 PM

weegeebored

02-16-2009, 05:48 PM

Sweed

02-16-2009, 06:25 PM

I bought NBA 2K9 for the 360 last week, and I tried to play for the first time last night. It froze up on me twice. I'll try to exchange it for a different disc tonight. I just hope I find a slider set that will work well with 12-minute quarters.

I play 12 minutes on the ps3 with Bizcanos v5 sliders. I downloaded them off the ps3 2k site so not sure if they are available for 360 but, if not, I'm sure you could find a post at OS that has them listed out.

I was getting a few too many FGA and scoring was a little high with Bizcanos but the things like FG% were fine. The fix for me was to adjust both Player and Game speed to 45-player 55-game. This slows the players slightly while moving the clock a little faster. The thing is it's such a small adjustment it's not noticeable while playing. I have seen others post they have gone as far as 40-60 for player\game. Not sure on the 360 but on the ps3 this is done at the screen listing the teams playing. You hit "triangle" (top button on the ps3 controller) to get to the options to change these. I should also mention this is only available in single season or franchise so if you're going online it won't work.

My only complaint with this set, or any set I tried, is fouls are a bit too low. There simply aren't enough loose ball fouls or off ball fouls called. So, if you have a realistic number of fouls called per team, IE 25-26 per game, you will have too many FT's (usually in the 30's for attempts with games of 40+ not unusual) as most of them will be shooting fouls. I've settled for teams getting called for around 18 fouls which results in a more normal 25-30 FTA per game while still giving some games with higher totals. I've had games that were still a foul-fest and shot close to 50 FT's.

sooner333

02-17-2009, 04:35 PM

Pumpy,

Try the roster set produced by Neon1. They are all the rage, I understand. Uses the default sliders but changes the coach profiles and the player attributes. Check it out in the OS 2k9 forums. I think you can download from 2Kshare.

I cannot vouch for them as I have the PC version, but there is a update for that in the works.

I downloaded another set of rosters and sliders for that roster set. My worry is in an association down the line will the rookies and their unedited ratings screw everything up?

Butter

02-18-2009, 06:46 AM

DaddyTorgo

02-18-2009, 07:30 AM

I LOVE NBA2k9. It's just fantastic. It's ridiculously hard to try to figure out all those moves they have for players, but just the fact that they have them is quite something.

Just have to turn off that clutch rating. I had Steve Nash light me up for like 15 points in a row in the 4th quarter the other night, that was a tad bit ridiculous.

It is quite good. I have the sliders set about right where I need them to where the games are TOUGH, and I can't let my attention drift for a minute, whether i'm dribbling down the court or playing interior-d, because any one basket could be critical.

weegeebored

02-18-2009, 08:34 AM

I downloaded another set of rosters and sliders for that roster set. My worry is in an association down the line will the rookies and their unedited ratings screw everything up?That's a good question. It's really hard to know if rosters/sliders are geared for a quick game, single season, or association play. I've decided to tweak the roster set and sliders that I already have to match my style of play rather than start with a whole new set. As long as the game is fun and realistic enough, that's good enough for me.

sooner333

02-18-2009, 09:22 AM

That's a good question. It's really hard to know if rosters/sliders are geared for a quick game, single season, or association play. I've decided to tweak the roster set and sliders that I already have to match my style of play rather than start with a whole new set. As long as the game is fun and realistic enough, that's good enough for me.

Yeah, I thought about waiting for the 2k rosters to come out after the deadline, but there are a few things I don't like about them (such as the current rotations w/ real life injuries affecting computer teams in new associations). Also, I really don't see many slider sets that aren't for custom rosters.

Butter

03-03-2009, 06:50 AM

Just played an AWESOME game of NBA2K9 last night.

It's taken me a while to mess with the sliders, but guess where I've ended up with them? At the default 50 setting all the way across, with the difficulty level on Pro. It was too easy on Pro with favorable settings to the computer, too easy with All-Star and favorable settings to the player, too hard with All-Star standard difficulty.

On these Pro settings, I got waxed the other night by Houston by about 20... do still need to adjust the foul sliders, as there seem to be too few fouls. I think I also need to do 9 minute quarters, as scores are slightly too low with 8 minute quarters.

So, I'm on the road at the Staples Center to face the LA Lakers last night... playing as the Cavs. LA jumps out to an early 9-2 lead, and hold it pretty much the rest of the half, leading 43-34 at halftime (see the low score thanks to the 8 minute quarters). I make a nice run in the 3rd quarter, and actually lead 60-58 after 3.

Fourth quarter is back and forth, we end up tied at 88 with 30 seconds left... Kobe gets an open look from about 20 feet, but misses. I am able to call timeout and set up a final play... but they double-team LeBron, and by the time he gets the ball to the open man (Delonte West), the buzzer is sounding. To Overtime!

In OT, LA opens up a 4 point lead, but I am able to hang tough for a couple of possessions. They start double-teaming LeBron every time, as he had 36 points in regulation. As they do, West and Mo Williams get 2 open threes, and hit them both. I lead 101-99 with under 10 seconds left, and the Lakers call timeout and get the ball at mid-court. I instruct my team to double team Kobe no matter what, and let the rest sort itself out. We do just that, and Kobe gets the ball to Farmar, who jacks up a desperation 25 footer that clanks harmlessly away... I get the 101-99 OT win on the road at LA to push our record to 6-4, 1 game behind the division leading Bulls.

I love this game!!!

weegeebored

03-03-2009, 08:02 AM

In case people here did not know, the iff editor has been released. There are plenty of really good cyberfaces out, as well as courts and jerseys. Probably more and better ones to come as mods won't be restricted to the Chinese groups anymore. Find them at the nba-live.com forum.

Still tweaking my sliders which is a little frustrating as all 2K Sports needed to do was have more mid-range shots put into the code instead of the "need to shoot inside" mentality. But still having some fun which is the whole point of games anyway...

DaddyTorgo

03-03-2009, 08:23 AM

I'm having some very enjoyable games too. Playing a fantasy-drafted association, I'm now just over 2 seasons in.

My initial team in year 1:

PG: 50/50 between Selim Stoudamire and Carlos Quinn (out of ND)
SG: Jason Richardson - traded fairly early in the season for Rudy Fernandez
SF: Trevor Ariza
PF: Charlie Villanueva
C: Dwight Howard

This team actually bombed pretty well and I ended up with a 5% chance of getting the #1 overall pick. Actually GOT the #1 overall pick! There was a stud PG sitting there who I picked up as that obviously needed addressing.

My team year 2:

PG: Eric Cole (the rookie)
The rest the same

Made the playoffs but flamed out early in the computer-simming.

Year 3:

J-Richardson accepted the MLE to come back to play for me (which is good because Fernandez's lack of dribbling ability and the fact he can only do drives against weak guys or catch and shoot) was starting to irritate me.

PG: Eric Cole
SG: Rudy Fernandez / Jason Richardson
SF: Trevor Ariza
PF: Charlie Villanueva
C: Dwight Howard

Key backups: Selim Stoudamire (guy can hit the open 3!), Jared Dudley, Craig Smith, Sean Williams. (Yes, one can detect a large BC-bias in my backups, but they're all good players. Dudley is C's across the board which is solid. Smith has a B- inside game, and Sean Williams can block anything and lay down some power jams - he led me in scoring one game with 22pts).