Imagine running the break with CP3. As you grab the board and run in transition, Boogie Cousins lifts off to the rim, resulting in a perfectly-timed lob for a thunderous alley-oop as Sleep Train Arena erupts. For this to be reality, the NBA would have to gift Sacramento the All-Star Game. But with NBA 2K15, NBA reality is - as we all know – whatever you want.
As entertaining as this season has been so far, I can't help but wonder how much better it would be if there were less teams. Die-hard NBA fans understand that the mere mention of ‘contraction’ during a league meeting is a non-starter. Neither the players’ union nor team owners would willingly give up revenue like this in the short term. But that’s the beauty of video games. They allow us to turn fantasy into reality. Since my only investment here is entertainment, I can be selfish and wonder “What if?”
For me, the premise was simple. Eliminate six random teams, put all of the players into a pool, and draft. I took the remaining 24 teams based on overall win percentage for the past five years and, along with a few minor adjustments, ranked them in reverse order to create a serpentine-style draft. In the interest of simplicity, I ignored player contracts. Farewell to Atlanta, Orlando, Los Angeles Clippers, Charlotte, Utah and Minnesota. Hello free agency (I see you, CP3).
Try figuring out how each team would draft based on their current outlook and roster structure. Here's how the draft shook out:
The match-up I’ve had the most fun with so far was Portland vs. Memphis. This would be a great game today, but imagine Al Horford lining up next to LaMarcus Aldridge to take on Marc Gasol and Z-Bo, who now have sharpshooter J.J. Reddick coming off of the bench. That’s a seven-game bloodbath waiting to happen.
My personal favorite draft choice was moving Wiggins to my hometown Pistons with the second pick. The thought of Drummond and Wiggins growing together under Stan the Man makes me temporarily forget about the past five years my team has spent in the NBA basement.
As you can imagine, the possibilities are endless. Contract different teams, more teams, less teams, draft for current need only, draft based on the future, etc. The point here is to create an alternate reality where the NBA is even more competitive than it is today, complete with match-ups that feature even more star power.
The NBA will never seriously consider contraction, but don’t let that stop you. Put on your Commissioner hat, pop in NBA 2K15, and create your new NBA. Hey, we all need something to do when the Knicks or Lakers are scheduled for a national television game.