Re: NBA 2K13 Video - Roster Update, Details Included (1-12-13)
After watching the Heat game, it's clear that Batum needs a speed increase as well. 78 doesn't do justice to a player known for his speed and athleticism, and in fact all players not named LeBron James who possess the Chasedown Artist signature skill are pretty disrespected in this area (only Thaddeus Young is above 80 [82] speed out of the group... how is Tayshaun Prince going to get close enough to even trigger the skill with a 67 speed?)
On one head-to-head full court sprint vs. LeBron James, Batum started dribbling with LeBron a couple steps ahead of him (but backpedaling), ran past as James turned and maintained his lead (and his dribble) even as James tried to make contact from behind to slow Batum down. He out-accelerated James and Wade multiple times, and appeared to be quite easily faster, with or without the ball, than both players, who have 94 and 93 speed ratings respectively.
Just so starlovers don't think I'm the most deranged Blazer homer yet - Speed "Affects how fast the player can run at full sprint." I'm not talking about quickness, strength, hustle, ballhandling, or general quality/consistent play/effort, just straight-line speed.
Batum gets most of his chasedowns with short, measured steps - he rarely unleashes his full stride, and that's still faster than the majority of NBA players. When he really accelerates, as he did on Thursday a couple times, I would be surprised to see a faster player.
I'll suggest that he deserves a 90 speed rating (both James and Wade should be decreased, one point higher than the faster of the pair would be the 'fair' rating), and since there are no Draft combine numbers to either support or deny this increase, I'll ask that if anyone doesn't agree with this assessment, please provide video evidence of someone under a 90 speed rating beating Batum up court with both players giving relatively full effort. I can provide plenty of video evidence to support him being faster than players with 90+ speed.
This goes for all roster editors. Speed is often ignored or underexamined as there is a lack of data for some players, and combine numbers often don't make sense after a few years in the league, especially for players who weren't done growing or 'filling out'/have had multiple leg injuries/added or reduced weight to suit team or personal needs/aged noticeably in recent seasons. Some players just don't ever give maximum effort or are markedly slower with the ball, and I don't think that ballhandling rating as currently implemented/defined has anything to do with speed while dribbling, so there should be a separate rating for that in the future. (Like Batum, there are plenty of players that don't break ankles but are very fast/smooth with the ball in a straight line, while others dribble awkwardly in any situation.)
Hustle rating may not always cover general effort properly either. It's often the slowest players busting their butt to get up court (not out of a desire to hustle madly, but rather out of necessity - as in just to keep their job), while a player who is very fast often appears to be moving quite casually most of the time. While I know how fast Batum is when the situation calls for it, nothing drives me crazier than the sight of an AI controlled version of him with 95 speed (I've tried rating him that high, it felt like cheating) sprinting past everybody every time down court even when I'm walking it up with Lillard. On most possessions, each player expends the minimum amount of effort getting into the halfcourt set, and then increases their effort only as the play/situation demands it, especially starters/6th men who log heavy minutes.
I know that the Chasedown sig is meant to represent that situational use of speed in Batum's case, but I remain firm in my assertion that use =/= ability and that the rating must reflect the latter.
After watching the Heat game, it's clear that Batum needs a speed increase as well. 78 doesn't do justice to a player known for his speed and athleticism, and in fact all players not named LeBron James who possess the Chasedown Artist signature skill are pretty disrespected in this area (only Thaddeus Young is above 80 [82] speed out of the group... how is Tayshaun Prince going to get close enough to even trigger the skill with a 67 speed?)
On one head-to-head full court sprint vs. LeBron James, Batum started dribbling with LeBron a couple steps ahead of him (but backpedaling), ran past as James turned and maintained his lead (and his dribble) even as James tried to make contact from behind to slow Batum down. He out-accelerated James and Wade multiple times, and appeared to be quite easily faster, with or without the ball, than both players, who have 94 and 93 speed ratings respectively.
Just so starlovers don't think I'm the most deranged Blazer homer yet - Speed "Affects how fast the player can run at full sprint." I'm not talking about quickness, strength, hustle, ballhandling, or general quality/consistent play/effort, just straight-line speed.
Batum gets most of his chasedowns with short, measured steps - he rarely unleashes his full stride, and that's still faster than the majority of NBA players. When he really accelerates, as he did on Thursday a couple times, I would be surprised to see a faster player.
I'll suggest that he deserves a 90 speed rating (both James and Wade should be decreased, one point higher than the faster of the pair would be the 'fair' rating), and since there are no Draft combine numbers to either support or deny this increase, I'll ask that if anyone doesn't agree with this assessment, please provide video evidence of someone under a 90 speed rating beating Batum up court with both players giving relatively full effort. I can provide plenty of video evidence to support him being faster than players with 90+ speed.
This goes for all roster editors. Speed is often ignored or underexamined as there is a lack of data for some players, and combine numbers often don't make sense after a few years in the league, especially for players who weren't done growing or 'filling out'/have had multiple leg injuries/added or reduced weight to suit team or personal needs/aged noticeably in recent seasons. Some players just don't ever give maximum effort or are markedly slower with the ball, and I don't think that ballhandling rating as currently implemented/defined has anything to do with speed while dribbling, so there should be a separate rating for that in the future. (Like Batum, there are plenty of players that don't break ankles but are very fast/smooth with the ball in a straight line, while others dribble awkwardly in any situation.)
Hustle rating may not always cover general effort properly either. It's often the slowest players busting their butt to get up court (not out of a desire to hustle madly, but rather out of necessity - as in just to keep their job), while a player who is very fast often appears to be moving quite casually most of the time. While I know how fast Batum is when the situation calls for it, nothing drives me crazier than the sight of an AI controlled version of him with 95 speed (I've tried rating him that high, it felt like cheating) sprinting past everybody every time down court even when I'm walking it up with Lillard. On most possessions, each player expends the minimum amount of effort getting into the halfcourt set, and then increases their effort only as the play/situation demands it, especially starters/6th men who log heavy minutes.
I know that the Chasedown sig is meant to represent that situational use of speed in Batum's case, but I remain firm in my assertion that use =/= ability and that the rating must reflect the latter.
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