Bulls 2008/2009 Dynasty [NBA Live 09/Xbox 360]

i was waiting heaps on f03, but i dont have an awesome enuff computer to play it.

Me neither actually, my specs fall a little short, but I've got a 360 so ultimately it didn't matter.

Any updates on the dynasty yet????

No, as I said I haven't been playing it recently. If and when I get back into it I'll post more updates but for other things just keep getting in the way.

November 1st, 2008
Bulls withstand late rally, down Grizzlies 113-104

The Chicago Bulls saw their 27 point lead dwindle to as little as eight in the fourth quarter, but held on to win their second home game of the season as they defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 113-104.

It appeared to be Chicago's night from the opening tip as the Bulls opened up a 10-2 lead early in the game only for the Grizzlies to come storming back, capitalising on offensive rebounds and some careless turnovers by the Bulls. It then appeared as though the Bulls would run away with the game again in the second quarter, outscoring the Grizzlies 39-20 in the period for a seemingly dominating 65-46 lead at the half. Kirk Hinrich, who played 29 minutes off the bench while first overall pick Derrick Rose sat due to early foul trouble, helped spark the second quarter run contributing eight points, three rebounds and making two crafty steals which both lead to fast break baskets for Chicago.

Chicago opened the third quarter with some hot shooting. Ben Gordon, who led all scorers with 33 points, made his first five shots and finished with 15 points in the period as the lead at one point ballooned to 27. The resilient Grizzlies fought back, relentlessly attacking a determined Chicago defense that totalled 19 blocks in the game. Turnovers and offensive rebounds once again hurt the Bulls as the Grizzlies outscored them 32-29 in the third and continued their push into the fourth quarter.

Behind Rudy Gay's ten second half points and Mike Conley's deft passes which found Hakim Warrick and Darko Milicic in the low post for easy baskets, the Grizzlies gave the Bulls a scare as their lead fell to eight late in the fourth quarter. However, the deficit ultimately proved too difficult to overcome as persistent double teams successfully disrupted the Grizzlies' offense and two costly misses from downtown allowed the Bulls to run out the clock before sealing the game at the free throw line.

"We're happy to get the win but we're frustrated with the way we let the lead slip away," Ben Gordon told reporters after the game. "We got sloppy and they really took advantage of that. We can't let that happen". The Bulls got an inspired performance from Luol Deng who scored 23 points on 11/16 shooting after scoring just 11 points on a combined 4/14 from the field in Chicago's first two games. "I needed this game," Deng said. "I didn't do the things I'm capable of doing in our first two games, but now I feel in sync and I'm ready to do my part to help us start winning some games."

Chicago has now won their first two games at home and will face the Orlando Magic in Orlando on Monday.

Key Players

Ben Gordon (Chi): 33 points (12/22 FG, 3/6 3PT), 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Tyrus Thomas (Chi): 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals. 8 blocks
Kirk Hinrich (Chi): 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals
Luol Deng (Chi): 23 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks

Darko Milicic (Mem): 18 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks
Hakim Warrick (Mem): 23 points, 8 rebounds
Rudy Gay (Mem): 17 points
Mike Conley (Mem): 22 points, 8 assists

Current Record: 2-1
Next Opponent: Orlando Magic

Great that you're still going with this!

Nice game from Gordon, but especially sweet stat line for Tyrus. 8 Blocks.

Thanks. My second game this evening wasn't quite as impressive.

November 3rd, 2008
Chicago (94) at Orlando (107)
Rashard Lewis trumps rookie Rose's double-double

First overall pick Derrick Rose had the most impressive performance of his young NBA career against the Magic with 22 points and 13 assists, but was upstaged by Rashard Lewis whose 26 point, 19 rebound performance included several clutch baskets in the fourth quarter as Orlando withstood a Bulls team that refused to give up after a sluggish start.

Led by Lewis and Jameer Nelson, Orlando gained control midway through the first quarter and although Chicago would rally, the Magic pushed their lead out to double digits during the second quarter. Rose led a charge that cut into the deficit however, knocking down midrange jumpshots and slicing his way past the Magic defenders, finishing one play with an emphatic one-handed dunk after shaking Nelson loose at the top of the key. Rose also found Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah for a couple of spectacular alley-oop plays as Chicago fought back and trailed by only three at the half.

A see-saw battled ensued in the third quarter as Rose continued his fine play but Nelson helped the Magic keep pace with the surging Bulls, scoring nine of his 27 points in the period. Ben Gordon, who started out cold after scoring 33 points against the Memphis Grizzlies in Chicago's last game, also scored 9 points in the quarter as the Bulls finally took the lead late in the third. A four point lead was short lived however and there would be two more lead changes before the quarter finished with the game tied at 77.

Chicago faltered at the beginning of the fourth quarter however with cold shooting and costly turnovers and the Magic opened the period with a 10-2 run. Although the Bulls would storm back and came within two points late in the game with a score of 94-92, they would score only two points the rest of the way as the Magic ran out to a 107-94 victory.

Orlando is now 3-1 on the season, while the Bulls drop back to .500 at 2-2.

Key Players

Derrick Rose (Chi): 22 points (11/18 FG), 13 assists, 4 steals
Luol Deng (Chi): 15 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks
Tyrus Thomas (Chi): 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 blocks

Rashard Lewis (Orl): 26 points (13/19 FG), 19 rebounds
Jameer Nelson (Orl): 27 points, 5 assists
Hedo Turkoglu (Orl): 23 points, 3 assists

Current Record: 2-2
Next Opponent: Cleveland Cavaliers

Probably my last game for this evening.

November 5th, 2008
Chicago (110) at Cleveland (99)
Bulls take advantage of shorthanded Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers are experiencing dismal flashbacks to the pre-LeBron James era with their superstar sidelined this season, suffering another disappointing loss to the visiting Chicago Bulls while King James looked on from the bench. Rookie Derrick Rose once again shined with 23 points and 6 assists while Ben Gordon rebounded from a poor shooting night against the Magic to add 20 points of his own as Chicago defeated Cleveland 110-99 in the Quicken Loans Arena.

The game was seldom close after the Bulls built a double digit lead in the second quarter, scoring 61 first half points and capitalising on the absence of James. Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Mo Williams continued to shoulder the scoring load for the Cavs, scoring 19 and 25 points respectively but Cleveland seemed disinterested on defense and committed careless fouls to give several Bulls players easy three point play opportunities. A spirited fourth quarter run made the final scoreline respectable but the Cavs would not come any closer than the final margin of 11 points, falling to 1-4 on the season.

"It's just frustrating," Mo Williams commented after the game. "Obviously we had high hopes coming into the season but it's tough without LeBron. We just have to work harder." LeBron, who has missed the last four games with a strained achilles tendon, spoke briefly with reporters before the game and indicated that he might be back within a week. "We don't want to make too many excuses," said coach Mike Brown. "But we really miss him right now."

With the win, the Bulls improve to 3-2 on the season and now head home to face the Phoenix Suns.

Key Players

Derrick Rose (Chi): 23 points, 6 assists, 4 steals
Ben Gordon (Chi): 20 points
Mehmet Okur (Chi): 18 points, 8 rebounds

Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Cle): 19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 blocks
Mo Williams (Cle): 25 points, 5 assists, 3 steals
Ben Wallace (Cle): 12 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks

Current Record: 3-2
Next Game: vs Phoenix Suns

So you do continue it. ...

Well good luck with the next game,i will sure follow this.

Yes, I'm getting back into the Dynasty. Fallout 3 proved to be more addictive than I ever could've imagined.

Nice to see you active in the Dynasty section, Andrew...

Thanks, it's been a while.

I've been shopping Nocioni and Gooden around, some absolutely laughable trade offers and counter offers from the CPU. The Kings definitely aren't interested in making the same swap that went down this season.

Try trading Nocioni For Something like Josh Smith.It would be a really good trade for you.

Ohhh Nice to see this rise back up from the dead. Being a fan of unknown swingmen in the league, I'm going to have to request that C.J. Miles average 60 points per game, 30 assists and 30 rebounds per game. Thank you.

Try trading Nocioni For Something like Josh Smith.It would be a really good trade for you.

With their ratings, also virtually impossible to pull off. I'm looking to trade him for a backup anyway and Smith would be wasted in that role. Appreciate the suggestion though.

Ohhh Nice to see this rise back up from the dead. Being a fan of unknown swingmen in the league, I'm going to have to request that C.J. Miles average 60 points per game, 30 assists and 30 rebounds per game. Thank you.

He hasn't gotten much time as of late but with Nocioni just not getting the job done I might see how he goes. 60-30-30 might be slightly out of reach though but if he could achieve that, he's going in the starting five over Deng.

I stopped following due to the month and a half layoff, but good to see you played another 3 games. 3-2 is not too shabby at all.

I don't have any suggestions for a possible trade for you. What about bringing Wilcox back to the Bulls?

I thought about it, probably one of the few trades that would work given Noce's rating and his salary. I'd still need to find a backup small forward though, so it depends what other deals I can make or whether Miles could work out.

The recaps look great. Good win against the Cavs. Adding in-game pictures would be a great way to improve the presentation. Just a suggestion though.

A little difficult as it's on the 360; not impossible but a bit more of a hassle compared to a Dynasty on the PC. I also don't like to overload my Dynasty with pictures as I feel they're a bit of a crutch at times and it's not very exciting to show people the same dunk they've seen many times before. It's just repetitive and generic. I prefer to leave the media for when something particularly noteworthy or out of the ordinary happens.

A little difficult as it's on the 360; not impossible but a bit more of a hassle compared to a Dynasty on the PC. I also don't like to overload my Dynasty with pictures as I feel they're a bit of a crutch at times and it's not very exciting to show people the same dunk they've seen many times before. It's just repetitive and generic. I prefer to leave the media for when something particularly noteworthy or out of the ordinary happens.

I know what you mean. I play NBA 2K9, and upload all of my pictures to 2ksports.com. I then edit them on Paint and upload them to my ImageShack account. It takes a good 15 minutes, but is worth the result.

True, and I might do that at some point but as I said I prefer to keep the pictures for meaningful things. Random screenshots taken for the purpose of having screenshots along with the recaps seems like a waste to me. I'll certainly keep it in mind though, I appreciate the feedback.

What about Wally Szceribak or Grant Hill? Not sure if they fit in ratings wise.

So are you looking for a defensive minded back up or a shooter or what?

Nice recaps. Good win against the LeBron-less Cavs. And why do you want to trade Noc? Just because you dont like him .. or is he moaning about playing time?

Because he is imho the prototypical backup role player SF. Nice defense, hustle and a solid shot from beyond the arc. I guess you wont find that too often. A bit expensive though.

What about Wally Szceribak or Grant Hill? Not sure if they fit in ratings wise.

So are you looking for a defensive minded back up or a shooter or what?

Hill wouldn't be bad, but the salaries don't match. He's only earning around $1 mil per year while Noce's contract is around the $8 mil mark.

I guess I'm looking for someone who can be a dependable scorer off the bench more than anything else, someone who can step in when I can't get things going for Deng.

And why do you want to trade Noc? Just because you dont like him .. or is he moaning about playing time?

Because he is imho the prototypical backup role player SF. Nice defense, hustle and a solid shot from beyond the arc. I guess you wont find that too often. A bit expensive though.

He's just not playing well for me, certainly nowhere near as well as he did for me in my 06 Bulls Dynasty. Given that he's no longer a Bull in real life, I'm feeling a little more open to trading him as a result. With the CPU's trade offers being lousy and his contract being difficult to move I've been trying to make it work but I'm definitely keeping my options open and seeing who I could possibly get for him.

Mike Miller or Sasha 'The Machine'

Er...keep going.