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

[trekfan]

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

UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE!

HAHA, this brought a smile to my face. I should have the day off tomorrow (assuming no last minute changes ... we'll see, last week was hell) so I'll be posting at least one update, I'll try for two. Thanks for keeping the faith, folks

[trekfan]

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

Okay, today's day off has been canceled (AGAIN). Seems like last week's hellish time is carrying over. I'll try to get some updates in later tonight if I have the energy, but between this cold and work, no guarantees. Sorry guys

[trekfan]

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


Irving vs. Muhammad: Most Entertaining Duel of the Future


By Vonny Lee January 29, 2014 10:20 AM ET



It's a good time to be a NBA fan. So good that Grantland has decided to grace me with a job. They need new, fresh ideas.

So they hired the son of a Vietnamese immigrant who's been obsessed with basketball since he was two. Yeah, I slept with a basketball as a kid. I was the shortest kid on my basketball team every year. I'm only five foot and five inches tall but I had the sweetest three ball you've ever seen until a freak Chinese buffet accident ended all hopes of my pro career (damn you, whoever spilled that pudding!).

I know my stuff. You know what else I know?

That last night's Cavs/Magic game was the most entertaining game of the year. That hasn't been said about a Cavs/Magic game ... ever. Not even in the heyday of Lebron/Dwight (both who left their respective franchises in various states of disrepair yet, in the long run, may have actually HELPED their franchises more by leaving) was a game between these two teams this entertaining.

The game started off with a flurry of back and forth jabs between the young squads. Both the Cavs and Magic are among the five youngest teams in the NBA, both being guided by coaches who have a history of guiding young teams (and then those teams growing up and waving goodbye to them). The first quarter was full of manic energy, lots of misses, and empty trips.

At the end of first, 23-20, Cavs. Irving had 8 points. Muhammad had 6 points. Both were finding their guys and making things look too easy in a crowded area (I mean, crowded, like Walmart in Saturday crowded). You can see Byron Scott chewing on some thought (probably why Kevin McHale looks so despondent) while Kevin McHale tried to remember how to look happy (he failed).

The second rolled around and the other members of the teams showed up. Alonzo Gee drilled a contested triple right in the face of a mellow Landry Fields (who is on the same anti-depressant as his coach, apparently). The crowd erupted with chants of "THREE" while the Magic bench collectively hung their heads. McHale called a timeout, subbed everyone out BUT Fields, and the bench was in the game.

Uh oh. This is where the Magic has stunk all year. Their bench in among the worst in the league. The Cavs were leading by six now and the Magic bench was in? Byron Scott told Kyrie Irving something along the lines of "This is like shooting babies in a candy store" (that's what my mother thinks the phrase is, honestly. We all flinch when she tries to be witty in public) and he went to work. For a full three minutes, Kyrie shot the lights out and made the Magic look (more) foolish than usual for putting the bench in.

Shabazz Muhammad was visibly upset on the bench (he drank four cups of Gatorade while I'm pretty sure Nerlens Noel was checking out some of the Cavs dance girls) and lobbying to get back in. James Anderson missed a wide open three and McHale put Muhammad back in, along with Noel. The lead had stretched to nine by this point.

Muhammad and Noel went to work. Like your favorite buddy cop TV show, you could just see Muhammad playing bad cop and Noel playing good cop. Muhammad went inside, dished to Noel, Noel finishes with dunk. Noel gets ball in low, dishes to Muhammad, Muhammad drills a jumper or goes in and slams a dunk home.

Rinse, Repeat.

Kyrie was not happy now. He tried to get his big man, Tyler Zeller, involved. Noel didn't like that so he fouled Zeller twice. Hard. Noel got benched for my favorite backup center, Nikola Vucevic (or Nicky V as his teammates call him) and Muhammad began passing to Andrea Bargnani.

Kyrie gave up on Zeller and used Tristan Thompson. One upmanship abound in this one. At the half, the Cavs lead 51-47. Kyrie Irving had 15 points while Shabazz had only 9 points but with 8 assists to Irving's 6. While Byron Scott instructed his team on the ways of maintaining a BA mustache for over two decades (I'm joking, Scott is one of the best coaches in the league), Kevin McHale spent his time rewatching old Celtics Finals games from the 80s on ESPN Classic (This team succeeds in spite of McHale).

Halftime is over and the third quarter begins.

I'm on the edge of my seat at this point. I didn't think this game would crack 90 at the beginning and I do a quick stat check on the teams. Landry Fields has zero points and three missed threes ... all's right with the world.

Then Kyrie Irving tries to end this game by himself. He goes into beast mode and helps the Cavs get an 11-point lead. My remote suddenly has the urge to turn the channel. I can't believe my eyes as the Magic can't seem to find Irving, who's a blur. Two minutes into the third and this game looks over.

A timeout is called. Shabazz Muhammad rips into his team in the huddle. Kevin McHale barely gets a sentence in as Muhammad motions for what his team is SUPPOSED to be doing. Noel looks like a hurt puppy dog. He's got three fouls already and Muhammad is calling him out for being a coward in the paint (which he was, because Zeller was scoring on him ... and so was Waiters ... and Gee ... and Thompson). Muhammad kicks Ish Smith in the balls for two costly bad passes (converted into four points) and after the timeout JJ Barea enters the game in Smith's place.

Uh oh. Barea has been colder than Eskimo underwear over the last ten games. He's hit four threes over that time span. He's taken fourteen three pointers. This stat scrolls across the big board in my mind and my thumb is about to hit the "up" button on my remote. Barea will shoot them out of this game. The Magic aren't built for comebacks. Their bench is horrible. Their three ball has been MIA longer than Firefly has been off the air. Game over.

Muhammad demands the ball, cripples Waiters with a sick crossover, and tomahawks Tyler Zeller. I see "Scalper" flash across my screen COD Black Ops style. That Cavs crowd grows quieter as Muhammad thumps his chest, his eyes locking onto the other predator on the floor, Irving.

It's a Clint Eastwood look that Muhammad gives Irving (this one, trust me). The gauntlet has been throw. Irving just gives him a nod and this game has gotten interesting. Cavs get the ball, go down the court, Irving with ball in hand, and then he drives the lane. For the first two minutes of this quarter Irving has dominated the Magic. He goes into the lane this time and gets rejected, hard, by Noel. The ball finds it's way into Landry Fields hands who goes down the court, pulls up, and dishes it back to Muhammad.

Muhammad drives in, meets Thompson and Zeller in the lane, and dishes it back to Barea ... who drills a three.

The lead is now five. The Magic bench perks up, Nicky V standing and giving a reserved fist pump.

The Magic get back on defense and Irving gets the ball. He goes in again, this time with Muhammad on him. Muhammad wants Irving. Irving, a few inches shorter than Muhammad, takes the challenge. He drives in, passes out to Gee, who misses a three with Fields in his face.

Noel pulls in the rebound, dishes it to Muhammad, who works it up court, passes to Barea again, who again drains a three. Lead is down to two.

This game is on again. The rest of the quarter, the two sides trade blows. Fouls are traded. Sweat is traded. Blood is traded. Baking recipes are traded (those brownies Fields makes are amazing). At the end of three, the score is tied 71-71.

Kevin McHale wakes up, briefly, from his zombie like state and gives an impassioned speech about how the 80s Celtics were the best teams ever. Byron Scott tries to calm his young team down but the horror in his eyes is tough to contain. An 11-point early third quarter lead has evaporated and become a tie. His young team seems to be falling apart.

The fourth begins. Irving has 21 points and 7 assists at this point. Muhammad has 15 points and 9 assists. Noel is struggling, only getting 8 points and 4 boards. Bargnani is on fire with 17 points and 6 boards. Tristan Thompson has 10 points and 5 boards while Gee has chipped in 11 points.

The fireworks happen in this quarter. The entire game has been leading up to this. Muhammad and Irving take off the gloves, take off the training wheels, and let loose. The quarter starts off with a bang as Muhammad alley oops to Noel. Irving answers back with an alley oop to Zeller.

Muhammad drives in, gets a dunk and a foul. Irving answers back with a sick layup and the fourth foul on Nerlens Noel at the other end. The tie keeps going until midway through the fourth when Muhammad has clearly had enough.

He calls for the ball, finds Irving, drives against him and slams down a thunderous dunk over him, Thompson, and Gee. He gets off the rim, runs back on defense, and motions for Irving to come at him.

This is the defining moment of the game. Irving drives against Muhammad as Scott is yelling at him not to get baited into this, but Irving ignores the coach and drives anyway. He's graceful. He's slick. His ball handling skills are the best in the league. Muhammad isn't as graceful, isn't as smooth, as Irving and may never be.

But he was ready for what Irving was coming with. He ripped the ball away, got the steal, took it back, and windmilled all over the Cavs crowd (sounds dirty and it was). At that point the will of that Cavs team was broken. The Magic got the lead and didn't give it up the rest of the game. They won 96-89.

Shabazz Muhammad finished with 28 points, 14 assists, 8-15 from the field, 12-13 from the line, and was named player of the game. Bargnani finished with 27 points and 7 rebounds. Noel had 20 points and 7 rebounds. No other Magic player finished in double-digits.

Kyrie Irving finished with 33 points, 8 assists, 10-19 from the field, 13-13 from the line, and was clearly disappointed by the end result. Thompson was had 14 points and five rebounds. Gee had 11 points and so did Waiters.

The game was thrilling and it was that way because of how great the stars were. Some may say that the natural rival for Irving should be division foe Derrick Rose. But Rose has an MVP and is four years Irving's senior. Irving and Muhammad are only a year apart.

Both find themselves in similar situations (rebuilding squads looking to make the playoffs and resurrect an organization from devastating superstar defections) and both are trying to establish certain things. Muhammad is still raw but Irving isn't that much more polished.

And think, this was the first game the two played against one another. The previous Cavs/Magic game was missing Irving (recovering from the flu). Muhammad and Irving are the next superstar rivalry. I'm calling it now.

What makes this more delicious is, if the playoff seeding stays as it is, these two teams will meet. Seven games of this? Sign me (and the NBA) up.

[trekfan]

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



1-31-2014

He took the resume and tossed it against the wall, the pages scattering from the folder. This was the last one he was going to look at. This was the last one he was going to deal with today.


“Terri, cancel the rest of them!” He yelled through the closed door. He stood up and began to pace, his body demanding some sort of movement.


His door opened and the lithe form of his secretary stepped in. Her red hair draped over her shoulders as her green eyes stared at him. “Are you sure?”

She asked.


Gil had called her a “nice kid” and had recommended her for the position.

She wasn’t ambitious or really threatening at all. She was just … nice.


He stared at her for a long moment. “I shouldn’t cancel the appointments.” He sighed and collapsed back into his chair.


“No, you shouldn’t,” she agreed quietly.


“I’m frozen without him,” Andy said bluntly. He was stuck. He had no ideas, no thoughts, no scenarios … it was like when Gil died the part of his brain that he needed to be GM of this team died with him.


“I’m sorry,” she offered.


His eyes made their way up to her. She was nice, Gil was right about that.

“Terri … who’s next?” He finally managed to ask. He wanted the day to be over. He wanted Gil back.


“You have one more appointment for today, a Mr. Devin Francis.”


Andy sat up and straightened his shirt. “When is he gonna get here?”


She bit her lip. “He arrived early.”


Andy closed his eyes for a moment … just great. “Send him in.”


She nodded and a moment later, the tan face of one Devin Harris popped in. “Morning, sir.” He closed the door behind him and stood at attention.


Andy stared at him before remembering that this guy was here for an interview. He searched through the stack of papers on his desk before coming across Francis’ resume’. He flipped it open and immediately something made sense.


Francis was a veteran.


Andy’s eyes looked over the man again with new appreciation. “You can have a seat if you’d like.”


Francis shook his head while still standing at attention. “I’d prefer to stand, sir. It’s more comfortable for me.”


Andy nodded absently. He scanned the resume’ quickly. This guy had no experience at all in the NBA. He hadn’t even served as a scout. He did graduate in two years with a degree in sports management and business management … but he had a degree.


“Mr. Francis … I’m not sure why you’re here,” Andy said as he set the resume’ down. He looked over the man. Clean shaven, military cropped black hair, clearly in shape … the suit he was wearing didn’t hide the impressive physique. Andy made a mental note to start hitting up the gym more.


“I have the will to learn, sir. I know this game and I know these players … I’ve studied my tail off to get here. I can do this, sir.”


Andy stood from his desk. “I appreciate your service to our country, but I’m looking for experience. The fact that you don’t have any is a negative for me.”


Francis’ dark brown eyes narrowed on Andy. “I have experience, sir.”


Andy mentally winced. He needed to pick his words more carefully. “How did you get here? Who recommended you?”


Francis’ eyes softened. “My uncle works for the Spurs, sir. He believed in me enough to offer his recommendation.”


Andy looked back down at the resume’. Sure enough, the recommendation had come from the Spurs … one of their top scouts. “Your uncle has been in the NBA –”


“Thirty-two years, sir. I grew up obsessed with basketball, despite my father’s preference for football.”


Andy smirked. “Well … what would you do, right now, to strengthen the Magic’s bench?”


Francis’ didn’t hesitate. “James Anderson for Evan Fournier.”


“Fournier?” Andy shook his head. “The Nuggets just drafted him last year.”


“He barely gets seven minutes a game, sir,” Francis’ countered. “Fournier is a development project that scores less than Anderson does. We exchange disappointments and elevate Selby. Selby has the ability to get points where Anderson struggles.”


Andy stared at him for a moment. “All right … I’ll make some calls. If your deal looks good, I’ll buy.” Andy extended his hand. Sarver had taken a chance on him. Gil had always supported him.


It was time for Andy to take a chance on someone else. It was time for him to support someone else.


Francis accepted the hand with a firm grip. “Thank you for the opportunity, sir.”


Andy nodded. "Least I can do."


And he meant every word.

[BossToyang]

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

Wow! This is great man . I really had fun reading this whole thread .
Mixed of emotions I'm feeling right now :\. Well come on now Gil didn't have to die .

[trekfan]

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

Wow! This is great man . I really had fun reading this whole thread .
Mixed of emotions I'm feeling right now :\. Well come on now Gil didn't have to die .

Thanks man. Gil is missed and will be for the rest of this story ... his death will have a long term effect, just like the deaths of those in Phoenix. It may not be apparent now but trust me, Gil will always matter.

Stay tuned.

[trekfan]

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



2-1-2014

She gritted her teeth as she read the headline.


He had done it.


Again.


She blew a stray blonde hair out of her eyes and again read the article.

This time out loud.


“ … McCutcheon has again proven how unique he is as a GM. With little to no experience, he’s gone ahead and named a former Marine as his assistant GM. Devin Francis served two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan but has been a lifelong basketball fan. His uncle is one of the premier scouts for one of the premier organizations in the NBA, the Spurs, and that’s as much experience as this former Marine has.


Is McCutcheon taking a risk? Absolutely. Neither of these two have significant experience in the NBA but McCutcheon has such name recognition that it may not matter. As his trade earlier this week with the Nuggets proves, even the small moves are easily accomplished when you’ve done as much as him in such a short time.”


Her eyes paused on the last line of the article. She forced herself to say it.


“And as we’ve seen in Phoenix, a team that let McCutcheon go, an organization’s success is determined by who’s at the top and right now, for the Magic, they have someone up top that’s bringing them a lot of success.”


She glared at the screen.


“Veronica,” her assistant GM started.


She shot him a glare. Wayne was ruggedly handsome. He was smart enough. He didn’t have much NBA experience but his father wielded significant influence with the commissioner’s office. She hired him for this spot because he could give her the inside scoop on what was going on across the league … Wayne’s father was a man who gave his son everything. That benefited Veronica.


But he had no idea how insulting this was to her. “Why are we failing?”


His hazel eyes softened. “We’re not.”


“We’re twenty-two and twenty-four,” she said as she stood, the fury beginning to build in her. “We’re not going to make the playoffs.”


“Both Gortat and Oden are out with injuries, once they get back—”


“We need to make a move!”


Wayne shook his head. “We’ll be fine.”


Calm. That’s what he always was. Spoiled, rich, but calm … he never panicked.


Probably because he never had to before.


She pulled down on her blouse and took a deep breath. “Even when he’s not doing anything he’s getting headlines.”


“We need to pressure him in other ways,” Wayne said without hesitation.


He was right, of course.


She had been lax in using the other assets at her finger tips ... she just wanted him to go away. But she couldn't ignore him any longer. “He shouldn’t be a problem still, not after what happened here.” She looked out the window and shook her head. “I don’t know how Brand got him that job … but with him dead, Andy is now without protection.”


“He did just hire an ex-Marine,” Wayne offered with a smirk.


She ignored him. She wasn’t in the mood to laugh. She was frustrated. She was in charge of a team that was losing and wasn’t going to make the playoffs. A team that was better than last year’s and was struggling to prove that.


Robert didn’t care about the record. He cared about the money and they were fine on that.


But she wanted to win.


She wanted to win before Andy could.


“We did well in the draft,” she said as she sat back down, her mind beginning to churn an idea. “We didn’t spend at all in free agency.”


Wayne came over and sat on her desk. “We can’t play the games. We can only get the people.”


She nodded, agreeing with him. “It’s not our fault. Injuries happen. We can’t affect that.”


“Exactly.”


She reached over and grasped his hand, giving it a squeeze. An idea struck her. “I think we need to call Miss Gomez again.”


Wayne saw where she was going and smiled. “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled with whatever information we provide.”


Veronica smiled back.


If Andy wanted headlines, fine. He’d get them.


Just not the kind he liked.

[gausec]

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

Can't wait to see the headlines coming up

[trekfan]

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

Ladies and Gentlemen, I must report the demise of this save file. I can't advance the days anymore for some reason without the game freezing. I don't know what's going on but the file has been corrupted would be my guess. There is no backup (poor planning on my part) ... so this dynasty looks dead.

I am unbelievably pissed.

But from death, comes life. I'm going to start a new GM dynasty in the coming days, picking up from the beginning of this season.

It's going to be 30 team controlled (first time doing that), starting from the middle of the season (where we're at now), but I'll only be posting for one team (of course).

So, I put it to you guys who have diligently followed all this time ... what team should I take up? Preferably I want this team to be a losing team or one that has a "ceiling" that has been reached and needs a boost to become title contenders. I want a challenge as a GM, not something easy (easy=boring).

Give me your thoughts, fellas. Again, I apologize for this but rest assured I will bounce back with a better dynasty. Any and all thoughts/comments are welcome. Thank you.

[gausec]

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

Ladies and Gentlemen, I must report the demise of this save file. I can't advance the days anymore for some reason without the game freezing. I don't know what's going on but the file has been corrupted would be my guess. There is no backup (poor planning on my part) ... so this dynasty looks dead.

I am unbelievably pissed.

But from death, comes life. I'm going to start a new GM dynasty in the coming days, picking up from the beginning of this season.

It's going to be 30 team controlled (first time doing that), starting from the middle of the season (where we're at now), but I'll only be posting for one team (of course).

So, I put it to you guys who have diligently followed all this time ... what team should I take up? Preferably I want this team to be a losing team or one that has a "ceiling" that has been reached and needs a boost to become title contenders. I want a challenge as a GM, not something easy (easy=boring).

Give me your thoughts, fellas. Again, I apologize for this but rest assured I will bounce back with a better dynasty. Any and all thoughts/comments are welcome. Thank you.

Well I would like to see the bobcats I think MKG is a great player and it will be tough to go anywhere with them.

[con100]

Cavs, I would like to see what you can do with them because I think they will still be bad in the game when after Waiters develops some.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

[AntiBandwagoner]

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

Ladies and Gentlemen, I must report the demise of this save file. I can't advance the days anymore for some reason without the game freezing. I don't know what's going on but the file has been corrupted would be my guess. There is no backup (poor planning on my part) ... so this dynasty looks dead.

I am unbelievably pissed.

But from death, comes life. I'm going to start a new GM dynasty in the coming days, picking up from the beginning of this season.

It's going to be 30 team controlled (first time doing that), starting from the middle of the season (where we're at now), but I'll only be posting for one team (of course).

So, I put it to you guys who have diligently followed all this time ... what team should I take up? Preferably I want this team to be a losing team or one that has a "ceiling" that has been reached and needs a boost to become title contenders. I want a challenge as a GM, not something easy (easy=boring).

Give me your thoughts, fellas. Again, I apologize for this but rest assured I will bounce back with a better dynasty. Any and all thoughts/comments are welcome. Thank you.

GYYYYYYAAAAAAHH! I loved this dynasty to death. As for who you should do now I can strongly recommend the Hornets or the Cavs. I've rebuilt both of them in the past to title contenders. I'd say the Jazz too, but SB is doing them.

Also try to use a custom roster and sliders if you can. I'm a stickler about unrealistic outcomes of games. It doesn't really matter though, as I'll be following no matter what.

[GoldenJet]

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

Cried. For many days.

Kidding aside, I'm super excited to see what you have coming our way next. You have inspired to talking writing chises again.

[mockme]

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

Sad to hear the news. This is definitely the best story around the forums, and had me hooked ever since I started following. Haven't left a comment before as I'm a bit of a lurker around the forums in general.

As to what team should you use, I'd say the Hornets. I'm using them myself and they're a lot of fun to play with and it looks like no one else is writing about them. I almost had the inspiration to start a story, but considering my history with dynasties I decided against it. I rarely reach the end of the first season.

Anyway, no matter what team you choose I'll be following!

[vicebeliever42]

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

That really sucks I LOVE this dynasty, my all time favorite. It brings tears that things turned out the way it did.

Can't wait till you start the next one it doesn't matter who you decide I'll be following, but if I did choose I say Bobcats or Hornets.