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Old 11-12-2009, 03:14 AM   #1
bhlloy
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Join Date: Nov 2003
A Brit in the NBA - an NBA2k10 career

First time taking a shot at this. I'm really struggling with finding sports console games that keep my attention ATM, even if it's a great game dynasty mode is just too involved and I don't have the time to play out everything and quickly lose interest if I sim too much. Been having some fun with NBA2k10's My Player mode, and even though I realize this is probably the least interesting kind of dynasty for people to read, hopefully jotting everything down here will help keep my interest in the game a little longer

Firstly, some background. I'm a 5'9 145lb PG out of Cardiff, UK(pretty true to real life - stupid game only let's me choose England though) and I play basketball (absolutely nothing like real life) I went for 3 pt specialist for my ratings distribution, even though my game is more passing the ball around, it's pretty easy to get decent assist numbers even with a poor passing rating, and those ratings are the "cheapest" for PG to develop. I did consider athletic because the athletic ratings are so damn expensive but I figure if I can't shoot a lick I'm not going to stick around for long anyway. Balanced is just meh and I'm 5'9, so I didn't consider defensive (that part of my game is probably always going to suck) Other choices of note, chose Reebok as my shoe of choice because I've worn them all my life and hey, I'm British. Chose Mike Conley's shooting motion because I've had some success with it in the games I've played with the Grizzlies so far and it kinda looks ugly, just like my shot does when I attempt to play.

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Old 11-12-2009, 03:25 AM   #2
bhlloy
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Here is the scouting report that a few of the draft sites have on me (although most don't even realize I exist)

An undersized guard out of the UK. First came to light at the European under 17 tournament in 2007 where he put up decent scoring and assist numbers. Plays the 2 position for his college team and the GB youth side, but at only 5'9will be a point guard if he ever comes to North America.

Pros:
- Has NBA range on his shot, although form is terrible and doesn't shoot a high percentage, if he ever gets proper coaching could be a threat from deep
- Tenacious and hard working with a motor that never stops. Not afraid to mix it up inside and gets a surprising number of rebounds against much bigger players, especially on the offensive end.
- Great court vision and passing ability
- Good agility and burst, above average lateral movement

Cons:
- Will get dominated by larger guards, a liability defensively
- Below average speed and leaping ability, definite problem given lack of size
- Has received very poor coaching so far, shot form and technique is horrible
- Low release point on shot, will struggle to get shots off against better defenders
- Strictly a spot up shooter, even against the poor competition he has faced so far
- No defensive awareness, doesn't play the passing lanes and has a lack of understanding of basic strategy and guard movement. As such struggles to stay in front of his man and is often beaten off the dribble.

NBA comparison: none
Projection: Undrafted - may get an invite to a training camp but teams will likely wait and see how he does in the Euro leagues over the next couple of seasons before even considering bringing him over
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Old 11-12-2009, 03:27 AM   #3
bhlloy
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Join Date: Nov 2003
As expected I go undrafted, but I do get a call from a mysterious guy who claims to be an NBA insider and says he might be able to get me a look on somebodies summer league team. I don't think much of it but he calls back a week later and says the Warriors have an extra spot and they are interested to see what I have to offer. I get the impression they don't think much of me but it's an interesting story for their website, and they might sell a few jerseys in the UK because of it. Whatever, at least I'll get some decent coaching and get my name out there a little.
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Old 11-12-2009, 03:36 AM   #4
bhlloy
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I get to the Warriors organization summer league team and the first week is made up entirely of drills. First couple of days are handling drills, which is my worst fear. This is not the strongest part of my game and I'm actually pretty worried that they might put me on the next boat back across the pond because of it, but the pressure must have brought out the best in me because I'm actually doing really well. Much better than the other undrafted guards they have on the team. This is a big development for me. The rest of the week is mostly shooting drills and I completely tear it up, except for one afternoon session where I brick everything. The coaches seem very surprised and somewhat impressed.

Over the next 2 weeks I play in 6 summer league games, starting 5 of them. I start slowly and unspectacularly, but I'm finding my feet and the last 2 games I'm really starting to dominate against some pretty decent NBA prospects. In particular I have a really good game against Jonny Flynn, limiting him to 6 points and 2 assists, while I manage to put in 7 points and 10 assists at the other end. By the end of the 2 weeks I'm among the summer league leaders in assists and FG %, shooting .600 from three. I even manage to outperform Steph Curry, who is taking a lot of shots but shooting under .300. Apparently the jump from the UK to the NBA is easier than the jump from Davidson...

Still, I'm not holding my breath that my career is going to go any further. It's one thing to be a curiosity at summer league, another thing for a team to think it's worth bringing you to their training camp, especially if you are an unathletic 5'9 white guy. I head back to LA for the weekend and wait for a phone call, keeping an eye on plane tickets the whole time. Stupid dollar.
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Old 11-12-2009, 03:40 AM   #5
bhlloy
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My contact finally calls on Sunday, and he's got amazing news. I guess the word really got out about my play in summer league because half the fricking NBA says they have a spot for me at their training camp. The Warriors really want me back but they just spent a lottery pick on Curry. Long term that doesn't seem the best situation for me, even if I did kick his ass in summer league. I really want to stay in LA but funnily enough the Lakers aren't interested and I'm not sure I'd get a look in with the Clippers, who have Baron for the next 4 years and seem to really like Telfair. Eventually I settle on the Grizzlies, because I think Conley is overrated and they really don't have anything behind him.
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Old 11-12-2009, 03:53 AM   #6
bhlloy
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A couple of days before I'm due to arrive in Memphis I find out they have signed ex-Net PG Marcus Williams to back up Conley. Bugger. Still, he's done nothing so far in his NBA career so I'm pretty sure they just see him as a stopgap and he's more of a combo guard than a true point.

There are also 2 undrafted walkons that I'm competing with at PG, the better of the two is a kid called Jon Hill. One of us is probably gone in the first couple of days, so I better be on my game.

Again the first few drills we go through in practice are handling drills. I hold my own but things are definitely at a higher pace in a real camp and at times I struggle. Again, I'm really impressing in the shooting drills. The Grizzlies really seem to be emphasizing shooting off the dribble, which is an area of my game I really need to improve fast. Ain't too many spot up shooters in the NBA and definitely none under 6 foot.

First few intrasquad games come and go and offensively I'm playing very well, outperforming the other two walkons by a mile. In terms of assists I'm averaging 7 per scrimmage, which is more than Conley and Williams put together. Defensively I'm struggling, twice they have put me on Conley and he's absolutely lit me up. It's kind of scary how a below average NBA starter just shoots over me like I'm not even there. I do much better in the scrimmage I'm matched up against Williams, I really don't see what the Grizzlies see in him. One notable play at the end of one scrimmage, I hit a layup to bring us within 1 with about 20 seconds left and then I foul Williams hard trying to strip the ball and complete the comeback. He's PISSED and for a moment I think he's coming after me. Coaches weren't too happy about that one but I don't care. If I make this team it's because I play hard and I'm not going to change, even if my teammates don't appreciate it.

The worst part of camp is waiting each evening to hear who has been cut. The second walkon PG is the first to go, poor kid doesn't even get to play in a scrimmage before he's sent packing. But excellent news for me. The Grizz seem to have a rotating door at the PF position, they are bringing in and cutting guys like nobodies business. The only name I recognize is Melvin Ely and he looks like he might get a roster spot at this point. One notable cut after the third scrimmage is Hamed Haddadi, I guess one giant, offensively challenged project at center was all the franchise needed.

Only a week of training camp left, is the impossible dream of making an NBA team as a 19 year old with no decent competitive experience actually possible? How I perform in the next two scrimmages is absolutely key, right now I think Hill has an edge on me for that developmental guy spot but I'm closing the gap all the time.
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Old 11-12-2009, 09:42 AM   #7
rjolley
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Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Roseville, CA
What I love about the dynasties on this site is how great all of the writers make the game they're playing sound. At this moment, I want to go to the store, buy NBA2K10, and play this mode to try and make the pros.

Needless to say, I'll be following along.

Good luck. Beat out the bums and make the roster.
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Old 11-12-2009, 11:11 AM   #8
GoldenEagle
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Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Little Rock, AR
Cool read. I am following.
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Old 11-14-2009, 02:21 PM   #9
bhlloy
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Join Date: Nov 2003
So, the penultimate scrimmage is here and once again I'm matched up against Conley. First play of the game he drains a three over me... brilliant. The team I'm put on is very weak, Gasol is the only starter and the other guys are Ely, Carroll and Jaric against AI, Conley, Thabeet, Sam Young and a walkon, Maceo Baston, at PF. I'm not real hopeful that this is going to be a good game for me and in the first half my performance is very up and down. I hit a couple of shots from close in as Conley isn't doing a good job of tracking me into the paint, but I also have a couple of bad passes and Conley hits another three as I lose track of him on the perimiter. This isn't the kind of performance that is going to keep me around for another week.

Second half starts much better, I'm able to grab a couple of rebounds on the offensive end, I start hitting some outside shots and then one of the biggest plays of my career. I steal the ball from Conley at half court, go in for the layup and as Conley gets level with me I lean into him and flip it to Gasol perfectly in stride, he throws it down and gets fouled for the +1. Puts us up by 3, I get a highlight play and also complete one of my objectives for the game. The coaches really seem to like that play also. I think that play gives me confidence for the rest of the game as I'm really starting to have a solid game all around, some more rebounds, start to hit some assists as I'm getting a good chemistry with Ely inside and also start to get some credit for some nice defense on Conley. Game ends with us up by 4 points and I'm being fouled on every inbound, three straight times. I'm a horrific FT shooter (better things to focus on) and I blow the first two, but then I'm getting my timing down and nail the next 4 in a row to ice the game.

Overall I'm ecstatic with my performance in this game. I end up with 14 points, 4 boards, 6 assists and shoot 5-7 for the game (although still 0-1 from three, I just can't seem to get open from beyond the arc against this talent) I don't think there is any way they can cut me after I played so well but let's wait and see what happens.

After the game one of the coaches tells me they graded my performance as great (which I don't think I've had before even in summer camp, I'm not sure I ever scored enough) and then I hear that veteran Steven Hunter is the only cut this evening. This again is very interesting to me, means that Thabeet is now the only other center on the roster and they must really like either Ely or Baston as the 4th big man. Right now Ely is probably playing the best of any big man in camp so I can definitely see him making the team.

1 game to go, 1 round of cuts, getting so close now I can taste it. The team really could go either way, cutting one of Ely/Baston and going with 4 big guys, or cutting 1 of their PG's. I still think I need to outperform Hill to get a roster spot but right now the big guys are getting the axe so who knows what will happen? They could even save some money and get rid of Williams who has been very average so far, and go with 2 young PG's.
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Old 11-14-2009, 02:25 PM   #10
bhlloy
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Join Date: Nov 2003
In drills I'm really concentrating on becoming a better on ball defender in anticipation of probably being matched up against Conley in the last scrimmage. If he can break me down off the dribble pretty consistently I hate to think what one of the star PG's in the league is going to do to me. Anyway, the training goes really well and I can feel that I'm doing a much better job of understanding and executing on D. This makes me a better player overall as well which is nice.
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Old 11-14-2009, 02:44 PM   #11
Swaggs
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Great stuff -- keep it up.
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Old 11-15-2009, 03:49 AM   #12
Icy
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Toledo - Spain
Nice stuff, i'm also playing a career as PG and another as C. I LOVE this new mode in all sports games where you are just a player instead of a GM. So far the best ones are in MLB the show and NHL10, but as i prefer the NBA, "my player" is my most played one. I really hope they will polish it for next year, avoiding the bugs and adding more stuff about contract negotiations, etc.

Btw, save a lot on different slots, there are some show stopping bugs that can freeze your career and can't be continued, specially when close to finishing the season and advancing to a new one. If you have some diferent savegames, you can always load one of those with the hope that it will work.
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Old 11-16-2009, 07:22 PM   #13
bhlloy
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Thanks Icy. I actually prefer this mode to NHL10, which gets very, very samey for me after a while. I guess this might get the same but there is just more to do in basketball (can be a rebounder, scorer, passer, can concentrate on defense and steals) and more ratings to increase. I'm sure a show stopping bug will change all that though

I loved MLB: The Show back when I had a PS2, but now I'm XBOX only. If I do get the PS3 eventually (probably next time my XBOX rrod's) it will be for that game.
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Old 11-16-2009, 07:27 PM   #14
bhlloy
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Join Date: Nov 2003
So, last game of training camp rolls around and I'm playing for a spot on the roster. I'm matched up against Williams, which is awesome because I'm quicker than he is and he's really no threat to shoot from outside. As long as I can stop him from posting up, it's all gravy.

Anyhow, I wish I could type up a thrilling account for this one but really, it's a pretty nondescript game for me. I'm dishing the ball all over the place, especially to AI and Randolph and end up with 11 assists but other than that, meh. Poor shooting game on 1-7 leaves me with only 2 points, 1 rebound and no steals. I do play solid defense on Williams and he only gets 2 points as well on 1 for a lot shooting. Overall my performance is pretty good, I'm still feeling confident that I'm going to stick around but I would have preferred to have scored a few more points and missed a few less shots. I have a feeling I'm really going to struggle to score at the NBA level.
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Old 11-16-2009, 07:33 PM   #15
bhlloy
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Join Date: Nov 2003
As soon as I get off the court the GM of the team comes up to me (which isn't good) but he's smiling (which probably is). He congratulates me and tells me based on my play throughout training camp I've made the roster and they really didn't have a doubt after the first few games that I was going to make it. They are going to keep Williams around and they'd like me to play a bit of SG as well, which I think is a bit of a strange decision but what the hell. Hill doesn't make it which sucks, but it was me or him so I don't feel so bad.

So I'm in the NBA. First game is at home vs Detroit. Hopefully I get to see the court and can make some people sit up and take notice.
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Old 11-16-2009, 08:08 PM   #16
bhlloy
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Ugh, so the NBA games are at 5 minutes per quarter too? Is there any way to increase them or is this career toast if I didn't do it already? I know there was a workaround pre-patch but I thought post-patch it should have been fixed...
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Old 11-17-2009, 02:43 AM   #17
Icy
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Toledo - Spain
After the patch, you can edit minutes any time in your career:

my player > options > presentation > go down until u see minutes

I suggest from 7 to 9 minutes per Q to get realistic stats. If you are a bench player, use 7, if you are an starter use 8 or 9. The reason is that while you are in the bench, the simulated stats are a bit too high as each possession takes less than 10 seconds of the clock, so if you use 9 minutes and you are a lot in the bench, teams can score close to 150 points per game.
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Old 11-17-2009, 09:15 AM   #18
Autumn
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Bath, ME
A really fun dynasty, I'm enjoying following along. I had no idea that they had this kind of gameplay out there, sounds like a blast.
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Old 11-18-2009, 12:24 PM   #19
Neon_Chaos
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Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Parañaque, Philippines
Quote:
Originally Posted by Icy View Post
After the patch, you can edit minutes any time in your career:

my player > options > presentation > go down until u see minutes

I suggest from 7 to 9 minutes per Q to get realistic stats. If you are a bench player, use 7, if you are an starter use 8 or 9. The reason is that while you are in the bench, the simulated stats are a bit too high as each possession takes less than 10 seconds of the clock, so if you use 9 minutes and you are a lot in the bench, teams can score close to 150 points per game.

Post-patch, I am playing 12 minutes, and am constantly getting NBA-like scores. Mostly from 80-120 points per game for each team.

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