The 2K10 & Beyond Project - Season 19/20: NBA Finals - Game 7

Player Re-Signings

Philadelphia 76ers
Waived Kareem Rush
Signed Steve Novak 1yr/464k

Charlotte Bobcats
Re-signed Raymond Felton 3yr/27.97m
Re-signed Raja Bell 1yr/1.28m
Steve Blake, Flip Murray & Stephen Graham will test FA

Milwaukee Bucks
Waived Roko Ukic
Waived Sergio Rodriguez (Return to Spain)
Hakim Warrick will test FA

Chicago Bulls
Signed Randy Foye 4yr/25.07m
Tyrus Thomas, Brad Miller will test FA

Cleveland Cavaliers
Signed Zydrunas Ilgauskas 1yr/1.18m
Shaquille O’Neal, Tony Allen will test FA

Boston Celtics
Signed Ray Allen 1yr/9.57m
Signed Marquis Daniels 1yr/464k
Signed Eddie House 1yr/1.53m
Shannon Brown will test FA

Los Angeles Clippers
Rasual Butler & Marcus Camby will test FA

Memphis Grizzlies
Signed Rudy Gay 4+1yr/62.20m (Player Option)
Signed Allen Iverson 1 yr/464k

Atlanta Hawks
Signed Joe Johnson 5yr/105.2m

Miami Heat
Signed Jermaine O’Neal 1yr/6.2m
Signed Quentin Richardson 2yr/1.76m
Signed Louis Amundson 2yr/3.03m

Utah Jazz
Signed Ronnie Brewer 3yr/11.31m
Carlos Boozer will test FA

New York Knicks
Signed David Lee 4yr/46m
Signed Chris Duhon 2r/7.51m

Los Angeles Lakers
Signed Derek Fisher 1yr/2.05m
Jordan Farmar will test FA

Orlando Magic
Signed J.J. Redick 2yr/3.55m

Dallas Mavericks
Drew Gooden will test FA

Denver Nuggets
Signed Joey Graham 1yr/464k

Indiana Pacers
T.J. Ford (P) - Declined
Josh McRoberts (T) - Declined
A.J. Price (2 YR T) - Accepted

Detroit Pistons
Signed Richard Hamilton 1yr/5.77m
Will Bynum will test FA

Toronto Raptors
Waived Marcus Banks
Signed Jannero Pargo 1yr/464k

Houston Rockets
Signed Tracy McGrady 2yr/12.85m
Signed Luis Scola 4yr/17.41m
Signed Kyle Lowry 4yr/18.1m

San Antonio Spurs
Signed Manu Ginobili 3yr/34.95m
Signed Roger Mason 1yr/464k
Signed Matt Bonner 2yr/1.56m

Phoenix Suns
Signed Udonis Haslem 3yr/5.92m
Signed Dorrell Wright 2yr/2.65m

Oklahoma City Thunder
Signed Shaun Livingston 2yr/4.05m

Minnesota Timberwolves
Signed Sasha Pavlovic 1yr/1.35m

Portland Trail Blazers
Signed Josh Boone 1yr/1.36m
Travis Outlaw will test FA

Golden State Warriors
Signed CJ Watson 2yr/4.84m

Washington Wizards
Signed Amir Johnson 3yr/7.48m
Signed Mike Miller 2yr/5.26m
Brendan Haywood will test FA

Time for Boozer to move on, Millsap to step up


Carlos Boozer is the biggest name to choose to test free agency over re-signing with the Jazz this offseason, leaving the Jazz with a hole fit for Paul Millsap to slide into. Boozer no doubt will have teams chasing his signature, but the question becomes where does he fall, and is he the piece that Cleveland can welcome back in to get LeBron back on-side?

NBA Draft Lottery

Lottery odds


Lottery results


Kings secure #1 pick, but will they move down?


The Sacramento Kings have jumped the order in this years lottery, and secured the #1 pick. Though with prospects Brandon Jennings & Tyreke Evans covering more than enough minutes at PG & SG, consensus #1 pick John Wall doesn't seem to fit their future plans. Dubbed as a true franchise PG, there'll be no shortage of teams calling the Kings front office for a chance to trade up.

Even in a re-imagined reality, fortune doesn't favour the Knicks.

NBA Draft

Suns move up for Wall


The rebuilding Suns have made the move up to the #1 pick for John Wall, swapping first and second rounders for this season with the Kings, plus their Heat first rounder as well as a top 3 protected pick-swap for next season. The Suns look to build their young core around the exciting Wall, pairing him with the growing Michael Beasley, as well as Greg Oden.

Draft Board

Solid pick for the Bulls.

Free Agency

LeBron makes his decision

Millions tuned in to watch LeBron James' "The Decision" live on ESPN, announcing where the King and reigning MVP would be playing for the 2010-11 season and beyond;

In this fall... this is very tough... in this fall I'm going to take my talents to the Big Apple and join the New York Knicks. I feel like it's going to give me the best opportunity to win, as well as grow my own personal brand in the most well known city in the world. With the likes of David Lee, Wilson Chandler and the recently drafted DeMarcus Cousins, I truly believe this is a team we can take to the top of the NBA and win championships.

Speaking of his time in Cleveland, LeBron reflected on the seven years he dedicated to his hometown;

I'm forever grateful to this city, and to what it has made me over the last 25 years of my life. I feel like right now, this was my opportunity to branch out and try a new place to expand my basketball experience. I'd like to thank the teammates I've had over the years, especially big Z who's been there from the jump, as well as those who have fought in the trenches of the Playoffs with me over the years like Mo & Delonte. I wish the team nothing but the best, but my time in Cleveland has come to a close.

The NBA will officially enter a new era, with the New York Knicks finally securing the franchise player they've been chasing for so many years, and skyrocketing up the Power Rankings heading into next season.

Shaq stays put, Booz heads to Jersey

Shaquille O'Neal will return to Cleveland next season, in what most are tipping as his last year. Shaq's signing seems clear that the Cavs were set on running back the current roster with LeBron returning, hoping to make that next step with Delonte West healthy. Additionally, the Cavs added former Bull Tyrus Thomas on a one-year contract, a piece brought in to support the loss of the King's output. The Cavs will have to scrap to make the playoffs, with a roster built around a star no longer there. Carlos Boozer, arguably the second largest fish in this free agency period, will join the New Jersey Nets, creating a dangerous trio for Brooklyn to call home.

Signings

Chicago Bulls sign Anthony Morrow 2yr/5.52m

Milwaukee Bucks sign Will Bynum 2yr/5.52m

Indiana Pacers sign Jordan Farmar 2yr/11.78m

New York Knicks sign Tony Allen 2yr/3.48m

Chicago Bulls sign Joel Anthony 2yr/2.5m

New Jersey Nets sign Eddy Curry 2yr/3.16m

Detroit Pistons sign Luke Ridnour 2yr/3.32m

San Antonio Spurs sign Rodney Carney 2yr/3.46m

Oklahoma City Thunder sign Marcus Camby 2yr/5.03m

Oklahoma City Thunder sign Brendan Haywood 2yr/3.59m

Miami Heat sign Travis Outlaw 3yr/9.33m

Cleveland Cavaliers sign Shaquille O’Neal 1yr/2.59m

Miami Heat sign Jason Williams 1yr/1.01m

Los Angeles Lakers sign Kwame Brown 1yr/1.65m

Utah Jazz sign Hakim Warrick 2yr/3.66m

Sacramento Kings sign Brevin Knight 1yr/1.36m

Houston Rockets sign Brad Miller 1yr/1.09m

New York Knicks sign Shannon Brown 3yr/8.59m

Dallas Mavericks sign Josh McRoberts 2yr/3.69m

Minnesota Timberwolves sign Drew Gooden 3yr/9.45m

New Jersey Nets sign Carlos Boozer 3yr/50.5m

Chicago Bulls sign Rasual Butler 1yr/1.22m

Indiana Pacers sign Steve Blake 3yr/10m

Boston Celtics sign Kurt Thomas 1yr/958k

New Orleans Hornets sign Hilton Armstrong 1yr/906k

New York Knicks sign LeBron James 5yr/98.8m

Milwaukee Bucks sign Theo Ratliff 1yr/464k

Los Angeles Clippers sign Kyle Korver 2yr/2.81m

Miami Heat sign Jamaal Tinsley 1yr/1.55m

Toronto Raptors sign Darko Milicic 2yr/3.34m

Cleveland Cavaliers sign Derrick Brown 2yr/3.3m

Miami Heat sign Nenad Krstic 2yr/4.12m

Minnesota Timberwolves sign Nate Robinson 2yr/14m

Cleveland Cavaliers sign Tyrus Thomas 1yr/8.3m

Jalen Rose was half right!

phpBB [video]

Insight: 2K10 Offseason & 2K11 Transition

Thought I'd do a little insight on how the transition from one game to another will go down, as well as how I organised and prepared for the offseason controlling all 30 teams.

Draft

I basically created a simple rule for each team, deeming the top rated player in each position into four categories; Star, Starter, Prospect & Need.

Prospect: Less than two years in the league, first round pick, above 65OVR
Starter: Above 68OVR
Star: Above 85OVR

From this is how I built out a table to better understand each teams requirements when it comes to draft picks;


When drafting, I would pair this with the official draft picks of the 2010 Draft, and pick according to what the team needed, or the best available if they had a team of starter caliber at each position;


Additionally, as the second round stayed the same as it did in real life, if a player was deemed on Wikipedia to never play in the League, they weren't signed.

Free Agency

This involved a slightly different rule, I made a heat map, combining the overall's of the two leading players at each position. If they only had one or none, they would only have the overall of that player in the table. This allowed to better tell who really had a need, or was struggling at a position even though they had two players already in it. I didn't take a screenshot of it before making the Free Agency moves, but according to 2K10's ratings, this is how each team has panned out since the Free Agency period;


2K11 Transition

Using Kova's Opening Day roster, any created players that are on roster who weren't on other teams are kept on, and in some places have been used to supplement the loss of some players who aren't in 2K11, namely Rasheed Wallace. To reiterate, contracts are the only thing that will carry over, with the overall of the player in the next game being reflected by their real-life season that they played. With that being said, this is the comparision of 2K10's player overall heat map vs 2k11's;


The most interesting from this is that the reigning champions, on paper, have the best team in the league! Other big movers were OKC into the upper echelon, while the Suns rebuild has panned out extremely well, mainly due to adding John Wall, as well as the continued development of Michael Beasley. The Cavaliers have saved a bit of face with keeping Shaq, but the Raptors big acquisition of Caron Butler may not be as big for them this year, as Butler moved towards being a role player and Hedo's horror first year in Toronto in real-life, their SF stocks have taken a massive hit. LeBron and Wilson Chandler are the best combination in the league (171), but with Danilo Gallinari also in the wings, LeBron could man the PG position over Chris Duhon and further improve their ranking.

Love the insight into how you're handling it, sounds logical to me.

Team Depth Charts

Philadelphia 76ers
PG: Jrue Holiday/Louis Williams
SG: Andre Iguodala/Willie Green
SF: Thaddeus Young/Al-Farouq Aminu/Jason Kapono
PF: Elton Brand/Marreese Speights/Jason Smith/Steve Novak
C: Samuel Dalembert/Robin Lopez

Charlotte Bobcats
PG: Raymond Felton/DJ Augustin/Sherron Collins
SG: Raja Bell/Gerald Henderson
SF: Gerald Wallace/Jared Dudley/Vladimir Radmanovic
PF: Boris Diaw/Craig Brackins
C: Tyson Chandler/Desagna Diop/Alexis Ajinca

Milwaukee Bucks
PG: Will Bynum/Beno Udrih
SG: Michael Redd/DeShawn Stevenson/Jodie Meeks
SF: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute/Paul George/Andres Nocioni/Omri Casspi
PF: Jason Thompson/Elia Ilyasova
C: Andrew Bogut/Theo Ratliff

Chicago Bulls
PG: Derrick Rose/Jose Calderon
SG: Randy Foye/Anthony Morrow/Rasual Butler
SF: Luol Deng/John Salmons/James Johnson
PF: Derrick Favors/Taj Gibson
C: Joakim Noah/Omer Asik/Joel Anthony

Cleveland Cavaliers
PG: Mo Williams/Daniel Gibson
SG: Delonte West/Anthony Parker/Manny Harris
SF: Derrick Brown/Jamario Moon/Quincy Pondexter
PF: Tyrus Thomas/J.J. Hickson/Leon Powe/Derrick Caracter
C: Shaquille O'Neal/Anderson Varejao/Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Boston Celtics
PG: Rajon Rondo/Eddie House
SG: Ray Allen/Jordan Crawford/Von Wafer
SF: Paul Pierce/Marquis Daniels
PF: Kevin Garnett/Glen Davis
C: Kendrick Perkins/Kurt Thomas/Semih Erden

Los Angeles Clippers
PG: Baron Davis/Sebastian Telfair/Willie Warren
SG: Eric Gordon/Elliot Williams
SF: Al Thornton/Kyle Korver
PF: Blake Griffin/Solomon Jones
C: Chris Kaman/DeAndre Jordan/Jarron Collins

Memphis Grizzlies
PG: Mike Conley/Eric Bledsoe
SG: O.J. Mayo/Allen Iverson
SF: Rudy Gay/Sam Young/DeMarre Carroll
PF: Zach Randolph/Darrell Arthur/Kris Humphries/Gani Lawal
C: Marc Gasol/Hasheem Thabeet

Atlanta Hawks
PG: Mike Bibby/Jeff Teague/Mike James
SG: Joe Johnson/Jamal Crawford
SF: Marvin Williams/Maurice Evans
PF: Josh Smith/Kevin Seraphin
C: Al Horford/Zaza Pachulia/Etan Thomas

Miami Heat
PG: Jason Williams/Jamaal Tinsley/Mario Chalmers(Out for Season - ACL)
SG: Dwyane Wade/Dequan Cook
SF: Travis Outlaw/Quentin Richardson/James Jones
PF: Amare Stoudemire/Louis Amundson
C: Jermaine O'Neal/Nenad Krstic

New Orleans Hornets
PG: Chris Paul/Darren Collison
SG: Marcus Thornton/Dominique Jones/Morris Peterson
SF: James Posey/Peja Stojakovic/Julian Wright
PF: David West/Reggie Evans
C: Emeka Okafor/Hilton Armstrong/Hamadu N'Diaye

Utah Jazz
PG: Deron Williams/Eric Maynor/Ronnie Price
SG: Ronnie Brewer/C.J. Miles
SF: Andrei Kirilenko/Luke Babbitt
PF: Paul Millsap/Hakim Warrick
C: Mehmet Okur/Krylyo Fesenko/Kosta Koufos

Sacramento Kings
PG: Brandon Jennings/Brevin Knight/Eugene Jeter
SG: Tyreke Evans/Francisco Garcia
SF: Kevin Martin/Donte Greene
PF: Greg Monroe/Trevor Booker/Nick Collison
C: Spencer Hawes/Dan Gadzuric

New York Knicks
PG: Chris Duhon/Toney Douglas
SG: Shannon Brown/Tony Allen
SF: LeBron James/Wilson Chandler/Danilo Gallinari
PF: David Lee/Jordan Hill
C: DeMarcus Cousins/Timofey Mozgov/Dexter Pittman

Los Angeles Lakers
PG: Derek Fisher/Grevis Vasquez/Kevin Ollie
SG: Kobe Bryant/Sasha Vujacic
SF: Ron Artest/Luke Walton/Pape Sy
PF: Pau Gasol/Lamar Odom
C: Andrew Bynum/Kwame Brown

Orlando Magic
PG: Jameer Nelson/Armon Johnson/Chucky Atkins
SG: Vince Carter/Mickael Pietrus/J.J. Redick
SF: Rashard Lewis/Matt Barnes
PF: Brandon Bass/Ryan Anderson
C: Dwight Howard/Marcin Gortat

Dallas Mavericks
PG: Jason Kidd/J.J. Barea/Rodrigue Beaubois
SG: Jason Terry/Maurice Ager/Matt Carroll
SF: Shawn Marion/Josh Howard
PF: Dirk Nowitzki/Josh McRoberts
C: Larry Sanders/Erick Dampier

New Jersey Nets
PG: Devin Harris/Keyon Dooling/Ben Uzoh
SG: Courtney Lee/Rudy Fernandez/Landry Fields
SF: Chris Douglas-Roberts/Gordon Hayward
PF: Carlos Boozer/Sean Williams/Eduardo Najera
C: Brook Lopez/Eddy Curry

Denver Nuggets
PG: Chauncey Billups/Ty Lawson
SG: J.R. Smith/Arron Afflalo
SF: Carmelo Anthony/Joey Graham/Renaldo Balkman/Gary Forbes
PF: Kenyon Martin/Patrick Patterson
C: Nene/Chris Andersen

Indiana Pacers
PG: Jordan Farmar/Steve Blake/A.J. Price
SG: Dahntay Jones/Xavier Henry/Brandon Rush
SF: Danny Granger/Mike Dunleavy
PF: Troy Murphy/Tyler Hansbrough
C: Roy Hibbert/Jeff Foster

Detroit Pistons
PG: Rodney Stuckey/Luke Ridnour
SG: Richard Hamilton/Ben Gordon
SF: Tayshaun Prince/Austin Daye/Darington Hobson/DaJuan Summers
PF: Jason Maxiell/Charlie Villanueva
C: Ekpe Udoh/Chris Wilcox

Toronto Raptors
PG: Jarrett Jack/Jannero Pargo
SG: Demar DeRozan/James Anderson/Sonny Weems
SF: Caron Butler/Hedo Turkoglu/Linas Kleiza
PF: Chris Bosh/Darius Songaila/Luke Harangody
C: Andrea Bargnani/Darko Milicic

Houston Rockets
PG: Jonny Flynn/Kyle Lowry
SG: Tracy McGrady/Avery Bradley/Jermaine Taylor
SF: Trevor Ariza/Shane Battier/Chase Budinger/Carlos Delfino
PF: Luis Scola/Carl Landry
C: Yao Ming/Brad Miller/Solomon Alabi

San Antonio Spurs
PG: Tony Parker/George Hill
SG: Manu Ginobili/Alonzo Gee/Roger Mason/Gary Neal
SF: Richard Jefferson/Rodney Carney
PF: Tim Duncan/DeJuan Blair/Tiago Splitter/Jeremy Evans
C: Antonio McDyess/Matt Bonner/Daniel Orton

Phoenix Suns
PG: John Wall/Goran Dragic/Jerryd Bayless
SG: Terrence Williams/Jason Richardson/Andy Rautins
SF: Josh Childress/Dorrell Wright/Earl Clark/Lazar Hayward
PF: Michael Beasley/Udonis Haslem/Taylor Griffin
C: Greg Oden/Nazr Mohammed

Oklahoma City Thunder
PG: Russell Westbrook/Shaun Livingston
SG: James Harden/Thabo Sefolosha/Kyle Weaver
SF: Kevin Durant/Devin Ebanks
PF: Jeff Green/Ed Davis/D.J. White
C: Marcus Camby/Brendan Haywood/Serge Ibaka/Byron Mullens

Minnesota Timberwolves
PG: Aaron Brooks/Ramon Sessions
SG: Nate Robinson/Wayne Ellington/Sasha Pavlovic
SF: Wesley Johnson/Corey Brewer/Ryan Gomes
PF: Kevin Love/Drew Gooden/Nikola Pekovic
C: Al Jefferson/Ryan Hollins/David Andersen/Hassan Whiteside

Portland Trail Blazers
PG: Steve Nash/Patrick Mills
SG: Brandon Roy/Leandro Barbosa/Martell Webster
SF: Nicolas Batum/Damion James
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge/Dante Cunningham/Jeff Pendergraph
C: Joel Przybilla/Fabricio Oberto

Golden State Warriors
PG: Stephen Curry/C.J. Watson/Jeremy Lin
SG: Monta Ellis/Kelenna Azubuike/Lance Stephenson
SF: Stephen Jackson/Corey Maggette
PF: Anthony Randolph/Brandan Wright/Jeff Adrien
C: Andris Biedrins/Ronny Turiaf/Cole Aldrich

Washington Wizards
PG: Gilbert Arenas/Kirk Hinrich/Terrico White
SG: Marco Bellinelli/Nick Young/Charlie Bell
SF: Evan Turner/Mike Miller
PF: Antawn Jamison/Amir Johnson
C: Andray Blatche/JaVale McGee/Hamed Haddadi

Bulls have Joel Anthony. Championship is in the bag!

2010-11 Season Preview

A new era has dawned in the NBA, the Big Apple now hosts the reigning MVP, while the Rockets look to back up a dream run to their first championship in 15 years with the same cast. Some contenders have stayed put and committed to the cause in the Lakers, Celtics & Magic, while other teams look to make the next leap into the upper echelon to join them, most notably, the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets and Oklahoma City Thunder.

LeBron James fulfilled the dreams of millions of Knicks fans, bringing hope to one of the most valuable sport franchises in the world, and now looks to be on a warpath to both grow his personal brand and reach on the streets of Manhattan, as well as bring glory to the Garden for the first time since 1973. Though they may have come up short in the LeBron sweepstakes, with the addition of Jazz star PF Carlos Boozer, and coming off Devin Harris and Brook Lopez's All-NBA honours, the Nets look to build full momentum to their eventual transition to Brooklyn, creating a true battle for New York for years to come. After missing the playoffs last year in a hotly contested northwest division postseason race, another year of development for Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green and James Harden, plus the addition of solid bigmen in Marcus Camby and Brendan Haywood has made the Thunder one of the most feared teams in the league.

Division Previews


Eastern Conference – Atlantic Division

In a division that has seen the biggest power shift, the Celtics are no longer the clear leader in the Atlantic. WIth the Knicks and Nets adding key pieces, this could be the tightest division this season, with all five teams fielding strong lineups. An injury to Caron Butler robbed the Raptors of a true chance at a championship last season, can the trio of Bosh, Hedo & Butler provide enough of a threat against the big markets?


Eastern Conference – Central Division

Can the Bulls elevate? Without LeBron leading Cleveland, the timing couldn't be better for Derrick Rose and the Bulls to take full advantage of a weaker division. The Pacers are the only team that could be in the same conversation, pending their new PG tandem of Steve Blake and Jordan Farmar gel well with the continued development of big man Roy Hibbert and franchise SF Danny Granger. The Bucks, Cavs and Pistons look to be whipping boys of the East this season, with the Pistons needing a big lift from the likes of Ben Gordon and Rodney Stuckey to try and make a playoff push.


Eastern Conference – Southeast Division

They came up just short again in delivering their first championship to the city of Orlando, but the Magic are still the team to beat in the Atlantic. The battle of Florida will be well worth the price of admission however, though the loss of Mario Chalmers for the season in their Playoff matchup will be hard to adjust to, with former Heat champion Jason Williams back at the 1. The Hawks still stay strong as ever, and the Bobcats are bouncing back off their first playoff appearance also, creating a still very competitive division.


Western Conference - Pacific Division

Though the Clippers edged out the Lakers last year for the top spot, an first round playoff exit soured a promising season. After A less than ideal regular season, but a Conference Finals exit, it still feels as if the Lakers are the leaders of the pack in the Pacific, with an unchanged lineup, Kobe & Pau look to bounce back and get back to the top of the mountain as they did two years ago. The true wild card of the division will be the new look Phoenix Suns, with #1 pick John Wall looking to take the lead by storm with a youthful lineup in Arizona.


Western Conference – Southwest Division


After finishing lower than both of their Texas counterparts last year, there's no more hiding for the Houston Rockets this year. A similar outfit to last year, they were blessed by an injury-free season to their two stars, and if they can do the same again, reigning Finals MVP Yao Ming could get them back there. The Spurs and Mavs both look the same if not slightly weaker, the Grizzlies look stronger, and with Rudy Gay locked in they look to only improve on their first round upset of the Spurs in the Playoffs. The top-finishing Hornets will struggle to match the heights of last year, hoping that their two frontcourt starters in West & Okafor can stay healthy. The same question could be raised this year of how will they look to accomodate Chris Paul, as he looms closer to his Player Option.


Western Conference – Northwest Division


The previewed most competitive division for last season delivered in spades, though this season looks to be a two horse race in the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Steve Nash experiment in Portland will be something to watch, with a devastating injury to LaMarcus Aldridge severely hampering their post-trade deadline playoff push last season, a full offseason should hopefully see the Trail Blazers come together and provide a true test to their rivals. Not to be underestimated, the Minnesota Timberwolves made a late play at former Knick Nate Robinson to provide some scoring next to Aaron Brooks, pairing with #3 pick Wesley Johnson and a solid frontcourt, the Wolves will be out to shock and surprise the West.



Award Predictions


Most Valuable Player

LeBron James, New York Knicks

A third consecutive MVP for the King? I think so. With no true second superstar in New York, LeBron's numbers can only stabilise or increase.


Rookie of the Year

John Wall, Phoenix Suns

The stage is set, and looks to be a perfect scenario for John Wall to take the reigns of the Suns franchise and lead it to victory.


Defensive Player of the Year

Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

Josh Smith may have taken it from him last year, but Dwights defensive presence still makes it hard to look past him as the favourite.


Most Improved Player

Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls

As Chicago rises up the East ranks, its certain that Rose's numbers will rise too. Surrounded by a solid roster, including the #2 pick Derrick Favors, Rose looks to have a career year in the Windy City.


Sixth Man of the Year

Leandro Barbosa, Portland Trail Blazers

Lamar Odom took out the award last season, but the Brazilian speedster now settled in Portland should provide huge numbers for the Blazers behind Brandon Roy.


Coach of the Year

Scott Brooks, Oklahoma City Thunder

With so much young talent, guiding this Thunder team to 55+ wins could be a huge challenge or a breeze, either way Scott Brooks will be the catalyst.


Additionally: If you fancy playing with a team or this season yourself, I've uploaded the roster to the NLSC Downloads page, which you can download here. I'll aim to do the same with future seasons as we build on.

Great idea releasing the roster! Gives me a few ideas for What If articles and projects.

Magic make eleventh hour signing of Harrington



The Magic look determined to make the next step this season, signing notable free agent Al Harrington on Opening Day. The Magic now add even more frontcourt talent to better handle the leagues top big men.

Opening Night Double-Header

PHX 123 @ POR 101
26th October 2010

Wall, Suns make statement on debut


The duo of #1 pick John Wall and Michael Beasley had Portland in fits, with the latter finishing with 35 points and 12 rebounds.






HOU 89 @ LAL 115
26th October 2010

Kobe lights up 57 as the Rockets suffer from Championship hangover


Kobe Bryant came out with a vengeance against the reigning champion Rockets, showing out with 57 points on his home floor.

Kobe with a point to prove after last season.

ORL 67 @ NY 105
2nd November 2010

LeBron, Cousins make quick work of Magic


The Magic were no match for LeBron James and the Knicks in the Garden, with LeBron finishing with a triple double.

Things are looking up in the Big Apple.

BOS 83 @ ATL 121
22nd November 2010

Johnson, Hawks dominate Celtics


In a true Eastern Conference heavyweight standoff, the Celtics struggled to handle the offensive force of Joe Johnson & Al Horford.

Monthly Report: November 2010

Conference Standings




League Leaders





Injury Report


Stories

LeBron's supporting cast sidelined

The curse of the Knicks has continued, with both David Lee & DeMarcus Cousins out for at least a month, leaving LeBron to further carry the load of New York.

Thunder cash in on potential

It looks like there's no more time for waiting in Oklahoma City, quickly rising up the ranks and proving a true contender in the West.

Bulls & Nets new faces at the top of East Standings

It's early days, but Carlos Boozer and the Nets & Derrick Rose and the Bulls have came out swinging in the Eastern Conference, showing a possible transition of power.

Tough start for the defending champions, I see.

OKC 83 @ CHI 121
6th December 2010

Durant, Thunder take W in Windy City


Kevin Durant came out firing against the Bulls, dropping 38 points, including 17 in the first quarter.

UTA 88 @ LAC 95
28th December 2010

Clippers win thriller over Jazz


Eric Gordon shined brightest on his home floor, as the Clippers grinded out a win over a tough opponent in the Jazz.

Monthly Report: December 2010

Conference Standings




League Leaders





Injury Report


Stories

Nets, Jazz lead the pack

Carlos Boozer's current and former team sit on top of each Conference, with the transition of Boozer to Millsap proving seamless if not better in Utah, as the Nets continue to be the dominant force in the East.

Rockets limp into 2011, Magic also in hole

Two months now into the season, the Houston Rockets seem to be suffering a similar fate to the Lakers of last year, struggling to stay with the tough Western Conference following Championship success. Their finals opponent isn't doing much better, also sitting below .500 with arguably their best squad in the past three seasons.

Melo & Paul both unhappy with current positions

Two of the most high profile free agents of the coming years both seem to be sitting at a fork in the road at New Orleans and Denver respectively. Moves may be on the horizon to either ship out or bring in the help needed to allow Chris Paul and Carmelo to achieve the heights their talent demands.

Surprising results with the Jazz and Nets for sure.

That Pacers roster hurts my eyes! But the Blazers look pretty good.