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NBA Jam Roster Update: Winners and Losers


Winners


Los Angeles Clippers -- All aboard the Clippers bandwagon! If you're sick of seeing Los Angeles teams dominate TV listings, you might want to avoid NBA Jam's online arena for a few weeks until the rush of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin users dies down a bit.

Dallas Mavericks -- Reigning NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki is an obvious must-start, but Dallas now has a ridiculously deep supporting cast, with Lamar Odom, Yi Jianlian and Vince Carter joining the two Jasons -- Kidd and Terry.

New Orleans Hornets -- Eric Gordon's speed and 3-point shooting make him a capable replacement for Paul. Chris Kaman fits into David West's old role nicely, offering more size and strength than West, who signed as a free agent with Indiana.

New Jersey Nets -- Star point guard Deron Williams gets more support with the arrival of former Utah Jazz forward, Mehmet Okur, who brings an enticing mix of size and shooting ability. Okur, A.K.A. The Turkish Larry Bird, can rain 3s from his hot spot at the bottom of the left wing.

Milwaukee Bucks -- After multiple ACL and MCL injuries, the Bucks let former All-Star, Michael Redd, depart to Phoenix. Ex-Indiana Pacer Mike Dunleavy replaces Redd inJam's latest roster. Dunleavy's 3-point skills make him and Brandon Jennings a lethal sharpshooting tandem.



Losers



Cleveland Cavaliers -- No team is hit harder by NBA Jam's lack of rookies than Cleveland. Potential Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving could have made a great pairing with Anderson Varejao. Instead, the Cavs' only option is two paint-cloggers (Antawn Jamison being the other) who have low speed and no outside game. After playing a half with Varejao and Jamison, Cleveland fans will be begging for Baron Davis to come back.

Denver Nuggets -- J.R. Smith recently scored 60 points on 14 three-pointers in a Chinese playoff game, but his removal from the Nuggets' lineup separates one of NBA Jam's top 3-point pairings, leaving fellow sharpshooter Danilo Gallinari with only one teammate -- undersized power forward, Al Harrington.

Houston Rockets -- Yao Ming's retirement forces skinny shooting guards Kevin Martin and Courtney Lee to run the offense. Argentinian Luis Scola still can't get any love from NBA Jam's roster raters, as his low ratings make him less effective offensively than he is in the real life.

Utah Jazz -- Like Denver's Smith situation, the Jazz are hurt by Andrei Kirilenko's decision to honor his contract with Russia's CSKA Moscow club instead of bolting back to the NBA. A roster of Devin Harris, Josh Howard and Al Jefferson just isn't good enough to replace AK47's height advantage and shooting accuracy. The loss of Mehmet Okur to New Jersey further depletes Utah's scoring options.

Indiana Pacers -- Newly acquired forward David West is a smaller post player who relies on his mid-range jumper to score. While West's game works fine in the real NBA, it just doesn't translate well to NBA Jam. Franchise player Danny Granger remains a reliable scorer, but with Dunleavy now on the Bucks, and West being Granger's only teammate, there's little reason to pick the Pacers beyond "Hoosier State" homerism.

Which teams are you excited to use in the new NBA Jam: On Fire Edition rosters?

 

 


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