The Struggle: Keith Appling (NBA 2K14)

[DavidTheGreat20]

The Struggle: Keith Appling





Welcome to my first player dynasty! Join Keith Appling as he makes the jump to the NBA level and endures the struggle of being in the NBA. This is a cool little side story to my City of Champions dynasty, and I hope you like it!



Physicals



Height: 6'1 | Weight: 190
College: Michigan State | Years Pro: Rookie
Age: 22 | Drafted: 2014 (Round 2, Pick 28)



When Detroit banked on Appling in the late 2nd round of the 2014 draft, many believed Detroit had gotten a steal. Originally projected to go in the early 2nd round, Appling was losing hope when the teams were passing him by.

When it was Detroit's turn to pick, he had optimism he would hear his name called. Being from Detroit, he knew it would be a dream to go to his hometown team. When he was picked, many fans cheered at the decision.

Starring at Michigan State for 4 years, Appling led the team to back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances, also earning accolades along the way. Although he's a great scorer, his draft stock fell because his jumpshot is a major flaw. As other teams looked at better options at PG such as Oliver Hanlan, Shabazz Napier and Jordan Clarkson, Detroit continued to scout him. When given the opportunity, Detroit made the right choice with Appling.

Let me know what you think so far!

[DavidTheGreat20]

Re: The Struggle: Keith Appling (NBA 2K14)

Career Stats

2014-2015:

[megarover]

Re: The Struggle: Keith Appling (NBA 2K14)

This looks real interesting. Personally i think Harris and Payne are better players but Appaling is pretty good nonetheless

[DavidTheGreat20]

The Struggle: Keith Appling (NBA 2K14)



Postgame, Pistons locker room. Keith looks around and finds his locker by fellow rookie James Young. James walks up to him, fist bumping him.

"Good game out there Keith. You put on a show out there tonight."

"Are you kidding me? I did terrible."

"You missed a couple shots. C'mon man, cheer up!"

"I'll try."

"Cool. Dinner tonight at Vinsetta's Garage?"

"Sure."


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DavidTheGreat20]

Re: The Struggle: Keith Appling (NBA 2K14)



November 27, 2014, 9:00 P.M.

After dinner at Vinsetta's Garage, Keith decided to go back to his apartment complex in Troy. Upon opening the door, he sees roommate Mitch McGary playing a game of NBA 2K15.

Keith: "Hey Mitch, what's happening?"

Mitch: "Nothing much. You?"

Keith: "Yea. Just had some dinner at Vinsetta's Garage. What have you been doin?"

Mitch: "After the game, I just decided to head back here and chill for a while. After watching some highlights from our game tonight, I got bored and just started playing some 2K. Wanna join?"

Keith:"Nah. I'll just sit back and watch."


*Keith dozes off to sleep after a while, and Mitch decides to hit the sack as well. Nighty night fellas*

[DavidTheGreat20]

Re: The Struggle: Keith Appling (NBA 2K14)

For those wondering how I do things, I play games on my main dynasty, then I do stories for the events in between.

Just to let you guys know....

[DavidTheGreat20]

Re: The Struggle: Keith Appling (NBA 2K14)

Lol, totally forgot about this dynasty. Don't worry, updates will return faster than D Rose.

[DavidTheGreat20]

Re: The Struggle: Keith Appling (NBA 2K14)



December 17, 2014.

Keith wakes up this morning and heads out for the gym. "I need to improve," he says.

Appling works on his shot. It's not that he's a bad shooter; He's just not very good at it.

Dribble, dribble, shoot. Dribble, dribble, shoot again. Keith finds his way and improves his consistency at the gym.

Afterwards, Keith goes to team practice. The Pistons are getting ready for their next game, and Keith knows missing practice is one way to get a decrease in minutes. In his mind, he thought, "I can't miss practice. Practice makes perfect, and without practice, you can't be perfect."

After practice, the team lined up at baseline. Coach Cheeks was there to give little tips of advice to some of the players.

"Smith. Work on that three point shot. I can't stand you jacking up threes if you can't make them. Jennings. Don't take the shot unless you need to. I know you can score, but score effectively. And you, uh, Appling. I need you to find the open man more often. Sometimes you're passing up opportunities for your teammates to score."

"Alright, coach, I'll try to do that next time."

[DavidTheGreat20]

Re: The Struggle: Keith Appling (NBA 2K14)

December 20, 2014.

Keith decides to go Christmas shopping for himself. He knows there's five days until Christmas, but it wouldn't hurt to go sneaker hunting.

He first went to a nearby Foot Locker. There were many choices, from Jordans, Nikes, Adidas, and Under Armour.

But he loved Nike the best. After wearing Nike throughout his MSU days, he had grown to love the brand.

He had looked through the choices and chose what satisfied him the most.

Here is a list of what he bought:

Nike HyperRev

KD VI "Illusion"

LeBron XI "Gamma Blue"

Nike Zoom Crusader

Afterwards, he decided to go straight to the gym for some break-in time. His flight to Indiana for their next game is not until later in the day, so why not get more practice in?

On his way there, his phone receives a text. It was from Andre Drummond.

"Sup. It's Dre. You hear about what happened to Shump?"

Keith was not too surprised something happened to Iman.

"What happened?" He texts back.

"He got traded to Beantown!"

"Who did we get? I hope we didn't get someone crappy."

"I've heard it was for Jeff Green. He's going to the Indiana flight with us."

"Sweet."

Keith felt happy that Jeff Green was finally a part of the Pistons. A great player, he thought. Maybe things are looking up for the Pistons after this trade.

[DavidTheGreat20]

Re: The Struggle: Keith Appling (NBA 2K14)

December 25, 2014.

"The Gift"



It's Christmas-time in the Motor City, and the Pistons are holding a so-called "team meeting", which is basically Christmas gift exchanges for the players.

Many players got kicks for Christmas. Josh Smith got a pair of D Rose 4s. Jeff Green got a pair of Foamposite Pros. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope got a pair of Kobe 9s.

Keith got pretty decent gifts. Black NBA socks, KD VI Maryland Blue Crabs, and a pair of Way of Wades.

But what surprised Appling the most was the final gift he opened. It was from James Young. When he opened it, he wasn't sure how how he was feeling. It was a pair of Air Jordan IVs, in the iconic Bred colorway.

"So, what do you think?" James said.

"I'm... pretty glad, I guess," Keith replied.

"Cheer up. I spent extra coin for that, so don't waste it."

"Alright, thanks anyways."

Keith decided to try them on. They fit exactly as told, true to size. He walked around in them. "Wow, these are pretty good," he said to himself. James also noted earlier that the IVs are average in terms of cushioning. Keith believed him, because these weren't as comfortable as he'd expected them to.

"Don't forget to wear them against Toronto!" James hollered at Appling.

[DavidTheGreat20]

The Struggle: Keith Appling (NBA 2K14)

After the Toronto game...



James Young walks up to Appling, impressed by his game tonight. Appling put up 15 points off the bench, including a clutch dunk to seal the victory.

"Hey man, you put on a show with all those crazy highlights!"

Keith had to agree with him.

"Yeah man, I was feeling it today."

"Hey, how did those Js hold up for you?"

"They caught me by surprise. I was flying with them on."

Later on, Brandon Jennings also came up to congratulate him.

"Great job tonight, rook. That dunk was sick, had me jumping out of my seat on the bench."

This was one of the first times that Jennings came over to talk to him.

"Thanks. It's nice to hear it from someone like you."

"No problem. Keep it up," Jennings says as he leaves.

[ChosenOne58]

Re: The Struggle: Keith Appling (NBA 2K14)

It's gotta be the shoes!

[DavidTheGreat20]

The Struggle: Keith Appling (NBA 2K14)



Locker Room, Pre-game, Rising Stars Challenge.

A happy Keith arrives. Why so happy? He's playing in his first All-Star event of his career along with others such as fellow teammate James Young and breakout talent Julius Randle.

Keith gets situated, with his locker right next to Julius Randle's. He finds his Stars jersey and checks his bag for a pair of shoes. He reached out and grabbed a pair of Air Penny Is.

Randle sees him, and walks up to him.

"Hey man, good luck out there. Let's give these fans a show! Let's beat those Elites!"

"Yeah man, it's great when the fans are chanting your name. It's also an honor that the fans voted for us."

"Alright Keith, see you out there at the game."

Keith was on the lucky side. His team consisted of great players such as Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, and Julius Randle. With a team like that, it makes for a team that really does have some Rising Stars.

[DavidTheGreat20]

Re: The Struggle: Keith Appling (NBA 2K14)

Now that his rookie season is over, the next stories will take place in his 2nd season. I hope Keith will get buckets...Again!

[DavidTheGreat20]

Re: The Struggle: Keith Appling (NBA 2K14)



November 11, 2015.

"The Workout"

Keith wakes up early to work out. "I need to be consistent with my shot," he says.

Right now, he's been very inconsistent. When he goes on a hot streak, he cools down fast and long. Today was his free day, and he thought, "Why don't I bring in the rook so we can improve together?"

At the gym, Keith sets up his bag and pulls out his pair of Bred 4s. He gets a head start and works on his shot. Soon after, Kasey Hill arrives in time to practice.

"You're pretty late, but I'll accept that," Keith says. "Let's get this workout going. I need to work on my consistency as well," Kasey replies, as he slips on his pair of LeBron 11 "Florida".

Both work out well, and after warmups finished, they played a one-on-one against each other. Although Kasey won the game, Keith learned a lesson from him: Don't underestimate the youngins. They can always surprise you.

"Are you ready for the game against the Bucks?" Keith says before he leaves." Kasey knows he's ready. "Of course I am, Keith."