Duke of the West: A New Orleans Pelicans Dynasty (2k19)
Duke of the West
A New Orleans Pelicans Dynasty
In spectacular fashion, the New Orleans Pelicans made out with by far one of the biggest NBA Lottery victories in quite a long time. With the number one overall pick secured and arguably one of the best players in the league requesting a trade, Nola's got the means to build a young and talented future.
Fourteen games and win or go home playoffs....let's do this!
__________________
~ Return of the King ~
Last edited by saintrules; 06-14-2019 at 12:07 PM.
Re: Duke of the West: A New Orleans Pelicans Dynasty (2k19)
Western Conference
Conference Regular Season Champions 2019: 2020:
Conference Tournament Champions 2019: 2020:
Overall Team Conference Records 1. Los Angeles Lakers: 2. New Orleans Pelicans: 3. Los Angeles Clippers: 4. Memphis Grizzlies: 5. San Antonio Spurs: 6. Golden State Warriors: 7. Utah Jazz: 8. Houston Rockets: 9. Oklahoma City Thunder: 10. Phoenix Suns: 11. Minnesota Timberwolves: 12. Dallas Mavericks: 13. Portland Trail Blazers: 14. Sacramento Kings: 15. Denver Nuggets:
Conference Players of the Year 2019:
Conference Rookies of the Year 2019: 2020:
All-Conference Players 2019: 2020:
Rookie All-Conference Players 2019: 2020:
__________________
~ Return of the King ~
Last edited by saintrules; 06-07-2019 at 04:38 PM.
Re: Duke of the West: A New Orleans Pelicans Dynasty (2k19)
NBA Draft
June 20, 2019
Pelicans take duo of Duke studs
New Orleans, LA - Fire and Ice, Yin and Yang, Cheech and Chong, whatever you want to call them, Zion and RJ are headed to New Orleans. The Freshmen out of Duke have been the only two names mentioned as number one selections since the end of last year's draft, and with the right moves in place, Nola snagged them both.
The typical draft carousel began as soon as Memphis shipped off Mike Conley for Miami's Goran Dragic and their thirteenth overall pick. With Ja Morant seemingly the man of the hour for Memphis, the New York Knicks knew RJ Barrett would likely be in their hands. For the first time in a while, New York actually had a bargaining chip. Their focus? Anthony Davis. Their assets? RJ Barrett with the third overall pick, as well as dealer's choice of some young assets headlined by Mitchell Robinson, Emmanuel Mudiay, Dennis Smith Jr, Kevin Knox, and Alonzo Trier. With New York desiring to keep Knox, Mudiay, and DSJ, the Pelicans agreed to ship Davis to New York for the third pick, Robinson, and Trier.
With the pre draft fun out of the way, it was time to get down to business...
NBA Draft Results
NBA Draft 2019
Pick
Team
Player
Pos
Ht
Wt
1
New Orleans Pelicans
Zion Williamson (Duke)
PF
6'7"
287
2
Memphis Grizzlies
Ja Morant (Murray State)
PG
6'3"
175
3
New Orleans Pelicans (Knicks)
RJ Barrett (Duke)
SG
6'7"
210
4
Los Angeles Lakers
Jaxson Hayes (Texas)
C
6'11"
242
5
Cleveland Cavaliers
Sekou Doumbouya (France)
SF
6'9"
229
6
Phoenix Suns
Coby White (North Carolina)
PG
6'5"
191
7
Chicago Bulls
Jarrett Culver (Texas Tech)
SG
6'5"
195
8
Atlanta Hawks
Cameron Reddish (Duke)
SF
6'8"
215
9
Washington Wizards
Kevin Porter Jr (USC)
SG
6'5"
222
10
Atlanta Hawks
Romeo Langford (Indiana)
SG
6'6
205
11
Minnesota Timberwolves
KZ Okpala (Stanford)
SG
6'8"
195
12
Charlotte Hornets
DeAndre Hunter (Virginia)
SF
6'8"
225
13
Memphis Grizzlies (Heat)
Nassir Little (North Carolina)
SF
6'6"
220
14
Boston Celtics
Jaylen Hands (UCLA)
PG
6'3"
181
15
Detroit Pistons
Darius Garland (Vanderbilt)
PG
6'2"
178
16
Orlando Magic
Tyus Battle (Syracuse)
SG
6'6"
205
17
Brooklyn Nets
Rui Hachimura (Gonzaga)
SF
6'8"
235
18
Cleveland Cavaliers (Pacers)
Simisola ****tu (Vanderbilt)
PF
6'10"
229
19
San Antonio Spurs
Kris Wilkes (UCLA)
SF
6'8"
205
20
Boston Celtics
Quentin Grimes (Kansas)
SG
6'5"
210
21
Oklahoma City Thunder
N. Alexander-Walker (Virg Tech)
SG
6'5"
202
22
Boston Celtics
O'Shae Brissett (Syracuse)
SF
6'8"
204
23
Utah Jazz
Luka Samanic (Croatia)
PF
6'10"
215
24
Philadelphia 76ers
Keldon Johnson (Kentucky)
SG
6'6
205
25
Portland Trail Blazers
Lindell Wigginton (Iowa State)
PG
6'2"
190
26
Indiana Pacers (Cavaliers)
Kerwin Roach (Texas)
PG
6'4"
186
27
Brooklyn Nets
Daniel Gafford (Arkansas)
PF
6'10"
230
28
Golden State Warriors
Jontay Porter (Missouri)
C
6'11"
240
29
San Antonio Spurs
Austin Wiley (Auburn)
C
6'10"
262
30
Milwaukee Bucks
Nazreon Reid (LSU)
C
6'10"
260
The first three picks were obvious, King Zion would head to Nola, later joined by RJ Barrett at three, and Ja Morant would replace Mike Conley as the point in Memphis. At four, the Lakers' selection was all but known... The field consisted of media favorites for Los Angeles, such as: Jarrett Culver, DeAndre Hunter, Nassir Little, and Cameron Reddish. In the end, it was Jaxson Hayes, out of Texas, who's name was called as Lakers faithful was stunned at the number four overall selection.
Next up on the clock, Cleveland. The Cavaliers decided to go international, a popular choice presumably following the success of Luka Doncic last year. The 'Cavs are on a long road back to success as they continue 'Life after James', but Doumbouya certainly has the qualities to speed up the clock. Cleveland also moved Kevin Love and the twenty sixth pick to Indiana in return for the Pacers' eighteenth pick and Doug McDermott.
As the draft continued, the Suns, Bulls, Hawks, Hornets, and Grizzlies, managed to luck out on a couple of picks with top five potential. Chicago scored big as Jarrett Culver fell into in their hands, Atlanta managed to secure Cameron Reddish, Charlotte snagged DeAndre Hunter, and Memphis landed easily the biggest steal of the draft in Nassir Little.
Two noticeable free falls in the draft, beyond Little and Hunter, include Darius Garland and Rui Hachimura. With Ja Morant and Coby White taken by the two teams that mainly needed a true PG, the only other team that had any interest in a point was Chicago, somewhat forced to go best available with Culver. At fifteen Detroit landed Garland, a big question mark, but also easily on the boards of most franchises as the number two PG in the draft. Big win? Quite possibly. Hachimura on the other hand landed with Brooklyn at seventeen, a far ways away from the lottery where many mock drafts had him comfortably nestled in. With that said, Brooklyn is a dark horse, and Hachimura's defintely got a chip on his shoulder following the drop.
It's debatable who won the draft between New Orleans, Memphis, and New York. Two of the top three overall selections is obviously franchise altering, but how long will the turn around take? Remember the last time two rookies led a franchise to the promised land? Exactly. Memphis' strategy of moving Conley rewarded them with Ja Morant, Nassir Little, and Goran Dragic. Obviously combine the former two with Jaren Jackson Jr and Memphis has the makings of a 'big three'. Finally, New York didn't haul in a first rounder, but what more needs to be said about bringing in Anthony Davis from New Orleans and still having the capacity to sign one supermax and another maximum free agent. Their targets? Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson, and DeMarcus Cousins. Pairing just one of those names along with Davis, Knox, Mudiay, DSJ, and others, is a recipe for disaster. The league has quite a lot to look forward to on July 1st.
__________________
~ Return of the King ~
Last edited by saintrules; 06-04-2019 at 03:44 PM.
Re: Duke of the West: A New Orleans Pelicans Dynasty (2k19)
NBA Free Agency
July 31st, 2019
Empire State of Mind
New York, NY - For all the talk of New York not quite getting whom they desired, that all changed on July 1st as Kevin Durant announced his intent to sign with the New York Knicks. With the first spin of the Free Agency carousel underway, the madness was on...
Despite all the celebration, festivities, praise, and being given the keys to Canada, the Raptors still failed to keep Kawhi Leonard up North. Leonard, along with Khris Middleton, are headed out West to the Clippers in hopes to take the throne of Los Angeles away from the Lakers.
Speaking of, it's time for a reunion between Batman and Robin, also known as, LeBron and Kyrie. The Celtics really had no shot of keeping Kyrie as it appeared he had more than burned his bridges in Boston. It was a fifty fifty in a lot of people's eyes whether Uncle Drew would sign with Durant in New York or with LeBron in Los Angeles. In the end, Kyrie went with The King in hopes to stop the evil Leonard from taking over Los Angeles.
As Irving made his bed in Los Angeles, New York moved on to their second interest, Kemba. With Utah capable of signing Walker to a bigger deal, it was in their best interest to pull off a deal with the Knicks that included Kevin Knox, Frant Ntilikina, and a 2021 First Rounder. Utah would also send newly drafted Luka Samanic to New York as part of the deal. As Ntilikina taking over as Utah's starting point seemed a bit iffy, the Jazz signed Derrick Rose who seemingly revitalized his career after a successful campaign in Minnesota.
Everything is bigger in Texas, as is the likely new ego of the Mavericks as they take on Boogie following his one year stint in Golden State. Cousins, Porzingis, and Doncic, make up what could be a Western Conference Finalist.
Re: Duke of the West: A New Orleans Pelicans Dynasty (2k19)
Trade Alert
August 1st, 2019
Battle for Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA - It appeared the madness was over following one of the biggest league changing Summers in a long time, but that was far from it...
As the morning sports news began for the month of August, early reports came flying in surrounding Joel Embiid. The heavyweight Cameroonian was on the block, apparently being actively shopped around by Philadelphia in hopes to find a little more depth behind Simmons and the newly resigned Jimmy Butler.
With the Knicks, Lakers, and Mavericks already done making their moves, all eyes rested on the Clippers, Nets, and Pacers. Brooklyn's trade package would include Jarrett Allen, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Caris Lavert, while Indiana's had Myles Turner, Boban Bogdanovic, and Domantas Sabonis. Both packages seemed pretty solid, but it was Los Angeles' deal that would get the nod. Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams would head East as Embiid and Zhaire Smith would head West from Philly.
Re: Duke of the West: A New Orleans Pelicans Dynasty (2k19)
Roster Preview
September 20th, 2019
Contender or Pretender
New Orleans, LA - Following an absolutely fantastic NBA Draft and subsequent resigning of Julius Randle, the Pelicans are on the verge of something in New Orleans. With that said, the team built for the coming season is mainly riding the tails of first year talents, Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett. There's no doubting the two will be battling for Rookie of the Year honors, but a playoff bid, that's a tough call.
Point Guards
Point Guards
#
NAME
POS
AGE
HT
WT
SALARY
11
Jrue Holiday (84)
PG
29
6'4"
205
$25,000,000
2
Tim Frazier (73)
PG
29
6'1"
170
$1,570,000
25
Raul Neto (73)
PG
27
6'1"
179
$1,570,000
8
Shane Larkin (72)
PG
27
5'11"
175
$1,570,000
Is Jrue Holiday the PG of the future for the Pelicans? Eh, it's hard to say. At twenty nine, Holiday is just flat out on another chapter compared to the youth on the roster, but that's also not necessarily a bad thing. Holiday isn't questionable, he's a solid perimeter defender and we kind of know what we are going to get with him. With that said, twenty five million per year is a hefty load to pay for someone of his talent. There's a chance Holiday is moved at some point during the year, but the deal definitely has to be right for Nola, he's a still a solid asset.
Shooting Guards
Shooting Guards
#
NAME
POS
AGE
HT
WT
SALARY
5
(R) RJ Barrett (85)
SG
19
6'7"
210
$7,500,000
14
Allonzo Trier (77)
SG
23
6'5"
200
$1,620,000
55
E'Twuan Moore (75)
SG
30
6'4"
191
$8,660,000
12
Trevon Bluiett (71)
SG
25
6'6"
198
$1,070,000
No real shock at the two, it's RJ now and it'll be RJ in the future. Barrett is a dream in the back court, long, athletic, great handles, and a shot that can & will likely improve. The Duke stud is destined to become a two-way All-Star if all goes accordingly, if not an All-NBA talent on both ends. Speaking of talent, there really does need to be a couple of eyes fixated on how the former Knicks' talent, Allonzo Trier, performs in his first year with the Pelicans. While not seemingly capable of stud status, Trier could easily develop into a fantastic sixth with his three point capabilities. E'Twuan Moore is one of the last remaining long-term Pelicans that'll likely see his contract played out or moved prior in a deal for future picks.
Small Forwards
Small Forwards
#
NAME
POS
AGE
HT
WT
SALARY
1
(R) Zion Williamson
SF
19
6'7"
287
$9,500,000
44
Solomon Hill (73)
SF
28
6'7"
225
$12,760,000
31
Georges Niang (73)
SF
26
6'8"
230
$1,570,000
There's no need to hype Zion anymore, but on a night to night basis he's going to be one of the most physically talented players on the whole court, a true testament considering he's a nineteen year old rookie. It'll be interesting to see Zion's scoring potential in the league, especially considering his mid-long range is suspect, at best. Like at Duke, he could easily be a super solid 1B alongside Barrett, picking up all the extra curriculars from game to game.
Power Forwards
Power Forwards
#
NAME
POS
AGE
HT
WT
SALARY
30
Julius Randle (85)
PF
24
6'9"
250
$26,000,000
Your eyes are not deceiving you, Julius Randle is the only player listed as a Power Forward on the Pelicans. While Robinson and Okafor (soon to be previewed) will support Randle at the four, the newly resigned twenty four year old is clearly the man New Orleans will be sticking with for the long-haul. Randle isn't a leading man, but a supporting actor, absolutely. Whether Zion or RJ leads the way, number thirty won't be far behind.
Centers
Centers
#
NAME
POS
AGE
HT
WT
SALARY
26
Mitchell Robinson (79)
C
21
7'1"
240
$1,560,000
8
Jahlil Okafor (77)
C
23
6'11"
275
$1,700,000
Want a good position battle for a payday and spot on the future roster? Look no further than the Center position this upcoming season. Robinson, part of the Davis deal, will likely get the nod off the bat, but that's not to say Okafor isn't capable of gaining ground from the six or seven. Both are very capable talents and the likelihood for one to be moved prior to the deadline isn't a bad idea. Question is, which one?
__________________
~ Return of the King ~
Last edited by saintrules; 06-13-2019 at 10:24 AM.