Taking The Bet - the NBA lands in Las Vegas

[Jogo]

Season length: 29 games // Roster: 2K roster from Jan 1st // Draft class: EmbraceThePace
Superstar sim - 30 team control - All Games Played





- TIMELINE -

2015-2016

Wizards move, become Vegas Jokers
Jokers acquire J. Johnson in BKN trade
Jokers sign D. Wright to 1YR deal after CBA season
T-Mobile buys naming rights to Las Vegas Arena
Grizzlies blow up roster, trade M. Gasol

[Jogo]

What happened in Vegas ...

Quote:

Las Vegas Sun Times Study says Las Vegas is best expansion option for NBA, MLS A new study from the American City Business Journals ranked 83 cities throughout the U.S. and Canada based on their viability to support a professional sports expansion team. Las Vegas did well for itself, showing up as the top contender for two separate sports (no other city did that).

Quote:

Wired.com NOT IF, BUT WHEN Professional sports won't be able to stay out of Las Vegas forever, and Mayor Oscar Goodman has expressed his support for a downtown stadium to attract some franchise looking for a fresh start. If the three-structure proposal does indeed break ground this fall, the development group thinks it can be finished by October 2013, if there are no further hiccups. Now, all Las Vegas needs is a professional sports team -- or maybe two or three -- and we're good to go.

Quote:

Las Vegas Weekly NO PROFESSIONAL SPORT MAKES AS MUCH SENSE FOR VEGAS AS BASKETBALL Right now, Las Vegas is closer than ever to having a professional sports team. Headlines and rumors have swirled constantly this year, with multiple developments in multiple sports fueling the fire. Of course, these kinds of efforts are nothing new. Local sports fans have heard it all before. But there’s one simple fact that’s impossible to ignore and instantly escalates standard rumors into serious consideration: We’ve got an arena. MGM Resorts and AEG are building a 20,000-seat arena, right now, right behind New York-New York, set to open in 2015. There’s no better fit than an NBA team in that MGM arena. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s recent New York Times editorial calling for the legalization of sports betting across the country adds an outsized straw to this camel’s back. His predecessor David Stern softened in his anti-Vegas stance over the years, but new boss Silver is decidedly pro-Vegas. Today’s NBA has a great relationship with Las Vegas—unlike the NFL, for example—with no argument against a potential pro basketball team based here. Las Vegas is a big-event city, and we know we can count on tourism to fill some of those seats. Yet even with that important weapon in the arsenal, support from the locals will be essential to the success of a Las Vegas pro sports franchise. Will we get behind our team? If it’s basketball, the odds are stacked higher.

And so it happened ...

The Washington Wizards have had their ups and downs, but never managed to consistently settle a thriving, flourishing dinasty in the nation's capital. Due to decades of title drought and their dissapointing play of late, attendance and ticket sales are plumetting and the franchise is looking for a fresh start. A chance presented itself as MGM Resorts and AEG just finished their brand new 20.000-seats Las Vegas Arena, and the city was aching for it's own professional NBA team. In an attempt to increase attendance and exposure, and bring new life to the team, the Wizards franchise was moved and sold to the nation's capital of entertainment: Las Vegas.

"It's exciting", said owner Ted Leonsis. "We have a solid team that could be on the verge of being true contenders. You have two young superstars in Wall and Beal who will definitely steal the show in Vegas. Plus, we have a boatload of cap space this coming offseason. We could very well acquire another big superstar and build a great future for ourselves and the fans here in Sin City."

League realignment

The Wizards' move to Vegas brings along some needed division mixups. Yesterday afternoon, commissioner David Stern gave his stamp of approval for the league realignment. With the Wizards moving West, they will replace Phoenix in the Pacific Division. The Suns will move to the Southwest division and take Memphis' place. Which means Memphis will now become an Eestern Conference team, as they take Washington's place in the Southeast division. This makes for an interesting situation, since Memphis could very well immediately be a top contender in the usually weaker Eastern Conference. The Wizards on the other hand will have to prove their worth in the Wild West.

[Jogo]

Wizards rebrand, unveil new name and unis

September 7, 2015.
By: Jrue Nalist
NBA.com writer

Now that the NBA is set to welcome Las Vegas to the league, the Wizards franchise rolls out a whole new image. "We want the fans and the players to feel at home right away. The move to Vegas marks the start of a new era. With that comes a new name, a new housestyle and of course a new homecourt, wich will be housed in our very own, brand new Las Vegas Arena", says MGM Vice President Dan Quinn. Quinn is now co-owner of the former Wizards franchise, after buying 50% of the club's shares worth around 400 million dollars. Former sole Wizards owner Ted Leonsis will stay involved in all future team operations.

"Gambling is of course an undeniable and big part of the Vegas culture, and will play a big part in our revenues. So we want to integrate these aspects into our brand", Quinn added. Hence the Washington/Las Vegas Wizards are no more. The NBA welcomes a new name: the Las Vegas Jokers!





The Las Vegas Jokers will have a new home in the impressive, brand new Las Vegas Arena. Topping out the reimagined outdoor promenade linking New York-New York and Monte Carlo, The Arena is what the Coliseum was to Rome. It’s the centerpiece of the city, built for everyone to enjoy. It’s a venue that merges beauty with technology. And it will redefine and reshape how the monolithic events of our time are experienced and remembered.

The Arena—a state-of-the-art, 20,000-seat multipurpose event center from AEG and MGM Resorts International, should be fully ready to welcome it's new inhabitants by next week. As the club looks to commence training camps. The layout of the Jokers' new court won't be reveiled until the official opening of the Las Vegas Arena, at the beginning of the new NBA season.

[Jogo]

John Wall talks new home, playing in Vegas as Preseason ends

October 23, 2015
By: Anna Lyst
NBA.com Analyst

As the NBA Preseason wraps up, NBA.com analyst Anna Lyst sat down with the face of the Jokers franchise John Wall to talk about his expectations for the upcoming season and how he deals with moving to Vegas.

"It's very exciting", Wall said. "All eyes will be on us this season and expectations are sky-high. The fans and the organisation expect to get their money's worth here in Vegas. It puts a lot of pressure on you as a player, but I've never shied away from a challenge. We're used to playing in the spotlights of a big city and everything that comes with it, but Vegas is something else. The people expect a show night in, night out. I'm looking forward to it though. I've seen the new arena and it is sick! Playing at the sold out Arena for our first home game will definitely get us pumped."







So far, the Jokers reportedly are feeling confident after training camp. "We have the same chemistry and the same group of guys we had back in Washington", John Wall told us. "We're feeling very positive after training camp. We just want to get out there and play. Things won't be easy in the Western Conference, but we're definitely ready to go out there and compete night after night."

The NBA season Tip-Off is now less than a week away. The Las Vegas Jokers play their first game at home vs the Atlanta Hawks on November 3rd.

Here's the Jokers' roster for opening day:

PG: John Wall
SG: Bradley Beal
SF: Kelly Oubre Jr.
PF: Nenê
C: Marcin Gortat

6. G. Neal
7. G. Temple
8. O. Porter
9. K. Humphries
10. D. Gooden

Reserves:
D. Blair, R. Sessions, J. Dudley, A. Anderson, J. Eddie

[Jogo]

[Jogo]

John Wall shines as Jokers win season opener vs Hawks

November 4, 2015
By: Ray Porter
NBA.com reporter

GAME RECAP
It was a big night yesterday in Sin City. Sports betting skyrocketed and television ratings peaked as the newly formed Jokers team took the stage for the first time in a sold out, brand new Las Vegas Arena at Toshiba Plaza. Among the crowd a lot of famous celebrities such as famous rappers/singers Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Rihanna, blockbuster moviestar Will Smith and Las Vegas legend: boxing champ Floyd Mayweather. The pressure was on, as the players were looking to get that first W of the season at home, in the Vegas spotlights. They did not disappoint.

John Wall rose to the challenge and was a man on a mission last night. The Hawks' frontcourt was sleeping on defense and Wall made full advantage of it. Really picking his shots, he poured in a near perfect 14-18 from the field. He also shot 6-8 from downtown, racking up an incredible 42 points as wel as 10 assists in what may have been his best game of the season already.

22 year old Bradley Beal didn't seem to handle the pressure very well. He had an off night, making just 4 of 16 attempts and forcing 6 turnovers. It was still enough to seal the deal though, as the Hawks had no answer for the Jokers on offense. Both J. Teague, Kyle Korver and D. Schroder barely had any scoring input for the Hawks on offense. It was their bigs that kept them in the game for long, but there was just no stopping John Wall in the 4th quarter. Jokers took the win 108 - 124.

BOX SCORE

Atlanta Hawks at Las Vegas Jokers
Nov 3, 2015	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Atlanta (0-1)	30	20	32	26	108
Las Vegas (1-0)	38	26	24	36	124

Atlanta Hawks
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
A. Horford	30	10-18	0-0	4-8	4	0	6	0	0	24
P. Millsap	26	8-10	0-0	0-0	8	0	0	0	0	16
T. Sefolosha	30	6-8	0-2	0-0	4	4	2	0	0	12

Las Vegas Jokers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
J. Wall	32	14-18	6-8	8-8	0	10	4	2	4	42
K. Oubre Jr.	28	8-12	0-2	0-0	10	2	0	0	2	16
M. Gortat	29	4-4	0-0	4-4	12	2	0	2	2	12
B. Beal	30	4-16	2-8	2-2	0	4	2	0	6	12
Nenê	28	6-8	0-0	0-0	8	0	2	2	2	12

OTHER GAMES

MEM 100 - 88 PHX
NYK 88 - 99 MIN
PHI 81 - 94 BOS


NEXT UP
Jokers @ Chicago Bulls

[milldaddy35]

What made you relocate the Wizards? There are multiple teams I would think of moving before them, just curious why you chose them. Will be interesting to see where this goes.

[Jogo]

Quote: Originally Posted by milldaddy35

What made you relocate the Wizards? There are multiple teams I would think of moving before them, just curious why you chose them. Will be interesting to see where this goes.

Read the intro. Multiple reasons actually. I mostly enjoy doing long term rebuilds with younger teams such as the Wolves, Bucks etc. But I wanted to take a different approach now. The Wizards are in an interesting situation atm. They have two all-stars on the rise in Beal and Wall and could be just a few pieces away from contending. Plus their contract situation gives them a lot of flexibility coming offseason. It's interesting to see what they can do in the Wild West.

Other reasons: Hadn't seen any Wizards dynasties yet. I dislike the Wizards jerseys, they deserve better lol. Also: CPU Wizards always suck in 2K, they deserve better. Aaaand other teams in similar situations like say Memphis, Mavs, ... just don't appeal to me that much. Hence the Wizards it was