DEATH TO THE SUPER TEAM ERA
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This is my first time jumping into the 2K Franchise/MyLeague world since 2K8, and needless to say, this mode and the game in general has drastically expanded since the last 10+ years. With the quality of roster edits and gameplay sliders done by CeltLG (Attention to Detail), I’ve actually found that the game plays CPU vs. CPU matchups pretty well. The approach I’m taking with this is focusing more on team construction from the GM/coaching point of view and having the games play out by the CPU (not directly Simmed). It’s a great way to see assess how the team plays, much like we all assess teams in real life, and at the same time, not playing the game frees up time for me to do other things while having the game on in the background. So let me set up the league for you guys:
Settings (PS4):
Rosters: ATD 2.0 No Injuries (CelticLG34)
Gameplay Sliders: ATD Sliders 2.0 (CelticLG34 + shadymike + youAldreadyKnow)
Draft Class: ATD Real DC 1 (CelticLG34 + DaInfamousNY)
MyLeague Sliders: BarnseyProgressions (Barncore)
Season: 29 Games
Playoffs: 3-3-3-5
Game Length: 12 minute quarters
Fantasy Draft:
I’ll be simming a fantasy draft of all the current NBA players. I’ve always loved the randomization element of it when starting the franchise mode (wish I could randomize the coaches and training staffs as well). I’ll of course be taking control of my home team, LA Lakers but I won’t actually be participating in the draft. I’ll let the CPU sim and then take the perspective of a front office “inheriting” whatever roster is set post-draft.
Roster:
We used our high draft position to draft one of the best building blocks in the NBA. Anthony Davis opens up a win-now window and at 25 years old, also serves as a building block for the future. Another key aspect of Davis’ game is that he fills the five spot, which is probably the weakest position in the NBA. His versatility is perfectly complemented by Pascal Siakam at the power forward spot. I envision the combined length turning the team into one of the best defensive teams in the league. The trio is rounded out by a third two-way player in Mike Conley. Overall I’m very happy with these three going into this season, and looking at the rest of the league, I think we’d be in that “contenders” tier, thought I wouldn’t call us the favorites (if one even exists).
Where the roster shows some weakness is in the rest of the supporting cast, which is aging and lacks any real dynamic playmaking. Joe Ingles and Aron Baynes are nice as supporting players, but outside of that, Rivers, Bradley and the aging role players (Iggy, Parker, Crawford, Korver) could be worrisome when it comes to depth. In terms of line-ups, I figure having at least one of Conley, Siakam, or Davis on the court at all times would be safest to keep the game balanced.
Salaries:
With big salaries committed to Mike Conley and Anthony Davis, the Lakers are well over the salary cap for the 2018-2019 season ($41M over). Both players are under contract through the 2019-2020 season, and it is likely that Mike Conley will opt into his $34.5M option for the 2020-2021 season. Anthony Davis also holds a player option for the 2020-2021 season, but would likely opt out if he isn’t extended before then. The Lakers are fully committed to locking up Davis for as many years as they can.
Surrounding Conley and Davis are the expensive contracts of Andre Iguodala, Austin Rivers, Avery Bradley, and Matthew Dellavedova. We’ll be hampered by the Iguodala and Dellavedova contracts at least through next season, though there will be some reprieve with the Rivers contract expiring and the team options on Avery Bradley and Kyle Korver not being picked up.
Joe Ingles has the longest term guaranteed contract on the books, deflating to $11M in the 2020-2021 season. Considering how valuable of a role player he can be, I’m not too upset over his contract. The real gem on the roster is Pascal Siakam, who will be earning below $2.5M in each of the next two seasons. After Davis, Siakam will be the long-term priority for the Lakers.
We’ll revisit the financial moves available to the Lakers as we get closer to the trade deadline and then the offseason.
TEAM SCHEDULE:
This is my first time jumping into the 2K Franchise/MyLeague world since 2K8, and needless to say, this mode and the game in general has drastically expanded since the last 10+ years. With the quality of roster edits and gameplay sliders done by CeltLG (Attention to Detail), I’ve actually found that the game plays CPU vs. CPU matchups pretty well. The approach I’m taking with this is focusing more on team construction from the GM/coaching point of view and having the games play out by the CPU (not directly Simmed). It’s a great way to see assess how the team plays, much like we all assess teams in real life, and at the same time, not playing the game frees up time for me to do other things while having the game on in the background. So let me set up the league for you guys:
Settings (PS4):
Rosters: ATD 2.0 No Injuries (CelticLG34)
Gameplay Sliders: ATD Sliders 2.0 (CelticLG34 + shadymike + youAldreadyKnow)
Draft Class: ATD Real DC 1 (CelticLG34 + DaInfamousNY)
MyLeague Sliders: BarnseyProgressions (Barncore)
Season: 29 Games
Playoffs: 3-3-3-5
Game Length: 12 minute quarters
Fantasy Draft:
I’ll be simming a fantasy draft of all the current NBA players. I’ve always loved the randomization element of it when starting the franchise mode (wish I could randomize the coaches and training staffs as well). I’ll of course be taking control of my home team, LA Lakers but I won’t actually be participating in the draft. I’ll let the CPU sim and then take the perspective of a front office “inheriting” whatever roster is set post-draft.
Roster:
| STARTER | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | |
| PG | Mike Conley (84) | Tony Parker (75) | Matthew Dellavedova (73) | |
| SG | Austin Rivers (78) | Avery Bradley (77) | Jamal Crawford (75) | |
| SF | Joe Ingles (80) | Andre Iguodala (77) | Kyle Korver (75) | |
| PF | Pascal Siakam (80) | Mindaugas Kuzminskas (73) | ||
| C | Anthony Davis (93) | Aron Baynes (76) | Amir Johnson (75) | |
We used our high draft position to draft one of the best building blocks in the NBA. Anthony Davis opens up a win-now window and at 25 years old, also serves as a building block for the future. Another key aspect of Davis’ game is that he fills the five spot, which is probably the weakest position in the NBA. His versatility is perfectly complemented by Pascal Siakam at the power forward spot. I envision the combined length turning the team into one of the best defensive teams in the league. The trio is rounded out by a third two-way player in Mike Conley. Overall I’m very happy with these three going into this season, and looking at the rest of the league, I think we’d be in that “contenders” tier, thought I wouldn’t call us the favorites (if one even exists).
Where the roster shows some weakness is in the rest of the supporting cast, which is aging and lacks any real dynamic playmaking. Joe Ingles and Aron Baynes are nice as supporting players, but outside of that, Rivers, Bradley and the aging role players (Iggy, Parker, Crawford, Korver) could be worrisome when it comes to depth. In terms of line-ups, I figure having at least one of Conley, Siakam, or Davis on the court at all times would be safest to keep the game balanced.
Salaries:
| Mike Conley (84) | ||||||
| Anthony Davis (93) | ||||||
| Andre Iguodala (77) | ||||||
| Joe Ingles (80) | ||||||
| Austin Rivers (78) | ||||||
| Avery Bradley (77) | ||||||
| Matthew Dellavedova (73) | ||||||
| Kyle Korver (75) | ||||||
| Aron Baynes (76) | ||||||
| Tony Parker (75) | ||||||
| Pascal Siakam (80) | ||||||
| Amir Johnson (75) | ||||||
| Mindaugas Kuzminskas (73) | ||||||
| Jamal Crawford (75) | ||||||
| Larry Nance Jr. (TE) | ||||||
With big salaries committed to Mike Conley and Anthony Davis, the Lakers are well over the salary cap for the 2018-2019 season ($41M over). Both players are under contract through the 2019-2020 season, and it is likely that Mike Conley will opt into his $34.5M option for the 2020-2021 season. Anthony Davis also holds a player option for the 2020-2021 season, but would likely opt out if he isn’t extended before then. The Lakers are fully committed to locking up Davis for as many years as they can.
Surrounding Conley and Davis are the expensive contracts of Andre Iguodala, Austin Rivers, Avery Bradley, and Matthew Dellavedova. We’ll be hampered by the Iguodala and Dellavedova contracts at least through next season, though there will be some reprieve with the Rivers contract expiring and the team options on Avery Bradley and Kyle Korver not being picked up.
Joe Ingles has the longest term guaranteed contract on the books, deflating to $11M in the 2020-2021 season. Considering how valuable of a role player he can be, I’m not too upset over his contract. The real gem on the roster is Pascal Siakam, who will be earning below $2.5M in each of the next two seasons. After Davis, Siakam will be the long-term priority for the Lakers.
We’ll revisit the financial moves available to the Lakers as we get closer to the trade deadline and then the offseason.
TEAM SCHEDULE:
| DATE | OPPONENT | RESULT | ||
| Nov 2 | at Utah Jazz (1-3) | WIN, 90-76 | ||
| Nov 6 | vs Atlanta Hawks (1-5) | WIN, 116-94 | ||
| Nov 8 | at New Orleans Pelicans (3-2) | LOSS, 99-107 | ||
| Nov 11 | at Orlando Magic (3-2) | LOSS, 78-85 | ||
| Nov 22 | vs Milwaukee Bucks (2-4) | WIN, 110-70 | ||
| Nov 25 | vs Sacramento Kings (5-1) | - | ||
| Nov 30 | at Chicago Bulls (1-2) | - | ||
| Dec 16 | vs Washington Wizards (2-2) | - | ||
| Dec 19 | vs Memphis Grizzlies (0-4) | - | ||
| Dec 27 | vs Toronto Raptors (1-3) | - | ||
| Jan 3 | at San Antonio Spurs (0-2) | - | ||
| Jan 6 | vs Houston Rockets (2-2) | - | ||
| Jan 9 | at Minnesota Timberwolves (2-3) | - | ||
| Jan 11 | at Denver Nuggets (2-1) | - | ||
| Jan 12 | vs Cleveland Cavaliers (3-0) | - | ||
| Jan 20 | vs Golden State Warriors (2-2) | - | ||
| Jan 25 | at Los Angeles Clippers (1-2) | - | ||
| Jan 27 | vs Brooklyn Nets (1-1) | - | ||
| Jan 31 | vs Portland Trail Blazers (3-2) | - | ||
| Feb 9 | at Detroit Pistons (3-1) | - | ||
| Feb 21 | vs Boston Celtics (4-1) | - | ||
| Mar 11 | at Charlotte Hornets (1-4) | - | ||
| Mar 16 | at Miami Heat (2-1) | - | ||
| Mar 17 | at Indiana Pacers (3-1) | - | ||
| Mar 26 | vs Philadelphia 76ers (0-2) | - | ||
| Mar 28 | vs New York Knicks (3-1) | - | ||
| Apr 3 | at Phoenix Suns (2-1) | - | ||
| Apr 5 | at Oklahoma City Thunder (4-0) | - | ||
| Apr 14 | vs Dallas Mavericks (1-4) | - | ||
Golden State Warriors
San Antonio Spurs
Los Angeles Lakers
Oklahoma City
Boston Celtics
Phoenix Suns
Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Clippers
Cleveland Cavaliers
New Orleans Pelicans
Chicago Bulls
Washington Wizards
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
Miami Heat
Dallas Mavericks
Toronto Raptors
Denver Nuggets
Utah Jazz
Indiana Pacers
Detroit Pistons
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers
Sacramento Kings
Portland Trail Blazers
Charlotte Hornets
Memphis Grizzlies
New York Knicks
Brooklyn Nets
Atlanta Hawks
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