Fate and Fortune: The Andy McCutcheon Story (NBA 2K13)

[trekfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by letsgocavs99

Really enjoying this, keep up the good work!

Thanks man, appreciate it.

[trekfan]

12-20-2012

Sandy Collins



Was up, Shiners! The Suns are H-O-T right now and I’ll admit, I may be getting giddy just thinking about some of the players on the team (not Gortat or Gordon but Dragic I think is cute, don’t you girls?).


All that said … wow. I can’t believe how good the year has been. GM Andy McCutcheon is my hero! In fact, I plan on sending him a Christmas present (and no, it won’t be my panties fellas). He must be a genius or the luckiest guy in the world.


… okay, he’s probably not the luckiest guy in the world but he might be the second luckiest.


Anyways, I’m not here to gloat to any Lakers fans (though let it be known I totally am gloating Lakers fans, suck it!) I’m here to give you some analysis on the Suns last five games. They’ve been a doozy and I’m so proud of our guys.




Suns 114, Magic 108


Oh my, God, I was sweating bullets at the end of this game. Not only were the Suns giving away the game in the fourth they were giving it away to the Magic? The team that traded the best center in the game for less than nothing? I mean, really, what was going on?


It was because Eric Gordon went cold. He has a tendency to do that against lower (read: sucky) competition. But that was all right because Gortat, the Polish Hammer, stepped up in the fourth and pulled in some clutch rebounds to win us the game, Shiners. He finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds, making my heart leap for joy.


I could never live down losing to the Magic. What teams could? They suck. Really.



Suns 96, Grizzlies 84


It was like the same game was played again, except instead of Gordon exploding all over the Grizz it was Dragic (I love you Goran) showing the Grizzlies why he’s the one who was handed the keys to this offense. Dragic drives the Suns around kinda reckless sometimes but he’s just got such a bad boy vibe.


Imagine him in black leather with a better haircut and you might swoon over him like me. He scored 17 points and made the Grizz look silly on defense as he dished to Gortat and Scola on the inside, the two bigs pulling down 23 boards between them and scoring 16 points each.


I love a man who knows how to run a fast paced offense.



Suns 102, Jazz 94


The Jazz might want to consider changing their name to the Blues or something more depressing. They’re just a punching bag for the Suns, who cream them yet again thanks to Gordon finding his shot once more, scoring 25 points.


Gordon loses his shot more often than high school kids lose their virginity! I wish he would just keep a leash on it or something but maybe he’s not into chains … who cares, right? The Suns won.



Kings 118, Suns 109


When are the Kings moving to Vegas?


Hey, it wasn’t a bad game by the Suns. Gordon had 22 points and Dragic got 20, but the Kings Demarcus Cousins picked THAT game to dominate, scoring 27 points and getting 11 boards. The best stat for him? He hit all nine of his free throws … it was a fluke game. The Kings .500 record proves that.



Suns 104, Bobcats 81


Do you realize the Bobcats have a better record than the Magic? Talk about a cause for celebration in Charlotte!


As for the Suns, it was business as usual. J-Dud stepped up his game, trashing his former team for 22 points while Gordon chipped in 24 points and had nine assists. Dragic ALMOST had a triple double, scoring 15 points, grabbing 10 boards, and dishing out eight assists.


The Bobcats took the beating and then moved on, as they usually do. Somewhere, Michael Jordan is missing a putt on the golf course and signing off on more horrible moves for the Bobcats.





Well, Shiners, that’s my expert (not) analysis on those last five games. The Suns battle the Blazers next and we MUST avenge that loss …


Until next time, Shiners, go Suns and Shine on!

[trekfan]

1-10-2013

“He’s not dumb.”


The statement was made as Robert Sarver sat in his genuine leather chair, purchased from India, in the drawing room of his home. The walls were decorated with the things that mattered to him: accolades from his businesses, degrees, and pictures of him with other business tycoons.


Veronica had never understood why he didn’t seem to care for the team he owned. She had been sitting here, pretending to listen, for the last ten minutes as he drank his Scotch and ranted about the team.


“McCutcheon has intelligence, Veronica … he can make it in the NBA.”


“Isn’t that good for us?”


He glared at her. “No. He’s drawing a lot of attention from my fellow owners … he’s only signed to a one year deal and he’s getting paid little compared to his peers.” Robert took a deep drink from his glass and wiped his chin. “He’s actually made some good moves … and my fellow owners are seriously considering him for open positions come the end of the season.”


She leaned back in her chair, her eyes sweeping over his face. He was concerned. “You’re worried you’re going to lose him?”


“I’m not paying him so he’s already lost … but what’s more important is how it’ll hurt my image.” He set the glass down, hard, some of its contents spilling to the side. “I have people to answer to.”


“The other owners?”


He scoffed. “Dicks, most of them. Willing to burn money for a shot at the playoffs … a business isn’t run that way. You have to be efficient, you have to be smart about the money and the talent. They want to win now and pay three times more than they need to.”


She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Who are you talking about, then?”


“My peers in the business world. They’ve always been critical of me for not taking risks with this team … I let Amar’e go, I brought Shaq in, but that’s never been enough to satisfy them. They wanted to see me make a hire in an important position, something risky there. McCutcheon was that hire.”


She understood now and smirked. “And now that the team is doing well, thanks to the Gordon trade he made, you’re going to lose him to another organization.”


He stared at his wall with a grim look. “I’ll lose what I’ve gained … this is the first time in years my peers have really showed me any respect. It’s a

‘what have you done lately’ kinda thing.”


She shrugged. “Well, you haven’t exactly done much with the Suns lately, have you? Besides wasting the best years of Steve Nash’s career.”


He growled at her. “Don’t get sassy on me.”


“If you want the respect that badly, just pay McCutcheon … he’s not going to demand a whole lot.”


“He will once the bidding war starts ... I have six owners right now who are willing to fire their current GMs and hire him. If our team makes the playoffs and does decently in them, that number could double.” He shook his head. “I should have hired a bum and tanked this year.”


“Well, we’re not tanking at the moment.”


“We were close.”


She scoffed. “The only reason we’ve gone 4-6 over the last ten games is because Dudley was out with an injury … every team on our schedule took advantage of that. We’ve won the last three in a row since he came back.”


“We need more injuries.”


She glared at him. “Why tank anyway?”


“Higher draft pick … but McCutcheon traded that away for Gordon.” He picked up his drink and finished it off. “McCutcheon is going to leave and make me look horrible … the fans will hate me again and my peers will mock me again.”


She shrugged. “Should have made me your GM. Then you wouldn’t have this issue.”


She was baiting him. He seemed desperate enough to actually consider it now … she’d been pushing for months for him to put her in the front office, to become the first female executive in the NBA. She wanted that honor. She wanted to be that trailblazer.


He looked over her for a moment and said, “If you can figure out a way to get McCutcheon to leave and not make me look bad, you’ll get your shot.”


She extended her had without hesitation. “Shake on it and we have a deal.”


He smirked. “Like hell you can do it … he just has to ride out the end of the year and he’ll be golden.”


She smirked at him. “He’s not going to screw up with the players he puts on the court … but his job has off the court components too.”


He looked at her hand and then at her. He took her hand and shook it. “You have a deal … but tread carefully. If you’re going to do what I think you are, and be sure I don’t want to know, than you had better be damned clever about it.”


She smiled. “Clever about what?”


He let go of her hand and leaned back in his chair. “Exactly.”

[trekfan]

Transactions Report
Extensions

Hawks:

Devin Harris signed to a 3 year/$16.82M extension

Josh Smith signed to a 5 year/$67.98M extension


Bobcats:

Gerald Henderson signed to a 3 year/$10.07M extension


76ers:

Jrue Holiday signed to a 5 year/$65.41M extension

Andrew Bynum signed to a 5 year/$91.13M extension


Mavericks:

Darren Collison signed to a 4 year/$41.11M extension


Jazz:

Al Jefferson signed to a 5 year/$71.74M extension

Mo Williams signed to a 5 year/$34.91M extension


Rockets:

Kevin Martin signed to a 4 year/$41.11M extension


Nuggets:

Ty Lawson signed to a 5 year/$54.53M extension


Pacers:

Tyler Hansbrough signed to a 5 year/13.58M extension


Kings:

Tyreke Evans signed to a 5 year/$47.48M extension


Spurs:

Manu Ginobili signed to a 1 year/$2.69M extension


Warriors:

Stephen Curry signed to a 4 year/$55.21M extension

Trades

Celtics trade Jeff Green and Darko Milicic to the Bucks for Samuel Dalembert and Tobias Harris.

Mavericks trade Delonte West to the Nets for Marshon Brooks.

Mavericks trade Dahnatay Jones and Jae Crowder to the Celtics for Courtney Lee.

Warriors trade Jarrett Jack to the 76ers for Spencer Hawes and Dan Gadzuric.

Rockets trade JaJuan Johnson to the Thunder for Hasheem Thabeet and a 2013 first round pick.

76ers trade Lavoy Allen to the Knicks for J.R. Smith and a 2014 second round pick.

[trekfan]

1-25-2013

He rolled his eyes as he looked in the mirror. “You’re making too big a deal of this, Gil.”

“You’re making a mistake,” the old man said, his voice sounding harsher over the phone. “I got a bad feeling about this, kid.”

Andy adjusted his tie and then took it off, dissatisfied with it. He disliked all his ties. “Tell me what you really think.” He took off his collared shirt and tossed it back on the floor.

Gil continued to worry over the phone. “You really trust this broad? She’s not exactly screaming ‘true friend’ to me.”

“I never said I trusted her,” Andy countered as he reached for an orange polo shirt. He picked it up but quickly put it back down: he wanted this to be about the people, not about his job. He frowned as he looked over the shirts laid out on his bed. “She’s setting me up with a friend of hers. I’m not dating her.”

“That’s what concerns me … you’d think with the amount of time she spends with you—”

Andy scoffed, cutting Gil off. “She’s watching me for Sarver, I get that … but we seem to be okay with one another. Why are you so paranoid?”

“For good reason … the team’s having a lot of success despite what people think. I don’t want to jinx it.”

Andy shook his head with a smirk. “We both know you’re not that
superstitious.” He walked over to his closet and began going through the
hangers once more. “Seriously, what’s the reason?”

There was a moment of silence over the phone and then Gil said, “I don’t like her. That’s the damned reason.”

“At least you’re honest,” Andy said as he pulled out a classic. He walked to his mirror and held it out in front of him. He liked it … casual, yet fun. “It’s just a date, Gil. I won’t be giving away state secrets.”

“I know you won’t,” the older man said in growing annoyance. “But you’re a hot commodity now, kid. People all over the league are talking about you, how much a genius you are.”

“We both know I’m not.”

“Damn straight,” Gil agreed. “But you know as well as I do that perception is half the battle in this league. If people perceive you as a genius than they’re gonna treat you like one … that’s good and bad for you, kid.”

“What’s so bad about it?” Andy asked as he put the shirt on and began to fix himself up.

“It means that people are gonna try and take advantage of you if they see fit … stay sharp.”

Andy cracked a grin. “You should see what I’m wearing.”

“It’s not that God-awful Hawaiian shirt, is it?”

Andy’s face flushed red. He quickly took off the shirt and cleared his throat.

“Nope … decided to go with the white polo.”

“Plain … decent choice.”

Andy sighed and put the polo on. His eyes caught the time on the clock and he muttered a curse under his breath. “I got to go.”

“Kid, I’m telling you—”

“I got it, yeah … I’ll keep my eyes peeled, okay?”

“Okay,” Gil said. He hung up.

Andy picked up his phone and took a deep breath. It was time to see what Veronica had set him up with.

He left his house and drove to a little café in downtown Phoenix, where this “blind date” awaited.

When he got there, he could spot her immediately. Veronica had said she was tall, blonde, and beautiful. Andy had scoffed at that but then when he saw her he understood what Veronica meant.

She was quite stunning. Andy moved over to her table and smiled. “Andrew McCutcheon.”

She smiled back at him. “Angela Grant.”

Andy sat down and let loose a nervous laugh. “Well … I’m glad to meet you.”

Her eyes never left his. “Ditto.”

[trekfan]

Injuries strike Suns: will they survive?


Tim Hardy

February 1, 2013

PHOENIX – The loss to the Los Angeles Lakers wasn’t enough. Now the Suns have to deal with two key injuries to their frontline. Luis Scola and Marcin Gortat both suffered injuries in the humiliating 103-78 loss to the Lakers as Steve Nash’s return to Phoenix was a success-for him.


For the Suns, the loss now lessens their lead in the Pacific division to two games as the Clippers and Lakers both battle to lead the division. But of more concern for the Suns are the injuries. Scola is out for 2-4 weeks with a stress fracture while Gortat is out for that same time period with a sprained shoulder.


“It’s a long season and there are always injuries,” said Suns coach Alvin Gentry. “We’re in a situation now where our bench guys have to step up and I have faith they will.”


Markieff Morris and Greg Oden will now slide into the starter roles, both being key contributors from the bench so far this season but with more minutes the question becomes whether they get more effective or less.


This question pertains to Oden more than Morris. Oden has been a force this season from the bench, averaging seven points and five rebounds in 12 minutes of play. But with the increased minutes comes an increased chance that Oden could suffer an injury.


One NBA executive is skeptical that the Suns can survive the next few weeks without their frontline players. “In this league the frontline is so important inside the paint. The Suns have been abusing opponents in there all season long thanks to the threat of Eric Gordon. His play has allowed the guys in the frontline to feed off easy points … with a new frontline up there for the next few weeks I see the Suns fading.”


Doctor Otis Graham, a former NBA trainer, sees Greg Oden’s increased minutes presenting an increased problem. “His injury history shows that, after a certain point in minutes, his injury risks doubles. Being a bench player has been a blessing for him this year but being forced back into starter minutes may end his season yet again.”


GM Andy McCutcheon, who brought Oden in as a free agent earlier this season, doesn’t feel that assessment is accurate. “Greg has been healthy all year long and he’s continuing to work with our amazing staff here to make sure he stays that way. He’s prepared for the challenge, mentally, emotionally, and physically.”


The next month for the Suns is a pivotal one and without their usual frontline starters, it could very well make or break the season.


Alvin Gentry is quite aware of that. “Every game is important … the season doesn’t really start till after the All-Star break and we’re going to see that this month. It’s not about what we’ve done up to this point, it’s about what we’re going to do. We’re aware of that and so is everyone else.”

[trekfan]

2-17-2013

It was All Star Weekend.


The festivities were in full swing. The Toyota Center was rocking in Houston but she wasn’t focused on the game or the players in it.


She was focused on Andy.


Veronica sat back and watched as he drooled over Angela. He was a sucker for blondes, that much was obvious.


He was also completely oblivious to what was going on with the Suns. The team was struggling since the injuries to Scola and Gortat, going 3-4 since then. People outside the organization saw McCutcheon as standing pat, unwilling to upset team chemistry.


Veronica saw it as lazy. The team needed a true sixth man and not a bunch of role players. They had the assets to trade for one but Andy was unwilling to make any moves. She could respect that if he was actually thinking but he wasn’t.


Well, he was thinking … just about Angela.


Which was just perfect for Veronica. The more he thought about Angela, the better it got for her … he wasn’t the best at being social. Angela had reported to her his many “romantic” gestures that had been laughable but Angela was being paid to be with him for a reason.


Not only was she stunning, she was also a good actresses. According to Angela, she was using every trick she knew to hide her true feelings from Andy. Of course, Veronica didn’t think she really needed to hide anything from him. He was a lovesick puppy with her.


Her phone vibrated. It was a text from Robert.


He was asking how things were going. She sent only one word back.


“Well,” she said out loud with a smirk.





“ … and that’s how I broke my arm,” Andy concluded.


Angela laughed at him as tears welled up in her eyes. “You just fell out of chair?”


“I fell backwards,” he corrected her with a grin. “I’ve never sat in a chair like that again.”


She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled as she stood. “I need to use the restroom … you want anything?”


He shook his head. “Hurry back.”


“I shall,” she responded. She left their very good seats and moved off.


Andy leaned back and enjoyed the view of the game below. He was enthralled with Angela … beauty, brains, and great intelligence. She was everything he wanted and he knew he was falling hard for her.


He let himself do it. It’d been years since he had felt this way about a girl. He liked this feeling. He liked the way she just made his day better by showing up.


He hadn’t spent nearly as much time with her this weekend as he wanted to though. Being it was All Star Weekend, he had entertained a lot of other people from other organizations, all looking for his services in the offseason. He was on a one year contract and that meant that there was an opportunity for him to move, if he wanted to.


At this moment, he wasn’t sure. He wanted to explore his options, that was for sure, but if it meant leaving behind this team … he didn’t feel like his job was done.


As he looked at some of the empty seats around him, he remembered those people who would have been here if not for that shooting.


He couldn’t just leave them behind … he couldn’t leave this as unfinished, could he? He owned those people a title … he at least owned them his best try.


He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to see Angela behind him, two ice

cream cones in her other hand. “I didn’t think you’d mind.”


He smiled at her.


She might just make him stay here.

[trekfan]

Suns outlook cheery despite a cloudy forecast


Tim Hardy

March 7, 2013

PHOENIX – It hasn’t been a good month for the Phoenix Suns. The losses of Luis Scola and Marcin Gortat for the month of February did little to help the Suns keep the Clippers and Lakers at bay, as now all three teams are tied for the Pacific division lead.


The Suns finished February with a 6-7 record, losing to the Lakers again in humiliating fashion 113-86 right before the All Star break. The Suns did manage to win three out of the next six contests after the break, but consistency on a nightly basis was hard to find in the frontcourt starting duo of Markieff Morris and Greg Oden.


The month of March has brought Gortat and Scola back into the starting lineups but has subtracted Jared Dudley, who is again missing time due to a bothersome hamstring. The Suns have started the month out 0-2, losing to the Hawks and Raptors in close games.


Don’t tell the Suns that though. The locker room is surprisingly cheery despite going 6-9 in the last 15 games.


“We’re working through it, as we always do,” said Suns coach Alvin Gentry. “The measure of a good team isn’t how well it sticks together when things are relatively easy, it’s how they stick together when things are tough, when each game is grind. That’s when you see whether or not you have something that will work … we have something that will work here.”


Gentry isn’t the only one who is happy with the way the team is playing despite the record.


“I think it starts in the front office,” said Eric Gordon. “There were rumors going around before the deadline that people might be moved for help but nothing happened … a lot of us on the team are really thankful for that. Our GM showed faith in us and the fans showed faith in us … we want to reward that.”


Gordon is referring to Andy McCutcheon, who declined to make any trade deadline moves despite rumors of deals being offered to him.


That kind of steadfastness is a trait many around the league didn’t think McCutcheon had. Said one NBA executive, “He didn’t make a panic move, which a lot of young GMs in his position might do … his team was struggling, there was pressure from the outside to do something, and he stood pat. Often times, the moves you don’t make are the best ones in this business.”


Though the Suns as an organization seem to be unusually sunny despite their nonexistent lead in the Pacific division, the rest of the division is sure the Suns time at the top has finally come to an end.


“We’re coming,” said Kobe Bryant earlier in the week. “It’s taken some time for all of us to get on the same page but we’re here now and we’re coming.”


Bryant wasn’t the only LA star to comment on the matter.


“Oh yeah, we’re ready,” said Chris Paul. “We’ve worked all season to catch up to those guys and now we’re there … we’re ready to take that next step and we’re going to take that next step soon.”


As the Suns prepare for the next month, the forecast for their season is cloudy at best. They’ll likely make the playoffs barring some unforeseen fall from grace, but where they end up could determine who the NBA champion is this season: the Suns are unlikely to get there but they could be a significant threat to anyone they face in the West. Alvin Gentry agrees.



“I think we’ll be fine,” said Gentry. “It’s the rest of the NBA that should be worrying.”