Introduction
Greetings! If you haven't seen my other thread, I had a Spurs franchise in 2K19 where I played for two seasons (and simmed a season in between them) and had a blast! Now I'm picking up at a different point in time and trying to rebuild my beloved Spurs to get back to their former glory.
What sets this franchise apart from the others is that I play every minute of every game – no simming whatsover. This approach leads to some interesting situations – I try to use blowout games to work on new plays or strategies, as well as getting playing time in for guys at the end of the bench. By the time the playoffs come, the tension is incredibly high just because of all the time I've invested in the team. In most threads, its great when you get knocked out of the playoffs, you go straight to the draft and free agency, etc. But when you've played 82 games and you're down 3-1 in the second round, with over a hundred hours invested in the season, you're pretty nervous going into that game!
Why the Spurs? That's the easiest answer of all. I grew up in San Antonio, going to games as early as '85, suffering through the knockouts of the David Robinson era before breaking through with Duncan and then becoming the model NBA franchise. Its been a wild ride, and I'm still a huge Spurs fan. I live in Dallas now, but I watch every game on League Pass. I've been to a number of Finals games over the years starting in '99, tons of playoff games, and countless regular season games. I only ever play 2K as the Spurs, which influences what I think of the game haha.
I planned on running my 2K19 dynasty forever, but I ran into problems in last December and didn't have a backup file to use. So I took a break for a while, learning how to play 2K21 and ultimately being disappointed in it. After a little practice and setup, I am really enjoying 2K20, so I'm going to be playing on that.
I'll be picking up at the beginning of the 2019-2020 season, with the Spurs coming off of a 7-game series against Denver. The post-Kawhi era is off to a decent start, with DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge as the focal points of the team, and some young players with great potential on the team – Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Lonnie Walker IV; and rookies Keldon Johnson and Luka Samanic. My primary focus will be developing the young guys while maintaining a winning culture – reloading, not rebuilding.
Welcome to the thread, Any and all comments, questions, etc. are welcome!
GO SPURS GO!
Oklahoma City Thunder. With the departure of Russell Westbrook and Paul George, the Thunder are staring into the abyss of a full rebuild. Armed with a bevy of picks and perhaps the league's most intriguing trade target in Chris Paul, Thunder fans are hoping the team can return to contention in short order. 
Minnesota Timberwolves. Minny struck out on D'Angelo Russell, a close friend of Karl-Anthony Towns. In a shocking turn of events, Russell chose to play in California instead of Minneapolis while making more money on a much better team. The mind reels. 
Memphis Grizzlies. After Jaren Jackson Jr.'s promising rookie year, the Grizz added Ja Morant with the 2nd pick in the draft and sent out franchise-stalwart Mike Conley in a trade. The rebuild is afoot. 
New Orleans Pelicans. Things are looking up in The Big Easy with the addition of young phenom Zion Williamson. For the Pelicans to be more than a fun story, Brandon Ingram will have to emerge as a go-to scorer as Zion learns the NBA ropes. 
Phoenix Suns. Phoenix added Ricky Rubio on a 3-year, $51 million deal to set the table for young superstar Devin Booker. Deandre Ayton had a strong rookie year and has the tools to become a franchise-changing big man. 
New York Knicks. After trading away their franchise player, Kristaps Porzingis, to clear cap room to chase free agents Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Knicks were embarrassed again when the pair chose to sign next door in Brooklyn. The Knicks reacted in typical Knicks-ian fashion, signing four(!) power forwards to clog their front court rotation. Thoughts and prayers!
Cleveland Cavaliers.Cleveland has a young electric point guard in Colin Sexton and an intriguing trade prospect in Kevin Love. Time will tell if Darius Garland can play next to Sexton or if the pair of 6'3” point guards are too small to be an effective NBA backcourt. 
Chicago Bulls. The Bulls added scoring guard Coby White out of UNC with the 7th pick. He joins a promising group of young players including Wendell Carter Jr., Zach Lavine and Lauri Markkanen. 
Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks have a promising young nucleus of Trae Young, John Collins, and Kevin Huerter. Young's fortunes will ultimately determine if his draft-night trade for Luka Doncic was a colossal blunder or a front-office master stroke. 
Washington Wizards. John Wall is expected to miss the entire season with an Achilles injury. Can the Wizards surround Bradley Beal with enough talent to make the playoffs in the East?
Charlotte Hornets. With Kemba Walker leaving for Boston, the Hornets have the #1 pick and franchise big man James Wiseman firmly in their sights. 
San Antonio Spurs. SA acquitted themselves well in the first year of the post-Kawhi era, making the playoffs before falling to the Nuggets in 7 games. Any improvement this season is predicated on the young guys – Derrick White, Lonnie Walker IV and Dejounte Murray – making a leap. 
Dallas Mavericks. With two young stars, the Mavs are a franchise with a bright long-term outlook that desperately wants to taste the playoffs again after a three-year drought. Playoff seasoning is an important element in the development of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, and they've both declared earning their way into the postseason as the primary goal this season. 
Miami Heat. Miami acquired a team leader and top-10 player in Jimmy Butler this offseason. With Hassan Whiteside gone, Bam Adebayo looks poised to take the next step in his career. 
Detroit Pistons. Blake Griffin's health is the key concern for a team that won 41 games last year. In a wide-open Eastern Conference, can Griffin, Andre Drummond and Derrick Rose win a playoff series?
Orlando Magic. Orlando - and former No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz- will try to improve on last season's 42-40 mark to try to make back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since 2011 and 2012. 
Brooklyn Nets. Brooklyn won the free-agent lottery in the summer, nabbing both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. This Nets season is all about integrating the team's newcomers, although Durant is not expected to play this season while he rehabs his torn Achilles. 
Sacramento Kings. Last year the Kings narrowly missed the playoffs, finishing 39-43. Another year of experience for De'Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield could lead Sacramento to its first postseason appearance since 2005-06
Boston Celtics. The Celtics are in transition, after losing franchise stalwart Al Horford and Kyrie Irving in free agency. Boston signed Kemba Walker to ease the sting of losing Irving, but if the Celtics are to improve upon last year, its up to young guns Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. 
Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets were the surprise team of last season, winning 54 games and outlasting the Spurs in 7 games. Another year together, and the addition of Jerami Grant could propel Denver to an even-deeper playoff run. 
Portland Trailblazers. Coming off a surprise trip to the Western Conference finals, the Blazers aspire to more this season after the Warriors team that beat them sustained heavy personnel losses. 
Utah Jazz.After failing to acquire Mike Conley at the trade deadline last year, the Jazz traded for him in the offseason. Conley brings veteran experience and should be an excellent compliment to Donovan Mitchell. 
Toronto Raptors. The Raptors' jubilation of a championship was followed by the sting of free agent losses when both Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green left for Southern California. This team will continue to be a tough out with Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam, but title aspirations will be on hold for the time being. 
Indiana Pacers. The Pacers signed Malcolm Brogdon away from the Bucks, and he will bring steady play to the point guard position. Despite the signing, the Pacers won't improve upon last year unless Victor Oladipo can recover from last season's knee injury and return to All-Star form. 
Golden State Warriors. The Warriors dynastic run came to an end in spectacular fashion, with Klay and Durant suffering big injuries in the Finals, and then losing Durant to the Nets in the offseason. The Warriors were able to snag D'Angelo Russell to help hold the fort until Klay can return. 
LA Lakers. LeBron's first season in LA didn't go to plan, with him missing 27 games due to injury and the team winning just 37 games. But the offseason trade for Anthony Davis has fans in Tinseltown expecting banner #17.
LA Clippers. LA's other franchise signed Kawhi Leonard and traded away a haul of draft picks to acquire Paul George. Will the duo be enough to end the Clippers' long-time lack of franchise success? 
Milwaukee Bucks. Despite losing guard Malcolm Brogdon to the Pacers in the offseason, the Bucks have NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee looks poised to avenge last year's loss to eventual champion Toronto. 
Philadelphia 76ers. Philadelphia was a Kawhi Leonard bounce away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals. After losing Jimmy Butler to the Miami Heat, the Sixers resigned Tobias Harris to a $180 million deal and brought in Al Horford to play alongside Joel Embiid. 
Houston Rockets. With the Warriors no longer obvious favorites in the West, the Rockets flipped Chris Paul for long-time Harden BFF Russell Westbrook. As Mike D'Antoni enters the season in the last year of his contract, it feels like this is the make-or-break year for Houston. 
Comment