NBA 2K16

[theburninator77]

On January 18, 2016 at 10:54, Meacon said:

Man, I love this game, but I have no idea what the hell you two are on about. Am I the only one that only plays MyGM or MyLeague?  

Besides my Nets diary I'm running in the Cube I'm also playing a GM mode with the 76ers.  In my second season, the lottery screwed me over and gave me the 4th overall pick even though I had the best chance at being number 1.  Only 5 guys really worth drafting and I was left with between choosing a PF or C, I took the PF.  Free Agency was better as I landed a star player.  Currently in January of 2017 1st place in East.  Rotation is:

C Jahlil Okafor, PF Nerlens Noel, SF LeBron James, SG Tim Hardaway Jr, PG Derrick Rose

Bench: PF Howard Madsen (6'11" rookie with 7'7" wingspan, he is a monster), SF Jerami Grant, SG Courtney Lee, PG TJ McConnell, SF Thabo Sefolosha, PG Kendall Marshall, and PF Richaun Holmes.

Bench lacks firepower other than my rookie Howard Madsen.

[thatshortguy]

For those of us unable to throw down the coin right now, Steam has a free weekend and 50% discount (knocking it to $30).  Will take some time to download, though.  44.2 GB.

[Cymbols]

Bought this. Won't be able to play it for a week. Very excited.

[Meacon Keaton]

You won't be disappointed. Unless you love MyPlayer mode. Then you may be disappointed.  

[Cymbols]

I've watched two games of basketball in my life, I just want to play as Aaron Gordon and slam dunk the shit out of everything.

[Cymbols]

Why is my guy's family black when my guy looks like Andi Weimann?

[JasonM]

2 minutes ago, Cymbols said:

Why is my guy's family black when my guy looks like Andi Weimann?

Because Spike Lee doesn't believe in white basketball players

[Cymbols]

So at no point does it tell me how to play. It's unforgiving, especially for someone who doesn't really understand the sport. 

[Cymbols]

Okay, I have a week without the game, so you guys can hopefully help me out with my GM mode.

As the Orlando Magic, I have to get rid of Jason Smith or Ersan İlyasova. What's the best way to do that without weakening my team?

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, how do I defend? 

[Meacon Keaton]

It's the NBA in 2016. You don't need to defend!

[Cymbols]

I mean, they score 95% of the time they attack, I score 50-66% of the time I attack, so unless I spam 3 pointers, which makes it even more difficult to score, I'm losing always.

Oh, and I don't know how to dunk.

It plays well though, so I'll love it once I understand it I'm sure.

[Trey]

I struggle with some of the quicker players still in terms of defending, honestly the easiest way I learned was to get a long, talented big (think Rudy Gobert, Cauley-Stein, DeAndre Jordan) and played defense as them, guarding the post and coming over on help defense. 

 

As for trading players without weakening the team, you can usually find pretty decent trades on the trade finder. 

[JasonM]

11 hours ago, Cymbols said:

I mean, they score 95% of the time they attack, I score 50-66% of the time I attack, so unless I spam 3 pointers, which makes it even more difficult to score, I'm losing always.

Oh, and I don't know how to dunk.

It plays well though, so I'll love it once I understand it I'm sure.

Dunking is going to the basket holding the turbo (R2/RT) and either using the shot stick or the shoot button.
Defending is all about forcing your opponent into shitty shots, and trying to actually steal the ball is a very very far second. The moment you press the reach-in button you leave yourself open for the player you're guarding to sprint past you and go for a drive on net, which means the other defenders have to collapse to stop him, which means that someone on the outside will get open for an open three pointer.

The biggest tip I can give you is to stay between the player and the basket (duh), which you can make easier through using the LT/L2 to play tighter defense and 'lock' more onto the player with the ball so that your player will keep himself pointed towards the ball handler he's defending.

Also, try to use the block button as little as possible (Y/Triangle) when you're playing outside. You can raise your players arm with the right stick, which at range can often be enough to force the miss without you leaving your feet. The moment you jump for a block you become vulnerable to pump fakes and drives to the hoop, since you'll be unable to react in time.

Also in the post, use the LT to stay attached to the guy with the ball, and try to 'push back' with the movement stick so that he won't back you down until you're underneath the basket. Don't try to steal the ball, unless you're extremely confident of getting it like a big man starting to actually dribble it facing the basket (as opposed to posting up, back to the basket) but still this is tricky and risky, and unless you're in a mismatch where you're a guard, you'll probably miss the swipe, foul him, or give him an uncontested shot.

To further clarify on the 'block' button, you only really use this in situations where you're confident you can significantly alter (or block) the shot from the opponent. Examples are when you're running back on a fast break and you need to try something, or perhaps a player has left his feet already and you know he won't be able to run past you. You're better off being a little bit late on the jump than biting on a pump fake, because even if you're a little late you'll still add pressure to the shooter.

And as always, know your personnel and know the personnel of your opponent. Know what they're good at, and try to exploit the things they're bad at... For example I got ruined by the 76ers as the Mavs, because they had Embiid/Noel/Okafor which allowed them to bully me inside on defense AND offense, so they grabbed a fucktonne of boards... But at the same time I was able to beat the Warriors because I had plenty of quick guards who could stay close to the likes of Curry and Thompson, so they couldn't explode on me.
More often than not, if you know what a player is good at (or bad at), you can defend them better.

For example you don't want to get guys like Drummond, Whiteside, D. Jordan near the basket because they're great hook-shot players and they can even dunk over some players... But if they get the ball in the post and you force them into taking shots, their efficiency drops dramatically.
Of course, Superstar players are superstars for a reason, and guys like Anthony Davis and Chris Bosh can murder you on any given night, but you can still make their jobs hard by simply contesting and keeping them away from easy buckets.

Also, as Trey has said. Quick AI players are absolutely devastating, and those will be the hardest to stop when you're starting out, and will continue being a bitch to defend even as you become more experienced at the game. Especially if they just iso-spam you for 20 seconds until you give them a single inch to make a shot in.

General Defensive Tips:
1: Play smart defense, don't leave your feet unless you know they're shooting it.
1a: It's better to be a tad late on jumping to stop a shot, than biting on the fake and giving them an easy run to the hoop.
2: Know what the opposition players are good at, and learn to put them into situations that they're not good at.
3: Use the LT to stay on your man, and use the shot-stick to challenge them.
3a: Don't perma-challenge with the shot-stick, because it does make your player harder to move around.
4: Stay between the ball and basket, move diagonally to cut them off.
5: Don't try to steal unless you're prepared to give the ball handler a run at the basket if it fails
6: Let them pass it around, as long as they're passing it to someone who has a defender on it... Having THEM run out the clock is a viable defensive strategy.

Offensive tip:
L1, L1, L1 - Learn the Pick and Roll, it's the most successful and easy play in basketball for a reason.
A good P&R gives you at least three-four options, you can try to score with the ballhandler either through a pull-up shot(1), or try a lay-up/dunk(2). You can dish it to the guy setting the pick(3), or you can 'kick' it outside to an open player for a shot(4). You can even have the pick setter 'fade' instead of 'roll', which means he looks to leak to the outside for a jumpshot, great for example with Ersan Ilyasova.

You can set 'custom' P&R's too, by pressing L1/LB, and holding the corresponding player button of who you want to have set the pick. This way you could even run Pick and Roll's between your two guards, or with the small forward, or any other combination.

TL;dr - Practice makes kinda-perfect

[JasonM]

Orlando Magic lineup, roundup:
PG's: These guys are your go-to playmakers and P&R ballhandlers
Brandon Jennings:  spot up threes - 6th man, or starting PG
Elfrid Payton: spot up threes, defensive specialist - Starting Pointguard or defensive roleplayer
CJ Watson: Three point specialist - Roleplayer, Veteran
Shabazz Napier: Shit Defender, decent shooter - Warm Body

SG's: These guys will often be offensive minded guards, sometimes taller than the PG's and depending on their height could be SFs
Victor Oladipo: All-round shooter, Good defender, Good playmaker - Star player, starting SG always
Evan Fournier: Spot up threes, good inside game, bad everything else - Starting SF or roleplayer
Mario Hezonja: Good shooter, bad everything else - Future starter & Roleplayer
Devyn Marble: - Shit at everything, warm body

No natural SF's on the Magic

PF's: These are more mobile big-men, most have some form of mid-range game and defensive skill
Aaron Gordon: Good defender/rebounder, average shooter, crazy athletics - Starting PF/SF
Ersan Ilyasova: Good spot up big, average defense, decent rebounds - Bench scorer or starting PF
Andrew Nicholson: Good shooter, average defense... Ersan lite - Bench scorer

C's: Biggest players on the team, they'll be the best post players and rebounders
Nikola Vucevic: Great inside scorer, great midrange, good defense rebounds - Star Player, Starting C
Jason Smith: Good mid-range, SHIT rebounds - Warm body center
Dewayne Dedmon: No scoring ability, good rebounding - Defensive roleplayer

Lineup I would use:
PG: Elfrid Payton - Young, and can defend pretty well and shoot from range.
SG: Victor Oladipo - Duh
SF: Evan Fournier - Toss-up between Gordon and Fournier, but Fournier wins because he's got a shot
PF: Ersan Ilyasova - Gordon is the better player, but Ersan adds more scoring options and spaces the floor
C: Nikola Vucevic - Duh
6: Brandon Jennings - He's a great pick and roll guy who can add scoring off the bench
7: Aaron Gordon - Number one big off the bench
8: CJ Watson - Number two guard who can score
9: Andrew Nicholson - Number two big who can score
10: Mario Hezonja - Swingman guard who can play 2-3 and score
11: Smith or Dedmon - You want a mid-range shooter or rebounder?
12: Napier - Scoring player who can't defend at the end of the bench
Reserves: Dedmon/Smith, Marble

As far as trading goes, I would NOT trade Ilyasova away. Even though technically he's a worse player than Aaron Gordon, he can drain open threes at an alarming rate. Even if the Owner willed it, I would only really trade him unless you can get an all-round SF/PF in return.

Your mean stars are Vucevic and Oladipo though, Oladipo can be a tough one to learn to use since he's an iso-player and iso is hard, but he can score from almost all positions, and in a few seasons will be Kobe-lite. And as far as Vucevic is concerned, I suggest you go into training mode and learn post moves because he is DOMINANT at the post game, give him the ball in the post and go to work on whoever is near him. And if that doesn't work he can hit the midrange too! And he has great badges all-round.

The Magic don't have a bad team, they're just young and wildly inconsistent. They got shooters who are average defenders, and average shooters that are great defenders, and everything in between. And they're wicked young to boot, with only two replaceable players being over 30!

Edit: Having done a quick glance in MyGM with the Magic, I've found these trades for Smith... (PS: I won't be giving away any first round picks)
- Smith to Washington for Anderson & Eddie
Trade nothing for two nothings? Smith is useless, and you're trading him away (to please your boss) by adding two warm bodies on 1 year deals.
- Smith/Nicholson to Minnesota for '17 1st round pick & Rudez
Rudez is a shitty SF, but he's on a 1 year deal and you'll get a first round pick in 2017!
- Smith/Jennings/'16 Por2nd to Washington for Kelly Oubre Jr & Nenê
You'll lose some 'oomph' on offense with the loss of Brandon (and you might find it unrealistic to trade him away). Oubre is 19 years old and can become a star in a few seasons with his B+ potential, and Nenê is a much more useful center than either Smith or Dedmon, which will add a pretty good defensive center off the bench...
- Smith/Oladipo/'18 2nd to Milwaukee for Khris Middleton & Jerryd Bayless
Now before you tell me i'm crazy... Khris Middleton is only 1 year older, and he's 6ft7 SG with equal scoring ability and slightly worse defensive ability... You might be able to contemplate this one a little...
 

Edited March 12, 2016 by Jasonmufc

[Cymbols]

Ended up trading Jason Smith and Andrew Nicholson to the New York Knicks for Lance Thomas and Kyle O'Quinn. I'm reasonably pleased with O'Quinn when he's come off the bench so far. 

[Cymbols]

Started out 4-4, but 0-3 at the Amway. Will hopefully turn that around against the 0-7 Lakers next. 

I was 13 points up heading into the 4th against Houston, and lost in overtime. So annoying. Other losses came against Washington, Toronto and Oklahoma, whilst I beat Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Indiana. 

My next question though, contract renewals. It says that a few guys only have one year left (Aaron Gordon for example), but he doesn't appear on the renegotiation screen. But also, Jennings and Lance Thomas are on there and it won't let me renegotiate because they weren't on a four year deal or something. What do I do?

[JasonM]

2 minutes ago, Cymbols said:

Started out 4-4, but 0-3 at the Amway. Will hopefully turn that around against the 0-7 Lakers next. 

I was 13 points up heading into the 4th against Houston, and lost in overtime. So annoying. Other losses came against Washington, Toronto and Oklahoma, whilst I beat Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Indiana. 

My next question though, contract renewals. It says that a few guys only have one year left (Aaron Gordon for example), but he doesn't appear on the renegotiation screen. But also, Jennings and Lance Thomas are on there and it won't let me renegotiate because they weren't on a four year deal or something. What do I do?

Gordon has team options, so he won't appear on negotations, you'll get a choice at the end of the year whether you want to give him another year, or whether to cut him (you'll still be able to offer him a contract in free agency after)

Jennings and Thomas, like you said can't be re-signed in the middle of the season because their contracts have been shorter than 4 years. As a result you can only offer them a new deal in the off-season, which will mean that Jennings and Thomas will end up on the market... If their blurbs in their profiles say that he wants to resign after the season, then you've got a good chance of keeping him. If they say they're leanings (or wanting) towards free agency, it'll be harder.

There is also another thing called 'bird rights', which means a team can resign a player over the salary cap if he has gone three years without being waved, or becoming a free agent. Players can be traded whilst keeping their rights.

Tl;dr - no need to stress, you can't resign them now so just focus on the off-season. If you're afraid you can't keep them and want to get something for them, then trade them for picks and multi-year deals to teams that want 1-year guys.

[Cymbols]

Cheers dude, appreciate it! I honestly don't know hardly anything about basketball ball other than watching games, but it's fun as fuck. 

[Cymbols]

10 points up against the Timberwolves in the 4th, then Zach LaVine happened. Lost in overtime. Was on a five game winning streak at that point. 7-5 now.

[Monkey D. Lars]

Zach LaVine can get on fire. Currently started a Raptors game after playing with the Nuggets for a few seasons. I love playing with Valanciunas. Added Danny Green and Diaw for Carroll.  I can;t play with the guy and I hate his contract. Still don't know for who to go in the off season other than keeping DeRozan. Have a lot of cap space left and the Nuggets First Round pick in the upcoming draft!