The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

[studbucket]

2021 NBA Owners Meeting

At this year’s NBA owners meetings there were no major changes in the league. Some small changes were proposed such as moving the trade deadline back a week, while other crazier ideas were proposed such as removing the foul out rule altogether. All-in-all, the owners are very happy with the product and the league is doing great after a captivating playoffs and fantastic NBA Finals.

There was more discussion and buzz around expansion franchises as the league is rumored to be exploring a move to 32 teams. Adding credence to this rumor is some additional focus that seems to be coming from the league. There are no more rumors about new teams in Las Vegas, St. Louis, Kansas City, or a re-brand of the Clippers. Instead, the buzz seems to be focused on these 6 cities:

• Seattle – There continue be rumblings about the Sonics coming back to Seattle. We know this is a good market for a team and this is a “fan favorite” that everyone thinks should and will happen.
• Montreal – Basketball, and the NBA, is increasing with popularity around the globe and Montreal is a great way to add an “international flavor” to the NBA without needing to leave the continent.
• Vancouver – There is less momentum for Vancouver than Seattle, but with the rumblings about a Seattle team there is a desire to see another Pacific Northwest rival join them.
• Pittsburgh – If the city added a basketball team, locals would drop their fandom for the 76ers, Cavaliers, or Pistons in a heartbeat and support their local franchise.
• Cincinnati – It’s been 50 years since Cincinnati has had a basketball team, but the region (South Ohio/Kentucky) loves their college basketball and is a big enough market to support a team.
• Honolulu – Somehow this rumor won’t die. Continued rumblings about a Filipino investor linger on, as it seems that there is someone with enough money and negotiating power to get the NBA execs to entertain this idea.

We’re clearly several seasons away from any expansion teams starting, so there is plenty of time for the league to iron out the details.


*Note: only 2 user-edited teams are allowed before the save goes online, so I can’t add the awesome Montreal Dragons AND Vancouver Lumberjacks AND Hawaii Hona AND Seattle SuperSonics teams/jerseys. I can add teams if they use the pre-canned uniforms, which is OK for some cities and not so great for others. So whatever happens, I only get 2 custom teams. I need to ensure I get bang for my buck.

[marshdaddy]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

I've always wanted to put a team in Hawaii, but with how far away it is from the mainland it always seemed tough. That being said, a big investor storyline that will only pay to put a team there and pay above market seems like the perfect way to make it happen. Would be cool to see for sure.

[studbucket]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

I've always wanted to put a team in Hawaii, but with how far away it is from the mainland it always seemed tough. That being said, a big investor storyline that will only pay to put a team there and pay above market seems like the perfect way to make it happen. Would be cool to see for sure.

Absolutely, my thought was a) lots of money, b) promise of the East Asian market and TV deals. That's the only way it could work.

I've honestly used a random number generator to see which teams stay on this list and which get trimmed out I might over-rule it, but I like the randomness of this approach.

I just wish the servers weren't being shut down. I will likely need to create teams with generic logos, instead of some of the really cool ones that folks upload.

[studbucket]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

Because the servers will likely go down before I ever expand, here are some of the designs I was excited about.

[RolePlayer]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

I think if you just add a couple of expansion teams you can still keep it an offline myleague meaning you won't lose the file and you can have some expansion teams that look decent.

[studbucket]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

I think if you just add a couple of expansion teams you can still keep it an offline myleague meaning you won't lose the file and you can have some expansion teams that look decent.

Yeah. I can add up to 2 custom teams and keep it offline. However, there are 2 problems:
1) I am not ready to expand the league yet, from a story perspective
2) If I add the expansion teams now, but do not vote to expand in the offseason, they are "lost" and I have to do it again in the future

There may be workarounds to this, and maybe I can figure out how to make a cool team using the built-in creator, but I haven't spent time on that yet.

[studbucket]

2021 NBA Mock Draft

As we near the NBA combine, here is the current mock draft, showing where prospects are expected to go ahead of getting their official measurables and workouts.

As expected, Jerry Sparks is listed first. However, there are a few surprises, like “who in the world is Jace Tarpley and why does this mock draft have him going 4^th?”

The Pistons are projected to get a steal in Seth Valsin at 8, along with the Wizards getting Gerard McCollum at 18, but both of those players will likely move up as a result of the combine.

The Pelicans are projected to get Nikola Pattrick, which makes no sense given they have Steven Adams and drafted two centers in last year’s draft, including Zakee Roberson. However, Pattrick is an amazing offensive player and may see himself rise up the draft board.




Reminder: please fill out this offseason survey. The answers will be used in storylines and impact the dynasty in small ways. https://forms.office.com/Pages/Respo...JYNTNPUFVPNC4u

[studbucket]

The Inside Scoop – Pre-Draft Edition

The Inside Scoop is based on TheDominator273's awesome spreadsheet to add random events to your MyLeague.

Arturo Coombs has jaw surgery
Due to a childhood injury Coombs has dealt with some painful TMJ through much of his teen and college years. An elective surgery will keep him out for just under 2 weeks, but should set him up for a life free of pain.

Liviu Constantin surprises with length
Maybe it was lost in translation, or maybe they measured without shoes in Bulgaria, but whatever it was Liviu Constantin measured taller and longer than scouts expected. As a center, every inch matters and this is great news for teams interested in the 2^nd round prospect.

Abe Pittman was less than impressive athletically
The Northeastern SF was already a long shot for the NBA draft, and slow feet plagued him throughout the combine, greatly hurting his chances and stock

Reminder: please fill out this offseason survey. The answers will be used in storylines and impact the dynasty in small ways. https://forms.office.com/Pages/Respo...JYNTNPUFVPNC4u

[asvpxhughuet]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

Man if you ever do expand I'll support any of those designs, they are sweet! I remember using the Honu one exclusively in a MyLeague last year, logo and unis are so sweet.

Also love the full first round pre-combine mock and adding a bit of flavour to the draft. 6'6 PG with a 6'11 wingspan at pick 8, if it all goes their way Pistons will be very lucky.

[studbucket]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

Man if you ever do expand I'll support any of those designs, they are sweet! I remember using the Honu one exclusively in a MyLeague last year, logo and unis are so sweet.

Also love the full first round pre-combine mock and adding a bit of flavour to the draft. 6'6 PG with a 6'11 wingspan at pick 8, if it all goes their way Pistons will be very lucky.

Thanks! I love the draft side of 2K and, even though it's a lot of work, I love adding in the college players from my 2K season. It makes it all more connected, and it will be great in ~5+ seasons when the Drago brothers start to have players go pro.

I should spend some time with the team editor and the "generic" logos to see how powerful it is. Super Mega Baseball has an awesome and really easy logo and uniform editor, but I don't know how 2K's compares.

[studbucket]

2021 NBA Draft Lottery Preview

Jerry Sparks is a generational prospect. Everyone else in this draft is “just ok”. The Hornets, Bulls, Trail Blazers, Spurs, and Thunder are all hoping and praying to get a chance at turning their franchise around based on Sparks. Those who do not get the top pick will have to do their best to make due with what falls to them in the form of consolation prizes.

Oklahoma City is in an interesting situation with them likely getting two top 6 picks, and combined giving themselves the best odds for the #1 pick. If the Spurs get the top pick, it will be the Tim Duncan story all over again (at least that’s what Spurs fans will think.

Reminder: please fill out this offseason survey. The answers will be used in storylines and impact the dynasty in small ways. https://forms.office.com/Pages/Respo...JYNTNPUFVPNC4u

[studbucket]

2021 NBA Draft Lottery Results

Picks 14 through 9 were uneventful, going exactly as predicted. Things began to change after that, though there wasn’t excessive drama. The Knicks dropped from 7 to 8 which propelled Detroit into the 4^th spot, one year after they nabbed Rookie of the Year Trevor Merchant at #2.

With a new coach and little talent, the Spurs were hoping for a great pick, but fell from 4 to 6. The Bulls suffered a huge lottery drop for the 2^nd straight year. Last year they fell from 1 to 5, this year from 2 to 5. Yunlong Chan isn’t bad, and they hope to get someone else impactful this season, but there was continued misery and sorrow for Chicago fans.

This left Portland, Charlotte, and OKC as the top three in what could be a huge moment for their franchises. Portland got #3, which was not what they wanted but good enough to get a talented player to add to their team, or to trade for a complementary piece in their title bid. OKC gets pick #2, which means that the Charlotte Hornets will be rebuilding around Jerry Sparks. Even MJ can’t screw this up, right?

Miami has picks 13 and 17, which aren’t great in a rebuilding effort, but perhaps can be packaged for something else.



Reminder: please fill out this offseason survey. The answers will be used in storylines and impact the dynasty in small ways. https://forms.office.com/Pages/Respo...JYNTNPUFVPNC4u

[RolePlayer]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

I just hope in one dynasty on this board the Hornets do good when they’re not user controlled

[studbucket]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

I just hope in one dynasty on this board the Hornets do good when they’re not user controlled

Spoiler alert: the Hornets make a few splashes this offseason. I'm a few weeks into the NBA season and I take turns playing with various teams. They are fun to play with.

[studbucket]

2021 NBA Draft

And we’re off! The 2021 NBA draft has officially started with the Hornets on the clock. In a surprise to absolutely nobody, the Hornets used the first pick to select Kansas State PF Jerry Sparks. The Hornets have been bad for a very long time and building around Sparks is a wonderful opportunity to change the fortunes of the franchise.

The draft really got started with the OKC Thunder at the second pick. Nobody was quite sure who they would take and how it would impact the rest of the draft. Word leaked out that the Thunder were looking strongly at point guards and wing players and there were two players who could play both PG and wing: C.C. Walsh and Seth Valsin. The Thunder ended up choosing Seth Valsin from USC. The 19 year old is 6’6”, extremely smart, and a competent shooter. There aren’t many holes in his game and the Thunder will hope he can develop into a star. He can back up Chris Paul and perhaps start on the wing next season. We’ll see who the Thunder end up taking at pick 7.

This brings up the Trail Blazers. Far too talented to be picking at #3, they need somebody to complement CJ, Dame, and Nurkic. Is that someone in the draft, or is this a trade? There were rumors of a trade with Miami for picks and Wiggins, but the salaries couldn’t quite work out. Instead they drafted defensive SF with huge upside: Gordon Cousinard. They hardly have any contracts on the books next year and will hope to get a frontcourt from free agency.

With the Pistons on the clock, they wasted no time at grabbing who they thought was the most talented player on the board: Indiana’s Darrall Gosley. If things go right, Gosley could be a Derrick Coleman-type player.

After that, Chicago took Georgia SF C.C. Walsh, San Antiono drafted UConn PF Andre Rice, and Oklahoma City was on the clock for their 2^nd pick of the top 10. However, it was a crapshoot at this point. With any pick being reasonable, they went for LSU SF Ben Long. He had a very disappointing NIT and needs to be more assertive, but when he played with confidence he looked like a young Adrian Dantley.

Here were picks 8 and 9:
#8 – New York Knicks: Marquis Huffman, PG, Boston College
#9 – Washington Wizards: Tyrone Dowdell, SG, Georgia Tech

With Pick #10, the Miami Heat unloaded Andrew Wiggins contract and continued the youth movement and possible tankapalooza. They picked up the 10^th pick and raw PF Shaddean Christopher.

The Heat then decided to go big, literally. They grabbed 7’1” center from Utah, Nikola Pattrick. Pattrick was absolutely dominant in the post in college, scoring over 30 ppg in the NCAA tournament and carrying the Utes on his back. He needs to work on defense and rebounding, but can score at will inside the paint.

Here were picks 11 and 12:
#11 – Cleveland Cavaliers: D Larson, SF, West Virginia
#12 – Utah Jazz: Gerard McCollum, SG/SF, Arizona

Miami was back on the clock with pick 13, for the 2^nd of their 3 first round picks. With this pick, they went all firepower once again, grabbing great shooter J Lamkin from Kentucky.

Hornets then made a move, trading away Terry Rozier for the Pelicans pick and a future second.

They then drafted UCLA’s B.A. Guasco, a SG with outstanding potential.

Here were picks 15 and 16:
#15 – Indiana Pacers: Jesus Bacu, SF, Indonesia
#16 – Orlando Magic: Dave Tran, PF, Washington

With Miami’s last pick of the first round, the Heat grabbed Texas SG Taylor Blount, who was a great leader and playmaker for the Longhorns. It has been a very interesting draft for Miami, who will likely want to give these young players plenty of time, both to improve and so they can improve their draft positioning for next year, when they have a lot of picks.

Here is the rest of the first round:
#18 – Washington Wizards: Massimo Janning, SG, Italy
#19 – Houston Rockets: Solomon Akindele, PF, UCLA
#20 – Los Angeles Lakers: Donnie Conroy, SF, Xavier
#21 – Toronto Raptors: Reece Campbell, PG, South Carolina
#22 – Boston Celtics: Rashad Konare, SF, Louisville
#23 – Atlanta Hawks: Rod Douglas, SG, Indiana
#24 – New York Knicks: Jace Tarpley, SF, Mt. San Jacinto College
#25 – Memphis Grizzlies: Sasha Zagorac, SF, Slovenia
#26 – Minnesota Timberwolves: Willie Shelton, SG, North Carolina
#27 – Los Angeles Clippers: Dyron Frazier, PG, Alabama
#28 – Philadelphia 76ers: Clifford Collins, PG, Villanova
#29 – Milwaukee Bucks: Arturo Coombs, PG, UNLV
#30 – Golden State Warriors: Elden Okobo, PG, UMass


Selected 2^nd Round Highlights

• Pick 33 – Memphis University’s star SG Herb Drabyn stayed in town, hopefully to keep scoring for the Grizzlies.
• Pick 46 – Winston Works was finally picked, as the collegiate standout from Gonzaga will go to Brooklyn and hopefully be a backup for Kevin Durant.
• Pick 47 – Cam Soroye (SF, Providence) finally gets picked, falling a full round later than what was expected early in the year, when he was widely thought to be a lottery pick.
• Pick 56 – Soroye’s Friars teammate, Martynas Curry, was picked near the end of the draft by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Reminder: please fill out this offseason survey. The answers will be used in storylines and impact the dynasty in small ways. https://forms.office.com/Pages/Respo...JYNTNPUFVPNC4u